traditions

The Angels on High
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The Angels on High

Hail Brave Hearts

Joy and Peace to all of you on this blessed Christmas Eve.  The Angels on high are with our Lord.  God saves all.

21 Fascinating Facts About Angels in the Bible

It is with great joy that we celebrate this birth.  Joy to all of us, a saviour is born.  Happy days, happy celebrations, happy gift giving and food sharing.  This is a joyous time, filled with fun and good cheer.

The nights are long, the deep chill is here, temperatures drop and wind blows in storms, howling in our ears.  It’s perfect!  That perfect time of the year for decorating our homes in bright lights, finding gifts to give to loved ones so dear and to share with friends and acquaintances as well.  The wallet opens, cash seems abundant, stores offer everything your heart desires.  What could be more special than that fun filled holiday spending.  Spending on gifts, spending on dining, spending on drink, spending on holidays, spend, spend, spend.  The money wheel spins faster and Ho Ho Ho, Santa Clause climbs down your chimney.

Stockings are hung, gifts for Santa, gifts for us.  The retail financial success story made and paid for.  The gift exchange makes us so merry and of course, don’t forget your substantial gifts to the poor,  And while all of this fun and celebration occurs, a child is born.  A child of magnificence, a child of hope, of peace, of goodwill.  A child who will change our lives, not just with a birthday, but with love and forgiveness.  This is the child of the Christmas Story, a story of gifts, of poverty becoming greatness, of a lowly birth becoming a king.  A success story of greatness being born from despair.  The Christian story offers a promise to the world, a promise of hope for all of us, regardless of birth that there will be the opportunity for success.

The celebrations of Christmas unite the community.  Events of caroling, of parades, of Christmas lights, of dinner parties.  Doubts are cast aside, people smile, they hug one another, families unite. The joy of a blessed saviour fills us with hope, charity and community.  Peace amongst us as we enjoy the good company of friends and sometimes strangers.  The season awakens the spirit  of acceptance, of kindness, of  tolerance, of goodwill.  Love eternal.

And then there are Angels.  The heavenly choir makes us sing.  Our voices are lifted in praises for the new born king.  Oh happy day that this Christmas gift was given to us.  Now the teacher teaches us, the student listens.  These lessons learned help and support us during our journey on this planet.  A journey of discovery, of adventure of humanity.  A journey that must be kept worthy, must be kept fulfilling, must be kept in learning.

In the quiet hours of the eve of this great night, comes the greatest gift of love.  Joy to us, there is life. Joy to us, there is Love.

Written by Dr. Louise Elaine Hayes

This Christmas Eve 2025

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The Dietary Goodness of Life

Hail Brave Hearts

Happy New Year to all of you.

The feastings of the holiday season has passed and the riches of the gourmet world have been exchanged in holiday recipes, old family favourites, neighbourhood parties and community gatherings.  The sweet and savoury delights to the palate as more and more food circulates with Christmas sharing.  More parties, more alcohol, more food consumption.  More, more and more.  No starvation here.  The requirement to give gifts to the poor, to feed the less fortunate and to stock the food banks, is a necessary part of the holiday season.  Give these gifts throughout the year and add an extra bonus at Christmas time.

Our taste buds revel in the food we consume.  So good to eat, so aromatic to smell, we drool  We’re ready to dine before dinner comes out of the oven.  Delightful Christmas with all of its goodwill, good cheer and seasons greetings.  Dine, consume, share, feed yourselves, feed your neighbours, feed the  poor.

Now its the New Year, with all of the responsibility of loosing those unwanted, unhealthy holiday pounds, unwanted excess inches, bulges and fats.  How on earth do we eat so much?

Those taste buds of ours are part of a nasty body battle,  What’s so good to eat, might be absolutely the worst diet for your fine body. Your fine, trim, well-musceled body, has been besieged by an onslaught of dietary delight.  So much so, that now, the gym calls, with an insistence to save yourself.  Heed the call, or your taste buds win and your mind accepts just a few more pounds, just another cookie at lunch, just another gourmet treat, which supports excess body weight and accelerates aging.  Your fine body must win the fight against those taste buds.  This is a fight that you must win.  It’s the fight of your life.  A fight for your survival as your fine body needs a proper diet for life support.  Those taste buds are tricksters, who play a game, which sometimes completely contradicts the needs of the body and the needs of the body come first. Excess pounds puts strain on the heart and joints ache from the weight.

