Friday Roundup: Thanksgiving Recap, Exciting News, Blog Awards AND Cranberry Compote!!

Well...Thanksgiving is over for another year. Before moving on to All Things Christmas here at , let's take a few minutes to reflect on Thanksgiving. I also have some exciting news, a blog award to share and pass along, AND a recipe for a FAB Cranberry Compote to share with y'all!! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with those you love and lots of yummy food. We had a lunch for six here at Casa Garcia yesterday. My husband's parents, brother, and sister-in-law celebrated with us. We ate ourselves silly, watched a bit of football, and took a few food-induced naps! All that's left now is the remains...lots of leftovers in the fridge and a turkey carcass in the freezer that is destined to become a nice pot of soup very soon. 

I received some VERY exciting news earlier this week. My friend Louanne at Louanne's Kitchen sponsored a contest with Spices Inc. earlier this month. The contest was to pick 10 seasonings or spices from the Spices Inc. website and design and name a 10-jar spice set. The winner receives their customized set and it's featured at the website for purchase. I created a 10-seasoning set that I called Wendy's Wow Factor. The CEO of the company picked two winners, one of which was mine!! I was thrilled and honored to have my spice set selected. I hope you'll check out my Wendy's Wow Factor 10-jar spice set and let me know what you think!!

In other good news, my friend Tracy at Tracy's Living Cookbook has presented me with the following Stylish Blogger Award:

I'm so very honored to receive this award! Tracy's blog always has great recipes, so go check it out! As part of my award, I need to share seven things about myself that you might not know. So...here goes:

1. I'm a native Texan. I grew up in the Houston area (Alvin) and have also lived in Denton for college (UNT) and San Antonio. I moved to San Antonio in 2000 to attend law school and have been here since.
2. I love to travel. Last year, we spent a week eating our way through New York. Then we spent July 4th weekend in Chicago. We were supposed to see U2 at Soldier Field, but the show was cancelled when Bono hurt his back. It's rescheduled for July 2011, so we'll be heading back!
3. My favorite color is RED, which you can probably tell from my blog design.
4. I love movies...comedy, documentaries, Oscar-worthy drama...you name it!
5. My favorite musicians are Sting/The Police, The Beatles, Elton John, and U2.
6. I saw Elvis Presley (in a slammin' white jumpsuit, no less!) at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo at the Astrodome when I was a kid.
7. Foods that I can't stand include: liver, olives, and really stinky cheeses. 

There you have it...a little more about me! Now I want to give this Stylish Blogger Award to 15 of my favorite blogs. These are the blogs that I visit regularly and always enjoy...I hope you'll check them out if you haven't visited them before!

1. Kim at Liv Life
2. Veronica at The Enchanted Cook
3. Sommer at A Mama With Flavor
4. Georgia at The Comfort of Cooking
5. Monet at Anecdotes and Apple Cores
6. Debbie at Squirrel Bakes
7. Lindsey at Gingerbread Bagels
8. Louanne at Louanne's Kitchen
9. Kim at Quit Eating Out
10. Elisabeth at Food and Thrift Finds
11. Evan at Sweets by E
12. Amber at Sprinkled With Flour
13. Gina at What's For Dinner Across State Lines
14. Sydney at The Drinkwater Kitchen
15. Koci at La Kocinera

Now I want to share a fantastic recipe for cranberry compote. This is a great recipe because it tastes fantastic, and it makes a big batch! This batch made enough for White Chocolate Cranberry Oat Bars, a simple cranberry compote-cream cheese appetizer, and a generous bowl for the Thanksgiving table. Best of all? I still have enough left to make another batch of those fab oatmeal bars in the next few days! Cranberries aren't just for Thanksgiving...they're a good flavor profile the entire holiday season, so I hope you'll give this yummy compote a try in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

Cranberry Compote

adapted from Paula Deen

Step 1:  Add 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water to a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Add one 16-ounce bag of fresh or frozen cranberries and stir to combine.

Step 2:  Lower heat so that the liquid just simmers. Add 1 cup chopped peeled Gala apple, 1/2 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts), 1/3 cup currants, 1/3 cup Grand Marnier, 1/2 cup orange juice, the zest of one orange, 1 tsp. cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp. nutmeg. Stir to combine.

Step 3:  Cook for 10-15 minutes, until the cranberries pop and the mixture thickens. Remove pan from heat and let the sauce cool before adding to the serving bowl. This is best made the day before and refrigerated to allow the flavors to combine.

This recipe caught my eye because it had a lot of flavors and textures. The apple, currants, and nuts gave it a nice flavor...and Grand Marnier makes just about anything taste better! 

Share this post