Cranberry Soup

And so as we prepare to go out to the stores armed with a list of items to get for the traditional Thanks giving meal on Thursday, why not take advantage of the glut of produce in the stores now and pick up a few extra packages of cranberries? After you make your sauces, relishes and breads, try some soup. And when you're done with that, make a nice cake.

CRANBERRY AND CARROT SOUP 1 cup cranberries 5 carrots, large, peeled, sliced 4 cups water 1 cup milk, scalded 2 tablespoons butter seasonings to taste

Put all ingredients in a stock pot. Boil together for about 20 minutes. Drain off liquid into a saucepan. Remove from heat and carefully puree the mixture in batches or use a hand held immersion blender. Bring back to a boil, and serve.

CRANBERRY BEAN CHOWDER 8 oz. fresh cranberries beans 6 cups water 1 large onion, finely chopped 2 celery stalks, diced 3 oz. fresh cranberries 3 potatoes, peeled and diced 1 cup half and half 2 tbsp. fresh mixed herbs, finely chopped ( parsley & chives) 1 large bay leaf 1 large clove garlic, crushed 2 tsp. salt 3 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper Bring water to a boil in a deep pan. Add beans, onion, celery sticks, cranberries, potatoes, herbs, bay leaf, garlic, salt and black pepper. Boil for 15 minutes until frothy. Remove froth with a spoon and discard. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours until smooth. Put in blender for a smoother soup. Serve immediately hot with buttered hot rye bread. WARM CRANBERRY CAKE with ORANGE CREAM Cake 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon grated orange peel 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice 2 cup flour 2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup milk 1 cup cranberries, chopped 1. Preheat oven to 375 F degrees. Grease 9-inch springform pan. Line bottom with waxed paper; grease and flour paper. 2. Beat butter and 1 cup sugar in mixer bowl until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. 3. Add orange juice and peel. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to beaten mixture alternately with milk. 4. Chop 1/2 cup cranberries and stir into batter. Pour batte into prepared pan. Sprinkle batter with remaining cranberries and 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake 40 minutes, until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. 5. Cool pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Serve warm with Orange Whipped Cream. Makes 10 servings.

Orange Whipped Cream
1 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoon orange-flavored liqueur
Beat cream and sugar in chilled mixer bowl with chilled beaters until stiff. Beat in liqueur. Makes 2 cups.
recipe from The Cranberry Lady. Hey! Why didn't I think of that?