Thanksgiving

Cranberry Apple Sauce

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While growing up, cranberry sauce was a staple at our Thanksgiving meal and truth be told I didn’t like it.  We always had the canned version and there was just something about it that didn’t really sit quite right with me.  I don’t know if it was the taste or texture, regardless it was a dish that I passed over.

When I started making Thanksgiving dinner for Scott and I, he told me that they always had cranberry sauce too and that he liked it.

Say wha?!

This meant that I needed to supply him with some  cranberry sauce.  In the beginning, I just bought the canned version and let him go to town.  Eventually I came around and stared being able to tolerate it.  When OHC was in it’s infancy and before we cut out HFCS, I even used it to make this salad.

Now taking a look at the ingredient list, yikes!  Corn syrup and HFCS are the first two ingredients.  Ick! That means we stay far away from the canned grocery store version and I had to start experimenting on my own to make cranberry sauce.

Do you know it’s really easy to make cranberry sauce?  Like 10 minutes easy and you only need a few ingredients that you can find anywhere?

Ever since I started making my own, not only do I love it but I also feel a lot better about providing Scott with some cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving.

Andrea’s Cranberry Apple Sauce

  • 1 pkg Whole Cranberries (12oz)
  • 1 Large Sweet Apple, chunked (I used a huge honeycrisp)
  • 1/2C Organic Cane Sugar
  • Pinch Cinnamon
  • 1C Cider

Rinse off the cranberries and remove any that have started to turn (they get mushy).  In a medium sized sauce pot, add all ingredients, stir, and bring to a boil.  Then reduce heat to a simmer and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes.  With a masher, go through and mash the berries and apples to your desired texture.  Continue to simmer for about another 5 minutes.  Remove from heat, pour into a glass bowl and allow to cool.  Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold.

I like a little bit of texture so I don’t make a completely smooth sauce.  I just use the masher to help break down the apple and cranberries just a touch.  While I’m not big on using a lot of sugar in recipes, cranberries kind of call for that because they are just so very tart.  To me, they can leave a bitter taste on the tongue that is not very pleasant.  I combat that with the sugar and also the apple.

By adding in the apple it brings in another fruit and therefore another taste level to the cranberry sauce.  I prefer this method but of course you can leave out the apple and sub in a tad more sugar if you wish.  You are also free to peel or not peel the apple, that’s completely up to you!

Now, what can you do once you have sauce in your possession?

It makes a great mix-in for some pumpkin oatmeal!  Oats not your thing?

How about some Pumpkin Cider Corn Cakes?  Uh-huh!

You can make a salad dressing with it, you can slap it on a sandwich and I hear through the grapevine that it goes well with some mashed sweet potato as well.  So many options for this simple little sauce!

Want to kick this sauce up even more?  Add in:

  • The juice of one orange
  • Some orange zest
  • Some orange liquor

Oh yeah!

Have fun guys and remember, always play with your food!  Enjoy!

OHC Kitchen Staple: Cider

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Growing up we had cider a good bit in the fall because my mom liked it.  She always served it warm though and I just thought it was okay.  Much like hot chocolate and grape juice, it dried my throat out causing me to be more thirsty than I was to begin with.  Because of that, I was never on the big cider train because getting thirsty while actually drinking a beverage isn’t all that much of a good time.

Several years ago we were at a small town fall festival and it was hot.  Like sun blazing, unseasonably hot and there was a booth that was serving cold cider.  I got a cup and it was the best thing I’ve ever tasted.

Cold cider is amazing!

Who knew?!

Everyone is so busy serving up hot mulled cider that it just didn’t occur to me to have it cold.  After that sip though, I could not get enough and have been purchasing cider in the fall ever since.

It has become a staple here at the HQ and truth be told, I use it up so quickly that I don’t even get a chance to drink it!  Cider is so useful in cooking and baking that once you start, you’ll wonder why you never used it before!

Because it’s so versatile, this is why I love having it on hand, it can go in sweet dishes and it can be used in savory dishes!

I’ve made pancakes with cider which are super yummy!

And I use it for brining a lot!  It works with turkey, chicken, and especially pork!

Cider can be used to make cornbread or muffins.  It can be used to make quick breads and can even be added to oats.

You can also use it to make fall inspired mixed drinks!

Cider is really handy to have around and because of all of its potential uses, I constantly have some in my fridge.

Do you like cider?  Have you used it in cooking before?