Thanksgiving Traditions: Cranberry Sauce

I am a fan of tradition and no meal features more tradition than Thanksgiving. I happen to have my own way of getting those food traditions to the table. Today and tomorrow I plan to write about two of my favorite Thanksgiving foods.

First up: cranberry sauce. Growing up, my family actually served the stuff that came from a can. Perhaps because of that, I never enjoyed the cranberry portion of the meal. It looked dreadful.

Living in Tennessee taught me the beauty of homemade cranberry sauce. It's so good, that it's hard to believe that it only take 15 minutes to prepare. Sure, that's more time than it takes to open a can. But I guarantee that it's worth the effort.

The recipe is simple:
½ cup water
½ cup orange juice
1 cup sugar
1 bag of fresh cranberries

In a saucepan, mix the water, juice, and sugar. Bring to a boil. Add cranberries and stir. Watch the pot carefully; when it returns to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. The cranberries will sizzle and pop in this stage. It's quite satisfying to watch the pot as it bubbles.
Pour into a serving bowl and let it cool. Cranberries have a natural pectin and the sauce will gel up as it cools. Serve with your supper and feel incredibly smug about how much better it looks (and tastes) than that nonsense from a can.