Canada’s Food Guide

The dietary delight of a good diet and good exercise improves us.  Our bodies respond with flexibility, stamina, endurance, strength, youth, higher energy levels and overall wellness.  A good diet improves skin, hair, eyes, nails and muscles.  Now those sought after recreational activities can be a part of daily life, even if it’s just a walk in the park.  The challenge of controlling those taste buds, is to control that extra unwanted weight.  Chocolate drips with gooey goodness, but it’s not. Icing sugar, refined sugars and candies add up to a calorie count of excess goodness that only the taste buds enjoy.  Your teeth scream and the dentist earns a living as doctors bills and dental appointments rise beyond your pocket book.  The cheaper side of life could be the healthier way to live.  A walk in the park is free, candy cost money.

Of course, the choice is yours, but the recommendations of Canada’s Food Guide provide for a healthy diet with no sugars.  This is the recommendation for us, by our health experts.

Live long and healthy lives, oh Canada.  Praises to your good health.

written by Dr. Louise Elaine Hayes

January 26, 2025

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A Child Arrives

Hail Brave Hearts

Praises!  The blessings of this holiday season abound.  Friends and family, acquaintances and colleagues, all are united in the spirit of holiday giving and sharing.  Joy to all of us during this happy and generous time.  Joy to all of us, all throughout the year.

It is with joy that we surround ourselves with the festive season.  The lights, the trees, the singing, sharing, praises to one another and to the joy of humankind.  Gifts from God.  Love eternal.  Love and kindness.  Oh Holy One.  Love from most high.  All Heavens and Earth rejoice.  Praises to the Lord, our King.

During these cold winter days, when the wind blows from the North, where Santa fills his sleigh and the elves prepare the parcels of toys and movies and delights galore.  Reindeer in harnesses to fly in the sky.  Myth and fantasy to light up your life.  Stockings by the fire with the world all aglow.  This is when the Holy family travel.  That long and difficult journey over many days, with child.

The cold blast of winter, reminds us to think of others.  Gifts of warm clothing and blankets to the shelters, the thrift shops and the churches.  Gifts to food banks, charities and the poor.  Gifts to family and friends.  The gift of a child.  Gift giving and singing, all praises to our King, a gift as well, a gift from God.

Oh that the world is so cold and downtrodden.  Of that the world is blessed with a savior.  Oh that this great planet is unique, with life, with living, with joy and giving.  Oh that holy night, when the angels sing.  Blessed are we to share this great Earth.  Blessed are we to rejoice in God’s world.  All heaven and Earth rejoice.

The animals are quiet as the child lies sleeping.  The angels sing and a star shines bright.  This bright beacon from heaven guides the Maji from afar.  Oh holy night, we will all be blessed.

There are many stories to tell of Christmas, of how this holiday season comes to pass,  of saints in our midst who follow a path of  direction, discerned from teachings of wondrous works and guidance.   The miracle of birth, the joy of the child.  Happy are we to be a part of the celebration.

A Look at Popular Christmas Traditions Around the World

Jingle bells, Christmas parades, candy, baking and special recipes.  A joy of a holiday all throughout the world. As the season fills with gladness, sharing and community gatherings,  the special sounds of the season, fill the air.  The Angels sing.  The Christmas Choir is exuberant.  Joy.

The Best Old Christmas Songs with Fireplace 🎅🏼 2 Hours Best Classic Christmas Hits, Original

On this very Holy day, of Christmas, may your world be filled with joy and laughter.  Praises to you, all of you for the blessed gift of this genius child.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

written by Dr.  Louise Elaine Hayes

December 18, 2024

 

Bunnies and Eggs
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Bunnies and Eggs

Good Day Brave Hearts

Happy Easter to all.

The Easter Bunny is hop, hop, hopping into our world again, to help us celebrate the Easter story, with a twist.  An animal twist that supports the rabbit as a part of the celebration of life.  The resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday and the traditional Easter Egg hunt.

