Thanksgiving: Cranberry Sauce

I'll admit it. I have a soft spot for the canned cranberry sauce. The shape of the can, the way it wiggled, the way you can slice it up easily.... it brings back memories. And in fact I bought a can this year. But I also found real cranberries at $.89 a bag and couldn't resist those either.

Cranberry sauce is one of those magical dishes that looks impressive but couldn't be easier to make from scratch.  Start with a 12 oz. bag of cranberries. Rinse them in a colander.



Then toss them into a medium pot. Add:

• 1 cup cranberry juice (100% if possible)
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons orange juice (eyeball this, precision is not necessary)
• a little orange zest if you've got it

Stir and bring to a boil on medium heat. Once the mixture is bubbling merrily, turn it down to medium-low and stir frequently until thickened, about 10 minutes. It will still look liquidy, but will firm up when it chills. You can skim off the foam if you like, but I never do. Looks impressive and takes only a few minutes of your time. Make ahead for best effect.