Super Fresh & Simple Orange Cranberries

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It doesn’t get much easier than this recipe for fresh orange cranberry sauce.  Some might call it relish, but to me relish is a condiment, something you put on a hot dog.  This is meant to be eaten by the spoonful, like a more traditional cranberry sauce.

As long as I can remember, these were the cranberries that we had on our Thanksgiving table.  The bright, jewel-like red color of the cranberries makes a perfect showing for Christmas dinner as well.

One of the best things is how well leftovers last.  They are great for breakfast, or alongside a sandwich for lunch.  I’ve also stirred in a little leftover whipped cream for a tasty treat.  My sister taught me something new just this year when she described how she puts some in the freezer, and then scrapes off the frozen icee mixture.   (And yes, I do have some in my freezer now).  Yum!!

Cranberry Recipes

Before I show you how to make this stupidly simple recipe, I wanted to share a couple of other cranberry recipes with you.

If you’re into the sweet/tart flavor combination, you have got to try these candied cranberries.  A couple of notes I picked up when making them.  First, if you use the orange zest (it’s optional, really) be sure to either go organic or scrub the orange well.  I didn’t the first time I made these and ended up with a kind of pesticide-y, chemical taste.  Not yum.

The way these burst in your mouth…crazy good.  I super love them.

I haven’t made these next two, but am planning to make one of them for our Christmas brunch this year (and if my family’s reading this–yes, I will also be making my traditional cream cheese pastry, no worries!)  If I make the cake, I think I’ll lessen the sugar a bit; and if I go with the bread, I would leave off the icing as well as the nuts.  I want it to be all about the cranberries.

Get the orange cranberry bread recipe here, and the cranberry cake recipe here.

 Fresh Orange Cranberry Sauce

So…confession, I’ve actually never made these cranberries before.  And so I asked my parents if I could come watch the process.  Like I’ve been saying…stupid simple.  I’m pretty sure my mom got the recipe for these off the back of a bag of cranberries.

Three ingredients:  an orange, a bag of cranberries, and sugar.

Wash your cranberries and your orange (organic would be a good choice here, too, since you use the entire orange–peel and all).

Then cut your orange into wedges (this makes processing easier)…being sure to cut off the seed end of the orange and remove any seeds.  Next, chop in your food processor in batches.  After you process, stir in the sugar and… voila!  They do get a bit sweeter after sitting for a few hours/overnight in the fridge.

These are tart, sweet, and bursting with the freshest flavor.  And, they’re beautiful! (Just like my mom)

Do you have a favorite way to use cranberries?

Here’s the recipe: