Saturday Stirrings

Whoa! I haven't posted for a week! This is our busiest month, so next month should be better for blogging. :-)

Today's recipe caught my eye as I was looking for something easy, festive, and different at myrecipes.com. What could be more "Christmasy" than cranberries? Turns out my husband likes these so much, he ate most of the first batch, bought the ingredients for a second batch, made it himself (VERY unusual for him), and ate most of that one as well. And he has been asking when we are going to make them again. Lol! People who like the combo of juicy, sour and sweet will really dig these.(Hubby's fav fruit is pie cherries, his fav apple is Granny Smith, and he eats lemonade concentrate directly from the can.)

Sugared Cranberries
Ingredients
4 cups granulated sugar
4 cups water
4 cups fresh cranberries
1 1/2 cup superfine sugar

Directions
Combine granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring mixture until sugar dissolves. Bring to a simmer; remove from heat. (Do not boil or the cranberries may pop when added.) Stir in cranberries; pour mixture into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

Drain cranberries in a colander over a bowl, reserving steeping liquid, if desired (we kept ours and used it for making a second batch). Place superfine sugar in a shallow dish. Add the cranberries, rolling to coat with sugar. Spread sugared cranberries in a single layer on a baking sheet; let stand at room temperature 1 hour or until dry.

Store in an airtight container in a cool place for up to a week.

Yield
18 servings (serving size: about 1/3 cup)

Don't worry if they split. Ours did, and they were still great! Here is the description that was with the recipe:

Because of the contrast between the tart cranberries and sugary coating, the flavor of this snack pops in your mouth. The berries are steeped in hot sugar syrup to tame their tangy bite. When entertaining, serve these in place of nuts. For gift-giving, package in parchment-lined tins. If you can't find superfine sugar, make your own by processing granulated sugar in a food processor for a minute.

Click here to see how Carol is hung up on apples (her words, not mine!)! Hee-hee!