Thanksgiving Salad

Thanksgiving Salad is on the plate with green olives and cranberry sauce.

Happy Thanksgiving 2014!  As you can see, I made most of the traditional items.  Needless to say I will be eating leftovers all week.  Most of the food pictured pre-dates Mom, Sandy, or me.  Thanksgiving Salad does not!  My sister may know the history of this recipe, but I am not certain from where it came.  It materialized on Mom's table shortly before I went to college and became an instant hit!

Granny always made a citrus salad, which I love, and a Waldorf salad, which I never found to my taste.  Citrus salad is easy to make.  A can of pineapple, supreme an orange, peel and chop an apple, slice a banana, and add some pecan pieces.  Mix and let it set in the fridge for a few hours.  Refreshing and delicious.  It was one of the first holiday dishes that I learned to make.  (I really should make it again.  Perhaps at Christmas!)

Daddy never liked Citrus or Waldorf salad due to the nuts in them.  He liked the Thanksgiving salad though.  We all did, and it became part of the table tradition!  I remember the first year that I had it.  Mom cooked, we ate, and then...we started to decorate for Christmas.  Mom was determined to deck the halls the day after Thanksgiving that year for some reason.  Thanksgiving day was chilly, but the following day was very cold.  While hanging decorations outside, we would dash inside to warm up, and I kept eating spoons of Thanksgiving salad on these breaks.

It's easy to make.  Here are the specifics.

Pineapple, Carrots, Sugar, Gelatin, and Water.

Add roughly two cups of canned, unsweetened, crushed pineapple, 2 cups of grated carrots, two packets of unflavored gelatin, 1 cup sugar, and 1/2 cup of water to a pot.  Heat until mixed and bubbly stirring often to keep anything from sticking.

All mixed up

Once it starts to bubble and boil, turn it to a simmer and allow it to cook until the carrots are tender.  This will take about 20 to 30 minutes.

I need my timer.

Stir often to prevent the mixture from sticking.  Once the carrots are tender (but still have some bite to them,) turn off the heat and add two 8 ounce blocks of Philadelphia cream cheese.

Stir, stir, stir.

Mom's recipe says to mix the cream cheese with the whipped cream until it is creamy and then add to the carrot/pineapple mixture.  I simply dump the cream cheese in the hot pot and let the heat melt it while I stir.  Using my spatula, I smash up the clumps until it is creamy.  Then, add 2 cups of whipping cream.

Whipping cream added.

Now gently stir until everything is of an even consistency.  Scrap the sides to make sure that everything is well-mixed.  Then just pour it into a 9 x 13 glass dish.  (Obviously this could be halved and poured into an 8x8 pan.)

In the glass dish.

Using the spatula, evenly distribute everything and cover it with plastic wrap.  (I have yet to keep the plastic wrap from touching the salad.  It's my yearly game.)  Place in the refrigerator overnight.

I make this most years now.  An amusing side note: Every single person to whom I have served this has said, "This is more like dessert."  Then they take a second bite and a third.  I've had several people who return to join for Thanksgiving dinner.  Every single one of them asks, "We are having that white salad, right???"  I say, "Oh...well, sure.  For dessert."  I get this silent, dead stare until they realize that I am joking.  It continues to be a fun tradition that is clearly my own.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Granny's Fruitcake

In the days before malls, once Thanksgiving had passed, Christmas would appear almost overnight.  We knew this because a heavy box with a huge tin would arrive.  Inside, wrapped in foil, was brandy-soaked cheesecloth containing Granny's fruitcake.  This fruitcake was very moist, dark, and heavy.  There was only enough cake to hold the fruit together.  Mom and I could not wait to eat a bite, but a bite was all anyone could eat!  It's very rich. 

Freshly Baked Fruitcake Loaf

When Granny passed, the era of fruitcake went with her.  Mom did not make them - perhaps it is because they were so closely associated with Granny.  I also think other factors were involved.  First, fruitcake has a huge list of ingredients.  Secondly, it is expensive to make.  Third, one should start fruitcake in mid-October.  (Some people make them years in advance!)  Last of all, it needs 100 proof apple brandy.  (Just try to find the stuff!)

