Thanksgiving Cranberry Sauce and Cornbread Stuffing

Some people who live in Southern California may remember that many years ago we had a natural foods market called Mrs. Gooch’s (later bought by Whole Foods). When I was first learning to cook, I picked up a little booklet from Mrs. Gooch’s entitled simply, “Thanksgiving Dinner Menu.” I tried the recipes for cranberry sauce and cornbread stuffing, and they were so good and so easy that I have made them every year since then. For my family, Thanksgiving would not be the same without these simple but delicious dishes. This year, when I took out my now old and tattered copy of Mrs. Gooch’s Thanksgiving Dinner Menu, I thought it would be fun to share these recipes. I hope they will become well-loved classics in your house, as they have in mine. Happy Thanksgiving!

Marla

Cranberry Sauce (Pareve)

1 pound fresh cranberries
¼ cup water
¾ cup honey


Mix honey and water, add cranberries and cook over low heat until cranberries have cooked down (you will hear them pop). Pour into a bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.




Cornbread Stuffing (Pareve)

1 small pan baked cornbread (any recipe will do. I follow the recipe on the cornmeal box substituting milk with soy milk)

1 small loaf whole wheat bread, cubed
1 ½ cups chopped celery
1 ½ cups chopped onion
3 cups vegetable broth, with 1 ½ sticks margarine melted in it
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 ½ teaspoons salt


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Crumble the cornbread in a large bowl and add all the remaining ingredients. Mix well.

Stuff your turkey, or place in a well-oiled 9x13 pan.


Bake for 30-45 minutes covered, then 15 minutes uncovered.