ATTENTION WORLD: here comes the onslaught of thanksgiving recipes from every corner of the internet. And I LOVE it.
Thanksgiving is funny. What other country has a holiday where it’s socially acceptable/expected to stuff and drink yourself silly to celebrate when a new world was discovered?
Weird. Not that I’m complaining. Except I really don’t enjoy the being overstuffed part. One time my brother (who is a stick, and actually has trouble putting on weight) was so full he legit bust his pants button and it flew across the room. That might’ve actually been Christmas Eve dinner, in a restaurant. Regardless, it happened. My cousin and I joke we need to put on our “fat hippo” pants before thanksgiving. It’s not MY FAULT I make really good food for my family and they ask me to prep basically everything for Thanksgiving/christmas/any holiday associated with food. Every. Year.
Wait…It totally is. Sorry not sorry.
What’s also funny is when some people are SO set in their ways about what they want to have for Thanksgiving. Like my Papa (grandfather), for example. He refuses to eat cranberry sauce that doesn’t come out of a can. You know, the kind that still has the ridges on it when you take it out and put it in a dish? But then, this is the guy who also refuses to eat any other than wonder bread, hellmans mayonnaise, and kraft singles “american cheese” when it comes to sandwiches. Yeah. I always thought I hated cranberry sauce because that’s the only thing my family would serve.
Until one year I wisened up and made this stuff. I took regular cranberry sauce and kicked it up a few notches with apple butter, pear, and ginger. And threw in a cinnamon stick just for sh*ts and giggles.
I even got my Papa to try it!! Instant WIN. Guaranteed your family will like it too.
- 1 12-ounce package fresh cranberries
- ½ c water
- ½ c apple cider
- 2 Tbsp apple butter
- 1 large apple, peeled and chopped (or substitute pear)
- ½ c applesauce
- ½ Tbsp minced ginger
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- dash of sea salt
- 2 Tbsp coconut sugar (optional)
- Mix all of the ingredients together in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the berries begin to break, or for about 30 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let it sit until it reaches room temperature. The sauce will thicken as it cools.
- Devour with other delicious thanksgiving things!