The thought to make fruitcakes would hit Mom about mid-December.  I guess she never thought to make them for the following year.  One year, she made a cookie called "fruitcake bites."  They were not bad, but they are a far-cry from Granny's fruitcake.  In retrospect, it was amusing to watch Mom dribble brandy on them!

This recipe has three different hand-annotations.  The misspelled words I believe are mine!

I'm sure that Mom knew how to make fruitcake, but I believe that, like me, she had not ever made them on her own.  Unlike me, I do think she made them with Granny a lot when she was younger.  Once, I helped to make them when I was in college and Granny was in Lafayette in October.  By "help," I used my hands to mix everything under the supervision of Granny while Mom lined pans.

Why I decided to make fruitcake this year bewilders me.  I just wanted to have it this year for Christmas.  So, in October, I started to collect ingredients.   It was obviously late in the year when I actually made the fruitcakes.  To be honest, the job suddenly felt overwhelming due to lack of clear directions.  For example, I decided that candied pineapple should be used, but I was not certain when I started.  I could not find it grated, so ended up cutting it up the best that I could.  (I'm still not 100% certain about the pineapple, but know it would not have been fresh and I believe that canned pineapple would mold.)  I decided this past weekend to simply go for it.  

These two pictures are the extent of the directions.

I started with the fruits and nuts.  They needed chopped.  As I chopped and chopped, I realized that my largest mixing bowl would not be big enough.  A quick flashback reminded me that we mixed everything in Mom's huge roasting pan.  I have an enameled dish pan that I've used in prepping veggies for canning, so that is what I used.  When purchasing ingredients, I was unsure what kind of nuts to use.  Granny bought mixed nuts in bulk, and we spent hours cracking and picking nuts until we had 2 pounds of nutmeats.

I ended up using a mix of pecans, hazelnuts, walnuts, and Brazil nuts.  I also remember that Granny did not use green candied cherries.  The dates and figs that she used came in a small, wrapped packages and felt more wet than what I found.  Granny used dark raisins only whereas I had a raisin medley on hand.  Once everything is chopped, I mixed the nuts and fruits until all was evenly distributed.

Dried Fruit and Nuts mixed.

The wet ingredients and the flour filled my largest mixing bowl.  I should have made sure that the butter was softened, before adding sugar, spices, butter, jelly, molasses, brandy and buttermilk.  Mix it well.  Then mix in the six eggs.

Making the batter base.

 Next, add the flour in two batches and mix until smooth.  I do remember that Granny never wanted to "work the flour too much."

Adding flour to the batter.

Then add the batter to the fruit and nut mixture and mix by hand until everything is coated.  The recipe says to line pans with wax paper and "double-strength brown paper."  I honestly remember using brown paper grocery bags!  I do not have a pan as big as Granny's fruitcake pan.  Plus, I wanted to make smaller fruitcakes as gifts.  So I used disposable, brown-paper loaf pans.  I baked at the suggested 225 degrees Fahrenheit.  With the smaller size, I kept testing the cakes and may have gotten them a bit overdone.  These baked for just under 3 hours.  There are 12 fruitcakes in total.

Amoebic-shaped Fruitcakes

After they cooled, I removed them from the paper loaf-pans and placed them on brandy-soaked cheesecloth.  Using a basting brush, I coated them with brandy.  (For the 12 cakes, I milked the dregs of an entire pint of brandy.  And I will need more to "feed" them every 3 or 4 days as they "age.")  I could have used much more brandy here.  (If I make these again, I will use more cheesecloth and fifth of brandy instead of a pint.)

Adding more brandy to the fruitcakes.

Once they were coated in brandy, I wrapped them tightly in foil.  I will flip them every day until the third or fourth day when I coat them with more brandy. 

