The Day After Halloween

My my, we had an unbelievable amount of trick-or-treaters last night. My front porch quickly became the neighborhood portrait studio with Mamas photographing their little costumed-clad youngins next to our Halloween tree. We saw some really creative costumes and met a lot of new faces during the Halloween parade of visitors 2011.

Well today's another day...All Saints Day--a celebration of all Christian saints, particularly those who have no special feast days of their own. I need to get busy taking down the Halloween decorations and transforming the front porch tree into a Thanksgiving tree! But first, I must treat myself with a bagel and some Cranberry Chutney Bagel Spread*...a tradition on the "Day After Halloween!"

What is Chutney you might ask? Chutney is a relish orginating in India made with fruit and spices. The Chutney preserved the fruit itself so that it could be eaten out of season and it also acted as a cooling condiment to tone down the hot and spicy flavor of Indian curries.

Taste of Gourmet's Cranberry Chutney is a sweet, flavorful condiment filled with whole cranberries and spices to serve with roast turkey, chicken, or pork. You can mix a little of the Chutney into chicken salad or spread it on sliced turkey/ham sandwiches. A great party food treat: Cover the top of Brie cheese with the Cranberry Chutney, wrap it in pastry, and bake until browned! Tonight I think I will serve the Chutney with roasted chicken, green beans, and rice & gravy...yum yum y'all!

Recipe for Cranberry Chutney Bagel Spread:
2 to 3 tbsp Cranberry Chutney
8 oz cream cheese at room temperature

Mix the Cranberry Chutney into softened cream cheese. You can add a bit of milk or orange juice, if needed for softness. Spread onto warm bagels and enjoy! (The spread will last in the frig for a week).

The Cranberry Chutney is the Taste of Gourmet "Product of the Month" during November. Taste of Gourmet has a "Product of the Month" each month...a fundraising project to benefit the St. Jude Children's Hospital. Purchasing the Cranberry Chutney during the month of November will generate a $1.00 donation to St. Jude Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. The hospital is devoted to research and treatment toward eliminating chronic childhood diseases like leukemia and is the only childhood cancer research center designated by the National Cancer Institute.

It's time to start thinking about hostess gifts for the holidays. Food is a gift of love and is a perfect gift to give in this economy. We all have to eat y'all! Stock your entertaining pantry and gift closet while making a donation to St. Jude! A 12 oz jar of the Cranberry Chutney is only $8.95. This is delish y'all and will make a great hostess gift during the holidays. Just take your hostess a jar of the Chutney and some bagels that she can enjoy the next morning. You can order your Cranberry Chutney online here.

Gobble Gobble Y'all...we're on the road to Thanksgiving!