Thanksgiving Menu - One new, One Old

Sharon Hamilton here.

I used to cook for 30-40 people every Thanksgiving. These days, our family is so scattered, we rarely do this, except for a big family gathering every 10 years or so. This year, we're going to my brother's house, but I'm making the turkey and the stuffing. I am also making Butternut Squash Soup, as soups are my specialty.

And then I was looking over some of my author friends' newsletters, and came up with a new cranberry sauce from Cat Johnson. I asked her permission to post it here. I finished making it today and boy is it yummy!!

So, from my household to yours, here are a couple of recipes that will enhance your Thanksgiving celebration. Love to all of you and may your families be safe, wherever they are. This will be the first time ever all 4 kids and their spouses, and all 6 grandkids will be here for Thanksgiving.

DRUNKEN CRANBERRY SAUCE

3# Fresh Cranberries (whole)

1 1/2 cups bourbon

1/2 cup orange juice

2 cups brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cloves

1/2 tsp. allspice

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Grated orange peel from one fresh medium orange

Rinse and pick through cranberries, discarding any berries that are split, soft or discolored.

Put cranberries into a medium bowl and cover with 1 1/2 cups bourbon and 1/2 cup of orange juice. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

THE NEXT DAY...

Pour the marinated cranberries and all liquid into a medium saucepan and add all remaining ingredients.

Bring just to a slow boil, and then lower heat.

Simmer until mixture reduces and gels (about a half our), while stirring occasionally.

Cool and serve.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

One large butternut squash

2 cups 1/2 and 1/2

1 cardboard carton Turkey Broth (large) or Vegetable Broth

1/2 cup butter

2 T flour

2 heavy shakes Nutmeg

2 heavy shakes Cinnamon

1/2 cup dry Sherry or Bourbon

(optional) large can peach or apricot halves

Pink Himalayan Sea Salt

Halve the butternut squash, remove seeds. Place on cookie sheet, baste with butter, lightly salt,  and bake @ 400 for 45 mins.

When cooked tender (should be like mashed potatoes), remove the yellow meat, place into blender. Discard rind.

Add Turkey or Vegetable broth, 1/2 and 1/2, flour and optional peaches or apricots, blend until smooth and creamy. Sometimes you have to split the liquid and the squash ingredients into 1/2 if your blender is small. Idea is to have a fully blended soup mix after blending. No lumps!

Return mixture to large soup pan, heat until begins to thicken, adding one cube butter. You can add more 1/2 and 1/2, or broth if you want it thinner. Add salt, shakes of Cinnamon and Nutmeg to taste, and dry Sherry or Bourbon.

Serve with drizzle or dollop of Creme Fraiche, garnish rosemary and cranberry. Sprinkle with Pink sea salt.

This soup can be made ahead of time and is actually better the second day!  Enjoy!

Now all you need is my new book, Bachelor SEAL, which is available on all retailers.  This is Book 5 in the popular Sleeper SEALs Series built around the same theme. Enjoy!

Sleeper SEALs are former U.S. Navy SEALs recruited by a new CIA counter-terror division to conduct solo dark ops missions to combat terrorism on US soil.

Medically discharged from the Teams, notorious bachelor SEAL, Morgan Hansen, is approached to lead the biggest undercover operation of his career. For credibility, he is tasked with training and partnering with his ex, from a breakup that made news headlines and nearly ended is career.

Women’s empowerment guru, Halley Hansen, has built an empire around her live televised events and seminars. But her world-wide message for women has put her in the cross-hairs of some radical terrorist cells operating within the United States. The last person she wants to turn to or trusts is Morgan, her ex.

They bury their pain to work together for a cause bigger than the both of them. And if they don’t implode in the passion of their re-connection, they just might have a chance to save the women of the world.