I know the recipe used here came from Grandma Dora.  She loved dried fruits and had a huge round table with glass balls in eagle talons that sat in the corner of her dining room.  (Mary Jane, Granny's older sister, got that table and gave it to her son.)  At Christmastime, Grandma Dora always received a platter of dried fruit from her nephew Charlie Fuller.  The platter came with a "holiday" prong.  Mom always thought it was quite elegant.  Sometimes, I wonder if Grandma Dora did not make fruitcakes to use the leftover dried fruit.

All in all, the fruitcakes were very time consuming, but were not difficult to make.  If they are yummy, I will definitely reconsider why I never made these for Mom.  I would have loved to have surprised her with one.

[11/27/2014 Update: These little fruitcakes and gulped down more than a fifth of brandy at this point.]

[1/1/2015 Update: A friend teased that she was arrested for DUIF (Driving under the influence of Fruitcake.)  I'll make them a bit earlier next time!]

Stuffed Cabbage aka Cabbage Rolls aka Galumpkis

Growing up, ethnic food generally meant spaghetti.  I don't remember Granny or Memaw making spaghetti, but Mom made it a lot.  Sandy loved spaghetti.  As an earlier post mentions, I love stuffed peppers.  Mom also made stuffed onions, which Pepaw loved.  Other than that, I don't remember many attempts at stuffed vegetables.  Mom once found a recipe for cabbage rolls in a magazine and made them.  The recipe used Campbell's tomato soup and it simply was not very good. 

I've always loved ethnic foods and I love cabbage, but never found a recipe for stuffed cabbage recipe that suited until Momma Z. gave me this one that she created using her own Polish/Irish know-how!  These are savory, warm, and delicious!  I believe it was the recipe that Mom thought she found in that magazine! 

Ingredients!

The ingredients are as follows: 1 huge head of cabbage, 1 1/2 pound of ground beef, 1/2 pound of hot/zesty sausage (Bob Evans, Jimmy Dean, etc.  I used Esskay here.) 1 medium onion (chopped,) 1/2 to 1 cup cooked white rice, 1 cup tomato sauce, salt, pepper, whole tomatoes, and stewed tomatoes.

Close-up of hamburger, sausage, tomato sauce, rice, onion, salt and pepper.

Mix this all up and let it rest.  Boil enough water to cover the head of cabbage.  Cut around the stem of cabbage and dunk in the water until the leaves start to loosen.  As the leaves loosen, remove them and place in a colander.  When the leaves are too small to remove, chop them to lay in the bottom of the slow cooker or Dutch oven along with a bit of left-over tomato sauce.  If no tomato sauce remains, just pour in a bit of water as you rinse the tomato cans! 

Chopped cabbage with some sauce on the bottom of the Dutch oven!

Cabbage leaves waiting for stuffing!

 And the fun begins!  Take a bit of the stuffing and place it near the cut end of the cabbage leaf.  Then roll the stem end over once, fold in the sides, and roll the rest of the leaf around the stuffing. 

The smallest leaf with some stuffing.

It's the BABY cabbage roll!

This is what the larger rolls look like!

 Adjust the amount of stuffing so that you have enough for all of the leaves.  Lay the cabbage rolls seam-side down on top of the chopped up leaves.

Pack them so they cannot unroll while cooking, but give a bit of space so the juices can baste around them too!

 I put 1/2 of the stewed and 1/2 of the whole tomatoes (mushed up a bit) over the first layer of cabbage rolls.

First layer.

 Honestly, you can use only tomato sauce, or whole tomatoes, diced tomatoes, or stewed tomatoes.  I like using a mix. 

Second layer!

 Place the second layer right on top of the first.  Then add the rest of the tomatoes!

Pretty!

 The leaves which were kind of intact, but did not remove prettily can be used to cover the entire thing to hold in moisture.  This is not as important in a slow cooker, but is useful if cooked in the oven.

Ready for baking!

