PUT DOWN THE CAN! Cranberries you'll want to eat and more.

Hello, Collinwoodians, and happy pending Thanksgiving! I am here to help with your holiday spread. First off, let me reiterate what I said in the headline: canned cranberry sauce is a sad affront on this wonderful food. The Cranberry Relish recipe below lets this berry out of the can and into the recipe box (I hope).

And for all you Soul Food fans, I have a wonderfully rich Sweet Potato Puff recipe that I got from a co-worker several years ago. There's some non-measured ingredients in there, but don't be afraid: you can eyeball it pretty easily. I'll help! It takes a bit of time but it's worth it! My husband and I have fought over the leftovers, but here's a tip for anytime: if you made it, you get dibs! You can quote me on that. I don't remember where I got the Scalloped Corn recipe, I just remember I made it last year. It ended up in the file-box so I guess it was all for the better.

But before I get to the recipes, a few Food Safety Tips: 1) Cook the turkey until it reaches 160-165F. Don't trust that pop-up thing. If you stuff the turkey, check the stuffing too. If should reach 165F. It'll be done quicker if you cook the stuffing separately. (If you can keep the menfolk from the kitchen, let the turkey rest about 20 minutes so the juices can re-distribute.) 2) Let the leftovers cool before you put them in the 'fridge. Just leave them on the counter for a bit. If they're too warm, the temperature will rise in your 'fridge. The Temperature Danger Zone is 40-140F. Letting food sit for more than 4 hours at these temps will make it easier for bacteria to grow and give you food poisoning, and who wants that? 3: WASH YOUR HANDS! If you touch one kind of food, wash up before you touch another. 50% of foodborne illness comes from lax hand washing. 4 If you're hosting the festivities, don't let Uncle Fred drive home if he's had one too many. The nuisance of driving him home is much better than a DUI or a funeral! Be a responsible host(ess)! OK, on to the fun part.

Cranberry Relish: 1 (12 oz) bag fresh cranberries, rinsed & picked over. 1C sugar. 1C water. 1 peeled apple. 1 orange. Dash cinnamon... Bring water & sugar to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add cranberries & cook until they pop. Strain and discard liquid. Let cool. Meanwhile, chop up the apple and zest the orange. Mince the zest and add that & the apple to the cranberries. Put into a food processor or blender & pulse until smooth. Juice the orange & stir juice into cranberries.  Stir in the cinnamon and chill until serving time.

Baked Scalloped Corn: 1 box cornbread mix (like Jiffy). 1 can EACH (about 15oz) creamed and kernel corn. 2 eggs, beaten. 1C sour cream. 1/2C melted butter... Combine all ingredients until moistened well. Turn into a 9x9" or 11x 7" pan and bake at 375F for about 40 minutes or until firm in the center. Serve.

Sweet Potato Casserole: CASSEROLE: 2 large sweet potatoes. 1 stick butter, room temperature. 1C sugar. 1 heaping teaspoon EACH cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla. 1/2 can of evaporated milk*. 2 eggs. TOPPING**: Flour, butter, brown sugar, chopped pecans (optional)... Boil whole sweet potatoes, skin on, until tender*, about 45-60 minutes. Allow to cool a little. Peel and mash until cool. While mashing, add butter. Add eggs, sugar, vanilla, milk and spices. Turn into a 9x 9" or 11x 7" pan and bake at 350F for about 20 minutes or until just barely set. Cover with topping and return to oven for another 20-30 minutes until set. Let sit for 5 minutes and serve.

**For the topping, start with about 3/4C flour, 1 stick softened (but still a bit cool) butter, and 1/2C packed brown sugar. If you're using the chopped pecans, put those in too. Smoosh it all together with your fingers so it's crumbly. If it's too moist add some more flour. Aim for crumbles around the size of a quarter. The size isn't a deal breaker so don't worry too much about it.

NOTES: *Evaporated milk ISN'T the same as sweetened condensed milk. You can use the rest of the can anyplace you need it for cooking, like macaroni & cheese, cakes, or desserts. It's treated so that it won't curdle like ordinary milk might when it gets hot.

HAVE A WONDERFUL, SAFE HOLIDAY! Best wishes from Casa del Slea!