Behind the Scenes Minis: Raccoon Cranberries

Summary

Podcast Summary

Podcast: Stuff You Missed in History Class
Episode: Behind the Scenes Minis: Raccoon Cranberries
Hosts: Holly Frey & Tracy V. Wilson
Date: December 12, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this behind-the-scenes minisode, Holly and Tracy revisit the main stories from the week, notably their exploration of unusual White House pets (including turkeys and raccoons) and the history and culture of cranberries. The informal conversation ranges from historical anecdotes and debunked myths to modern pet-keeping ethics, personal stories, culinary experiments, and strong feelings about food debates—wrapped up with practical advice and a dash of humor.

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White House Pets & Animal Anecdotes

[02:35 – 14:15]

White House Animals Gone Wild

• The hosts reflect on their recent episode about “Unusual White House Pets,” discussing the strangest animals to have resided at the White House.
• Holly expresses her joy in myth-busting, especially the John Quincy Adams alligator legend and talking about Tad Lincoln’s pet turkey.
  • “I love that we could myth bust that whole John Quincy Adams having an alligator thing.” (Holly, 02:42)
• Discussion on Tad Lincoln’s turkey, and messy implications of keeping poultry indoors:
  • “So presumably the turkey's pooping in the house…probably just seems inconvenient.” (Tracy, 03:37)
  • “That's how pets work…unless your cats don't use the bathroom…” (Holly, 03:51)

On Keeping Wild Animals as Pets

• Both hosts strongly emphasize that wild animals are not good pets for health, temperament, and ethical reasons.
  • “Wild animals should not be kept as pets.” (Tracy, 05:14)
  • “It's very different from their temperament and their needs for, you know, space and whether they roam…” (Tracy, 05:23)
• The hosts note that the Coolidge era did not have the benefit of modern animal behavior science.

Quote:
“Nobody was really considering the emotional needs of animals and what they might want at that point.” (Holly, 06:22)

On Surprise Pet Gifts

• They caution listeners not to give pets as surprise gifts unless all parties are deeply on board.
  • “But as a true surprise, it's a bad idea. Always.” (Holly, 07:23)

Personal Animal Stories

• Holly shares personal anecdotes about strange pets from her childhood—a period that included a secret deer and “perhaps briefly, a raccoon.”
• She alludes to the deer story without full detail for family privacy, but notes, “We had a variety of weird animals… fish and deer and perhaps briefly, a raccoon.” (Holly, 09:34)
• She also hints at a “swearing bird” story from an animal trainer she knows, illustrating how animals under stress can behave unpredictably.
  • Memorable moment: When a parrot, debuting on stage, unexpectedly shouted expletives at a child:
    • “…when he came out for his debut and he was on stage with a little girl from the audience, he shouted expletives in that kid's face, which…was the end of his performing career.” (Holly, 11:20)

The Andrew Jackson Parrot Incident

• They discuss the infamous parrot, Paul, who reportedly had to be removed from Jackson’s funeral for squawking obscenities. Holly defends the bird, noting animal stress and attachment to owners:
  • “Animals will do weird things when they are put in stressful situations or they don't understand something.” (Holly, 12:44)

Pet Care After Owners' Deaths

• The hosts remind animal owners—especially parrot owners (who often outlive humans)—to make provisions for their animals after their passing.
  • “We have one [plan] with our pet sitter. Each of us would take the other's animals if something happened.” (Holly, 15:23)
  • “Ours are in our will.” (Tracy, 15:25)

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Defending Cranberries and Food Preferences

[18:52 – 38:07]

Food Debates and Food Shaming

• Holly and Tracy share strong opinions against food shaming, especially about holiday sides.
  • “Let people eat what they want to eat.” (Holly, 19:08)
  • Holly describes frustration at food arguments in the office and asserts, “I hate them. Let people eat what they want to eat.” (19:05)
• Tracy supports discussing regional or cultural foodways, but not shaming individual taste:
  • “We don’t need to go on a gigantic diatribe and bring out pitchforks about the potato salad ingredients.” (Tracy, 20:49)

Canned vs. Homemade Cranberry Sauce

• Both hosts recount their own family cranberry sauce traditions.
  • Holly notes, “Cranberry. Jellied cranberry sauce is very appealing to kids, because it is high sugar… it's jelly.” (21:42)
  • Tracy admits she didn't try it till adulthood, due to its look, but now enjoys homemade versions.
    • “…As a kid, I never tried it because I did not like the look of it.” (Tracy, 21:59)
• Holly encourages home cooks to make their own sauce, touting its simplicity and versatility:
  • “It's literally throw some cranberries in a saucepan with sugar…you can add stuff. Add a little vanilla…orange…nut…rum…” (Holly, 22:12)

