by Sandra Merville Hart

When I was growing up, my dad was the only one who really liked cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving so my mom bought it in a can. My husband said the same thing happened at his boyhood home.

As an adult, I love cranberry breads and desserts. This year I decided to make cranberry sauce to serve at our Thanksgiving meal. I read a variety of recipes and created this one that serves 8-10. 

Ingredients

12-ounce package fresh cranberries

½ cup water

½ cup orange juice

1 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon orange zest

¼ cup pecans

¼ cup orange sections, cut small

Rinse cranberries. Discard the fruit that is mushy or has soft spots.

Combine orange juice and water in a saucepan. Stir in sugar until dissolved over medium heat. Add the cranberries and lower the heat to medium low. The cranberries will be ready when they pop and soften. This takes about ten minutes. Stir occasionally.

While the cranberries cook, zest ½ of an orange into a small bowl. Slice the orange in half and remove the membrane from 2-3 orange sections. Cut these into small pieces to make ¼ cup and add to zest. Stir in pecans and cinnamon. Set aside.

Once the cranberries are cooked, remove from heat and allow to cool about five minutes before adding the orange/pecan mixture. Stir until combined.

Refrigerate until serving.

There is a delicious orange flavor that would overpower the cranberries if more juice or fruit was added. Because I like orange and cranberries together, this seemed a good blend to me. Omit the orange sections and zest if you prefer a stronger cranberry flavor. The hint of cinnamon was just enough.

Enjoy!