 Cover with a lid.  Cook 2 hours at 350 degrees Fahrenheit if made in a Dutch oven.  If using a slow cooker, cook on low for 10 to 12 hours.

Opening the lid.

 The top leaves dried a bit.  No worries!

With the top leaves removed!

 The rolls below are lovely.

With a side of mashed potatoes.

You all know how to make mashed potatoes.  Right?  Here I used Russett potatoes, butter, salt, pepper, and whole milk.  I cook the potatoes until just done.  Drain well, lightly smash them with salt, pepper and butter and then add milk.  If you over mash them, it has the consistency of wallpaper paste - but...I'm positive you know how to do this.  :)

14-Day Sweet Pickles

14-day sweet pickles are mysterious things.  Basically, a crock would spring up overnight at some point in August/September.  A towel would cover it and one instinctively understood not to touch it.  The crock would never budge and then it would quietly disappear in two weeks.  In the winter, awesome meals such as soup beans and cornbread would be enhanced by the emergence of 14-day pickles, which are sweet and crunchy and embody pickle-awesomeness.

My mother was a night owl as was her father.  (Honestly, I'm a night owl too, and I sometimes feel like a vampire with a paper route by having a day job.)  Mom's pickle-making endeavors always occurred at night  When Dad left Borden's Dairy and went to work at General Foods, Mom's nocturnal pickle-making endeavors began.  I really don't remember Mom making pickles when we were small.  Pickle production continued when Dad left General Foods and went to work for R. H. Donnelly Corporation.  Even when Mom's cancer came out of remission, pickles were made.  Sadly, they slowed to a stop when she had to depend on Dad to lift the crock.  Daddy never minded helping, but I think Mom simply liked making them while home alone.

To be honest, I'm not sure that I have her exact recipe as there are some variations and I don't know which was her "tried and true" favorite.  Sometimes she made slices and sometimes spears.  I decided to make chunky slices.

First, be sure the cucumbers used are not "burp-less."  Mom said burp-less cucumbers made mushy pickles.  I never question when knowledge like this is given to me.  Two weeks is a lot of work to chance mushy pickles.  This summer, I had a booming cucumber crop!  14-day pickles were a given!

Surpremo and Straight Eight cumcumbers

I've not found a really good heirloom cucumber for pickles.  This season, I grew Supremo cucumbers, which is a pickling hybrid, and also Straight Eight heirlooms.  Both were used in my pickles. 

For a gallon of cucumbers, you will need 3 heaping tablespoons of alum, 8 cups of sugar, 1 cup of pickling salt, 6 cups of vinegar, 1/2 cup of pickling spice, 2 teaspoons of celery seed, 6 cinnamon sticks, gauze, water, and a crock.  (Mom used a huge open-topped crock that she covered with a towel.  I use a 5 liter Harsh Gairtopf fermenting crock that I bought for making sauerkraut.)

Day 1: Wash the cucumbers and cut a slice off of the blossom end.  (There is an enzyme in the blossom spot that can make the pickles mushy....or so I have been told.  Don't take chances.)  Slice or cut your cucumbers into desired shapes.  Place cucumbers in the crock.

Make a brine of 1/4 cup of pickling salt with 2 quarts of water.  Bring the brine to a boil and pour over the cucumbers.  Place a weight on the cucumbers and cover the crock.  Let the crock rest somewhere.  (The National Center for Home Food Preservation recommends letting it rest in a 70 degree Fahrenheit room.)

Day 3: Pour off the salt water and rinse the cucumbers.  Make another brine with 1/4 cup pickling salt and 2 quarts of boiling water.  Pour over the cucumbers, place the weight, and cover to let rest.

Days 5 & 7: Same as Day 3.

Cucumbers in Crock.

Day 9: Drain and rinse cucumbers.  Clean the crock and weights.  Place cucumbers in crock.  Make a solution with two quarts of boiling water with a heaping tablespoon of alum.  Pour over cucumbers, replace weights and cover to let rest.

