Beauty! Look at these cranberry gems! I’m turning them into cranberry sauce.
Super easy. Are you doing this too?
You’ll probably be cranking food out of your kitchen all weekend. Need a few more ideas? I’ve got everything! Everything but the turkey, stuffing, and cornbread… Yea, I know. But I have everything else!
1- Pumpkin Pie Pancakes. Super flavor for for breakfast.
2- Honey Roasted Acorn Squash. So easy and it makes me feel fancy.
3- Spiced Apple Cake. I love this creature.
4- Prosciutto Dijon Gruyere Puffs. How about an appetizer? I love the mustard in these.
5- Roasted Pumpkin and Leek Soup. That’s yummy. Fact.
Let’s finish this cranberry sauce.
There’s absolutely no reason you should by the canned stuff. It slinks out of the can and has weird ridges. It’s also waaaay too sweet.
I think you should boil cranberries with orange juice and zest… then add just a tiny touch of vanilla beans.
Cranberry sauce dream… I’m tellin ya.
Cranberry Sauce
makes about 4 cups
2 12-ounce bags fresh cranberries
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
pinch of salt
1 cup water
1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest
scrapings from one quarter of a vanilla bean (optional if you don’t want to shell out the cash for a vanilla bean)
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm the water, juice granulated sugar, brown sugar and salt. Stir until sugars have dissolved. Add the two bags of cranberries and stir until cranberries begin to pop. Cook cranberries, stirring occasionally for about 10 to 12 minutes. Sauce will thicken as cranberries cook down. Once thick, remove from heat and add orange zest and vanilla bean. Stir to incorporate. Cool to room temperature then store in the fridge until ready to eat. Lasts for up to three days in the fridge. Delicious.
6- Maple Pecan Muffins. Topped with pure maple syrup and baked to perfection.
7- Dad’s Perfect Sweet Potato Pie with No-Roll Pie Crust. Yes. I’m totally obsessed with this pie.
8- Cornmeal Cranberry Honey Bread. Sweet and crunchy. Like.
9- Vegan Pumpkin Walnut Bread. So moist you’ll never know it’s vegan. Promise.
10- Apple Pie Granita. Like pie…. but totally not!
11- Buttermilk Pie with Warm Blackberry Sauce. Ooooh man.
12- Apple Crisp. My key to one day tricking a man into marrying me.
13- All Purpose Holiday Bundt Cake. Bring a bib.
14- Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Dulce de Leche Frosting. Cupcakes for the holidays? I say ok!
15- Pear Walnut Bundt Cake. The praline alone is reason enough to make this happen.
16- Homemade Apple Pie. It’s worth the time. It really is.
Anne
I go to university in Ontario Canada (though I’m from NY) and this year I somehow end up missing BOTH Thanksgivings!!! For obvious reasons, I’m not pleased. Just decided that I’m going to sneak away from school work for a bit this weekend and whip up a few of the easier treats though!! Slathering cranberry sauce all over anything/everything else is brilliant, no?
holly
you amaze me!!! i want to be your best friend! :) i too used cranberries this morning..but i made a relish with apples, oranges, and sugar!!
Stephanie @ Laugh and Cook
Yummy! The hard part is picking one or two of them to bring to my boyfriend’s family’s Thanksgiving party. I just want to bake ’em all!
kitchngodess
i’ve got organic cranberries at $8.99/lb…i’ve got canned sour cherries….i’m thinkin’ amaretto; crystallized ginger; sugar and chopped toasted almonds
Johanna
Joy,
Nice post. Your cranberries are beautiful. Also I want to tell you that your pie crust expertise from the Bake Out Berry Pie episode totally saved by pie crust today. I was using a recipe for a crust made in the food processor that didn’t mention that you needed the “professional” size processor to make it work. Needless to say, things got a little crowded in there. Luckily, I had a flash to your video of putting it all together on the counter, so that’s what I did. It all worked out. So thanks! I will post some beautiful pics to my blog once the pie is complete.
Happy Thanksgiving.
-Johanna
Monica
Is it really awful that I really like the jellied kind and don’t like the kind with the cranberry lumps? I have a feeling that while this would be yummy that I would still want my jellied kind :( lol
Patty McC
I won a blue ribbon at the fair with cranberry sauce I made and canned that is almost exactly like your recipe. Use it on pancakes, on a turkey sandwich, layer in coffee cake batter before baking, pour on top a pork roast and slow cook in a crock pot. So many uses and so very yummy.
Rebekah
Wow I can’t wait to try that butter milk pie. I’ve made the sweet potato pie. It is awesomeness.
We’ve had canned cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving for as long as I can remember. I wonder what my family would do to me if I made some myself…
Sarah
Looks great! Might as well add a quick-bread to the pre-Thanksgiving baking festivities, there will only be more to enjoy later!
Ali
I want to make all of these recipes. They sound so great. I will make the cranberry sauce. I made some last night, but it didn’t have any water in it. It is really thick. It’s good, but I think yours will be more up my alley. Thanks for all the ideas!
Baking Serendipity
I want to make all of these plus my 18 pound turkey for two people. Good thing my husband likes leftovers…
Irina
The quick bread looks delish! I can’t wait to try it tonight.
Jenn in Tenn
Can’t wait to get home and start cooking today!! Your recipes are so inspiring!!
Natalia - a side of simple
Thanksgiving explosion? Yes, please!
the blissful baker
i loveeee cranberry sauce. yours looks yummy!