Cooking up some Easter

HEY!  Let's dive right in with a recipe, shall we? 

Remember the menu?   Menu Monday blog

And I just made:

Spicy-Lime Cranberry Sauce

12 oz fresh or frozen (thawed) cranberries
8 oz pineapple tidbits (juice-packed) undrained
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup water
1 fresh jalepeno, seeded and finely minced
2 tsp finely shredded fresh lime peel
1/8 tsp cinnamon

In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients.  Bring to a boil over medium heat - stirring to dissolve sugar.  Boil gently, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until mixture thickens, stirring occasionally (sauce will continue to thicken as it cools).

Remove from heat and cool to room temperature prior to serving.  May also chill prior to serving.  Store in an airtight container in refrigerator up to two weeks.

This is AWESOME alongside poultry of all styles - we love it to top off smoked turkey or baked chicken.  It's also a wonderful side to just about anything that you're wanting a little sweet.  Don't worry - the jalepeno in this recipe will NOT blow you away - if you want it to, then you'll need to add another one and include a few seeds.  One pepper just gives it the right amount of  flavor without the 'kick.'

Also, I usually back off the white sugar a bit and I never seem to have an 8 oz can of pineapple tidbits - but always have a 20 oz can of the chunks.  I quarter each chunk (now I have tids!) and use the whole can - juice and all.  Works just fine.  Oh, and if all you have is pineapple in the sugary syrup, just cut out the white sugar all together and use a little less of the brown sugar.

I always envision this cranberry recipe garnished with a candied lime peel curl and sprig of peppermint.  Have I done it?  Nope.  One of these days though!

I'm boiling my eggs today for the Easter Egg dyeing party Saturday. . . three dozen worth.  Maybe four.  The decorated eggs will then become deviled eggs for the weekend.  And diced up for Egg Salad the following week.  YUM!  Dug out my 'idea book' with a couple different ways to dye them.  Think I'll pass on the natural dyes - not up for rounding up things like beets and onion peels. . . BUT - I would like to marble them, that's kind of fun.  We did that one year and it didn't work out real well - maybe we just need the practice?  Then again, maybe we should just stick with those kits from the store.  I know. . .I know. . . lame, isn't it?

Tomorrow will be consumed with dicing up veggies for the Veggie Pizza and Fresh Vegetable Salad, as well as baking the Cheesecake, Booze Cake, and those Angelic Biscuits (along with the honey butter that goes on them!  Heavenly. . .)  I'm also making up the Crabtastic Rangoon filling and refrigerating it (will be warmed to room temperature before using on Sunday).  I think I'll go ahead and make the Tex-Mex Corn Dip too.

You know, I'm really looking forward to tomorrow.  Hubster and I have made it a tradition to where we both take off from work and spend the day getting things ready for the weekend - I do enjoy that time together.  If you're in the neighborhood, stop by.  We can always use an extra taste tester. . . .

So what recipe shall I share tomorrow?  Hmmm. . . Angelic Biscuits?  Booze Cake?  Fresh Vegetable Salad?  You tell me!

Have a cooking kind of day ~

Robin Z