I don't know about you guys but come Thanksgiving Day I am all about the sides. I usually skip the turkey all together, opting to pile my plate high with stuffing, potatoes and veggies while making sure to save lots of room for pie and ice cream. Cranberry sauce tends to be an overlooked and generally unliked part of turkey day dinner, but for me, no holiday spread is complete without a big bowl of the vibrant red stuff. This year I can't wait to crack open a jar of this sweet, spicy, tart preserve and slather it on some parker house rolls and I am going to send my family in Seattle a jar so they can do the same. What is your favorite part of Thanksgiving?

Cranberry Quince Preserves

yield, about 4 pints

3/4lb fresh or frozen cranberries

1 1/2lbs peeled, cored, and diced quince (1/2'' sized pieces)

4c sugar

3c water (ed 11/12)

2 oz peeled and grated fresh ginger, about a 3'' long piece, less if you would prefer a less spicy preserve

Zest and juice of one lemon

Zest and juice of one orange

cleaned and sterilized jars and lids

1. In a large pot over medium high heat dissolve the sugar into the water, then add the chopped quince, grated ginger, lemon zest and juice, and the orange zest and juice. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the quince is soft. About 15 min.

2. When the quince has softened, add in the cranberries and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until the cranberries have popped and the mixture has thickened slightly, about 15-20min.

3. Ladle the hot preserves into prepared jars, wipe the rims with a clean towel and process in a hot water bath for 10min.

It's time for another recipe don't you think? Thank you for all of your kind words about my shop. Keep checking back because I have some exciting announcements just around the bend, but for now let's talk cookies.

Rugelach are awesome for a lot of reasons, but my #1 favorite thing about them is that they taste like little bites of pie, and if you read the Dining Section of the NYTimes you know that pie is so hot right now. These cookies are made from a flaky cream cheese dough and can be filled with everything from apricot preserves and almonds to raspberry jam and chocolate chips, or any combo of dried fruit, nuts, and jam you have lying around. I'm a big fan of raspberry preserves with chopped walnuts and a bit of orange zest.

For this batch, I used some of my apple butter and upped the autumn ante and added dried cranberries and chopped pecans.

Dough
1 stick butter, cut into cubes
4 oz cream cheese, cut into cubish pieces
1 cup flour

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until a ball forms. Alternately, mix 'em all together with your hands, just move quickly so the butter doesn't get melty.
Divide the dough in half, form 2 disks, wrap them in plastic and chill for 30 min.

Filling
1/4 cup apple butter (or any other jam)
1/2 cup chopped, toasted pecans (or any other nuts)
2T chopped, dried cranberries (or any other dried fruit or chocolate)

Topping
1 beaten egg
1/4 cup sugar+1T cinnamon, mixed together

To Assemble the cookies

Preheat oven to 350
Remove the dough from the fridge and roll one disk into a skinny rectangle, about 4''x12''
Spread 1/2 of the apple butter onto the dough in a thin layer, then sprinkle half of the pecans and cranberries onto the surface. Roll the whole mess into a long, skinny log
Brush the log with the beaten egg and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar
Cut the log into 1-1 1/2'' pieces and place seam side down onto a parchment lined baking sheet
Repeat with other dough disk
Bake the cookies for about 20min, or until golden brown, don't worry if they slump and ooze a bit. The caramelized jammy parts are my favorite.

This recipe makes 20-24 pieces and they'll last a few days at room temp in a sealed container.