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This recipe is part of a #HalosFun campaign sponsored by Halos. All opinions are 100% my own
I know somewhere on this blog I have mentioned Sunday dinners with my Grandmother. She cooked every Sunday and she was as southern as they come, so dinner was really heavy. A lot of times she would try to make a refreshing dessert to cut the heaviness. Around Christmas her favorite desserts were made with oranges, her favorite being mandarin and cranberries. She would always tell my brother Christmas stories from her youth. She would talk about the church ladies getting together and making “Christmas Boxes” for the kids and Santa would give them out. The boxes always consisted of the same thing, oranges, a peppermint stick, nuts and a little toy. Then they would have a big potluck dinner and sing carols. I always thought it sounded like such fun! I also remember that Santa dropped those boxes off at my Grandmothers for my brother and me many times.
One of Grandmothers favorite desserts was her Mandarin Orange and Cranberry Layer dessert. This recipe is as old as the hills and still a favorite of mine. When my Grandmother was little boxed meals or even what we considered staples were for the very rich. On their farm they used whole ingredients and they were fresh. Oranges were a luxury, so as she grew older and they got to be more readily available she used them a lot. I make this dessert now, but I have modernized it a lot. She would probably spank my behind for it but I am busy and need things to be a little quicker. Plus I don’t have a cow to make my own heavy cream, lol.
I use Halos mandarin oranges in a lot of my recipes because they are seedless, easy peel and sweet. Nothing aggravates me more than getting a sour orange. Plus they are really cute to use in your DIY craft projects like center pieces for your table! They are like a little round ball of orange goodness!
I think my Grandmother would have loved them and used them for everything! I also think even though she would have shook her head at my “modern” take on her dessert she would have loved it too. I miss her.
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- 5 Halos mandarin oranges, peeled and sectioned
- ½ cup of craisins
- ⅓ cup of sugar
- ⅓ cup of orange juice
- ½ cup of whipping cream
- 1 block of cream cheese, softened
- ⅓ cup of pecans
- a splash of vanilla
- In a medium sauce pan bring your orange juice and sugar to a boil until all the sugar dissolves.
- Lower the heat and add your oranges and cranberries. Let simmer for about 10 minutes, until the cranberries plump up and burst. Do not stir a lot because it will break down the oranges and you don’t want that.
- Take the mixture off the heat and let it cool down while you make the cream. In a mixing bowl add your whipping cream and vanilla. On medium speed, beat until soft peaks form. Add your cream cheese and beat until it is thoroughly mixed and stiff peaks form. Fold in your pecans.
- In a dish layer your dessert starting with the whipped mixture first. Alternate the layers until you get to the top.
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