TGIF

Today is supposed to be a rather messy weather day. I wish I could stay in and just curl up on the couch and watch television, but alas, I have an appointment at the Headache Clinic this morning. I’ll have to be very careful driving down there. The National Weather Service issued the following warning (edited for brevity and clarity):

From 1 pm today to 1 pm Saturday, snow is expected with a total accumulations of 3 to 7 inches and wind gusts as high as 35 mph. The mix of snow and rain is expected develop this morning before transitioning to all snow in the afternoon and continuing through tonight. The snow is expected to taper off Saturday morning. It is advised that drivers slow down and use caution while traveling and allow extra time if travel is necessary.

My travel this morning is necessary. This appointment is my quarterly Botox treatment for my migraines. I am so grateful for these treatments as it seems to be working, but they are a pain, literally. If my headaches had not been increasing over the last two weeks, I might attempt to postpone my appointment, but I feel that this is something that cannot wait. As I wrote this last night, I had a bad headache. With the increased frequency and intensity over the past two weeks, I desperately need some relief.

On a totally different note, my Thanksgiving meal turned out pretty well, especially the cornbread dressing and the dessert I made. Here’s the recipe for the dessert I came up with (I haven’t thought of a name for it yet. Any suggestions?):

Ingredients

• 12 oz bag of cranberries
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 Granny Smith Apple (cored, peeled, and diced)
• 1/2 cup pineapple 
• 2 oz. good vodka (I prefer Grey Goose)
• 4 Philadelphia Cheesecake Crumbles
• 1 can whipped cream (or make your own)

Preparation Steps

1. Empty a 12-ounce bag of fresh or frozen cranberries into a saucepan.
2. Add 1 cup sugar, 1 strip orange or lemon zest and 1/2 cup water to the pan and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the cranberries are soft, about 10 minutes.
3. Increase the heat to medium and cook until the cranberries burst, about 12 minutes.
4. With 5 minutes left, add diced apples and pineapple and stir to combine.
5. Add 2 oz. vodka and cool to room temperature.
6. According to what consistency you would like the cranberry mixture, either leave as is or place in a food processor or blender and pulse to your desired consistency.
7. Divide the mixture between 4 parfait glasses (or I used martini glasses). Top with one package of cheesecake, spreading evenly over cranberry mixture.
8. Top with graham cracker crumbles and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
9. Just before serving, top with whipped cream.