A few years ago on Thanksgiving Eve, I was prepping for my big Thanksgiving dinner and decided to get a few dishes out of the way so I wouldn’t feel stressed Thanksgiving morning. I baked pumpkin cake, threw together veggie dips, and whipped up cranberry sauce. But I managed to forget some ingredients for my cranberry sauce. The stores were closed and I had to utilize whatever I could find in my kitchen. So I grabbed an ingredient that I had a surplus of and killed two birds with one stone: Cider! Cider came to my rescue with my cranberry sauce. It added the sweetness and body that I was looking for.
Everyone enjoyed it more than the usual cranberry sauce recipe, so now it has become a tradition. Each year I use a different cider. I’ve used Woodchuck’s Pear, 11:11 (my citra-hopped cider), and #IPecantEven (my maple pecan cider). This year, I used Mackenzie’s Black Cherry cider.
It was so simple and such a success that I began adding cider to almost everything: caramelized brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes, and stuffing. It was an easy fix and substitute to many ingredients that I thought I’d share some of my recipes with you. Happy Thanksgiving!
Cranberry-Cider Sauce
Ingredients:
-3 cups of fresh cranberries
-12 oz hard cider (Great substitute for orange juice and sugar)
Directions:
1. Boil 6 oz cider in a sauce pan.
2. Add 3 cups of fresh cranberries.
3. Once cranberries begin popping, add the remainder of the cider and simmer until all cranberries pop.
4. Chill in fridge and serve!
#IPecantEven Brussel Sprouts
Ingredients:
-12 oz of brussel sprouts
-8 oz of cider (Maple or Nut cider great substitute for brown sugar and nuts)
-1/4 cup chopped Pecans (optional)
-2 tbsp maple syrup
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Slice brussel sprouts in halves and clean off any brown leaves.
3. Marinate brussel sprouts with cider in a bowl.
4. Remove the brussel sprouts and place them on a greased baking sheet face down.
5. Bake for 30 mins until charred.
6. Remove from oven and drizzle the brussel sprouts with maple syrup and pecans
7. Return to oven for an additional 15 mins.
8. Remove from heat, stir in serving bowl and serve!
Sweet Cider Potatoes
Ingredients:
-Cinnamon cider (Great Substitute to brown sugar and cinnamon)
-Sweet potatoes
Directions:
1. Peel sweet potatoes and cut in cubes.
2. Boil peeled sweet potatoes and cider in a pot until tender.
3. Remove from heat.
4. Mash until texture desired, add butter (optional), and serve!
