Spiced Cranberry Orange Sauce

With Thanksgiving around the corner its time to be thinking about some of the traditional dishes to go alongside your turkey. Whether you like the stuff or not, cranberry sauce is definitely something that is a big part of Thanksgiving. I don't have much of an opinion about it actually; its not my favorite, but around the holidays it just seems to belong next to turkey.

So the day before thanksgiving, I get going on making the cranberry sauce. I incorporate the flavor of fresh oranges and the enticing  warm spices into the sauce I make. Of course, we still put a plate of the jellied canned style on the table but whenever I make it we have had a nearly empty dish. Some people take a little of both.

I have actually only been making the homemade cranberry sauce for about two years but since it was such a hit, I now have no choice. Of course, I do enjoy being in the kitchen and this is no exception. Here is the recipe I have used. As usual, the spices and such can be adjusted and I sometimes add "more of this, less of that" but either way it is tasty. When you are making it, remember not to cook it down too long (depending on the consistency you like) because it thickens as it cools as well. After the berries pop just simmer it for a little while longer and then let cool.

As a side note, when I make this for our thanksgiving dinner, I have to make A LOT more than what this recipe yields but since most people don't have to make that much, this makes a little over two cups.
Therefore in this picture you will notice that there is quite a bit more than one batch in that dish, I simply posted this to offer a peek into what the end result will look like as it is cooling.

Spiced Cranberry-Orange Sauce

1 Bag (12 oz) fresh cranberries

½ Cup freshly squeezed orange juice

½ Cup water

1 Cup sugar (more or less to taste)

1 Tsp grated orange peel

1-2 Cinnamon sticks

2-3 Whole cloves

Dash ground nutmeg

(vary the spices to your liking)

Place cinnamon sticks and cloves in a heavy duty cheesecloth. Bring up the sides and securely tie with kitchen string.

In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the water, orange juice, and sugar to a boil. Remove from heat and carefully add cranberries along with the spice bag. Return to a gentle boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries pop and sauce has started to thicken, (it will thicken more as it cools). Turn off the heat for a few minutes before carefully removing spice bag. No, after sitting in red cranberry sauce the spice bag is not looking pretty at this point but you can discard it now. It has done its job (there are a few things you or a curious family member could probably compare it to - but don't go there). Sir in orange peel and a dash or two of nutmeg. Let cool to room temperature and serve or refrigerate.