Easy Homemade Cranberry Sauce

When I was growing up, Thanksgiving was a mostly elegant occasion. My grandmother would spend two manic days preparing the turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, cornbread dressing, pumpkin pie and more, and proudly serve it to a pack of unruly grandkids on her finest china.

Of course, no Thanksgiving spread would be complete without the cranberry sauce, and so it appeared on Grandmother's table every year, a little crimson cylinder shaped like a tin can dumped onto a small silver tray. I have no memory of ever eating a bite from the cranberry can, nor do I recall ever seeing anybody else eat it. Maybe Grandmother thought of the cranberry can as a decoration, but it never seemed like it quite belonged alongside the other freshly-prepared offerings.

Years later, when I assumed the role of Thanksgiving hostess, I used to skip the cranberry sauce altogether because I didn't see the point of opening a can only to throw the sauce away two hours later-- until a friend showed me how easy it is to make your own cranberry sauce from scratch. My Thanksgiving table has never been the same.

Now I know that a lot of folks are loyal to classic cranberry sauce from a can, and if that's your position, I say rock on! But if you're looking to try a fresh and ridiculously easy recipe that will amaze your holiday guests, this is it. Homemade cranberry sauce takes about 15 minutes to prepare, but you need to make it the day before so that it has time to chill. This is also a great recipe to get kids cooking; my daughter made a batch last night for her classroom's Thanksgiving feast. This recipe comes from the second edition of The Joy of Cooking.

Ingredients

1 pound fresh cranberries, rinsed
2 cups sugar (yes, it's a lot of sugar, but keep in mind, cranberries are tart)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons grated orange zest ( but you can skip this if you want)

Cook, uncovered, over medium heat until most of the cranberries pop open and the mixture has thickened slightly, about 7 to 10 minutes. Cool and refrigerate over night.

The berries require little attention while they're cooking, just a stir now and then, but if you have a child old enough to work at the stove, like my daughter, you can let her have the fun of stirring as much as she wants -- it won't hurt the sauce a bit. Enjoy!

“E” for Everyone – @OKtoPlay

We are a family of four and home to an Xbox 360, Microsoft Kinect, Wii, Nintendo DS, Nintedo DSi XL, and of course, two smart phones. There are currently 22 apps on my phone – 10 of which are games (9 the kids chose).

At 10 and 6, my kids love to play video games. And, for the most part, it’s a non-issue in our house. They are busy with school and activities, which means little time for games during the week. However, if they want to play for a couple hours with their friends on the weekend, I’m totally okay with that. It’s all about choices and balance.

For all my coolness, I do get a bit twitchy this time of year. With the holidays around the corner, I can see the avalanche of stuff coming our way – expensive gadgets and games that are often given before the kids are old enough to enjoy them, and even worse, riddled with unexpected questionable content.

In my haste last December, I suggested the game Dance Central to accompany our new Kinect. Great game, indeed. It gets your heart moving and my kids love seeing their dance moves replayed on the screen during the “free dance” sequence. Plus, you can compete with one another. It’s pure fun.

But, there’s still that twinge of “oh no – what will we see next” when we play. The virtual dancers are clad in gangster wear (guys) or short-shorts (girls). Plus, there’s a few moves that let’s say, should be saved for the college party scene. If only I had taken 5 minutes to check the game rating, I would have seen that it had earned a “T” for “Teen” before suggesting it as a family gift.
Ah-hem.

ESRB (Entertainment Software Ratings Board) is a non-profit, self-regulatory body that rates video games based on age, as well as provides content descriptors to indicate what triggered the rating (e.g., suggestive content, language, violence). ESRB's mobile app (free) is a gem. Instead of standing there gape-mouthed and paralyzed, trying to assess the "appropriateness" of a game, I can instantly "call up" the ESRB app for a rating and content summary. Voila! ESRB takes the surprise factor out of an expensive purchase.

Additionally, ESRB is an invaluable resource for protecting my kids online. The website includes step-by-step instructions for how to set parental controls on all the major gaming consoles, plus handhelds. ESRB is also actively involved in COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy and Protection Act) – key legislation that dictates the rules relating to kids and the Internet.

