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A holiday dinner wouldn't be complete without cranberries at our dinner table. Actually, we eat cran sauce as a condiment throughout the year when we have baked chicken, pheasant, turkey, and duck and with hot dishes. These little red, tart berries can be used in many ways... in salads, breads, muffins, cookies, jams and jellies and desserts.

Whether crans were a part of the first Thanksgiving feast isn't known, but they could have been. Indians used cranberries in many ways. They dried crans and then they were pounded into a powder, sweetened with maple syrup and mixed with cornmeal to make a cakelike bread. Crushed crans were combined with deer meat and meat fat. This concoction was formed into patties that were dried for later. Indian women used the bright red juice from boiled crans as a dye for weaving. And we just thought they were used in cooking and baking. Just a little food for thought for those who weave.

Well, of course it's cranberries this week.

CRANBERRY-ORANGE CHICKEN

1/2 c. flour

4 large chicken breasts

4 T. butter or margarine (I use 1/4 c. canola or olive oil)

2 c. whole, fresh or frozen cranberries

1/2 c. diced onion

2 T. grated orange peel

1-3/4 c. sugar

1-1/4 c. orange juice

1/4 t. each, ginger and cinnamon

Melt butter in large skillet. Put flour in large plastic bag; add one chicken breast at a time, shaking to coat. Brown chicken on both sides. In a saucepan, combine rest of ingredients; bring to a boil and pour over chicken. Cover and simmer 45 minutes. Remove chicken to a warm platter and cover with foil. Bring sauce to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Serve sauce over chicken.

Makes four servings.

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CRANBERRY SWEET AND SOUR PORK

1 - 8-3/4 can pineapple tidbits, drain the liquid

1 T. cornstarch

1/2 c. barbecue sauce

1 c. whole-berry cranberry sauce

1 T. canola or vegetable oil

1-1/2 lb. pork tenderloin, cut into 1/2" cubes

1 t. soy sauce - can use low sodium sauce

1/4 t. pepper

1 medium green pepper, cut into strips

Cooked rice or chow mein noodles

In a bowl, combine pineapple liquid and cornstarch. Stir in sauces and set aside. In a large skillet, heat oil over high heat. Add pork, soy sauce and pepper; stir fry for about 3 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. Add peppers and pineapple; stir-fry two minutes more. Stir cornstarch mixture and add to skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium-high heat, until thickened. Serve over rice or chow mein noodles.

Makes six servings.

Note: For easier slicing of pork, freeze slightly.

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ORANGE-CRANBERRY

COFFEE CAKE

2 c. biscuit mix

1/2 c. milk

2 T. each, sugar, canola or vegetable oil

2 t. grated orange peel

1 egg, slightly beaten

3/4 c. chopped fresh cranberries

1/2 c. sugar

1 T. each, grated orange peel and margarine or butter, melted

In a large bowl stir together first 6 ingredients; beat well for 30 seconds. Gently stir in cranberries. Spread butter in a greased and lightly floured 9x9" baking pan. Combine last three ingredients; sprinkle evenly over batter. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. Makes 9 servings.

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CRANBERRY-PINEAPPLE GELATIN SALAD

1 - 8 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained, saving juice

1/2 c. water

2 T. lemon juice

1 - 3 oz. pkg. raspberry flavored gelatin

1 - 16 oz. can whole berry cranberry sauce or 2 c. homemade sauce

1/2 c. thinly diced celery

Combine pineapple juice, water and lemon juice in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Add gelatin, stirring constantly until it is completely dissolved. Break up cranberries with a fork; stir into gelatin mixture. Refrigerate until mixture begins to set, like consistency of egg white. Stir in pineapple and celery. Pour into a four-cup mold or serving bowl. Chill until firm.

Makes 8 servings.

Note: If you don't have oranges on hand, buy two to use in this recipe and the chicken recipe. If you grate too much, sprinkle remaining on waxed paper and let dry. Put in small container to use as a substitute for fresh. I use a small pill container, washed and dried.

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This is a good tasting relish to use for a diabetic

CRANBERRY APPLE RELISH

2 c. finely chopped fresh or frozen cranberries

1/2 c. peeled, dice apple

1/4 c. raisins

Sugar substitute equivalent to 3/4 cup of sugar, such as splenda

In a bowl, combine all ingredients. Refrigerate at least two hours. Makes about three cups. Nutritional information: Serving size 1/4 cup, calories: 23, sodium: 1 mg, cholesterol: 0, carbs: 6 mg, fat: trace, fiber: 1 gm. Note: If using frozen berries, be sure to chop them while they are still frozen. And, a little bit of relish on a turkey sandwich is very good.

TFD: Not just on Thanksgiving day, but everyday: be thankful for the love of family and friends, wisdom gained through hardships, benefits both great and small, for the first and last prayer of the day at the rising and setting of the sun, and for everything God bestows upon us.

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