Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday!  To me, it’s all about family, friends, food and football.  Growing up, we always hosted Thanksgiving at our house.  Family and friends from near and far would join us for a big feast each year.  Everyone was always welcome!  My mom would get up early and put the turkey in the oven and then begin making all the sides.  All morning, we would watch the parade and cook.

Right before dinner was served it was always a rush to get everything on the table while it’s still warm.  My mom and uncle Sonny would use an electric knife to carve the turkey and everyone else was bumping into each other in our small kitchen, ripping the tin foil off the other sides and getting everything on the dining room table.  One of the things we always took a short cut on was the cranberry sauce.  We always ate the canned gel.  It wasn’t until later in life that I learned how easy it is to make cranberry sauce from scratch.  It’s actually something you can make the night before and put it on the table right before dinner is served.

It’s only 5 simple ingredients, cranberries, orange, maple syrup, cinnamon and cloves.  Go ahead, impress your friends and family and make homemade cranberry sauce this Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients

  • 1 12 oz bag cranberries
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 orange zested
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp cloves
  • 4 T maple syrup

Instructions

  1. In a medium sauce pot, cook the cranberries in the water until you hear the cranberries start to pop open, about 5 minutes.
  2. Add in the zest and juice of one orange, cinnamon and cloves.
  3. Add in maple syrup one tablespoon at a time until you get it to your desired sweetness.
  4. Simmer for 5 minutes. The sauce will thicken as the cranberries continue to pop open.
  5. Store in the fridge overnight

Recipe Notes

I suggest making the cranberry sauce the night before so you don’t even have to think about it on the big day. Just don’t forget to pull it out of the fridge before dinner the next day.