Cranberry Apple Sauce

There are certain things that just belong on a Thanksgiving table: turkey, stuffing, green beans, mashed potatoes... and cranberry sauce. Truth be told, I've never been a fan of the stuff. My favorite turkey day foods are the salty and buttery Stovetop or potatoes. Heck, I can only vaguely recall cranberry sauce at any of our Thanksgivings growing up. BUT I understand how important cranberries can be to the holiday table for others, so I grabbed a bag intending to use it only as decoration, lol. But that nagging feeling that some people just love it led me to turn that decor into a last minute addition to our holiday table.

Look how red and pretty!

I'm still not sure about the eating it with turkey thing, but I really liked this! It was tart and just sweet enough. It was received nicely as a side, but next time I'm going to use it to top a brie en croute as an appetizer. Oh look at that, it's a yummy AND versatile holiday dish.

Cranberry Apple Sauce
loosely adapted from Food Network

12 oz bag fresh cranberries
1/3 C vanilla sugar (to taste)
3 Tbsp Grand Marnier
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 honeycrisp apple, peeled and diced

In a food processor, combine the cranberries, sugar, and Grand Marnier, and lemon zest and pulse a few times to chop up the cranberries and incorporate all the ingredients. Put cranberries into a small saucepan and mix in the apple. Cook over medium heat until cranberries soften, tasting along the way to add sugar if necessary, until it becomes the consistency you want. (I did add about 2 tbsp of water because I lost track of it for a bit and wanted to loosen it up, and it turned out great.)

chimichurri sauce over grilled steak

Well isn't this a pretty sight! Bright green chimichurri sauce over a chimichurri marinated grilled steak. I had it for the first time in years just a few weeks ago (hi Joyce and co!) and had been thinking about it ever since. And thus, last night's delicious dinner!

What's chimichurri, you ask? In a word, awesome.  In a few more descriptive words, it's a parsley-based Argentinian condiment that's a lot like a pesto sauce... herby, fragrant (garlicy awesomeness), fresh. This is a bit different from a traditional pesto because it's also tangy and quite spicy. It's an excellent topping for pretty much anything, and most commonly it tops grilled steak.

Oh and gee did I mention I got a new grill this year? Because I did! I got a Weber, and it's the first charcoal grill I've ever used. I invited my Cabo girls over for a grilling potluck as an opportunity to practice. I grew up with gas grills, so charcoal is a whole different ball game for me. A smoky, delicious ball game! The steaks came out perfectly and we supplemented with shrimp, corn, potato and pasta salads, and topped off with grilled peaches for dessert. I served my strawberry lemon-limeade, also. It was a delightful Sunday evening!

Chimicurri Sauce
adapted from chef blade

1 bunch flat leaf parsley
6-8 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp diced onion or shallot
1/3 C red wine vinegar
2/3 C olive oil
1/2 lemon - zest and juice
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
pinch or freshly ground red pepper flakes

Pulse parsley in a food processor to chop. Add remaining ingredients and blend. (Or you can chop it all up and blend by hand.) Divide into 2 equal parts - half for marinade, half for topping. Allow to sit for at least 2 hours for flavors to marry. You can refrigerate it, but make sure to bring it to room temp before serving.

Marinate steak 2 hours up to overnight. Grill to desired tenderness. (For a guide to steak doneness, see here.) Allow steak to rest for at least 10 min for juices to redistribute. Slice on the diagonal for pretty presentation, and top with the chimichurri.

homemade mayonnaise

Mayonnaise is a condiment I only got into as an adult. My mom didn't put it on sandwiches when I was in grade school, and I don't recall ever eating a chicken/egg/potato salad that I liked when I was young, so I just never had a taste for it. I didn't know so many awesome dips had it as an ingredient until I started making them myself. Not sure when it all changed, but now I love me some mayo.

I've been buying the stuff in jars for years, not knowing that all along I've always had all the ingredients to make it at home. It took maybe 15 minutes (the manual way) and this tastes WAY better than the jarred stuff. Creamy, a touch of tang and salt. Plus I know where the ingredients came from, so it's "healthier" mayo, lol. That being said, fresh ingredients means that unlike the store bought kind, this will only last about a week in the fridge. So given that burger season is officially underway, use it up on those or sandwiches or salads and enjoy!

Homemade Mayonnaise
adapted from Alton Brown

1 egg yolk, room temp
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 pinches sugar
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 C extra light olive oil (or other mild oil)

In a glass bowl, whisk together the yolk, mustard, salt, and sugar until combined. Whisk in the lemon juice and vinegar 1 tsp at a time, beating well after each addition until well combined.

(This is where the patience kicks in, so brace yourself, and your arm.)

Add the oil very little at a time (about 1/4-1/2 tsp), whisking vigorously with each addition, until it thickens and lightens in color. (This is you emulsifying, yay.) When it gets to that point, you can start adding the oil in a little more at a time (like a tablespoon or two), whisking until it all gets incorporated and thickens. If it gets too thick, add a little bit of water to think it out to the consistency you like.

Use immediately or refrigerate up to a week.

Be advised that this does use raw egg, so please use the freshest you can find. If you're not comfortable eating raw egg cuz of the risk of salmonella, I don't recommend making this recipe.