End of year cranberries

For most people in the western world Christmas is now over, but not for everyone.  Already in January 2010 I explained in a post that for Eastern Orthodox Christians,  Christmas is celebrated in January.  One year during the Holidays my daughter and I were in Heliopolis, Cairo, visiting my first cousins (Armenians.) They celebrated Christmas on January 6th.  Please read my post of January 2010 here regarding the traditional Christmas date.  So, for my Armenian family, I say "Have a Merry Christmas" (I don't know how to say it in Armenian as in the card below.)

We drove to Tennessee to be with our daughters and family to celebrate the holidays.  The three grand-children had grown since we had seen them.  I did not take good photographs of the two eldest grandsons (6 and 4 years old) as they were always moving, but I did take some of the youngest (17 months old.)

 

Two years ago there was snow in Tennessee during the Holidays - it was so beautiful.  There was no snow in Georgia in 2012.  Hopefully we will see some in 2013.  I would not mind walking through the snow, like the lady below.

 A Winter Landscape by Giuseppe de Nittis, Italian, 1846-1884

 It would be even better if the snow was in Paris - 

 Boulevard des Italiens by Antoine Blanchard, French 1910-1988

or in New York City.

 Fifth Avenue in Winter by Childe Hassam, American  1859-1935

 But the house in Tennessee was warm and cosy with lovely decorations.

 My daughter followed Santa Claus' travel around the world on her computer for the grandsons.  In the picture below Santa is in Douala, Cameroon and going next to Lagos, Nigeria.(Click on picture to enlarge.)

My daughter Celine, who had driven to Nashville from Memphis, Tennessee, made her famous "penguins" with her nephews (made with olives, carrots and cream cheese.)  I baked several cookies including the chocolate chip cookies below.

 For Christmas Day, my daughter Jessica served a ham with homemade cranberry sauce.  I really enjoy cranberries - I had never tasted cranberries while growing up in France.  I decided that upon returning home I would try to bake some goodies using fresh cranberries.  We left Tennessee after the Christmas celebrations and I drove back to Georgia using an alternate route to avoid bad weather.  Below is a town in Tennessee, Johnson City, the way it would have looked during the Holidays in 1958. (Courtesy Johnson City Historical Society.)

Once back home I went to the supermarket and purchased several packages of cranberries.  I made one recipe last night.  I created it, but I did not like the result too much.  I think it would have been better with three cups of cranberries (I used 2 cups.)  It also would have tasted better if I had not forgotten it in the oven and over-cooked it.  My husband liked it though because he said it tasted "rough."  I am not sure how to take this comment.  Here is the recipe.

Fresh Cranberry Bars

1 cup light brown suger, firmly packed

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 cups flour (you may use Biscuit Mix, omit salt and baking soda)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp cardamon, 1 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 apple, chopped

1/3 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt

3 cups fresh cranberries

Streusel: 1/2 cup oats, 1/2 cup slivered almonds chopped, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 3 Tablespoons soft butter

Cream together oil and sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla, blending well.  Sift together flour and dry ingredients. Add to egg mixture and blend well.  Stir in apple and cranberries.

Streusel: in a small bowl combine ingredients with fork until crumbly.

Place cranberry mixture in a 9x13 inch well greased pan. Sprinkle streusel on top.  Bake in 350 degree F oven for 45-50 minutes.  

 I forgot it in the oven for well over one hour, maybe more... so it was crispy on top...  I was not pleased with myself.  But it still tasted OK and would taste really delicious if baked properly.  So I decided to try another cranberry recipe this morning.  I had received some nice presents for Christmas - CDs, chocolate and books, including a cookbook.

 The cookbook is called "Foodista" Best of Food Blogs Cookbook.  There was a cranberry recipe in this cookbook.  The recipe was written by Katie Goodman of Albuquerque, New Mexico.  I checked and she is still writing her blog - Good Life Eats.  Her recipe is called "Cranberry Crumb Bars" which she posted in October 2009 - you can find it here.

 It was very easy.  The result was excellent.  

Here is a cranberry bar, below, to enjoy "virtually"...

Now I am coming to the end of my post, and to the end of the year.  I'll wish you a Happy New Year in French for 2013 as they did in the postcard below, one hundred years ago.

Here is another vintage postcard, but in English.

 and now I wish you a Happy New Year in French, English and Armenian.  May you look forward to a great 2013 filled with good health, good cheer and much happiness.