Regardless of your faith, Easter is celebrated by most of us, in a manner of religion, or fun.  The furry animal, with eggs and candies kind of fun.  A bunny, or a rabbit, maybe a hare, of noteworthy cuteness, bringing Easter eggs in many colours and many candy forms.  Chocolate, for the chocoholics, who cherish the world of chocolate treats.  Chocolate bunnies and eggs, hollow or filled,  jelly beans and cream centred eggs, a dietary delight of candy.   Lovely candy, full of richness and sugar, the confectioners delight.  Easter is a booming business in the candy trade.

Of course, there’s also flowers, with the traditional flower of Easter being the  Calla Lily, which blooms at Easter time and gives us a  festive tradition to participate in, whether you believe in the Christian story of resurrection or not.

Spring is here, the wild crocuses are in bloom and the Easter bunny is hopping along, spreading Easter eggs in hiding places for us to find.  It’s a fun story, which capitalizes on an ancient story of death and resurrection.  The rise of Jesus of Nazareth from the tomb, which  coincides with the passing of winter into spring.  A symbolic passing from the dead of winter to the new life of spring, immortalized by the death of the Savior on the cross, to the revelation of a vacant tomb and new life.  The new life of rebirth, of being reborn, of the passing of death to life.  It’s a symbolic time, a holy time, a time to cherish the Lord and the representation that all life will live.

Easter Symbols and Traditions – Easter Bunny, Eggs & Lilies | HISTORY

Julius Caesar noticed that in old England, no one would eat hares.  Hares had been connected to the Virgin Mary, Jesus and the Holy family.  The prolific rabbit, sends a message of fertility to us, with large families.  So does the egg.  Painting eggs is part of the Easter past time and egg painting is a celebrated art in some countries. The tradition of painting eggs in bright colours, so that we can find them under pillows, in the yard, hiding in trees and in plants, is a joyous part of Easter celebrations, but it also sends a message.  Eggs are fertility  It’s spring and rebirth is all around us.

The fabulous Savior, who survives death and is resurrected into this world, only to ascend to Heaven, is a story of awesome wonder at the miraculous life of Jesus.  The miracle of death and resurrection, life and death, rebirth.   It is also a time of family holiday and a celebration of the impossible.  Rising from the dead, speaking to people, walking streets.  It’s a mystery still unsolved.  It’s a mystery of faith.

The easy way to resolve Easter, is to paint Easter eggs and adore the bunny, who comes hop, hop, hopping along.

Written by Dr. Louise Hayes

March 30, 2024

 

Oh Happy Day
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Oh Happy Day

Dear Brave Hearts

The glory of this special holiday season surrounds us.  Joy!  The world is filled with merriment and hope, love everlasting, the eternal spirit of goodwill is with us.  It is Christmas time, the time to rejoice in gladness that God is with us.

Praises to the world.  A joyous world.  A wondrous world.  Oh wondrous Love that adores us.

It is during this festive holiday season, that we sing, give thanks and remember that child that brings love into the world and joy to our lives.  It is with gladness that we praise this child and the special message that He brings.  The gifts, the joy, the singing, the angels, the Christmas tree and lights, the fabulous food.  A message of love and humanity for all of us.  Praises to this King.  Not a king of a kingdom, but a king of our hearts.  Oh Holy One, Oh Blessed One, this birthday of Christ the King.

Oh joy to us, all the world of God’s creation.  Not only to mankind but to the animal world as well.

Top Christmas Music Playlist 🎅🏼 Best Christmas Songs Playlist 🎄 Merry Christmas 2023 (youtube.com)

For now, while we play and smile, visit with family and friends and join in the fun of a fabulous holiday, we give thanks,  Thank you for the season, thanks for the Love, the joy, the happiness of having a time to rejoice.  A time for us.  A special time of prayer.  A time of rest, of peace, of remembrance.

