Even though I did not participate in our usual family Thanksgiving meal (achoo!) I still prepared my usual pot luck items and sent them with Son2. I am afraid there would be a lynching if I had not sent the collards I had promised to bring. I also sent cranberry relish, smoked pork butt, au gratin potatoes, and smoked sausage dip. Along with the turkey, ham and about 20 other dishes from various relatives the table was groaning__as usual.
My family does not care for the traditional cranberry sauce or jelled cranberry stuff from a can. Instead every year I make this very simple and easy cranberry relish which we eat with the turkey and fixings, then eat with the leftovers, and next serve it with crackers and cream cheese until there is only a heaping spoonful left which is then mixed with mayo and mustard and used as a sandwich spread with the remaining turkey scraps in sandwiches.
It is a snap to make and insanely delicious, though it is quite different from traditional cranberry sauce.
1 bag of washed cranberries
zest of 1 large orange*
juice from 1/2 orange
1/3 cup chopped pecans
sugar to taste (I use about a tablespoon and a half unless the cranberries are exceptionally tart.)
If you want a break from the traditional, give this a try!
Chop the cranberries in a food processor (or hand chop but I have no patience for that). Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Seal in an airtight container and refrigerate overnight.
* I find using a microplane grater works best for zesting. It keeps the pith out of the zest and the pith can make everything bitter. Some of you with mad skills might be able to slice it then finely chop it, but that is way above my skill set.
My family does not care for the traditional cranberry sauce or jelled cranberry stuff from a can. Instead every year I make this very simple and easy cranberry relish which we eat with the turkey and fixings, then eat with the leftovers, and next serve it with crackers and cream cheese until there is only a heaping spoonful left which is then mixed with mayo and mustard and used as a sandwich spread with the remaining turkey scraps in sandwiches.
It is a snap to make and insanely delicious, though it is quite different from traditional cranberry sauce.
zest of 1 large orange*
juice from 1/2 orange
1/3 cup chopped pecans
sugar to taste (I use about a tablespoon and a half unless the cranberries are exceptionally tart.)
If you want a break from the traditional, give this a try!
Chop the cranberries in a food processor (or hand chop but I have no patience for that). Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Seal in an airtight container and refrigerate overnight.
* I find using a microplane grater works best for zesting. It keeps the pith out of the zest and the pith can make everything bitter. Some of you with mad skills might be able to slice it then finely chop it, but that is way above my skill set.
