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Oh, cranberry, how do we love thee?  Let me count the ways.

In the health arena, you make our hearts go pitter-pat--and not just because you may lower bad cholesterol and increase good.  You're also packed with immune-boosting antioxidants, urinary health-protecting antibacterial properties, and even--if you believe one Rutgers researcher--a compound that prevents plaque from binding to your teeth.  Super-food, anyone?

But Foodie Friday is about more than mere healthy eating, it's about feel-good, taste-great foodie joy.  And there, we're smitten too.  Because not only do you contain a major dose of pectin, which, once released, brings you from firm fruit to delectable, just-burst gel in mere minutes.  You're also so perfectly tart so as to act as the perfect foil in sweet desserts, and a delightful zing to savory dishes.  Is there anything you can't do?

I'm lucky enough to live in cranberry country--New England--where my store stocks several brands of local berries fresh from the bog.  Seeing as how 'tis the season for all things cran, I thought I'd share my 5 favorite ways to enjoy this tiny super-fruit.  What are yours?

5 Ways to Enjoy Cranberries

1.  Drink 'Em.  Cranberry juice + sparkling wine + lime juice = fizzy, tarted-up perfection.  Also, you know cranberry juice is a chief ingredient in a Cosmo, right?

2.  Sauce 'Em.  As if I have to tell you.....boil a bag of crans with a cup of water, a cup of sugar, and the zest of an orange.  Some crystallized ginger never hurt anyone either!

3.  Bake 'Em.  Toss in a handful of cranberries to your apple pie filling, or use them instead of blueberries a crumb cake or breakfast bread for little bursts of tart-sweet goodness (note: you may need to adjust the sugar because crans are so tart).

4.  Savor 'Em.  Concocting a wild rice, quinoa, or wheat berry salad?  Try some chopped roasted vegetables, dots of goat cheese, and a handful of dried cranberries.  A splash of lemon juice, a few glugs of olive oil, and you're on your way to Savory City!

5.  Snack 'Em.  Dried cranberries are pleasantly chewy, super-sweet, and very happily eaten by the handful with salted nuts, sunflower or pumpkin seeds, chocolate chips, and any other dried fruits you like.  Wait, did I just describe a trail mix?  Take dried cranberries with you on a fall hike or winter snowshoe, and you'll be rarin' to go!

Still hungry? Click here for more Foodie Friday tidbits.

(image via: http://www.goodguide.com/)

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We had quite a journey furnishing the dining room in our new house--the room is not large, is square, and only has one outlet in it.  Long story short, we went on Craig'slist and found a stunning solid oak dining set from the early 1940s that not only fits the space, but it makes me happy every time I walk into the room.  Hooray!

Now, a new challenge--setting the table, complete with its three 11" leaves--for Thanksgiving dinner.  The dishes and serving pieces are no problem--I've got that all laid out in my head, like the good plan-ahead Taurus that I am.  But the tablecloth has got me all kinds of worked up.  We bought one, but it was too short.  We laid out cloths we already owned, but they were too narrow. 

Red alert!  I smell a math problem coming on....

If you're having the same problem--how to choose a tablecloth that fits your table--here's how to do the math.

How to Measure for a Tablecloth in 5 Easy Steps

1.  Measure your table, laying the tape measure across the center of the length and width- mine is 54" x 87" when it's fully expanded.

2.  Decide how long you want the "drop" of the cloth to be.  This is the length that the cloth drapes over the side of the table and toward the floor.  From what I can find, a "formal" drop is 15 inches, but the average drop is between 10 and 12 inches.  For my table, I'll go with the full 15" formal - hey, it's Thanksgiving!

3.  Multiply the drop length by 2, so 30" in my case, and add that number to the length of the table.  In my case, 30" (drop x 2) + 87" (table length) = 117".

4.  Do the same for the width of the table.  So, for my table, 30" (drop x 2) + 54" (table width) =  84".

5.  Steps 3 and 4 are for rectangular, oblong, or oval tables.  For a square or round table, you'll only need to do the calculation once and use a cloth that's the same dimension long and wide.

Great.  Now all I need is a tablecloth that's 84" wide and 117" long.  Which only leaves one problem....such dimensions don't exist in ye olde marketplace. 

So my choices at this point are to buy the closest thing I find in Williams-Sonoma or T.J. Maxx, or to head to the fabric store and choose a cloth to hem to my perfect dimensions.  And I have to say, that though I've felt some aggravation at how complex this task has turned out to be, I am kind of excited at the thought of having to invest a little bit of time and attention to this cloth.  Because after all, this is the first holiday we're hosting in our new home, and what could make it more special than knowing that each piece of the celebration has been carefully thought out--right down to where we'll rest the plates, forks, and loved ones' elbows that we're so, so lucky to have.

