I was sort of surprised that there wasn’t a recipe for cranberry sauce in Grandma Donna’s cookbook since we had it pretty much every Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. I am wondering if we were just the “buy it in a can” kind of family? I adapted this recipe from a few I found on the internet. Ultimately, I recommend less orange zest than is pictured (we found the one I made this year a little too “orangey”).

Ingredients

• 2 cups of fresh or frozen cranberries
• 2/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (zest the rind first)
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 2-3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (or to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Yield: 2-3 cups (serves 8+)

First, zest the orange. A little will do! I got overzealous with my zest in the batch pictured so do cut back from what you see (follow the recipe, not the pictures).

Rinse the cranberries and set aside 1/3 cup if you like a mix of textures in your cranberry sauce, otherwise cook them all at once.

Heat cranberries, water, orange juice and sugars in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the mixture starts to simmer and then reduce heat to medium-low. Continue to simmer for 15 minutes (or more), until all the cranberries have burst and the sauce has thickened.

Remove from heat and stir in the orange zest and lemon juice. Add more lemon to balance the sweetness if needed. Set aside to cool down. You can stir in vanilla and nuts at this point if using. Serve warm or cold. Lasts in the fridge for up to a week, but never that long in our house.