Seeing Red/Cranberry Sauce

You know what pisses me off more than just about anything?

Litter.

It makes my blood boil. I am completely unsuccessful at detaching with love when I see that, yet again, some inconsiderate lazy bastard has just dumped their refuse along the side of the road, uglifying the landscape and expecting someone else to pick up after them.

I'm big on personal responsibility. As a nation, we cling (too much) to personal freedom, but where is our commitment to the responsibility that comes with freedom? Yes, we have the freedom to buy (and our government would like us to believe that buying is our patriotic duty), but we seem to forget the price of our purchase: proper disposal. Contrary to some folks, country roads are not free public dumps for unwanted mattresses, couches, and television sets. Nor is there a maid to pick up the booze bottles, beer cans, and cigarette butts tossed out of your car before you drive (drunkenly) back to your sorry-ass life.

And what's with the McDonald's burger wrappers and super-sized soda cups? The candy wrappers and empty cigarette packages? Why is it that (except for the furniture and electronics), the source of litter is addictive substances? Alcohol, tobacco, sugar, fast food…

There's a saying: "Liberty is not license to do whatever you want to do. It is the freedom to do what you ought to do."

Okay, enough ranting. (Although believe me, I could go on about people not taking responsibility for their actions and lives, whether it's the teenage daughter who leaves a wake of unfinished projects everywhere she alights, trashing her mom's house, or the young man who refuses to take action -- any action -- to counteract his ADD and depression so that he can get to work and support himself instead of falling deeper into debt and self-deprecation.)

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Thanksgiving is coming in less than a week. I'll get around to gratitude in a few minutes, once I come down from the adrenaline generated atop my self-righteous soap box. In the meantime, I am remiss on remitting recipes. So here's the recipe for my favorite cranberry sauce -- simple and yummy.

Mom's Cranberry Sauce
Boil one cup of water.
Add 2/3 cup of sugar and stir until it dissolves.
Add one 12-ounce bag of cranberries and
One orange, sliced into thin rounds.
Season with whole cloves (about 1/2 teaspoon) and cinnamon (again, about 1/2 teaspoon).
Simmer uncovered until the berries have popped and the sauce has begun to thicken.
Remove from heat, cool, then refrigerate.

Note: I actually double this recipe -- I usually have about 12 folks over for Thanksgiving -- and have leftovers for the week. Also, I make it ahead on Wednesday (along with the pies).