Are you like me and making quick dishes the night before the big celebration?
Some holiday dishes can be made ahead of time and some are better fresh. Heck, some are even best a few days old. Our family makes a Greek salad each year that I swear is much better when it is about three days old. One holiday item that is easy to make ahead is your cranberry sauce. For decades my grandmother insisted we have that cranberry jello in a can sitting on a plate on the table each Thanksgiving. It would sit untouched and go directly in the trash. I’ve never really understood the point of the canned cranberry. The texture and taste leaves a lot to be desired. Plus, homemade sauce is so easy! If you don’t feel like stirring it much, try making it in a crock pot. Don’t forget the awesomeness of the cranberry mimosa.
Tart & Tasty Homemade Cranberry Sauce
3 cups fresh, raw cranberries
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 cup water
Place cranberries, water, spices, orange zest, and sugar in a saucepan and warm up on low heat. Slowly bring to a light simmer while slowly stirring to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Cover and turn it to your lowest heat setting to gently simmer for 90 minutes. Stir every 10 minutes or so. Once berries are soft and liquid has thickened and slightly gelled from natural pectins, remove from heat and let cool. Makes about two cups.
Are you wondering about those cranberry mimosas? Take one cup of your cranberry sauce and mix it with 1/2 cup vodka. Let the mixture sit and ‘infuse’ for a couple hours, preferably overnight. Grab a champagne flute and spoon one or two tablespoons of your vodka cranberry sauce into the bottom. Fill the rest of the flute with extra dry champagne. It makes a delicious desert cocktail if you are not a pie person!
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