Days 10 & 11: Same as Day 9.

Day 12: Drain and rinse cucumbers.  Clean the crock and weights.  Place the cucumbers inside of the crock.  Bundle the pickling spice and celery seed inside of the gauze.  (This is really optional, but I didn't want loose spices in my jar.)  Cinnamon sticks can be bundled in the spice bundle as can red chili peppers if a spicy-sweet flavor is desired.  (I used the cinnamon, but not the chili peppers for my pickles.)  Heat the vinegar with 5 cups of sugar and the spice bundle until it boils.  Pour the syrup and spice bundle over cucumbers.  Place the weights and cover.

Day 13: Drain cucumbers but SAVE the syrup and spice bundle.  Add two cups of sugar to the syrup and bring to a boil.  Pour over the cucumbers and cover.

Day 14: Drain the cucumbers but SAVE the syrup and spice bundle.  Add one cup of sugar to the syrup and bring to a boil.  Clean canning jars and pack cucumbers into jars.  Ladle syrup over the cucumbers leaving 1/2 inch of air space.  Seal jars and process in a water bath canner for 15 minutes.  (Spice bundle can be discarded or spices can be added to jars.)

I used white vinegar, but do not know whether Mom used apple cider vinegar or white vinegar though.  I should take a jar to Daddy.

All ready for winter.

Turkey Stew

Shockingly, my mother and grandmother rarely made stock from bones.  My understanding is that they gave up this practice when they discovered Swanson's broths.  Mom felt it was "every bit as good as what you make."  Granny felt "there is no reason to watch a pot all damned day" with the invention of canned broth.  I disagree.  No canned broth will ever be as good as what can be made for pennies on the pound and, with a bit more effort, you can easily make a superior stock.

The difference between broth and stock is pretty simple.   Broth is what is left over after cooking meat, vegetables, or seafood in water.  Many soups yield broth.  Stock is cooked slowly to extract flavor from bones, shells, and herbs.  Stock is an ingredient where broth can be served on its own.

Turkey stew is one of my favorite ways to deal with leftover turkey when the turkey has not been stuffed.  First, strip the meat from the carcass and save the bones, skin, and boingy bits for the stock pot.  (This means to roast the neck and do not toss the turkey tail.  Both add to the stock.)  Pack everything down and cover with water.  Bring to a boil and simmer for hours.  Five hours or longer!  Add water as needed.

When you are tired of simmering the bones, strain it into a clean pot.  At this point, the stock will be cloudy.  You have two options: You can clarify it with egg shells or you can keep it cloudy.  I personally keep it cloudy.

With large bones removed prior to straining.

Once you have the stock strained and transferred to a clean pot, add peeled, cubed, and rinsed potatoes, peeled (or scrubbed) and sliced carrots, and clean, diced/sliced celery to the stock.  Simmer until the vegetables are tender (about 30 to 45 minutes.)

Potatoes, Carrots, and Celery.

While the vegetables cook, dice leftover turkey into bite-sized pieces.  Once the vegetables are done, add the turkey meat and a bag of frozen peas.  Remove from heat and stir.  Taste.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  (It may seem like a lot of salt, but it is much less than what comes from a can!  Still, add salt slowly.  You can always add more and the stew will grow saltier as it sets.)

I personally place my stew in the refrigerator at this point.  Once cooled, I can easily remove almost all of the fat and the flavors mingle.  (The stock will become gelled, but it will liquify as you reheat it!)

All that is needed is scalded bread or cornbread!

This stew cans well in a pressure canner, but it is so-so when frozen.  That is all there is to it.  You can do the same to any kind of poultry bones.  (This makes a good base for chicken and dumplings.)  If you want "green points," the bones are good to add to garden compost!

Okay, so where does the family story come in?  When I was in high school, Mom was seeking new ways to use leftover turkey.  Sandwiches had been made.  Casseroles had been consumed.  You know turkey salad was on the menu.  But still, Mom wanted something new.  Your mother dated a boy named Doug.  His mother gave your grandmother this recipe.

