It’s the day before Thanksgiving, so what am I doing? The same thing you probably are – COOKING (whilst listening to Christmas music).
I LOVE THANKSGIVING!!!
It’s one of my favorite holidays. We always have a crowd of friends, family and lots of food. And my motto is “the more the merrier” on all three counts.
One of our longtime Thanksgiving guests is a sweet lady who ALWAYS brings the cranberry sauce. After all these years, she doesn’t even have to ask what to bring because the answer is always the same – cranberry sauce!! She makes it herself from a recipe we got long ago from another friend. It’s just not Thanksgiving without her cranberry sauce. (Have I stressed this enough?)
Well, this year, our friend is NOT bringing the cranberry sauce because she is at home sick with a terrible cold. I guess we’ll have to excuse her. After all, an 86-year-old is allowed to stay home sick once in a awhile…even though we will miss her company AND the cranberry sauce. (My girlie said she is “so fun” and the kids will miss playing card games with her.)
Anyhoo, on a whim, I decided to try my hand at a version of “the sauce” while using no refined sugar. It’s extremely easy to make. Let me know if you try it –
- 4 cups fresh whole cranberries, rinsed
- 1½ cups apple cider, no sugar added
- ¾ cups coconut sugar
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- juice of 1 large orange
- zest of 1 large orange
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- Place everything into a medium saucepan.
- Bring to a boil.
- Turn heat down and keep simmering until it thickens, 30-40 minutes. It will thicken more as it cools.
- Allow to cool completely and refrigerate.
Hey Jen,
Thanks for posting this! I was just thinking I would like to try and make some cranberry sauce instead of buying the canned stuff so this looks like something to try. BTW, I’m not cooking and definitely not playing Christmas music (Christmas doesn’t start until Friday!). I am relaxing and enjoying a week off from schooling 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving!!
Junebug,
You so funny! Enjoy your relaxation. I’ll try to do that as soon as I can. I made it this time with no coconut sugar and just added more honey and syrup. It took about an hour to thicken on a simmer. Then it thickens more as it cools. It was pretty yummy. I made a recipe and a half.
Have a great Thanksgiving!!!
Jen