Easy to make Cranberry Sauce Recipe

We’ve been blessed with a father that loves to cook, and was a sous-chef for over 30+ years at Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, IL. Every year my dad creates the most amazing Thanksgiving dinner for us and leaves little for us to bring to the table.  There is usually 14-16 of us around the table enjoying his fabulous meal.  

My dad always tells the story of their first Thanksgiving when my brother bragged to his friends that he ate a whole turkey.  Instead of making a whole turkey for their then small family of three, my dad made my brother a small cornish hen.  I’m guessing they didn’t want leftovers or it was a time long before the turkey sandwich was thought up!  I can just imagine my brother as a six-year-old bragging to his friends that he ate a whole turkey!

 

So on to the recipe!  If there is one thing that I know I’ll be making for Thanksgiving, it’s cranberry sauce!  I’m not sure how I snagged the gig, but my dad has no problem with it, so I think he approves 🙂 

Yield: 8 -10 servings

Cranberry Sauce Recipe

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This delicious cranberry sauce recipe is not only tasty, but it's also a breeze to make. This holiday classic can be made a few days in advance and be enjoyed with many main dishes. Freezes well too!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 12 oz fresh cranberries
• 1 orange
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• orange juice
• water
• zest of 1/2 an orange

Instructions

1. Wash a 12 oz bag of fresh cranberries and place them in a saucepan.

2. Add 1 cup of sugar, zest of 1/2 an orange, juice from zested orange + enough water to equal 1 cup, 1 cinnamon stick.

3. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the cranberries pop (about 10-12 minutes). Serve at room temperature

There are many great things to love about the holidays, but I know it isn’t always a cheerful time for everyone.  Sometimes I feel the pressure of the upcoming Christmas gifts that I need to buy, the significance of the year ending and my lofty goals that were not achieved, and as an added bonus, I have a birthday at the end of the month!  This tends to be the time that I sit back and analyze what I did or didn’t do that I had wanted to accomplish.  

While preparing for this post I was looking back at the many pictures that I have accumulated over the years.  It is then that I realized that even during those times that I didn’t feel that special holiday spirit, I created a memory with my loved ones.  As difficult as some situations may be, it’s therapeutic to push through and participate in all of life’s adventures.  In the end, it’s about the life-giving moments that you share with others.  

I hope you have a beautiful Thanksgiving!  

We can always find something to be thankful for, no matter what may be the burdens of our wants, or the special subject of our petitions.-Albert Barnes