(image via: http://www.ehow.com)

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Being more of a food-assembler than a food cooker, I rely on easy things to keep my frequent dinners of grain, veggie, and protein interesting. I'm a huge fan of Maine Coast Sea Vegetables' shakes--they have a dulse and garlic, a kelp and cayenne, and a three-sea veggie combo. Yum. I find this a great way to slip sea vegetables into my diet (they're loaded with minerals), especially when I don't have time for a full-on wakame soak.

My latest discovery on this front is from the same company as Bragg Liquid Aminos--a.k.a. vegan fuel. It's Bragg Organic Sea Kelp Delight. Instead of being straight-up sea-veg like the others (which I actually like), you barely taste the kelp and instead enjoy the lovely, nourishing flavors of parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme--and lots of other less lyrical but equally delish seasonings.

The result is a secretly fortified, all-organic Mrs. Dash-like shake you can shimmy over any dish you like. Sea vegetables taste salty but have very little sodium. I'm especially loving it on baked garnet yams with a dollop of ghee (clarified butter). Num.

You can buy some here, at Bragg.com. 

And click here for more info on the wonders of sea vegetables.

Do you have a favorite seasoning shake? Or make your own? 

It's Foodie Friday, but alas, sigh, and blah.  I'm really not feeling so jazzed on food today, because I've just started an "elimination diet" on the advice of a new doctor--an integrative physician--I've begun seeing.  I make health-driven food choices every day, but for some reason this "diet" thing has got me feeling deprived and kind of down.

I went to see the integrative doc because I've been feeling sluggish lately, and I was worrying about the strength of my immune system, especially since last year I got every cold that came calling. 

He drew about a gallon of blood, and ran about a zillion tests.  And though my propensity for hyperbole tested very high, about a trillion other things tested low.  Zinc.  Magnesium.  Vitamin D.  Etc.  Etc.  I call my diagnosis "mondo depleto" because that's what the tests showed, again and again.  You're not sick, he told me, but you're not well either.  I nodded vigorously.

Supplements were prescribed, but then the part I was dreading:  the results of the food sensitivities tests.  "Too many to count," said the doc, causing a zing of panic to shoot through my body.  Please don't restrict me to the gluten-free aisle at the Whole Foods.  Please!

He didn't, mainly because I have IgG (an immuno-antibody found in the digestive system)-related sensitivities, which is different from an allergy.  But he did tell me to stop all cow's milk dairy and fermented product consumption for the next 6 weeks.  Fermented products, like including vinegar, wine, and bread.  Even my super-healthy 12-grain bread?  Yes.  Oh.

This post is skewing negative in the attitude department, but the fact is, I'm grateful to have gotten this information, and I feel empowered to re-plete my reserves and get my body boosted--especially as we're into flu season. 

I've been on the supplements and diet for about a week now, and I have to say I am already feeling better able to concentrate, more "plugged in" brain-wise, and I've even dropped the 2 pesky pounds that had recently showed up for no discernible reason.  Many of us probably walk around with some of the same deficiencies that my tests showed, and don't feel a thing.  But sensitive bodies are so-called for a reason, and I am a believer in leaving no stone unturned when it comes to not just health, but wellness.

Except that the whole no-bread-no-butter-no-wine is still hard for me to deal with on a daily basis.  So today on Foodie Friday, I put out the call--if you have food sensitivities or allergies, how do you keep your bliss around food, especially at the beginning of having to make changes in your eating habits?    

(image via: http://cookiejarprincess.wordpress.com)

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Oatmeal is obviously really, really good for you (read 6 reasons to eat oatmeal). And very delicious and versatile. But this is going to be a long winter, and it can't hurt to add some morning hot grain variety.

Quinoa is one of my fave grains and it can go breakfast as well as side dish. There's a wonderful-looking recipe for quinoa breakfast porridge here on the Food and Spice blog. You basically make your quinoa as usual, add some milk (could be cow or hemp or oat or almond). A bloop of honey, some cinnamon, dried cranberries (unsulphured and unsweetened if you can). Stir and enjoy. Yum--and full of protein.

Do you regularly use quinoa in your breakfast? Tips?

Related Articles:

6 Reasons to Eat Oatmeal

Your Favorite Oatmeal Recipes

Easiest Fruit Crisp Topping Recipe Ever!

 

Need more morning inspiration?  Read our entire Fresh Morning collection!

 

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