Cranberries, Cranberries, Cranberries

I know it’s only August but the kids are back in school and I feel like summer is over and it time to get ready for fall. I sure miss pumpkin pie and cranberries and I’m ready to start thinking about new and different ways to use them. I still had a bag of cranberries from winter in my freezer and it was time to use them or lose them. They turned out pretty good.

*Cranberries (Basic Recipe)

 30 Athens mini fillo shells

1-10oz bag frozen cranberries

1 cup sugar
½ cup orange juice
¼ cup golden raisins
1 small apple, chopped
½ teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon nutmeg

30 walnut halves

Bake shells 3 to 5 minutes at 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan combine remaining ingredients (except walnuts) and cook over medium heat until berries pop. (Do not overcook or apples will become too soft) Remove from heat and refrigerate until chilled. Cranberries will thicken as they cool. Fill shells and top with walnut. 

Then I tried them with this my wonderful new discovery called Mexican Crema, which simply means cream or in this case it is like sour cream or crème fraise. I think it has a richer less sharp taste than regular sour cream. Anyway, I really liked it so I added it to the cranberry recipe and I also spiced it up with some diced hatch chilies. If you can’t find Crema, plain Greek yogurt might work but I’m not sure it would taste as good.

*Basic Recipe cooked and cooled

2 Tablespoons hatch chilies, finely diced

½ cup Mexican Crema
30 pecan halves, salted

Fold chilies and Crema into cranberries. Fill shells and top with a salted pecan half. Add additional Crema and chilies if desired.     

My next cranberry variation was simply the basic cranberry recipe with the addition of cream cheese and whipped topping. Tastes like a dessert and who doesn’t love cream cheese. I sure loved trying them and I hope you will too.

*Basic Recipe cooked and cooled.

4oz cream cheese, room temperature

½ cup non-dairy whipped topping

Add cream cheese to cranberries. Fold topping into mixture and fill shells. Serve chilled or frozen.

  

If you don’t have a bag of cranberries in your freezer and you can’t find them at the store, a can of whole cranberry sauce will work. I like tart cranberry sauce so if you like it sweeter you can add more sugar to the basic recipe.