Sparkling Cranberries

I made this recipe over Christmas, and it turned out quite well! The cranberries were very pretty, but the berries we had were getting a little old when I finally got around to doing it, so they went bad on us pretty quickly. Anyway, they were a lovely addition to the holiday selection of goodies. They even tasted good, especially if you like slightly sweet sour things. I'm just going to copy and paste the recipe; the original is HERE.

For the simple syrup, raw cane sugar or real brown sugar lends a nice molasses flavor to the cranberries, but regular granulated sugar (or a blend of brown/white) will work.

• 2 cups cranberries, picked over

• 2 cups water

• 2 cups sugar (see head notes)

• More sugar for coating: I do a mix of medium-grained organic sugar for the first coating, and then a second toss with regular granulated white sugar. You don't want a huge grain for that first toss, just something larger than standard sugar, smaller than most turbinado sugars. You can sort of see the different grain sizes in the third photo in the main write-up.

Place the cranberries in a medium glass bowl and set aside.

Make a simple syrup by bringing the water and sugar just to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Let the syrup cool for a couple minutes and then pour it over the cranberries. If the syrup is too hot the cranberries will burst, so be careful. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, drain the cranberries and toss them with larger grained sugar until they are well coated. I only use a scoop of sugar at a time, and small batches of cranberries, so the sugar doesn't get too damp. Place the coated cranberries on a baking sheet to dry for a few hours.

Do a second toss with the regular granulated sugar, this typically takes care of any sticky spots on the cranberries. Let dry another hour.

Makes 2 cups of sparkling cranberries.

Homemade Kitkat Bars

• 75 Club cracker

• 1 cup butter

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs

• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

• 1/2 cup whole milk

• 1/3 cup sugar

• 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter

• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate morsels

• 1/2 cup butterscotch flavored morsels.

Line an ungreased 13x9 inch baking pan with 1 layer of crackers, cutting to fit if necessary; set aside.

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add cracker crumbs, brown sugar, milk, and sugar. Bring to a boil, and boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and pour half of the butter mixture evenly over crackers. Place another single layer of crackers evenly over butter mixtures, cutting to fit if necessary. Pour remaining butter mixture evenly over crackers. Top evenly with remaining crackers.

In a small saucepan, combine peanut butter, chocolate morsels, and butterscotch morsels. Melt over medium -low heat, stirring constantly. Spread evenly over top of crackers. Cover, and chill for at least 1 hour. Cut into bars. Store in refrigerator in another county if you want any.