Suddenly, this stock was the best thing since canned stocks!  NO, Grandma never said canned stock was better.  Never!  I wouldn't argue with her, but Granny would.  After a few seasons of bickering, Mom decided that she did not like this stew.  I have always loved it.  And I have to confess that I loved they would bicker over whether Mom once claimed that canned stock was better or not.

So why write about this recipe?  A co-worker asked for the recipe and well, I always wondered whether your mom makes it.  Big sister mischief-making, perhaps.  In any case, the recipe is a keeper. 

Family Cornbread

It has come to my attention that I said that I would write about Cornbread next.  Okay, I didn't, but I'll make it up now.  Both Granny and Memaw made cornbread the same way.  (I think this is the only recipe where I can say this!)  The difference is that Memaw made cornbread every single day.  When you went into her kitchen, she usually had fresh cornbread staying warm on the stove along with a simmering pot of beans.  (In the summer, it was usually string beans.  In the winter, she generally had pinto beans or the like.)

Laura modeling with two pans of perfectly prepared cornbread.

Here are some non-negotiables:

• You shall only use white cornmeal to make cornbread.  Granny, Memaw, and Mom used Quaker White Cornmeal.  I cannot find it here so I use Indian Head White Cornmeal.  The white cornmeal used in Mexican cooking will change the outcome a bit.
• You shall look upon anyone who suggests adding sugar to the cornbread with absolute distaste as sugar in cornbread is JOHNNY CAKE and not proper CORNBREAD.  Dammit.  It is your family duty to ensure that anyone who knows you well-enough to make such a garish suggestion is set right and will never again entertain this line of thinking. 
• You need a cast iron skillet that is really reserved for cornbread.  This will be well-seasoned and washed with salt and dried in the oven after each use.  Should you ever scrub it, you will re-season it.
• Granny and Memaw used real bacon grease to prevent sticking.  Mom used Crisco.  (I often use Olive Oil and marvel that I still live.  I am certain that I breathe only because none of them ever knew I did this.  It may be that I'm not making "proper" cornbread.)  :) 

Mom, Granny, and Memaw used Morton's Iodized Salt.  Either works just as well.

 Okay, so to make a small pan of cornbread, you will need about a cup of white cornmeal, about two tablespoons of all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon (plus a pinch) of baking soda, one egg, and one cup of cultured buttermilk.  (To make a large pan of cornbread, double everything above except for the egg.)   You will also need enough grease to coat the bottom of the skillet.

Dry Ingredients and an egg.  Just add buttermilk!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Gather your ingredients.  Warm your skillet over medium heat on the stove.  Combine all ingredients, and beat everything together until it is lump-free and foamy.  It should flow like pancake batter.  Add a bit of buttermilk if it is too thick and a bit of flour or cornmeal if too soupy.

Add the grease to the warmed skillet.  If you do not pre-warm the skillet, the cornbread will stick.  Actually, it will weld to the bottom of your skillet.  (If you do it all correctly and it still sticks, it may be time to clean your skillet with some salt and elbow grease, and oil it again before putting it away...or maybe you need to remove everything down to bare metal and re-season your skillet.)

When the grease seems to shimmer, it is hot.  Pour the batter all at once into the skillet and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes or until browned. Once it is done, invert the pan over a plate.  If it sticks, use a butter knife to go around the edge and try to gently pop the loaf onto the plate.

Let it cool prior to adding to dressing breads.

It's the base for our cornbread dressing and also goes with so many things beyond beans!  Like deer stew, for example.  Just ask Laura.

FAQs:

• Is it proper to butter cornbread?
• Yes, but you should slice it open and butter within otherwise the butter drips onto your fingers.

•  Is it allowed to crumble cornbread into beans, soups, etc.?
• Not only is it allowed, but it is highly encouraged.