Cranberry Experiments & Leftovers

• Holly invents and recommends creative uses for leftover cranberries, from cranberry liqueur (25:00) to using leftover cranberry sauce in cocktails or over Dole Whip, and custom sodas.
  • “What I am doing is making cranberry liqueur…super easy. Look up a recipe online.” (Holly, 24:58)
  • “The best move…put your leftover cranberry sauce on top of pineapple Dole Whip. It is one of the best things I have ever eaten in my life.” (Holly, 33:23)
• Tracy describes her husband’s (Patrick) attempts at making cranberry jam and shrubs—fruit and vinegar syrups for drinks. (25:55)
  • “He tried to make a cranberry shrub one time… it didn’t work out, and I think a different series of steps probably would have made something delicious.” (Tracy, 25:58)

The Science of Cranberries and Health

• The hosts clarify the myth that cranberry juice “treats” urinary tract infections; it’s more useful as a preventative.
  • “That's actually not a great treatment, but it is a great preventative.” (Holly, 30:24)
• Tracy shares practical uses for cranberry supplements when at higher risk for UTIs due to travel, but reaffirms “If I get a UTI, I call the doctor.” (Tracy, 32:45)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On wild pets: “Wild animals do not make good pets for a lot of reasons. And also, just don't give people wild animals or any animals as surprise gifts.” (Tracy, 06:30)
• On family pet secrets: “There was a deer that lived in your house. There are some secret animals that people still alive today would not be happy to discover had lived in their home.” (Holly, 09:09)
• On animal behavior: “Animals will do weird things when they are put in stressful situations or they don't understand something.” (Holly, 12:44)
• On food debates: “I hate them. Let people eat what they want to eat.” (Holly, 19:08)
• On cranberry sauce innovation: “The best move you can make post holiday is to put your leftover cranberry sauce on top of pineapple Dole Whip.” (Holly, 33:23)
• On kindness and food choices: “Please be kind as we head into this weekend and we are in the midst of the holidays… Just don't dog people for their choices.” (Holly, 37:19)

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Timestamps of Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |--------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:35–08:05 | White House pets, wild animal myths, and surprise pet gifting | | 08:05–14:15 | Holly’s family animal stories and animal behavior under stress | | 14:15–16:08 | Parrots’ longevity, making plans for pets after your passing | | 18:52–22:50 | Food debates, shaming, and personal cranberry traditions | | 22:50–26:47 | Creative cranberry uses: jams, liqueurs, shrubs | | 30:19–32:47 | Scientific perspective: Cranberry and urinary tract infection prevention | | 33:23–36:35 | Holly’s plea for Dole Whip with cranberry sauce and cocktail suggestions | | 36:35–37:19 | Advocating kindness and understanding around food, especially during holidays |

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Tone and Final Thoughts

The episode is conversational, warm, and often humorous; Holly and Tracy blend historical curiosity with practical, inclusive advice. They encourage listeners to be open-minded about food, sensitive to animals’ needs, and kind to one another—especially during the busy holiday season.

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Transcript

[Holly Frey]

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[Tracy V. Wilson]

And I'm Tracy V. Wilson.

[Holly Frey]

Ollie Fry. And I can't figure out how to do the thing I do all the time, which is how do we start episodes?

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Listen, we just forget how sometimes.

[Holly Frey]

Sometimes we talked about unusual White house.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Pets this week we did do that.

[Holly Frey]

I love talking about animals. Obviously I am tickled by the misinformation that pops up around these. I love that we could myth bust that whole John Quincy Adams having an alligator thing. Yeah, I liked talking about Tad Lincoln, who doesn't get a lot of play right, but sure sounds like quite a kid. Unfortunately, Tad did not live very long either. He died when he was 18. Yeah. The Lincolns really had, like, Mary Todd Lincoln had so much heartache in her life.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah.

[Holly Frey]

I know she can be a little divisive in some ways, but I also just. My heart goes out to her through time. Yeah. But I do love the idea that they could not. Could not possibly resist letting Tad have his pet turkey.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

I have so many questions about that turkey. Like, the turkey was living inside. Right. So presumably the turkey's pooping in the house.

[Holly Frey]

Yeah.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Probably just seems inconvenient.

[Holly Frey]

I mean, annoying. That's how pets work.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah.

[Holly Frey]

Unless your cats don't use. Use the bathroom. Well, I think.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

But they go.

