Tales of Cowboy Kringle & Cranberry Jelly

I had great plans for postings this month...like actually posting more than one post! Gee, what happened? I suppose I've been trimming the tree, making cookie dough to freeze (not baked yet), toying with an old family recipe, shopping and visiting Cowboy Kringle.

You heard me correctly, Cowboy Kringle. Not too far from my home, Cowboy Kringle sits atop bales of hay, looking mighty jolly wearing a cowboy hat, boots and red leather chaps. My little Eli had a wonderful first Christmas picture with him last year. This year...not so much.
I have been showing him images of Santa for weeks now, in effort of making him comfortable with his upcoming picture. I'd bellow out "Ho Ho Ho!!! Merry Christmas!" and he laughed every time. When we arrived to Cowboy Kringle's stable, he was very excited. I thought, oh yeah, this is going to work. Again, not so much.

The moment he was placed on the big red chaps...tears, crying, moaning! Which was fine with me. I actually love my sons "cry face." We chose the picture of Eli on the verge of crying-he somewhat resembles the "Stay Puff't Marshmallow Man."

Eli and Cowboy Kringle Christmas '08 (top); Christmas '09 (bottom)

After the picture torture, Cowboy Kringle belted out a big "HO HO HO! Merry Christmas!!!" Eli looked at me, jumped off of my lap and ran toward the big man in red, joining in another family's photo. WHAT!?!

OK, recipe time! This is my attempt to recreate a cranberry jelly that was given to me by a former neighbor. She was a personal chef for an Idaho senator and her jelly was the best I've ever tasted. Not only is it mighty tasty, but the beautiful color is as rosy as Cowboy Kringle's jolly cheeks!

Cranberry Jelly
makes approx. 7 cups

4 cups store bought 100% cranberry juice (I use Northland)
2 T. lemon juice
4 cups sugar
1 1/2 pouches of liquid pectin

1. Put cranberry juice, lemon juice and sugar into a large stockpot. Bring to a rolling boil. Add liquid pectin; return to a rolling boil, and cook for 2 minutes.
2. Immediately transfer jelly to sterilized jars and top with sterilized lids. Alternatively, transfer jelly to a large bowl set over an ice-water bath to cool; refrigerate in an airtight container up to one month.
3. Process jars in pots of boiling water for 5 minutes. When canning in elevations over 1000 ft. sea level, please adjust processing time.

Its seems that every time I can, I need a refresher course. You can find canning guidelines here.