• Grandpa use to crumble cold cornbread in a glass and then poured milk on it!  Then he would offer me bites!  Is this okay?  (This was a favorite of Dad's father, who we called Grandpa.)
• He must have loved you very much to share one of the best old-fashioned uses for cornbread.  Did you try it?  If not, you should!

• How long is cornbread safe to eat?
• It's always been gone within a day around here.  It's fine at least until then.  Probably a few days more, but the world may never know.

• Can you recommend an especially yummy way to eat cornbread?
• While cornbread is delicious on its own, I love it lightly buttered and eaten with a bit of raw scallion.  A bit of cornbread, a bite of scallion.  Slip a few bites of tomato and dinner in the summer is perfect!

• Seriously, how long does it take to make cornbread?
• Once you know what you are doing, it takes perhaps 3 minutes of preparation and is done in 25 minutes.

• What's a perfect kitchen gift for beloved nieces and nephews who have not given holiday suggestions?
• Lodge cast iron skillets.  Hmmm.

Obviously a perfect Christmas gift.  Now practice making cornbread!  ;)

Whole Cranberry Sauce Inspired by Mom Burch

Mom and Pop Burch were Pepaw's parents.  Pepaw always missed Mom Burch's cornbread, but Granny never thought much of it, which means that she never learned to make it.  It has been said that Mom Burch made terrific cranberry sauce, but Granny liked jellied cranberry sauce and I always remember having the canned variety.  (Again, this means that Granny never learned to make Mom Burch's recipe.)  Sadly, Mom Burch passed before I remember tasting it and no one seemed to have the recipe.  Pepaw said that Mom Burch's cranberry sauce was loaded with berries and the sauce was both sweet and tart.  He also said that it had the best lingering taste of oranges, but he did not recall there being oranges in the sauce.  Not having many recipes from Mom Burch, I had to try to recreate it.

All of the recipes that I have from Mom Burch do not spare on sugar, butter, etc.  The ingredients are fresh and she would purchase the best available.  I remember a Christmas tree at Mom and Pop Burch's home that had a tinsel made of popcorn and cranberries, so I know she had access to fresh cranberries.  That is where I started.  I've tried extracts, juices, and fruit pulp.  Orange/tangerine zest seems to give the best results of what I've tried so far.  In fact, I'm satisfied with the recipe.  Here is how to make it:

Fresh Cranberries in the Pot with the Zest of a Tangerine

Select a pot that will give plenty of room for stirring.  Pick through the berries and discard any that are damaged or severely discolored.  Rinse the berries well.  For roughly one pound of fresh cranberries, add the zest of one orange or tangerine.  (I made ribbons of zest but, since Pepaw did not remember seeing any orange in the sauce, I believe Mom Burch grated it if zest was what she used.)  Squeeze the juice from the zested citrus into a coffee cup and add water to make a full cup.  (Avoid pulp.)  Pour the liquid in the pot along with an equal amount of sugar.  The water/juice/sugar mixture will come about half way up the heap of berries.  (If you want a less jellied sauce, add a bit more water.  Perhaps 1/4 cup.) Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat and stir constantly.  Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer and continue to stir for about 10-15 minutes.

Laura stirring up cranberry magic!

The berries will sound like popcorn at times as their skins split open, and the smell of cranberries and orange will make the kitchen smell great!  Pour the cranberry sauce into a Pyrex dish and allow to cool for 20 minutes or so before covering and placing in the refrigerator overnight.

Cranberry Sauce beginning to "gel."

It will look dark in the dish.  But, once you stir it, it will glimmer like bright red jewels on a plate....or spoon.

Still pretty bright and tasty days after Thanksgiving!

 I like to think this is what Pepaw remembered.  In any case, it is really good.  You could put it through a mill to remove seeds and pulp if you want to have cranberry jellied sauce without the fruit, but I've not tried to do that yet.  Also, this makes a quick, inexpensive, and tasty dish that compliments many things at a pot luck.  You won't go back to the canned stuff....unless Granny finds a way to misguide you!

A better picture of the color.