Cranberry Sauce Obsession

I’m crazy about cranberries. When the berries arrive at my local store, I buy extra so that I can make cranberry sauce just because. Don’t need a turkey, don’t need dressing. Just give me cranberries.

Cranberry sauce from scratch is ridiculously easy to make. It’s really just whole berries, water and sugar. I season it with a little bit of salt and toss a cinnamon stick in the pot for more flavor. You can add citrus zest, like orange, if you like.

Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Yield: 2 1/4 cups
Active cook time: under 30 minutes

Ingredients

3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
Pinch salt
1 cinnamon stick

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan over high heat, add all ingredients to pan.
2. When ingredients start to boil, reduce heat and gently boil for about 10 minutes.
3. You’ll hear pleasant little pops as the berries burst from the heat. Stir occasionally to prevent the mixture from boiling over.
4. Foam will rise up. You can skim it off or stir it in to the mixture.
5. After 10 minutes, remove the sauce from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
6. Cranberry sauce is delicious served warm. Ladle sauce into jars and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Remove the cinnamon stick before serving.

Thanksgiving Feast

Make this sauce ahead of time for the Thanksgiving table. It will keep for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator. You can store it longer in the freezer.

More Thanksgiving recipes:

• Buttermilk Chess Pie
• Poultry Gravy

Breakfast Granola Parfait with Greek Yogurt and Cranberries

This started as a way to use up leftover cranberry sauce the day after Thanksgiving. Now, I purchase extra cranberries in order to make cranberry and yogurt parfaits throughout the holidays.

It’s very simple to do. This is my no-recipe recipe for breakfast yogurt parfaits:

Start with a couple spoonfuls good quality plain Greek yogurt (I like Fage 0% Total Non-Fat Plain Greek Yogurt, and there are many good yogurts out there). If you need a touch of sweetness here, swirl a spoonful of honey on top. Add spoonfuls of cranberry sauce then a generous sprinkle of crunchy granola.

This can also be a tasty post-holiday dessert.

And it would be pretty darn tasty in my favorite gluten-free jam bar recipe.

Join the Conversation

Are you crazy about cranberries, too? Let’s talk about food on Facebook and Instagram.