TIME

     Time's been playing tricks on us this last week.  We slept an hour late, toured the house, turning the clocks back, had coffee, read the paper before we noticed anything unusual.  Our phones hadn't turned back automatically.  Not to worry, Larry knew how to do it manually.  And so life proceeded.  I walked up to 23rd for my 2:00 haircut, but arrived there at 3:00.  What?  Missed my appointment.  Only then did the light's go on.  Not Halloween weekend this year, daylight saving's time would continue until the following weekend.  Feeling quite silly, I walked back home, shaggy hair and all.
     But's it's always Halloween weekend, Larry protested, as he had been the leader in this affair.  Okay.  We set the clocks forward again, realizing that the mistake would at least afford us another hour sleep-in the following Sunday.  Silver lining.
     On Thursday, L had a 7 o'clock breakfast meeting at the Art Museum.  Not wishing to be late, he set his internal alarm, rarely known to fail (all those earlier years of catching planes to Detroit, N.Y.), and fell asleep.  At about 1:00, I woke to strange noises in the closet.  Hmm.  No Larry beside me, so I got up to investigate.  "What are you doing?" I asked the wild-eyed man in his dress shirt and underwear, struggling to tie his necktie.
     "I have to be downtown in 7 minutes!"  he said.
     "Larry, it's one o'clock in the morning."
     I really really tried hard not to laugh, had to smother the giggles in my pillow as he flopped back down beside me.  "Couldn't see the damn clock," he said.  Then I did lose it, but he didn't join me in thinking this was so funny.
     The next morning I told him that he might just keep his cell phone on his bedside table.  Want to see the time, just click the button and there is is, all lit up and large print.  Good idea, which he proceeded to follow the next night, as he had a golf game in the morning.  Worked like a charm, except he forgot to take the phone with him on the way to the course.  So Robb was unable to advise him that the course had posted a three-hour frost delay.

     And here we are, staring at the approach of Thanksgiving.  Time.

     Time for cranberries.  I have two recipes today, a traditional and an experimental.  Tradition first:  This has been the family cranberry sauce for years now.  I don't remember where I came across it, so the author will have to remain unknown.

Cranberry-Lime Chutney

2 cups fresh cranberries (ALWAYS pick over cranberries before using)
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 large orange, peeled, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 TBS grated lime zest
3 TBS fresh orange juice
1 medium tart apple, pared, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. each ginger, dry mustard, allspice

Stir all ingredients into a non-corrodible pan.  Heat to boiling, simmer 45 minutes.

Note:  I usually use the spices more generously than suggested -- depends on how long they've been sitting in the spice drawer.

That's it, Happy Thanksgiving.

The second recipe comes from a favorite cookbook:  COLD WEATHER COOKING, by Sarah Leah Chase.  It's called Nantucket Cranberry Relish, (and this cookbook is worth trying to find -- probably at the used-book sale at the library, but maybe on Amazon.)
An aside:  I have a quarrel with cookbook indexes.  This recipe is listed under "N" for Nantucket, and yes, that's it's name, but who remembers that?  Please, authors, file such recipes under "C" for cranberry!  Please!

Okay, I'm a little obsessed with this one, still trying to make it work, so maybe you can figure it out.  I'll offer you the "as-is" formula, then discuss the problems I have with it. Why bother?  I love it so much I can't walk past the refrigerator without helping myself to a spoon-ful.  Here goes:

1 1/2 pounds fresh cranberries
1 lime
1 tangerine
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
scant pinch of ground cloves
3 TBS orange liqueur
1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted

1.  Process cranberries until coarsely chopped.  Transfer to mixing bowl
2.  Cut lime and tangerine, peel and all, into 1/2 inch pieces.  Remove any seeds and process until fruit is finely chopped.  Add to cranberries.
3.  Add sugars, liqueur and cloves, stir to combine.  Taste for sweetness and adjust if it seems too tart.  Fold in pine nuts and allow to mellow in refrigerator over night.

First, I'm not fond of pine nuts, so always leave them out.  Personal preference here, do what you like.

The trouble starts with step two.  At the first attempt, the processor make mush of the fruit while steadfastly refusing to mince the peel.  Second attempt, I sliced off the peel and minced it with a knife, which was fine, though a lot of work.  But the processor still turned the fruit to mush.  Third attempt, I grated the peel, then peeled the fruit and chopped it by hand.  This seems the best procedure so far.  This last time, I tried to persuade the processor to mince the peel alone, without the fruit, but this failed, so I removed the chunks and finished the job by hand.  Back to Attempt # 3, which I now advise.

Next, sugar content:  I'm trying to wean myself from my sugar addiction, so  sweetened the mix with a combination of coconut sugar and coconut syrup, both of which are supposed to be very low-glycemic, and a final couple of tablespoons of Turbinado raw cane sugar.  Agave syrup would work as well.  These sweeteners are available at Whole Foods.  You have to just keep tasting to get the correct amount, but it worked perfectly.  Can't tell the difference, so if you're also cutting down on sugar, go for it.

The sun is shining, we are safely observing Pacific Standard Time, so all is well.  Time to get into the kitchen to make broccoli salad for lunch.