Thanksgiving cranberries

Ever since I was little, it was always my job to make the cranberries for Thanksgiving. When I was young, my grandma would help me grind the berries in an oldfashioned meat grinder that we would clamp onto the table. It eventally evolved into me using my mom's old salad shooter (which was suprisingly more difficult to use than the grinder.) This year, I made them in the food processor and it was awesome! The texture was very uniform. I tossed the berries in with some white and brown sugar, juice from an orance, and half the orange (insides and out).

I also made an apple cranberry tart. I liked that the tart used apples instead of oranges, it was a nice change. I made extra topping and was happy I did (but I like extra crumbly toppings on most things). It was a great tart that everyone liked. I will be making it again in the future.

Apple Cranberry Tart Country Woman November/December 1995 and on tasteofhome.com
Ingredients:

1-1/4 cups unsweetened apple juice or cider, divided
1-1/3 cups sugar
3 medium tart apples, peeled and cubed
1 package (12 ounces) fresh or frozen cranberries
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Pastry for single-crust pie (10 inches)

TOPPING:
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
12 pecan halves

Directions:
In a large saucepan over medium heat, bring 3/4 cup apple juice and sugar to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add apples and cranberries; return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5-8 minutes or until apples are tender and berries pop,. Whisk flour and remaining juice until smooth; stir into cranberry mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Cool to room temperature.

Fit pastry into an 10-in. fluted tart pan with removable bottom, or press into the bottom and 1 in. up the sides of a 10-in. springform pan. Line pastry with double thickness of heavy-duty foil.

Bake at 450° for 5 minutes. Remove foil; bake 7-10 minutes or until pastry is nearly done. Cool. Add apple mixture. Combine first four topping ingredients; sprinkle over filling. Arrange pecan halves on top. Bake at 375° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 12 servings.

Baked salmon with Southeast Asian marinade

This recipe comes from the Mayo Clinic. The recipe was okay, not good, not bad, just okay. I think it would have been better if I did two things differently. First, I would marinate the fish longer for more flavor. Second, I would not cook the pices of garlic on top of the fish; the pieces I used were not too small so they didn't cook long enough to be sweet and tender so it was really overpowering.

Baked salmon with Southeast Asian marinade  from MayoClinic.com

Ingredients:

1/2 cup pineapple juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 salmon fillets, each 4 ounces
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup diced fresh fruit, such as pineapple, mango and papaya

Directions:
In a small bowl, add the pineapple juice, garlic, soy sauce and ginger. Stir to mix evenly.
Arrange the salmon fillets in a small baking dish. Pour the pineapple juice mixture over the top. Put in the refrigerator and marinate for 1 hour. Turn the salmon periodically as needed.
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Lightly coat 2 squares of aluminum foil with cooking spray. Place the marinated salmon fillets on the aluminum foil. Drizzle each with 1/8 teaspoon sesame oil. Sprinkle with pepper and top each with 1/2 cup diced fruit.
Wrap the foil around the salmon, folding the edges down to seal. Bake until the fish is opaque throughout when tested with the tip of a knife, about 10 minutes on each side. Transfer the salmon to warmed individual plates and serve immediately.