This is Thanksgiving week in the United States. Sometimes Thanksgiving falls on November 22. It also happens to be my middle brother’s birthday, and it is the day that John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was assassinated in 1963. I always thought it must not be fun to share your birthday with a big holiday or the day an important person was shot.
November 22 is also National Cranberry Relish Day. So in honor of that day and my brother’s birthday, I have a recipe for cranberry-orange relish. I love this relish, but my husband and younger daughter like the stuff out of a can. My reaction to that. Yuck! I would much rather have the fresh stuff. It’s sweet, yet tart—a combination I love.
Cranberry-Orange Relish
Ingredients:
1 unpeeled orange, cut into eighths and seeded
1 12-ounce package of fresh cranberries
3/4 cup sugar
Directions:
Rinse and drain cranberries. Process half the cranberries and half the orange slices in food processor until the mixture is evenly chopped. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with remaining cranberries and orange slices. Stir in sugar. Store in refrigerator until flavors are blended.
Makes about 3 cups.
What kind of cranberry relish do you like?
I will be giving away an e-book copy of the first book in my Front Porch Promises series to one person who leaves a comment. You can find buy links on my website.
Merrillee Whren is an award-winning author who writes inspirational romance. She is the winner of the 2003 Golden Heart Award for best inspirational romance manuscript presented by Romance Writers of America. She has also been the recipient of the RT Reviewers’ Choice Award and the Maggie Award for Excellence. She is married to her own personal hero, her husband of thirty plus years, and has two grown daughters. She has lived in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Chicago and Florida but now makes her home in the Arizona desert. When she’s not writing, she spends her free time playing tennis or walking while she does the plotting for her novels.
I do love foods that are tart, Merrillee, but I’m not a fan of cranberries. That said, your homemade recipe of cranberry relish does sound pretty good.
Wishing you and your family a blessed and safe Thanksgiving.
Sounds like a delightful book. Thanks for the chance to win.
Happy Thanksgiving Merrillee! In our family nobody is fond of cranberry sauce, so I serve the cranberry jelly from a can.
While my birthday is near Memorial Day, my grandson’s birthday is just before Christmas and my son’s birthday is early January. Their birthdays are often over shadowed by Christmas celebrations. This year for the first time my grandson will celebrate his birthday at school. Since we usually have our extended family celebration before Christmas, his birthday cake is our dessert.
The covers of your Front Porch Promises series are fun and one of a kind and therefore catch my attention. I remember your posts about finding just the right rocking chair. Well done. Sorry I have not had time to read any book from Front Porch Promises and would enjoy being included in your drawing.
I never really cared for cranberries, but I’m always willing to try a new recipe.
I do remember a few years ago when we improvised a Thanksgiving dinner in grad school and two friends couldn’t agree which cranberry sauce to bring, so they brought both kinds (that each of them liked) and nobody ate either.. it was funny also because nobody wanted to take the left over sauces. I thought it was so pointless but in the end I realized it made a difference for them, even if they didn’t have it, you know? Just as a reminder of their family’s tradition.
Thanks so much, Jill. Happy Thanksgiving to you, too.
Thanks. You’re welcome.
Happy Thanksgiving to you. My granddaughter’s birthday is in mid-December, but so far it seems not to be over shadowed by the Christmas holiday.
Too funny that nobody ate the cranberry sauces. Yeah, family traditions count a lot on the holidays.
sounds like a great recipe and book! Love to win it!
I never had it sounds easy enough to make.
Merrillee….I have read both of your books in the Front Porch series so please don’t enter me in the drawing. I am looking forward to the next two books in the series. I love all of the titles.
I was thinking about the significance of today’s date earlier this morning. I was in junior high and my family lived in Washington DC at the time so Kennedy’s assassination had a huge impact on me 53 years ago. The whole city shut down for about a week on so. Everyone was in such a state of shock. I was 13 so understood what was going on.
My brother in law’s birthday is September 11th so his birthday is now known as a day of sadness and remembrance just like November 22nd.
Your recipe for Cranberry relish sounds good! I’ve never had the relish. When I was much younger, my cousin would make Cranberry Salad with rasberry jello, cranberries, oranges and pecans. I love anything cranberry–one of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving dinner. Next favorite–dressing.
Merrillee,
I have found many people who have this birthday. My husband does and a student at the school I work in does. My sister in law has hers tomorrow and I have mine on Saturday.
I was born on Thanksgiving so I’m one of those people who have my birthday on a holiday around every 8 years. It’s hard because my day is never just my day. When I married into this family they celebrate all the birthdays that are around this time together. Often my day goes by uneventful. This year my husband gave me a surprise party a couple weeks ago, but he couldn’t keep it a surprise so I know about it, but that was sweet. You see this week be a BIG year and I’m feeling old.
Sheila, thanks for stopping by.
Super easy, and it tastes so good!
Thanks, Nancy. Having a birthday on 9/11 has to be tough, too.
B Walters, thanks. Your cranberry salad sounds good, too. Lots of people love the dressing.
Marilyn, happy early birthday. It is hard to pull off a surprise party!
I like the cranberry sauce from a can as well. My aunt made sure to have some on hand when we had Thanksgiving dinner this past weekend. It was great! My birthday was November 19. My mom’s is the 28th. Hers ends up on Thanksgiving every so often. We have a surprise party for her Saturday which was my birthday. When she saw my sister she told her this had better be for Sally. Sorry. I wasn’t 70 years old, she was lol. It couldn’t have been for me.
Today was my dad’s birthday. He would have been 95! Anyway, I’m not sure why I’ve never been a big cranberry fan. My hubby likes it. I can take them or leave them… Happy Thanksgiving! I always enjoy entering book giveaways.
This date will always be in my mind as the day I said goodbye at the airport to my first born. He landed in America today after leaving Australia for a working holiday. I may not see him for years. Please look after him America! He’s looking forward to his first thanksgiving but I’m not sure he’ll be excited about cranberries! Thanks for the chance to win a copy of one of your books.
Sally, happy belated birthday. How fun to surprise your mom that way!
Margaret, Happy Thanksgiving to you, too.
Nicki, I hope your son enjoys America. It has to be hard to be so far away from your child. We live near one daughter, and the other one lives on the other side of the country. She is here visiting now. So we are enjoying that.
I love anything with cranberries and oranges. I share my birthday with mother’s day some years. You definitely lose one or the other. My poor sons birthday is also close. You can only celebrate so much in a week. Fortunately his birthday comes first!
I always buy Ocean Spray cranberry sauce (not whole berry). I’ve tried the whole berry before but didn’t care for it. Your relish sounds really good, I’d probably enjoy it very much! Do you eat it as is, or do you you mix it in with something else or do you use it as a topping?
Since I’ve read your three books, no need to enter my name. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours Merrillee!!
Trixi, we eat it as is. I just put it on my plate as a side. It is sweetly tart.
Diana, you are so right. Only so much celebrating can go on in a week.