Uses for Oodles and Gobs(*) of dried cranberries? ((*) a technical term of art, look it up :-) )

Cooking Discussions
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Jump to bold, with my apologies, if loquacity is a pet peeve of yours.

I’m making butter paneer tonight for a ~ vegetarian daughter (will eat dairy) who’s coming home from college for a day. The recipe calls for me to grind up some plain almonds so I checked my daughters’ Big Bin O’ Baking Goods-N-Seeds™.

Four bags of them from the local open-bin grocery, likely with various (but unlabeled) dates. They all smell fine to me, though. (*)

And 6 bags of dried cranberries. So I have 48 ounces of the sugary Ocean Spray and about 24 ounces of what taste like no-sugar-added cranberries from the open bin place.

What would you do with 4.5 pounds of dried cranberries, some of them at least a year past their use by date? I don’t reckon they go bad, other than crystallization and being a bit over-dried.

(*) And they also have in there bags of walnuts, pecans, cashews, 4 bags of coconut flakes, and 1-3 bags each of seeds of flax, hemp, sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, and 3 others that I can’t ID. They rarely check the box before shopping and just keep piling duplicates in there. I left them all out on the counter for her to sniff and toss anything rancid, because her sniffer is better than mine, and to ID the mystery baggies for me.

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Homemade granola is one possibility. This formula for granola is one that I used a few times, before deciding that we don’t use enough granola at our house to justify the effort.

That said, homemade granola was the tastiest of any I have eaten. I think because the ingredients are customizable to your liking.

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For the nuts and seeds, I would give the gift of a clean slate and toss them. It’s not just a case of taste/smell: rancid nuts have free radicals.

For the cranberries, lots of Autumn/Winter ideas - cranberries are so delicious!

  • With wild rice:
    • Pair with wild rice and brown to make a stuffing with apples and sage
    • Or a wild rice pilaf with thyme, onion, and parsley
    • Or a wild rice medley salad with toasted pecans and green onions, and a tangerine vinaigrette
  • Breads:
    • Orange, cranberry, and walnut bread
    • White chocolate and cranberry bread
    • Cornmeal and cranberry scones
    • Wild rice, hazelnut, and cranberry bread
  • Savory sides:
    • Broccoli, cranberry, and walnut salad
    • Spinach salad with pears, cranberries, and hazelnuts, and a balsamic-based vinaigrette
    • Roasted Brussels sprouts topped (toward end of roasting) with cranberries and pecan pieces
    • Roasted sweet potatoes with brown rice, cranberries, green onions, and Lebanese 7-spice seasoning
  • Desserts:
    • Apple brown betty, with dried cranberries added to the apple mixture
    • Rocky road candy with white chocolate, nuts, marshmallows, jellybeans, and cranberries
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I like a cranberry pudding, that I purchase. This one uses one cup of dried cranberries.

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I’m British, where “gob” is not in the slightest bit arty. Or appealing

A gob is your mouth. To gob is to spit.

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A gobstopper in Canada is a jawbreaker hard candy.

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I’d say at 4.5 lbs., CCE has more than one mouthful of cranberries!

I’m guessing you’re not a fan of the old children’s camp song…

Great green gobs of greasy, grimy gopher guts,
Mutilated monkey meat,
Itty-bitty birdy feet,
Great green gobs of greasy, grimy gopher guts,
And me without a spoon!

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To gob off - to make unpleasant remarks or those of a boastful nature.

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It appears (from brief search) that “gobs” meaning “a large amount of” is more or less limited to North American usage, and it seems only to be used as a plural.

But we (US Americans, can’t speak for Canadians) do still occasionally use “gobsmacked” (originally, to be shocked due to having been smacked across the mouth, and now mostly simply to be shocked at any event).



(Timestamped a few seconds early)

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Some Canadians say gobsmacked, too :smiley:

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Gobsmacked is definitely in common British slang usage.

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Could you use the cranberries like dates in date balls / bars? Those use up a lot. Cut with dates to soften the flavor.

Maybe you can rehydrate them and make cranberry sauce / jelly for the holidays — put in pretty jars and give away.

I remember seeing a recipe for cranberry curd somewhere too.

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Yup, here’s the cranberry curd tart from NYT - uses 12oz fresh or frozen, so if you’re rehydrating dried adjust accordingly.

(Apparently it freezes fine, though my aunt makes lemon curd every year to give away and it’s fine for months in the fridge.)

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My dad made something like this for Thanksgiving a while back - dried cherries, cranberries, and golden raisins, with some (sweet?) wine for acidity.

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I don’t think dried cranberries can be sufficiently rehydrated enough to make a curd, which begins with a conventional fresh whole cranberry sauce. They definitely could be simmered with liquid into a nice compote.

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Ideas and some recipe links. Let me know if you want paraphrased recipes for any of these now behind paywalls.

Shredded carrot/apple salad with dried cranberries. Some lemon juice to keep the apples from browning.

Stir about 1/2 C. into baked beans before heating.

Stir into spiced rice to stuff a baked acorn or butternut squash. Similar to this recipe, but (from experience) don’t bother to use the squash seeds.

1 C (6 oz) - King Arthur flour Cranberry Oat Scones https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/cranberry-oat-scones-recipe

1 1/2 C - Coconut Cranberry Bars https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/coconut-cranberry-bars/

1 -2 C. Dried Apple/Cranberry Chex mix - similar to this recipe with craisins in place of the almonds and a C of the yogurt covered raisins.

1 C Craisin Walnut rolls or bread http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/cranberry-nut-rolls-355806

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Add some to Tzimmes

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Another Dried Cranberry & Rice recipe, one that calls for a cup of dried cranberries.

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Ha! I started singing ….

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