From Sam's kitchen

We hit the farmer's market yesterday morning in preparation for this Thursday's feast. The Sunday before Thanksgiving is always really crowded, and this year's showing did not disappoint.

In addition to throngs of people getting everything from pumpkin pies to hefty bags full of greens, there were news trucks there shooting B-roll for the early evening slice-of-life news segment.

Samson was impressed with the TV truck and the reporter doing a stand-up, but he was really impressed with the two firefighters he saw doing some shopping. It must be pretty awesome to know that wherever you go, throngs of toddlers mark seeing you as the highlight of their day.

Back at home, Sam and I cooked up some cranberry applesauce. I don't know about you, but that ribbed stuff from the can just creeps me out. And this is pretty easy to make. Even with a three-year-old "helping."

Ingredients:

2 lbs apples (4-5 apples, preferably Golden Delicious)
1 cup cranberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cider
2 T butter
2 t lemon juice
3-inch lemon zest (I usually just cut a piece of the rind and put it in)
1 cinnamon stick

Basically, you peel and cube the apples and then throw everything together in a stock pot. Heat on a medium flame for about 15 mins, stirring occasionally. Remove the rind and cinnamon stick, and place the mixture into a food processor for, er, processing.