Just Don't Add Sugar to That Turkey...

One way I have to not overeat at Thanksgiving, and, more importantly, not eat a lot of sugar during the holiday, is to control some of the dishes myself.

I am not known for my cooking. (Somewhere, my mother, father, and entire family are laughing at me upon reading that...)
But there are some things that I've learned I can do, and do well. For instance, I am known far and wide (okay, within the immediate family) for my pumpkin pie. What they don't know is that I use reduced sugar in the recipe.

Instead of 1 cup of sugar, I use a mixed blend of Splenda and sugar, the kind you can buy in a bag at Safeway. I could use 100% Splenda, and I have, but the lack of sugar plays with the consistency. So I just reduce.

I also have taken over the cranberry relish. I used to hate the jellied mess my mom would plop out of the can onto the set table for Thanksgiving. Ugh! Now, I take 1 quart of water in a saucepan, add 1 cup of Splenda, boil the mixture, take it off the heat, add fresh or frozen cranberries plus 1 teaspoon of orange zest, bring it back to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. I then take it off the heat, let the mixture cool, put it in a container, cover it, and refrigerate it until ready to serve. Voila! No added sugar.

The rest of Thanksgiving consists of turkey (or, in our case, brisket as well as the turkey), stuffing and biscuits. Plenty of food. But no sugar to give me trouble later.

Happy holidays, everyone!