9" x 12" acrylic on paper

Today's posting is a continuation of my red series.   Plus - I'm including a recipe for one of my favorite holiday treats - a spicy cranberry chutney!

My red paintings were done while visiting Monkey Island in north east Oklahoma.  Monkey Island!!  What a name - and it's actually a pretty place.  We used a time-share week to stay someplace that was 'drivable" when gas prices were so high.  I also wanted to explore this central part of the U.S. since we're still new to this area.  My husband - on the other hand - wasn't so sure about "Monkey Island, Oklahoma."  He said "don't tell anyone we're vacationing in Oklahoma!"  (Sorry to my Okie friends . . . )  But we were pleasantly surprised.  It was very relaxing - a great environment for doing some "experimental" paintings.

Once again - this doesn't look much like the place where we painted.  Except that it's a landscape and you can sort of imagine a lake.  I'm pretty sure it doesn't look much like a cranberry bog either.  Can't say that for sure, because I've never seen a cranberry bog.  The colors are sort of cranberry'ish, and cranberries are big this season, so - this is my cranberry landscape.

Most people bake for Christmas celebrations.  I'm not much of a baker - in fact my husband asked yesterday where the Christmas treats were . . .   I DO love to make spicy things and one of my standard seasonal dish is cranberry chutney.  The recipe is by Michele Anna Jordan from her cookbook "A Cook's Tour of Sonoma."  She has lots of spicy recipes - someday I'd love to meet this woman whose taste is so much like mine!  And she's SOOOO creative in her cooking - which I love.  So here's her recipe, which I call "mine" because I've made it for so many years. 

Have a beautiful and tasty Christmas!! 

Cranberry Chutney

4 cups cranberries
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
2 jalapeno peppers - seeded, stemmed and cut in very thin strips (I mince the jalapenos)
1 cup golden raisins
3/4 cup  +  1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
1/2 tsp each:  dry mustard, ginger, allspice, cardamom, cloves and cayenne pepper
2 pears, peeled, cored and diced

In a large pot, bring to a boil all the ingredients except the pears and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar.  Stirring frequently, simmer until the mixture is very thick.  Add the pears and remaining brown sugar, and, stirring constantly, simmer for another 10 minutes.  Remove from the heat.  Cranberry Chutney may be stored up to 4 weeks without processing.

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I serve this over cream cheese - with crackers.  Right now I'm heading downstairs to make a batch!  It's feeling more and more like Christmas!!