[Holly Frey]

They have a designated place.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

I know. I feel like a turkey might just be doing it wherever, maybe. You and I also had a conversation that we asked Casey to cut because it was not really relevant, but here in the Boston area, there are wild turkeys that can be really aggressive. And so I was like, what is the personality of this turkey? Exactly. And you had said that there's no suggestion that the turkey was ever aggressive. So, like, that's good.

[Holly Frey]

Yeah.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

But I'm still like, did we have random turkey poop all over the White House?

[Holly Frey]

I mean, listen, the Coolidge White House was probably much more of a mess.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Sure. Were they putting the turkey in a diaper?

[Holly Frey]

Probably not.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

It's a thing that can be done.

[Holly Frey]

Yeah. That's true. You know, I don't know. Nobody ever discussed the bathroom habits of the turkey. No. Nor did they discuss the bathroom habits of Rebecca Raccoon.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah.

[Holly Frey]

But I do. I do know that raccoons can be litter box trained.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah. Raccoon poop can also carry some things that are hazardous to people.

[Holly Frey]

Yeah.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

I have a lot of all of these animals. I mean, we said on in the show, like, wild animals should not be kept as pets.

[Holly Frey]

Yeah.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

They are. In addition to the fact that they can be, like, a lot more destructive to a human built environment than a domesticated pet animal would be. A lot of times it's just not good for them to be kept as pets. Like, it's very different from their temperament and their needs for, you know, space and whether they roam, whether they need to have the community of other animals to really be. There's so many things. So many.

[Holly Frey]

Yeah. I will say this. What I kept thinking about in writing this episode and particularly writing about the Coolidge White House. Uh huh. Was that, like, the Coolidges clearly had big hearts and loved animals, but they also were not and did not know any animal Behaviorists. Okay, sure.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

And where was that science in its development at that time is, like, also a question.

[Holly Frey]

Yeah. It didn't exist at that point. Nobody was really considering the emotional needs of animals and what they might want at that point.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

All of these things were happening, like, in the context of the time that they were happening in, in which people's perceptions of animals were very different in a lot of ways than today. But it still feels worth saying when doing an episode like this. Like, number one, pets. Wild animals do not make good pets for a lot of reasons. And also, just don't give people wild animals or any animals as surprise gifts.

[Holly Frey]

No. And I did want to mention that in relation to our listener mail, because our listener mail mentions that she got her dog as a surprise gift from her husband. But I wanted to point out before anybody can say, you should not do that in that case, I don't want her to ever get attacked, because it was clear they had started talking about a dog before then.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah.

[Holly Frey]

Yeah. So that was. There are certain circumstances where, yes, you could give someone as a pet as a gift.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah.

[Holly Frey]

But as a true surprise, it's a bad idea. Always.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Well, and it's like if. Like, you were just saying, like, if you and your partner or you and your family or you and whoever have had discussions about getting a pet and the care of the pet and who's responsible for what, and, like, you've made a decision together about a pet happening, and then there is a surprise puppy under the Christmas tree. That's not what we're talking about.

[Holly Frey]

Yeah.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

We're talking about surprise. The letter carrier has arrived with a raccoon in a crate. Yes. That was intended for food, but that's a part of the nuance. But, like, that. That's just a live animal that you have sent to a person without talking to them about it.

[Holly Frey]

Yeah. I also feel like some of it is dependent on the personalities of the people involved. My beloved could surprise me with any animal any day of the week, and I'm gonna be excited.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah.

[Holly Frey]

The reverse could not be said. And part of that is. Right, listen. I know a little bit about raccoons kept in houses, because I grew up with a mom that didn't have boundaries, which is not great. But we had a lot of inappropriate pets for a very particular stretch of my family's household time, where my dad was stationed overseas. My mom was a little bit on the struggle bus in terms of her mental health. And I was definitely perfectly happy as a child to be like, right on. We got Weird things that live in our house. Cause I was a child, like, when I look back, I'm like, oh, dear Lord.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

I think you mentioned the deer recently. There was a deer that lived in your house. There was somebody who was like, I need more detail about what happened with this deer.

[Holly Frey]

Yeah, I'm a little reluctant to talk about it only because there are portions of our family that don't know about this.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Oh, dear.

[Holly Frey]

And I don't want to get anybody upset.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

You don't want to get anybody in trouble.

[Holly Frey]

A deer that lived in the house. That is what I will say. If you ever meet me in person, I will happily tell you the whole story.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Not for broadcast.

