Not Your Mother's Cranberry Sauce

Happy Thanksgiving! I certainly hope everyone is busy working off a huge tryptophan load attempting to watch football while surrounded by screaming children, attendant children and the ever-present creepy uncle. If you are just in the beginning stage of planning or on a hunt for a new recipe, look no further.

The best part of this recipe is that is delicious.

The worst part of this recipe is that it does not come in a can shape...

....assuming that this can be considered a downside...

Anyway, I have been asked for this recipe at least twice every year since I started making it, which is saying something given the fact that I am usually feeding the same people. So it basically means that every new person that I feed asks for the recipe. And that's pretty strong endorsement...

Plus it's easy to whip up.

Okay, so maybe my definition of easy and yours are different. However, it can be made in 1 pot, uses standard spices, and doesn't take much attention. Plus it can be served warm or at room temperature.

It is NOT as easy as getting "cranberry sauce" out of a can. So if that is your passion, go with it. But if you want something new and delicious which can be used in a variety of ways (think classic side dish, tasty snack, or topping for cream cheese for an appetizer), try it out.

Throw on an apron.

Get out a medium pot. Throw in water, sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the bag of cranberries.

Peel, core, and dice an apple and pear. Add to mixture.

Peel an orange and throw into a food processor. Blend. Throw it in.

Add chopped pecans.

Then add the dried fruit. Of note, dried cherries and mangoes work great. Or you can buy a bag of mixed fruit and just throw that in. But make sure to chop it up all bite sized.

Heat the mixture to boiling then reduce heat and simmer for at 30-45 minutes until the cranberries have exploded and you have an applesauce-like consistency.

Serve over turkey piping hot or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Cranberry Sauce

Adapted from Leeza from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 12 ounce fresh cranberries
• 1 apple, peeled, cored and diced
• 1 pear, peeled, cored and diced
• 1 orange, peeled and pureed
• 1/2 cup dried cherries
• 1/2 cup dried mangoes, chopped
• 1 cup pecans, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Heat until water is boiling then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Remove from heat and serve warm or at room temperature.