This week I’ve been talking about Thanksgiving traditions and was missing a friend.  I was wishing that I could talk to her.  For me, cooking seems to evoke memories of loved ones, both past and present.

And, I do love cranberry sauce. I can’t wait to try this recipe this week. The mother of my daughter’s friend, since elementary school, makes it and I’m sure its going to be excellent. I only wish that she would have included where or from who that she got it, or some little ditty from her past that made this her favorite.  Personalize the dish. Sh…It could just be the high butter content (kidding). I’m thinking of spreading it on a toasted English muffin for breakfast. YUM!

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This holiday take the time to share some of your wisdom and homemade goodies with friends and family, its not a huge gesture, but it can enrich your life and teach a child a lot more about you.

My mom would share memories of her mom, and her childhood, as she prepared many a holiday meal. I not only learned how to cook, but the different ways that her mom prepared foods, different than she and me, all those little quips, that I still laugh at today.

Many is the time that I’ve shared the memory of living at home; Thanksgiving dinner:  our table broke in half as a result of too much food. Narrowly missing my sisters sister-in-laws two year old little girl, sitting underneath.

Mom always overcooked at  the Holiday’s. I think it’s what I remember the most and try and mimic with my own children and grandchildren. It may not be the politically correct approach, in today’s health conscious world, but on a few special occasions, it can nurture a positive sense of family.

Its that what a celebration is all about?

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INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup butter, (NO SUBSTITUTES!)
1 tsp grated orange peel
dash to 1/8 tsp almond extract
1 cup whole berry cranberry sauce

DIRECTIONS
In a small mixing bowl. cream butter, orange peel, and extract. Beat in the cranberry sauce until blended. Store in the refrigerator.

Life engenders life. Energy creates energy. It is by spending oneself that one becomes rich. ~ Sarah Bernhardt