[Holly Frey]

Not for broadcast. And it doesn't have a great ending. I will tell you that. That's the other thing. It's a downer. But yeah, yeah. We had a variety of weird animals. You know, dogs and cats, but also fish and deer and perhaps briefly, a raccoon. There are some secret animals that people still alive today would not be happy to discover had lived in their home. Listen, everybody's childhood is different. This is probably why I'm so, like, I love change. I'm good with whatever I don't need because I. I was very used to, like, weird things happening in my life. In any case, I said I would tell the story of a swearing bird. And I also have to be very careful about this one because it is not my story. It is a story of an animal trainer that I have met in my life who used to train birds specifically to appear in a bird show.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Right.

[Holly Frey]

A very popular bird show. And they would take birds that needed to be rehomed sometimes. Like, and in this case, they had taken in a parrot who had been owned by two people. They had had him a very long time. They were elderly. They could no longer care for him. There had been a lot of discussion back and forth of like, oh, he's a great bird. He loves people. He's very comfortable around humans. He sings like, he knows songs and stuff. And he did, and he was very great. And they spent a lot of time training him and prepping him. But what happens is a lot of times there are weird latent behaviors that an animal will have that when you put them in a stage scenario which has a little bit of a heightened stress, those latent behaviors will pop out unexpectedly. And they had, in this case, had never come out at all while they were doing training. This bird had been calm, cool, and collected. Did all of the tricks that they had been told he would do. And then when he came out for his debut and he was on stage with a little girl from the audience, he shouted expletives in that kid's face, which they had never heard him say before. And that was the end of his performing career. But he was still kept by this animal sanctuary that ran this program. But it happens all the time. So there's also part of me reading the Andrew Jackson bird thing that this is a bird who lived with someone who loved it for the last eight years of that person's life. And then that person is gone, and Suddenly there are 3,000 people at your house. So it could have just been a latent behavior that he didn't normally do in front of people.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Or she.

[Holly Frey]

She was a female parrot. And that it popped out in a moment of obvious stress.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Right.

[Holly Frey]

You know, it's like a human. When you hit your hand with a hammer. Even people that do not have potty mouths like me will say a swear word at that moment. Animals will do weird things when they are put in stressful situations or they don't understand something. So.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah.

[Holly Frey]

I'm gonna give Paul grace. She may have been a really cool bird.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Right.

[Holly Frey]

And then yelled so much at the funeral that she had to be escorted out. Animals, they're the best.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Her person was gone and there was a giant crowd. Of course she was stressed. Yeah.

[Holly Frey]

That's a lot. That's a lot, a lot. I mean, anybody that has pets. Normal. I'm using the word boring. Not to say that your pet is boring, but, like, expected boring. Typical pets like cats and dogs. When you have guests over to your house, they might act weird.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Right.

[Holly Frey]

We've all seen it. Right. Like, you know, your cat that is super loving to you may run away when a stranger comes in the house or they may do something. We used to have a cat that would do something very inappropriate when people came over to the house. It happens in stressful situations for animals. So justice for Paul. I don't know.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah.

[Holly Frey]

African gray parrots also are incredibly smart.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah.

[Holly Frey]

Do form very strong attachments to people.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah. And live a long time.

[Holly Frey]

Have very long memories to go with their long lives. Like they will. There's no telling what that bird had experienced even before it lived in the Jackson household. So.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah.

[Holly Frey]

They're very beautiful. Can. Can be mean like any other animal can. Some of them have personalities that are not cozy. Anyway.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah. Everyone needs to make provisions for what happens to their pets after they die. Yes. But those parrots extra so because. Yeah. It's likely that they will Outli. Outlive a lot of people.

[Holly Frey]

Yeah. I mean, that's a thing that normally if you are getting birds from a reputable place, they will be very clear about, like, the life expectancy of this bird is longer than yours, probably depending on, you know, where you are in your life when you get it. And like, theoretically, you will be coached through that at the time you acquire that bird. But it is, I think, no matter where you are in your life, if you have animals, I hope you have a plan in place for if something happens to you, even if it's like a handshake agreement. We have one with our pet sitter. Each of us would take the other's animals if something happened. And that's in part because we do know each other's animals so well. We know their healthcare routines and also just because we would like to know they're with somebody that we know that would love them.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

So ours are in our will.

[Holly Frey]

Yeah. Yeah. We don't have anything written down. We probably should, but everybody in our social circle knows that's the plan. So, you know, gotta make it. You gotta make allowances for your babies. I think about it all the time because three of ours that we've gotten this year, and I've told this story a couple times, came from one home that could no longer care for them. And part of the reason we took all three was because I was like, if those were my pets, I would want them kept together and to know that they had that continuity in their lives to reduce the stress. And also they're all just great cats. So, like, we kind of won the jackpot there. But, you know, you gotta think about these things when you adopt animals. That's a long term commitment. That may.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah.

[Holly Frey]

Be longer term than your life, unfortunately. So you gotta, gotta be ready for the babies.

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[Holly Frey]

We talked about cranberries this week.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

We did.

[Holly Frey]

I have many cranberry thoughts. Yeah, one. We're just gonna take it head on. The arguments over food. I hate them. I hate them.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah, I find it really frustrating.

[Holly Frey]

There was. I. I think you were not working in our office when somebody was working on a podcast that was gonna be about food debates. And everybody started emailing around like, this food is better, this food should not exist, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I literally got so frustrated by the email chain that was coming to me over and over that I stood up from my desk and yelled, can we stop arguing about food? Except there were expletives involved. Like, I just, I hate it so much. Let people eat what they want to eat.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

So I think, like, something that I think is fine is when there are regional or cultural ways of making food to say, like, for example, in Lexington style barbecue in North Carolina, there is a slaw that is served with it called red slaw. Red slaw is not for everybody.

[Holly Frey]

Right.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

But I love it. And I love having Lexington style barbecue with that red slaw. That's all great to me. And telling people the nuances of different kind, like different cultural, regionally specific, ethnically specific, whatever types of food, all great. But when we get into the realm of people being outraged that someone else who has nothing to do with them put some ingredient into their potato salad, I'm like, can we not. If you don't want that in your potato salad, don't put it in there. And if you don't like that person's potato salad, don't eat it. But we don't need to go on a gigantic diatribe and bring out pitchforks about the potato salad ingredients.

[Holly Frey]

Yeah. I mean, this is my thing. Like, I'm not saying everybody should be cool with every food because obviously you have tastes and preferences. I don't like everything on the planet, but I don't think people realize.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

How.

[Holly Frey]

Denigrating it is to bark at other people about the way they eat, like, and their preferences, because you wouldn't want somebody to come at you about the way you eat. Listen, I know people don't like canned jellied cranberry sauce, but I'm here to say it has its place.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah.

[Holly Frey]

One is what I grew up on, which cracks me up. And I don't understand this particular thing because my mom was a make everything from scratch mom. But for some reason, that never applied to cranberry sauce.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah.

[Holly Frey]

And I don't know what that was about. Cranberry. Jellied cranberry sauce is very appealing to kids.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Okay.

[Holly Frey]

Because it is high sugar. Usually it's jelly. You know what I mean? Like, yeah.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

I'm laughing because when I was a kid at my grandmother's Thanksgiving, like, that, that was on the table. And as a kid, I never tried it because I did not like the look of it.

[Holly Frey]

Yeah.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

I was like, that looks wrong to me. No. So I was an adult before I ever had any kind of, like, cranberry salad at Thanksgiving. And then it was like a homemade salad made from scratch.

[Holly Frey]

Yeah.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

I don't.

[Holly Frey]

Both are good. I mean, I like the homemade kind. Cause again, it is so easy. And you can doctor it up and do your own thing with it. And like, if you have never made cranberry sauce and you like to try Things in the kitchen. I highly recommend. Cause it couldn't be easier. It's literally throw some cranberries in a. In a saucepan with sugar. Let that stuff simmer. You might add a tiny amount of water just so that the. Before the cranberries start popping, the sugar doesn't scorch, but then you just let it go. But then you can add stuff. Add a little vanilla. Some people add orange. You can add nut. You can do anything you want with that. You can add a little bit of rum to it and make it a whole other flavor, and it's delicious.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

One of our farmers at our farmer's market this year had cranberries for a couple of weeks. And Patrick bought some. And I was like, what are you gonna do with those cranberries? And he was like, I don't know. And what he did do was he made a jam out of them, and.

[Holly Frey]

It was so good. Oh, I will tell you what I'm about to do with cranberries here in a minute because I. I feel so almost like, foolish about the way our Thanksgiving went down this year in a good way, that I feel like I need to confess to everybody what a ding dong I am at all points in time. We often. First of all, Brian and I pared down Thanksgiving. We have Thanksgiving with just the two of us. We are on the go so much that there are very few days that are holidays where it's like, you know, what. What if you and I just hang out together and we eat a feast and we build Lego and we watch Star wars things on TV and I, you know, make a cocktail and it's wonderful. And so Thanksgiving has become one of those. And sometimes I cook, but a lot of times I will just order a feast from a restaurant if one of the restaurants near us that we like has one. I messed up that order this year in a comedic way, because the restaurant that I've ordered from many times in the past changed their copy on their website about what was included. And it seemed like a pared down version of the feast. Like, it seemed like your turkey, your stuffing, you had options on some of the sides. But, like, it didn't mention cranberry sauce and it didn't mention desserts.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Okay.

[Holly Frey]

And first of all, I ordered an unconscionable amount of food for like, eight people, thinking, like, we're gonna eat off of this for four days and it's gonna be magic, because we know I love my leftovers. But then I went to pick it up, and there was so much More things. They handed us a big thing of cranberry sauce, which is their homemade version. And then like this entire tray of pecan and pumpkin custard tartlets. And I was like, oh, goodness. And I said, oh. Because I had already purchased fresh cranberries to make my own sauce and ingredients to make pies. And I was like, well, now I have a lot of cranberries on hand. So what I am doing is making cranberry liqueur.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah.

[Holly Frey]

Which is super easy. Look up a recipe online. But basically to make a liqueur you just take a neutral spirit like a vodka. You can also use gin. You can use really any spirit you want. Crush em up, let em soak in that spirit for anywhere between three days to three weeks. There are cool things you can purchase online if people do. If people, people make home brew, they probably have them that can. You can test the ABV of a thing. It's super easy. And like that's a good way to know when the alcohol by volume has dropped a little bit because the fruit juices have gotten involved and like the proportions are different. And then you can sweeten it if you want, or you can make it super dry and leave all the sugar out. But then you have this great liqueur once you strain off the berries that you can put into margaritas, a Collins, like whatever you want and it's just delicious.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Patrick also likes to make shrubs.

[Holly Frey]

Yeah.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

If listeners don't know, shrubs are a thing that you can put into a cocktail or another drink, or you can just sip it or have it in sparkling water made with some kind of fruit and sugar and vinegar. And he's made a ton of different shrubs and he tried to make a cranberry shrub one time and he had never really worked with cranberries for that purpose before and it like it didn't work out. And I think a different series of steps probably would have made something delicious.

[Holly Frey]

Yeah, yeah. Those are always, you know, listen, experimenting is my favorite, but I always know that when I'm making an experiment, I have to be ready for it to not go the way I want. But that's always a learning experience. This is why it's good to notate. I'm bad about taking notes as I go, but that makes a big difference.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. The holiday season can be exhausting with all the parties and the end of year celebrations, but don't forget to take care of yourself by stocking up on your favorite nutritional products. Now through December 30th. Shop in store and online and save on items like Cliff Snack Bars, Luna Bars, Boost Nutritional Energy Drinks, Premier Protein Shakes, Z Bar Variety Packs, Open Nature Powder and Body Fortress Protein powder offers end December 30th. Restrictions apply. Offers may vary. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.

[Mandy Woodruff Santos]

This is Mandy Woodruff Santos from Brown Ambition. Hey Ba fam. When you start a new business, your first reaction might be to say something like, yes, Queen, let's go. But one thing to say that could be a huge help is like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. And just like that, State Farm will be there with the coverage that fits you your needs whether your business is growing or just opened its doors. State Farm agents are small business owners too, so they know what it takes. They can help you create an insurance plan that fits your small business needs and budget. And when you need help, State Farm is there to answer your small business questions or help you file a claim and get you back in business. With State Farm, you can worry less about the unexpected and focus more on your business. With a State Farm agent, you know someone is helping you achieve your goals. Just say, like a good neighbor, State farm is there.

[Trainer Games Announcer]

10 athletes will face the toughest job interview in fitness that will push past physical and mental breaking points. You are the fittest of the fit. Only one of you will leave here with an IFIT contract for $250,000.

[Holly Frey]

This is where mindset comes in.

[Trainer Games Announcer]

Someone will be eliminated.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Pressure is coming down.

[Trainer Games Announcer]

This is Trainer Games.

[Holly Frey]

Watch it on prime video starting January 8th.

[Sophie Cunningham]

This is Sophie Cunningham from Show Me Something. Do you know the symptoms of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA in adults with obesity? They may be happening to you without you knowing. If anyone has ever said you snored loudly or if you spend your days fighting off excessive tiredness, irritability and concentration issues, it may be due to osa. OSA is a serious condition where your airway partially or completely collapses during sleep, which may cause breathing interruptions and oxygen deprivation. Learn more at don'tsleep on OSA.com this information is provided by Lilly, a medicine company.

[Holly Frey]

The title page thing was a hoot for me in that one book about reading Cranberries because as I have mentioned before, I used to work as a cataloging assistant in a library for like a decade plus. And you know our joke was always you can't judge a book by its cover, but you can judge it by its title page. But the thing was like, normally I Have seen a lot of books that have what you might call two title pages, but one is usually like an illustrated kind of splashy graphic one that doesn't have much information. And then the other one is the true title page with, like, the publisher, the date of publication, et cetera. Yeah, that book has the splashy graphic page, but it still has all of that other information on it, which is why it's been so confusing for catalogers, I think, over the years. It's just a weird thing. I said we would talk briefly about Cranberry's use for UTIs.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah.

[Holly Frey]

At least I don't know if I said it during recording. I know I said it to you before.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

I think you said it just to me.

[Holly Frey]

Because the thing is, right, like, that's a very common thing. We have all been told since youth that if you have a urinary tract infection, drink cranberry juice. That's actually not a great treatment, but it is a great preventative. Apparently, like, there was a lot of research done, I feel like in the late 90s and early 2 20s, 2000s, I don't know what to call them that suggested that, like, because of what. Because of the acidity of it. Like, the bacteria that causes those problems cannot lodge onto the wall of your urinary tract and cause that. But you can't, like, wash it off.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

With cranberry after the fact.

[Holly Frey]

It will help support your recovery in terms of not allowing it to get worse potentially. But just know.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

And also helping you to stay hydrated and drink a lot of fluids, which also helps.

[Holly Frey]

But just like, I feel like it gets a little confused where people think, like, that's the treatment and you should be doing another treatment perhaps. And that can be a supportive aspect if you already have it.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

But yeah, there are also supplements made from cranberries.

[Holly Frey]

Yeah.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

And I don't know how much research is there is into, like, whether that active ingredient is helpful in the same regard. But I personally have taken it taking those supplements when I have felt like I am going to be at more risk of a urinary tract infection. Like, if I'm going to be traveling a long time and am not necessarily going to be able to stay hydrated or have access to bathrooms or whatever.

[Holly Frey]

Like, those are when you're on a bus in Morocco and you're scared to drink water because you don't know when you will hit a bathroom.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

What's funny is I didn't do this in Morocco at all.

[Holly Frey]

I did. I like, was spongebob above water. I didn't drink a thing on those bus trips.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Oh, yeah, I didn't. I didn't drink on the bus trips, but I also was not taking cranberry supplements on the bus. But like, when you and I have gone on tour in the past and like, our, our schedules have been really irregular and a lot of time in airports and on airplanes and in transit, like, sometimes I have done that with the hope of helping prevent a uti. If I get a uti, I call the doctor.

[Holly Frey]

Yeah.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah.

[Holly Frey]

I also wanted to finish this by issuing a personal plea to Disney. Okay, Disney, hear my plea. Listen, this is a thing that I do at home, but it's not feasible for everybody to do because I have, because I'm a ridiculous person, an industrial soft serve machine. You do have that. So I can make my own Dole Whip here at home, but not everybody can. But let me tell you, the best move you can make post holiday is to put your leftover cranberry sauce on top of pineapple. Dole Whip.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yum.

[Holly Frey]

It is one of the best things I have ever eaten in my life. It was one of the smartest uses of leftover cranberry sauce I have ever come up with. And I really wish Disney would just offer this as a holiday snack item.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Because that would be so fun. It's so good.

[Holly Frey]

It's so good. Like the tartness of cranberry with that slight tartness that pineapple can sometimes have somehow does not compound into hyper tartness. It becomes really delicious together.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Lovely.

[Holly Frey]

And because it's like, you know, sweet and a little bit creamy and cold. It's like a whole other. It's so good. It's so good. Disney, please do this. Because I don't always want to make a big batch of Dole Whip at home either, because sometimes to do those machines, you got to make a certain amount.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah.

[Holly Frey]

And it's a pain in the. Took us to clean that thing. And I don't always want to be like, brian, do we have room in the freezer for a gallon and a half of soft serve? That I'm not going to eat a.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Dish of Dole Whip.

[Holly Frey]

One cup of Dole Whip today. Sometimes it's happened, but I really, really listen, Disney, as the. The purveyor of Dole Whip to many people, please put cranberry sauce on it. That's all. That's all I'm asking. It's all I'm asking. I don't need credit. I just need to be able to get it. That's my holiday plea. For the year, I hope, if this is your weekend coming up, maybe you have some Dole Whip. If you're somewhere, you could get it. You could go to Hawaii, put some cranberry sauce on that, or you can go to Disney World. I feel like there's some other place in the US that has started selling Dole Whip. And I don't remember where it is, but other than, you know, my house.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

There'S a ice cream shop near my house that over the summer had what they were at least saying was Dole Whip. It tasted like Dole Whip to me.

[Holly Frey]

Yeah, I mean, you can buy the mix for Dole Whip. You just have to have a machine to make it do. Like, if you have your own, like, home soft serve machine. Because they do make smaller ones for home use, like consumer ones. Mine is ridiculous and huge because I'm a ding dong. I don't know why. As I've gotten older, my hobby has become service industry, but there you go. But they do make smaller ones and you can buy, like, the powdered mix that they use to make Dole Whip and it works great. So if you have a smaller one and you can do that, great. If you don't have a machine and don't want to get into that whole business, Disney should be meeting this need for us. The other great thing to do with leftover cranberry sauce, if you have it and it works for either the jellied kind or the homemade kind, although they're gonna do different things. If you use that instead of simple syrup in an old fashioned, it's very delicious. That sounds really good. The face you just made made me so happy. Like, you can literally, if it's the jellied cranberry sauce and you don't particularly love it to eat, you might be surprised at how well it will blend. Like, you literally just get a scoop of a little bar spoon, scoop of it, put it in your glass, muddle it with some Angostura bitters, and then put your bourbon of choice on top, give it a smoothie.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Sounds really good.

[Holly Frey]

So delicious. Same thing. You can do it with the homemade stuff, but it will have the little bits in it. Yeah, but you can also use that stuff to make, like, custom sodas. You can just embrace the cranberry sauce in whatever form it comes to you. If you don't like one or the other and you somehow get it or have like, you know, you're visiting someone and that's what they have, there are ways you can use it that I bet might delight you. Yeah, I'm all about, you know, kitchen and bar creativity. So let's all embrace all the things and don't dog anybody for what they want. The other thing I wanted to say about homemade versus Canned cranberry sauce not everybody has the means to cook for whatever reason, whether they are physically unable to, whether they just don't have access to a kitchen. That's, you know, a Thanksgiving meal is a lot to cook, even if you're just reheating it. Like, just don't dog people for their choices. That's my Please be kind as we head into this weekend and we are in the midst of the holidays. I know it's easy for everybody to get tired and frustrated because everywhere is busy, there's nowhere to park, and you're tired and cold. But I hope we can all still muster the kindness to treat each other with respect and dignity and care and that everybody is cool to you in return. Because we should all be. We will be right back here tomorrow with a classic episode and then on Monday we will have something brand new.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Stuff youf Missed in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

[Holly Frey]

Everybody knows Shaq, but off camera, he's just a regular guy. People never believe me when I say I'm just like them. I take out the trash, do dishes, and I struggle with moderate obstructive sleep apnea, or osa.

[Ryan Seacrest]

And a lot of adults with obesity.

[Holly Frey]

Also struggle with moderate to severe osa. You know, those scary breathing interruptions during.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Sleep, the loud snoring, choking and daytime fatigue.

[Holly Frey]

I knew I had to talk to my doctor.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Don't sleep on the symptoms.

[Holly Frey]

Learn more at don'tsleeponosa.com Information is provided.

[Ryan Seacrest]

By Lilly, a medicine company.

[Holly Frey]

It's the season to come together over your holiday favorites at Starbucks.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Warm up with a creamy caramel brulee latte, get festive with an iced gingerbread chai, or share a velvety peppermint mocha.

[Holly Frey]

Together is the best place to be at Starbucks.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. Flu season is here and the in store pharmacy has you covered with a free flu shot with most insurance plans. And as a thank you, get up to $20 off your grocery purchase. Plus it's cough and cold season. Stock up on all the season's essentials and get ready for relief with discounts on items like Hall's Menthol Cough drops, Tylenol Cold and Flu and Mucinex Fast Max products. Offer ends December 30th. Restrictions apply, and offers may vary by location. Visit Albertsons or Safeway.com for more details.

[Trainer Games Announcer]

Ten athletes will face the toughest job interview in fitness that will push past physical and mental breaking points. You are the fittest of the fit. Only one of you will leave here with an IFIT contract for $250,000.

[Holly Frey]

This is where mindset comes in.

[Trainer Games Announcer]

Someone will be eliminated.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Pressure is coming down.

[Trainer Games Announcer]

This is Trainer Games.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Watch it on prime video.

[Holly Frey]

Starting January 8th, this is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.