Oh save us, great saviour!  This weary world rejoices.  It is Christmas time.  We live.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

December 24, 2023

The Oystercatchers of Gwaii Haanas
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The Oystercatchers of Gwaii Haanas

Hail Brave Hearts

The great wild is calling,  An adventures awaits.  Dutifully we don our apparel for yet another great holiday in Canada.  It’s summertime, and the sun shines gloriously on long days of warmth and outdoor activity. Canoes and kayaks entice us into the waters of lakes and rivers.  The iconic Canadian transportation system, lures us into the paths of our history.  Build your canoes, build your kayaks, follow in the steps of legendary people who navigated the waters this way.

The great wild calls us to develop the skills of history makers who charted the seas, mapped the coastlines and stamped the approval of the ownership of this land.  This is ours.

The great lands of the Haida, tucked away in the northern islands, north of Vancouver Island.  Isolated and rare, a gem of discovery.  This land is our land, protected by a great nation of peoples, the Haida people of Haida Gwaii and the Gwaii Haanas National Park.  It belongs to them and their stories fill the islands.

We arrive by plane, for the trip of a lifetime, into the land of the Haidas.  Remote and alive, the area fills with eagles.  The ocean is calm and the days are warm.  We’ve packed for a week long kayak adventure into Gwaii Haanas.  This area is a paradise of wilderness ocean adventure.

Seagulls meet us, reminding us that God is here.  In the call of the birds, we clearly hear Gods name.  Seals bask on the rocks and a river otter swims past.  An Oyster Catcher stops us.  His antics catch our attention as he jumps around on the rock in a aa unusual dance.  His five chicks huddle close together in the nest and his mate slumber close by.  He is a father and proudly shows off the nest.  A thirteen year old bird, whose making a noise that sounds like Barack.  We name him Barack then, pleased that he’s shown us his fine family

Black Oystercatcher Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Our luck with the weather holds for this trip.  There are seven of us on this  July excursion, with a guided kayaking and camping company.  The Pacific is mainly calm and peaceful towards us as humpback whales surface and feed in our sights.  One comes close to us.  It’s a pleasure.  The wildlife sightings are superb, with black bear, dolphins, orcas and sea lion to add to our list.  The bird life is unusual to us as well.  Ancient Murrelet,  seagulls, falcons, puffins, rhinoceros beaked birds and red footed pigeon guillemot to add to  our list.  It’s a list of some rare bird and animals  in an area filled with ocean life.

Then, there’s, the people.  We visit the Haida of the ancient totem poles.  to see for ourselves the carvings of great masters and to hear their stories.  A far flung people, out in islands in a remote Pacific location.  An area of impressive beauty molding a nation of seafaring people, who live from the sea.  The builders of ocean going canoes paddling the great seas.  A people of unique culture, surviving in an area of wildlife wealth.  The ocean provides.

This was a dream holiday in our great land.  So much to be proud of, so much to enjoy.  The land and the people, the ocean and the wildlife.  A place of unusual prosperity.

parks.canada.ca › pn-np › bcGwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine …

The sun shines brightly on Haida Gwaii and the warm summer breeze encourages outdoor adventure.  This was a wonderful, unique  holiday in Canada’s superb wilderness backyard.  We congratulate ourselves for this choice of adventure.    We’ll be back

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

August 27, 2023

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National Herbalist Day

Hail Brave Hearts

Enjoy the nutrition of the land and the many medical marvels that it reveals.  It’s a new day dawning for the Herbalist.  A day of worthy mention.  National Herbalist Day!  Wow!

The subject matter is superb.  Now that spring is here, the welcome backyard medicine cabinet is opening it’s doors.  New spring teas from fresh shoots, leaves and plants.  Lovely.  Fit for any larder, the beautiful abundance of natural goodness is in your yard.

The most obvious, killer weed, that notorious Dandelion.  Awesome!  The nutritional value of this plant is a keeper.

Plantain, St John’s Wort, Daisy and many more.   A special day for those of us, who seek natural remedies for those aches and pains.  I’ve been lucky with Nettle, Red Currant, Apple Leaf and Rose Hips, but these are just a few of the many natural wonders of the wild world.  Home made salves and soaps, fragrance and tea.  Natural healers to boost energy, to calm, to induce sleep, to improve circulation and help achy joints and achy pains.  Your garden is an Earthly delight.  Those pesky weeds, so hard to get rid of , might freshen your breath, improve your eyesight, add luster to your hair and make it shine.  The self indulgent gardener might even find a cure for what ails themselves.  There are many good gardening books which will help to plant an herbalist garden.

