This week I’ve seen a lot of the color red. After 13 years and 260,000 miles I’ve made the decision to retire my little white Chevy S-10. That truck and I have been through a lot together. I started driving it after the retirement of my first car, an ’87 Toyota Corolla with 300,000 miles and a bad water pump. It’s driven in almost every state on the east coast and run all over California. At one point, on a particularly snowy day in Ithaca, I drove up Highway 13 almost sideways at 5 miles per hour in that truck. Long story short its taken pretty good care of me so in its retirement I had to find a car that was reasonably up to filling the huge job that is being one of my cars. My only three requirements? It must be a manual transmission ( why yes, I DO like to actually drive a car), have room for a car seat in the back seat and above all it must be fun to drive.

This seemed to fit the bill pretty well. A 2011 BMW 328i. It’s red. I mean really red. The color makes me a little nervous but so far I’ve been able to console myself with the incredible handling.

The other red I’ve been seeing is from cranberries. I made my first batch of cranberry sauce tonight. It’s very easy but beats the stuffing (no pun intended) out of the store bought.

Nova’s Cranberry Sauce
1 12oz package of cranberries (about 3 cups)
1 cup of water
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 shots of Cointreau or other orange liquor (orange juice or zest can be substituted)

Bring water, sugar and Cointreau to a boil. Add cranberries and stir while returning to a boil. I normally wear an oven mit while stirring because shortly the cranberry skins will begin popping and they are HOT! Reduce the heat and keep stirring until most of the skins have burst watching it to make sure it doesn’t boil over. The longer you cook, the smoother the sauce so cook less for a chunky sauce and more for smoother. After the desired consistency has been reached remove the pan from heat and allow it to cool to room temperature. Once cool it can be refrigerated overnight to gel together. It is excellent after 24 hours chilling.

Happy Holidays Everyone!!!!