The ESRB app is an invaluable addition to my mobile toolkit. No doubt – I’ll be one of “those moms” at the holiday parties, whipping out my iPhone to demo the ESRB app. I’ll call it “Guess the Rating” and it will be a hit among the mothers of suburbia.

(Note: Michele recently helped to coordinate blogger outreach with Patricia Vance, president of ESRB, on behalf of Zebra Partners. The above post reflects her uncensored and passionate views of ESRB’s mission to educate & empower parents.)

Hair Color & Styling Tutorial

Today we get to share the first of our video tutorials from Meleesa.

We have the video broken into 2 parts due to its size. The first video focuses on color tips and suggestions with regard to coloring your hair. Melessa specializes in a color technique called "Bayalage", which ends up looking like very natural and sun-kissed highlights.

Towards the end of the first video, and in the second video, Meleesa gives a step-by-step tutorial on blowing your hair out. This tutorial was at my request, because as I shared with you all yesterday, I truly need to watch a step by step tutorial as I blow dry my hair.

I must preface these videos by saying that I was not drunk or in pain during the filming of these videos, although it does look like I am. Meleesa, on the other hand, is all gorgeous and stylish and cute in her Costa Rican way.

Please share your questions for Meleesa in the comments on this post.

An Introduction to Meleesa

I am beyond excited to introduce a new contributor to Mama Manifesto. I met Meleesa the day I walked into her beauty salon in Huntington Beach to get my hair cut. I quickly learned that Meleesa is far more than a hair stylist and is more like a hair advocate (and just generally an amazingly beautiful and generous person). She is really good at what she does, and takes the time to interview each client about their hair before she begins to style it. In our interview time we quickly connected and saw that we had an opportunity to partner.

Here is where I have to explain something - I am the most challenged gal I know when it comes to hair and make up. For reals. I have never in my life really been able to blow dry my own hair well. I feel like my arms get tangled up and I just simply do not know what I am doing. So, what do I do? Well, I kind of don't do anything. I tend to wear my hair in a lot of ponytails. I tend to be frustrated by it all the time. My hair feels like it has a mind of its own - it's not quite sure if it is curly or straight and the frizz factor makes me crazy. Good hair days for me are few and far between and I never know how to communicate what I want in a hair style to a stylist.

One of the things I have learned in the past few years of having a blog is that if I am feeling something, it is pretty safe to assume that there are many other women out there who feel the same way.

This was our "aha" moment! After Meleesa spent time talking through my questions and teaching me how to do my hair, I told Meleesa that I wished I could help other women out there get their beauty and hair questions answered. I don't think you should only get to have good hair days when you can afford to get blow outs once a week, or when you are one of those gals who just knows how to do her own hair. (You are the ones who make it look so easy!) I think that we should all be able to ask questions and learn how to deal with the pet peeves that drive us crazy. The Lord knows I have a list a mile long.

So, here is the deal, mamas - Meleesa is now YOUR hair and beauty advocate! You can ask away with your questions. Have a favorite style you found on pinterest that you don't know how to implement? Ask Meleesa! Have a question about color? Ask Meleesa! Want to know what cut would suit your face? Ask Meleesa! No question is too silly to ask because if she doesn't know the answer, she can lean into her amazing community of stylists to try and find it.

We are going to be tackling questions on a weekly basis (hair, makeup, beauty product, etc.), and we are also going to share a tutorial video once a month that will hopefully give a truly visual education. Meleesa also pursues healthier, greener beauty products so she will be sharing her recommendations here as well.

Please do share your questions here in the comments, or send your questions via email to askmeleesa@meleesathesalon.com.

This obviously goes without saying, but, if you live in the Southern California area and you do not absolutely LOVE your hair stylist, you have got to give this gal a call. Her salon feels like an anthropologie styled living room and you will feel so cared for by her incredible staff. She has a spa upstairs too. Her beauty salon is located in down town Huntington Beach, and you will love her!

We (and by "we", I totally mean her, so don't worry!) are looking forward to tackling those questions so start thinking and asking.

Tune in on Thursday for our first video tutorial!

Here's a little more information about Meleesa ...