That's Fit

Most alcohol gets burned off during the cooking process. But if you have some recipes that require a cooking wine or liqueur and don't want to risk it on children or less-than-healthy guests, give these simple substitutions a try.

Replace one tablespoon of bourbon or sherry with:

• one tablespoon of apple or orange juice

Replace one tablespoon of coffee liqueur or chocolate liqueur with:

• 1/2 teaspoon chocolate extract or
• 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee in 2.5 teaspoons of water

Nothing says 'Thanksgiving' like turkey and -- strawberries? Sounds a bit funny doesn't it? But I suppose if cranberry sauce compliments the holiday's traditional bird, then why shouldn't strawberry sauce make sense?

The first holiday of the season is rapidly approaching (it's this Monday in Canada and a mere few weeks away for the States) so if you're looking for a few new ideas to make your Thanksgiving-day meal a bit different or more exciting, why not give this recipe for Holiday Strawberry Cranberry Sauce a try?

The best bit about the sauce is that you get all of the health benefits of the cranberry with the additional goodness of strawberries, which are full of antioxidants, vitamin C, vitamin K, manganese and much more. Sounds like a worthwhile change to me.

Cranberries are associated mostly with the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays and are somewhat forgotten or overlooked the rest of the year. They have so many health benefits though that it might be worth working them into your diet more often year round. Just a short list of some of the many benefits of cranberries are:

• Cranberry juice has been shown to block urinary tract infections (no evidence at this time that it can be used to treat an already active infection).
• Cranberries contain a compound called proanthocyanidine that prevents plaque build-up on teeth. Researchers are looking into developing products to use it to prevent periodontal disease.
• In some cases, regular cranberry juice in the diet has killed the bacteria H. pylori that causes stomach cancer and ulcers.

In addition, ongoing research is supporting that cranberries and cranberry juice may have a positive affect on cholesterol, stunt tumor formation and growth, and prevent the growth of breast cancer cells in test tubes.

Not sure how processing the cranberries into that can-shaped "jelly log" affects these findings, but for all the high-fat, empty calorie splurge foods you'll have sitting on your holiday table this year (and it just wouldn't be the same without them!), you can feel a little better about the cranberries and cranberry sauce with your turkey and stuffing!