What's Cooking With Katherine

    Thanksgiving has come and gone in a whirlwind! We were invited to go on a trip this year for the week of Thanksgiving. 
    Usually I hate to travel at the holidays but, because my daughter and her fiance were going to be in Florida for a vacation this year, we accepted. As fate would have it bronchitis struck one of the other families going and just before we were set to leave late Monday afternoon our trip was canceled. 
    I am a planner by nature, so this news really flustered me. I had not decorated for fall at all and my college freshmen was en route home to a house without a bite of food in it because in addition to not shopping for a holiday meal I also was trying to clean out the refrigerator in anticipation of being gone for a week. 
    Hastily I called and ordered a ham from the Lions Club, banged out a menu, made a shopping list and headed to HEB. It was a mad house! There were no parking spaces! I am not sure how it could have been crazier, but as I checked out with two baskets full of groceries the sweet cashier assured me that the day before had been much worse. 
    I came home, put my still frozen turkey in some ice water to thaw and set to work. As soon as I really got started cooking my son Carter and my husband Will walked in the door. As they did all the worry about hosting an impromptu Thanksgiving dissipated. 
    There is something about having your family, most of it at least, together in your warm kitchen with the smell of food cooking that makes everything better. Carter told us all about college, about the lessons he has learned both inside and outside the classroom. He loves school and living on his own but he also admitted that he misses home, having his laundry done and home cooked meals served up regularly. 
    As steaks sizzled on the grill for dinner that night and we talked I realized how thankful I was to be home with my little family.  Over the next couple of days I baked, chopped, and roasted at a lighting pace and got it all done! When Thanksgiving day arrived we had 15 happy eaters around our table and great memories were made. 
    Among our revilers were some of Carter’s lifelong friends and their families. We have spent countless holidays with them over the years and the boys are men now, but when they get together they fall into the same old patterns I remember from when they were little. 
    They, and their parents, hung around well into Friday morning and I was sad to see them finally call it a night. 
    I hope your Thanksgiving was filled with love and laughter, I know ours was. One of the reasons we were so happy was this fantastic Cranberry Apple Sangria – it is the perfect fall drink. Make some to enjoy while you are decorating your Christmas tree, you will be glad you did! 

Cranberry Apple Sangria
1 thinly sliced orange 
2 tbsp. brown sugar
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup spiced rum
2 bottles of sweet red wine
¼ cup orange liqueur
1 cup cranberry juice
1 cup cranberries
1 cup diced green apples 
Combine all the ingredients and refrigerate overnight. Serve over ice. It is pretty garnished with an orange slice and a cinnamon stick.