Two Thanksgivings

The great thing about being married to a fellow from Wisconsin is that we celebrate two Thanksgivings. So, while Canadian Thanksgiving is at my mom and dad's (and not particularly Saskatchewan based) I cook American Thanksgiving dinner Saskatchewan-style. This year's menu:

Roast chicken with bacon-sage stuffing

(Chicken from Susan's CSA acreage, bacon from the farmers'

market, sage from my garden & bread from Christie's bakery)

Cranberry sauce - recipe below

(low-bush cranberries from the farmers' market)

Roast potatoes and gravy

(fingerling potatoes grown by my dad & homemade gravy)

Scalloped corn

(corn from a Hutterite colony, red pepper & egg from the farmers' market)

Wild rice and dried cherry salad

(wild rice from up north, sour cherries I picked and dried myself)

Cherry pie & apple pie

(cherries from Prairie Sun Orchard u-pick,

apples from my family farm)

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Cranberry Sauce

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

2 cups frozen low-bush cranberries (a.k.a. lingonberries)

2 tbsp fresh-squeezed orange juice

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Heat sugar and water in a saucepan to a bubbling simmer, stirring occasionally. When the sugar is dissolved, add the berries and orange juice. Simmer, stirring now and then, crushing the berries with a potato masher to release their juice. Cook until the mixture is thick and jammy. Pour into a bowl and cool. Cover and refrigerate.

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It's hard to describe exactly when the sauce has cooked enough to form a jell. If, when the sauce is cool, it's too runny, scoop it back in the pot and boil a bit longer.