Here are three easy recipes for you to make ahead for the Thanksgiving holiday. All are simple to make and bake, store well or even freeze ... they are Citrus Cranberry Relish, Cranberry Jam Drop cookies and Cranberry Almond chocolate chunks. 

1. Citrus Cranberry Relish Ingredients

• 3 cups Fresh Cranberries
• ½ Cup Brown sugar
• ½ Cup Filtered water
• Juice from one orange
• Juice from half a lemon
• Plus one tablespoon of orange and lemon zest

Directions:

1. Wash fresh cranberries and rinse & place in medium pot
2. Add sugar, juice, zest and water
3. Bring to boil & simmer about 5 - 10 minutes, stirring constantly
4. This relish is so good you will never buy canned sauce again!

2. Cranberry Jam Drop Cookies

This is another family favourite from my sister in Australia. Very quick to make a batch or two of these at any time:

Ingredients:

• 125 grams (or 4.5 ounces) softened butter
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ½ cup (110 gram) icing sugar
• 1 cup (120 gram) almond meal
• 1 egg
• ⅔ cup (100 gram) plain flour
• 2 tablespoons Cranberry Citrus Relish

Directions:

1. Beat butter, vanilla, sugar and almond meal in a bowl with electric mix until light & fluffy
2. Beat the egg and add until just combined
3. Stir in sifted flour
4. Drop level tablespoons of mixture on trays 5 cm apart
5. Make hole in centre of biscuit using end of wooden spoon
6. Fill holes with ¼ teaspoon jam
7. Bake biscuits about 12 - 15 minutes in a 350 degree F oven & cool on trays

Notes:

• This recipe makes about 24 biscuits or less if you make a larger cookie
• For cooking use parchment paper on the trays
• Flatten the biscuits a little before making hole (flour the end of a wooden spoon)
• Use organic cranberries for sauce
• Original recipe source unknown

3. Cranberry Almond Pieces

Ingredients

• Dark Chocolate - 2 ½ cups
•  Raw Almond slices (roasted if you prefer) - 2 cups
• Organic Dried Cranberries - 2 cups

Directions

1. Melt chocolate in a medium-sized pot on top of stove – stirring constantly
2. Stir in almonds and cranberries until blended
3. Spread thinly into a waxed lined cookie sheet and refrigerate until firm
4. Break into small bite size pieces

Notes:

• All three recipes can be kept in fridge a few days
• Also okay to freeze the relish in jars for the short-term (i.e. Christmas)
• If any leftovers the chocolates and cookies both freeze well also
• Make an extra batch of the relish as it is also great as a dip with cream cheese and crackers

Have fun making up these delightful recipes - they taste so good; simple to make and great at any time of the year.

Happy Thanksgiving Canada!

Links:

• The history of Thanksgiving in Canada
• More about Thanksgiving day in Canada

Thanksgiving Day in Canada has been a holiday on the second Monday of October since 1957.
It is a chance for people to give thanks for a good harvest and other fortunes in the past year.