Hannukah in St. Louis

My boyfriend and I took our first holiday vacation together this past winter. It was great to be able to get two weeks away from work but what was even better was being able to spend time with each others families. Within the first 24 hours of being in St. Louis I was introduced to a couple dozen of my boyfriend's family and friends during his cousin's bar mitzvah.

The following day was a family Hanukkah party. As I knew we were going to be attending this family party and I had no clue what to bring or do, I brought a jar of home made cranberry & walnut chutney (Kosher made) so that I wasn't empty handed. I also traveled with my recipe for matzoh toffee. My boyfriend had already warned me that there would be several hungry family members. What I didn't quite understand was that by several, he meant about 50 or so. 

I was a bit overwhelmed for a few reasons. 1) there was no way I could remember everyone's names. 2) I hoped they liked me. 3) I'm not Jewish (by religion) and was a bit behind on the prayers. So now Hebrew is on the list of things to learn in 2015, as is tracking down a bit more information on the Jewish heritage that showed up on my DNA test.

To my great relief and happiness the chutney was a hit. I was asked for the recipe by several people. I normally serve this on top of cream cheese with Ritz crackers on the side. It also goes well with crusty bread, pork, and all sorts of other holiday yummies. I was so blessed to be welcomed into his family and can't wait to be able to share more meals & recipes with them in the years to come.

Cranberry & Walnut Chutney

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup port or other sweet red wine
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup dried tart cherries
1 (12-ounce) package fresh cranberries
2/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind $
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Orange rind strips (optional) $
Preparation

Combine first 4 ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Add cherries, and cook 1 minute. Stir in cranberries; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until cranberries pop. Remove from heat. Stir in walnuts, grated rind, and extract. Garnish with orange rind strips, if desired. Cover and chill.