::Trail Bars::

::Cranberries::

Caelah and I took a mini tour into the world of cranberries this thanksgiving. Here is a sample of what we learned:

Crane-Berries: Pilgrims thought the cranberry flower looked like the head of a crane.
Bounce-Berries Cranberries must pass a freshness test called a "Bounce Test." This involves bouncing them over a one inch bar. Only the fresh ones make it over.

Cranberries

Cutest, and most helpful website about cranberries:
www.cranberries.com

When John “Peg-Leg” Webb poured a load of cranberries down his storage-loft stairs (his wooden leg made it impossible to carry them), he noticed that only the firmest and the finest made it to the bottom—the bruised and spoiled lingered on the upper steps. He realized then that the fruit’s “bounceability” was the perfect test to separate the good from the bad. That was in 1880; today, a bounce test still exists—a cranberry Olympics of sorts—but instead of stairs, many farmers use something called a bounce board separator. The berry contestants are dumped into a hopper, where they face a gauntlet of angled wooden boards. Softer cranberries slouch against the slats, sliding into a box set aside for the compost heap. Somewhat sprightlier specimens make the cut for the juicer, while the top-shelf cranberries—the gold medal winners—catapult themselves in graceful pole-vaulting form to the conveyor belt below. Only these bouncy berries are destined for the table. ~EatingWell

OceanSpray Video:

::Cooking with Cranberry::

::Cranberry Reads::

::Thanksgiving 2011::

This is another occasion where I will have to rely on words for memory, rather than pictures. When hosting over 20 people, the camera lies forgotten. Sadly. No pictures of the men around the bonfire. Or the children building forts in the woods. Nor the cozy gathering on the back porch, and the tables covered in glorious food. Sigh. Aidan stole a few photos in the evening. These will have to do.



P.S. Apart from an Aunt and Uncle I adore visiting from thousand of miles away. I am particularly thankful today for the news that Daniel and Amanda are engaged!

::So Thankful for Cousins::

::Caelah's gift::

Caelah painted this for Ryleigh's first birthday. I am so impressed. I could never manage animals or people, but she looked up a YouTube video and away she went!

::Homemade Memory Games::

I have been handing out these at every baby shower and birthday party:
Homemade Memory Games. I painted butterflies for girls, and insects for boys. Now I need to fine-tune the manufacturing process. ideally I will learn how to print up my painted images as stickers.

::Life Tidbits::

Just an update. I broke our second camera lens. The fancy one. So, without photos I have stubbornly refused to post. God was gracious, and a friend passed along two old Canon lenses for us to use for now. So it's back to the 50 mm zoom. It will take a long while before we can purchase a fancier once again. Sigh.

On a happier note, I won three red ribbons at the Fair. I was not expecting to, as last year I have stiff competition and came in third. I submitted Mom's Fairy Castle silhouette lantern, my Bottlecap Fairies & the pendant I made Sara. The categories were "Something creative made from a Mason Jar, Something recycled & Homemade Jewelery." Caelah was supposed to submit under the Junior photography department: "May Pet," but her distracted mother didn't get the photos developed on time. . .

Caelah started ballet on Monday, and loved it. I drove all over the city that day to get her tights in the exact right shade of pink. And her short hair required 45 pins, plus loads of hairspray to stay in a bun. But she would say it was all worth it.

Because Caelah has begun to work independently, I have been back to cooking and baking new recipes. The week's successes:

::Honeyed-Pear & Gorgonzola Tart::

::Spiced Roasted Sweet Potatoes::

And, in keeping with the pear theme:
::Pear & Cabbage Slaw::