I found this vintage photo of this somber-looking Thanksgiving dinner on eBay:
The back of the photo tells us that John and Bill were hungry, and Anne loves pheasant (the ceramic pheasant centerpiece?):
I feel their pain — holidays can be rough. Come to think of it, I don’t think the pilgrims were that excited about Thanksgiving either:
So how’s your Thanksgiving 2020 looking? Is it going to be a day of mourning like it seems it was for John, Bill, and Anne? In a year that has been pockmarked with disease, death, dementia, discord, and depression — and that was just March — I’m trying my best not to let it get in the way of my family’s enjoyment of the holidays. Although it’s trying it’s hardest.
So I’m proceeding as usual, including creating my annual front porch fallscape:
I made the wreath with wooden cones — got the idea here. I also made this wine cork wreath:
I got out my turkeys, laid in a supply of plants and floral materials to make centerpieces, and planned a Thanksgiving menu. Since there will just be a few of us this year, I’m packing up half of it to share with a friend who has hit a bit of a rough patch lately. I’m trying to decide whether the theme for my Thanksgiving dinner this year will be (a) You Get What You Get and You Don’t Pitch a Fit, or (b) May the Odds (of Not Catching Covid) Be Ever in Your Favor. What do you think? UPDATE: We went with (a).
Honestly, though, it’s probably going to take a fair amount of alcohol to get through the holidays this year. Inspired by the vintage photo and hoping to have a better time than John, Bill, and Anne, I made Cranberry Vodka. I found the recipe here, and made it last year. It was so good, that this year I wisely made a double batch.
To make Cranberry Vodka you’ll need two ingredients — cranberries and vodka. Doh. For each liter of vodka, you’ll need 2 cups of cranberries cut in half. Make sure they’re not squishy, or your vodka will be nasty.
Pour the vodka into a large clean Mason jar, add the cranberries, and screw the top on tightly.
Set the jar in the refrigerator or a cool dark place for 1-2 weeks (2 weeks being preferable):
Strain the vodka through a cheesecloth-lined strainer set over a bowl, and then transfer the vodka to the original bottle:
Gorgeous, huh? As an added bonus, the pectin in the cranberries gives the infused vodka a lush, silky feel.
But what to do with all those vodka-soaked cranberries? 
Candy them, of course! You’ll be rewarded with gorgeous, sweet, tangy, jewels:
I haven’t tried coating them with chocolate yet, but will update if/when I do. Meanwhile, I’ll probably toss some into salads, fold some into oatmeal cookie dough, or maybe spoon some of the cranberries with their syrup over vanilla ice cream.
Thanksgiving 2020, I’m ready for ya with my double batch of Cranberry Vodka! However you’re celebrating this year, I hope there is much that you’re thankful for.
- 2 cups fresh cranberries, halved
- 1 liter vodka
- Put the cranberries in a large clean glass jar. Add the vodka to the berries (and save the vodka bottle). Cover the jar and screw the lid on tightly. Keep the jar in the refrigerator or a cool, dark place and let the cranberries infuse for 1-2 weeks. Give the jar a shake every day or so.
- When the vodka has reached the desired intensity, strain the vodka through a cheesecloth-lined colander set over a bowl. Use a funnel to pour the vodka back into the original bottle.
- Reserve the strained vodka-soaked cranberries to make candied cranberries (recipe follows).
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 2 cups vodka-soaked cranberries
- Place sugar and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Add cranberries, reduce heat, and simmer for approximately 15 minutes until cranberries become translucent. Remove from heat and allow to cool, then transfer to a jar and store in refrigerator.
The individual cups make coffee brewing easy peasy:
