I love cranberry sauce. It can’t be fall without cranberry sauce. I can eat good cranberry sauce by the spoonful. As a kid, my mom would serve it and I would eat it for a snack plain. I don’t think there is a such thing as eating too much of it. Turkey, when I still ate it, had one purpose- to hold cranberry sauce. Forget turkey with cranberry sauce. Nope. For me, it was cranberry sauce with turkey.
When I was first married and went to my husband’s for Thanksgiving, I was horrified to learn that his family opened a can of jelled stuff and no one ate it. Blasphemy! I didn’t care if all the other dishes were nothing like I was used to, but I really truly had to have cranberry sauce. B warned me that if I made it no one would eat it since no one linked it… thankfully he was wrong. I made cranberry sauce at my in-laws and many of the family not only ate it but LIKED it! It became my responsibility to make cranberry sauce when we gathered for Thanksgiving the next time.
Of all the things to cook for Thanksgiving, I must say, cranberry sauce is the easiest! So, here is my recipe. I love it any time of the holiday season, so I will share it even though Thanksgiving shopping has been done and everyone is already making their preparations and feasting.
1 bag cranberries, washed (pick out any soft berries)
1 c honey
1 c water or orange juice
1 green apple diced finely (I keep the skin on)
1 small can mandarin oranges
In a saucepan, combine the cranberries, honey, water, and apple. Bring to a boil being careful not to boil over. Turn down and simmer for 5-10 minutes until the berries are bursting and saucy and the apples are soft. Let cool completely and chill. Stir in mandarin slices and serve chilled.