But are natural remedies important?  They are, if you want them to be.  Do they actually provide cures?  Yes, they do.

To quote Chris Dalziel at Jobillee Farm.  who has a  book Growing Abundance, the Garden You Harvest in a Week.

Monday is National Herbalist Day!  It’s a day to acknowledge the herbs that keep us well, help our gardens grow better, make our food taste better, and give us abundance.  Its also a day to recognize the herbal mentors in our life.

Who taught you about using herbs in the kitchen, the garden, and the apothecary?  Did you learn from a mother, a grand parent, a neighbor? Are you self-taught from books and the internet? Did you take a class? Or are you just beginning to learn about herbs as an adult?

Learn about Plantago major — Plantain

I love teaching children about herbs.  My 2 year old granddaughter knows to look for plantain (Plantago major) if she gets a bee sting or a mosquito bite.  “Plantain” comes from an old French word meaning “sole of the foot”.  It grows in compacted areas, where the footprint of humans or animals have compacted the soil.  Its a healing plant for the soil as much as it is a healing plant for us.

Often plantain is the first herb that people learn to use.  It can be an “a-ha” moment, when you hand them a leaf and tell them to put it on the “ouch”.  Relief is fast.

I’ve had the privilege of introducing plantain to tough motorcyclists, stung on the hand while riding, hikers, farmers, beekeepers, wee toddlers, and grumpy teens, mowing a lawn. Plantain is just one of the many gifts that God gives us to nourish and heal us.
National Quilt Month
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National Quilt Month

Hail Brave hearts

A month of creativity for you!

March is National Quilters Month, which brings the finest of the best in the world of quilting to our attention.  Quilting!  A national and international past time with a month of praises for itself.

Quilting has long been an art of necessity.  Born in the United States from the impoverished homesteaders who would discard nothing and used every scrap of material for some repurposed, useful item.  Scraps of worn shirts, trousers and jackets which had outworn their intended purpose, became tiny bits of fabric, transformed into patterns of squares, triangles, circles and geometry.  Little bits and pieces, carefully hand stitched together to form a blanket for a bed, that needed the cover.  The time consuming craft of care that creates a warm and welcoming place in the home.

The ingenuity of the forefathers gifts to us a craft of lovely care.  Designs and patterns change over time and so does the method of quilting.  From the hand stitched pieces to the sewing machine, the quilt has taken on a new dimension in our lives.  The quilt is mainly associated with blankets, however , it also adorns the walls as smaller pieces of artwork, lovingly created to beautify the home.

Fabric stores carry cloth to purchase for a quilt, making the claim that they are quilting shops who offer lessons on how to quilt, selling sewing machines for this purpose and long arm sewing machines to quilt the finished product together.  Machines with quilt patterns programed into them, designs to draw and follow.  The art of quilting has flourished to a point where many communities have quilting guilds.  The art has flourished to a recognition so high that a whole month of the year is dedicated to it’s existence.  The message from this is that quilting is important.  It’s important to us in history and it’s important to us, to this day.

32 Charming Quilting Facts and History | Fact Retriever

From it’s early inception, perhaps as early as 3400 BC, the useful Mother of Invention, took hold of  scraps of fabric and batting and stitched them together.  That useful Mother has shaped most of our lives and history is filled with her magic of ingenuity.  Quilting is not necessarily about blankets, it’s the method of attaching fabric to batting to form new cloth which becomes useful items to wear or use.  Quilted jackets for the crusaders to wear under their armour, quilted coverings to hang over doors and windows, quilted jackets to wear in fields, quilted shawls  and quilted blankets made to put on  beds.

10 Historical Facts About Quilting – Art Gallery Fabrics – The Creative Blog (agfblog.com)

Quilting is used as a form of art, sometimes just to make good use of spare time.  However, the art is praiseworthy and extends over so much of human history and into so many countries, that it’s historical significance is obvious.  From ancient Egypt and the Pharaohs, to China, Medieval Europe the United States and Canada, this long  sought after craft has been with us since such ancient times that it’s won it’s own place in history.  Quilting is important, as art, as craft, as functional items.  It’s popularity has protected it   National Quilt Month is praises to this ancient craft.  Long live the quilt!

