Mom's Cranberry Relish & Cornbread

Cranberry-Orange Relish
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
1 cup sugar
1 lb. whole fresh cranberries
2 tablespoons orange zest or grated orange rind

In a 3- to 4-quart sauce pan, stir water, orange juice, and sugar together until your sugar is thoroughly dissolved. Add cranberries, bring to a boil, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the skins of your berries start to pop and the berries are tender but not mushy. Don’t overcook them.

Remove the pan from heat and stir in your orange rind. Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl, let cool, then cover and refrigerate. Makes a quart.

Cornbread
(This cornbread is specifically for the stuffing; otherwise you have to add 1/3 cup sugar.)

Have all your ingredients at room temperature:

1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 eggs
1 cube melted and cooled butter
1 1/2 cups milk

Preheat your oven to 400. Sift the cornmeal, flour, salt, and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Beat eggs lightly, add melted butter, and stir in your milk. Pour these liquids into the bowl of dry ingredients and beat together for about a minute until smooth. Do not overbeat. Lightly butter a 9- x 5- x 3-inch loaf pan or an 8- x 12-inch shallow baking pan and pour in your batter. Bake in the center of your oven for about 30 minutes or until the bread comes lightly away from the edge of the pan and is golden brown. When cooled to room temperature, wrap and refrigerate until it's time to make your stuffing.