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

March 26, 2023

That Lucky Deep Freeze
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That Lucky Deep Freeze

Hail Brave hearts

The big chill is storming us.  Cold snow has arrived.  From the cozy interior of our homes, we think big.  Winter fun! This is one of the best times of the year!

A frozen river to occupy the afternoon.  Crisp winter weather at -10 is a welcome change to the blistery cold that makes this day possible.  The continued overnight lows below -20 keeps the ice cold and thick enough for our weight.  Caution though.  These rivers have rapids, the water is swift flowing and sometimes is too fast to freeze thoroughly.

Today’s adventure is along a river to a sought after view.  The wide expanse is fully frozen now and our group walk with ease along the covered water.  Ice is welcome now as we snowshoe this path.  An opportunity that will only present itself in the awesome winter.

We pick our way to the bottom of the river bank and walk with relative ease along the snow covered water.  All the while remarking on our good fortune to have this chance to explore an area that is never available to us.  The thickets of willow and stands of evergreen show us locations of ground and islands along this braided stretch of waterway.  Animal tracks appear in the snow and the tiny creatures hide from our view.   We are mainly walking on the gravel flats between the river channels, so we are more safe in our travels.  River travel can be perilous with areas of thin ice throughout.

There’s an interesting formation of hills and valleys all along the river bank.  Walking would be difficult in this area due to undulating land formations of steeply cut hills reaching to the river sides without much river bank to follow.  Our destination is a canyon, 7 km up river which is impossible to reach at other times of the year.  Our good fortune is the deep freeze.

This year our temperatures plunged to an awful -50 overnight during the Christmas holiday season.  Four days of icy blasts with daytime highs of -35 kept us busy with indoor games and indoor holiday cheer.  Now the result is a wintery wonderland with the fun of river travel. which is not always available to us.  Oddly and usually, the good comes with the bad.  Today is overcast and light snow is falling.  This is a surprise to us, since no one had noticed snow in the forecast.  It might be a localized squall.  However, this is good also, since we need the snow to keep us skiing, snowshoeing  and enjoying the fabulous fun of the season.  We also need the snow for our spring melt and moisture.

The snowfall is increasing and visibility is declining.  Open patches of river can be seen ahead.  We have to call off our plans for today, with only 1.5 kms remaining.  Oh well.  Luckily for us -30 is in the forecast for the next 3 days and we will have the good fortune of more deep freeze.  The open areas of this river should freeze again and we plan for another trip to this area next week.

Walking On A Frozen River | Red River | Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada | Walking Virtual Tour in 4K – YouTube

Meanwhile, the ski hill has received more snow.  It’s all good.  A change of scene and a change of game.  Winter has been wonderful to us.

Written by Dr. Louise Hayes

February 24, 2023

Christmas Cheer
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Christmas Cheer

Hail Brave hearts

 

Praises!  Praises mankind for this great holiday season.  Tis the season of great joy.  Be happy!  The holiday season is a blessing.  Prayers, songs, gifts, parties,  food, decorations and fun!  These glad tidings are for all of us.  Enjoy!  The winter is a wonderland of beauty, snow and winter fun.  Enjoy!

Christmas is perfect.  It’s the perfect time of the year for indoor games and outdoor winter activities.  It’s the perfect time of the year for parties and social gatherings, perfect for baking and trying new recipes.  It’s perfect.  Throw another log on the fire and sing!

The joy of the season is the merriment that you make it.  Come to us, oh blessed child.  We rejoice.

Best Classic Christmas Music Mix 2022 – 1 Hour Playlist 🎁🎄❄️ – YouTube

Holiday Glaze

only 3 ingredients

1 can of cranberries

1 can of drained mandarin oranges or crushed pineapple

1/3 cup of either brown sugar or maple syrup.

Put all of the ingredients together in a greased skillet.  Break up the mandarin oranges into smaller pieces. Heat until boiling.  Take off the stove and spoon over turkey or ham.  Bake in the oven.

This recipe is also good with meatballs.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

December 24. 2022