I love the smell of cinnamon, nutmeg, and orange zest simmering away on the stovetop don’t you? It smells like the holidays. Speaking of holidays Happy Thanksgiving Everyone (a day early).

I really think that Thanksgiving just might be my favorite holiday. Thanksgiving is a day to remember all the things you are thankful for. I am thankful for my health, for my wonderful family, and most of all I am thankful for all my friends near and far. Friends who have pushed me, encouraged me, and believed in me even when I wasn’t sure that I believed in myself. Through thick and thin you will always be my friend.

Then after giving  thanks you spend a whole day stuffing yourself silly with all of your favorite foods. Followed by the traditional Dallas Cowboys game (They ALWAYS play on Thanksgiving Day and this year it is a battle for the NFC East. It’s going to be a GOOD game. Go Cowboys!!) It’s the perfect holiday right?

I do have a Thanksgiving confession to make…. Do you know what one of my favorite Thanksgiving foods was as a kid… and as an adult?

I have always loved the canned jellied cranberry sauce. I don’t know why but I have. But this year I decided it was time to “Let it Go…” and try my hand at homemade jellied cranberry sauce. This spiced jellied cranberry sauce is full of warm holiday spices and it’s delicious on a roll with butter, on a cracker with cheese, and of course on the “Day After Thanksgiving Sandwich”. This sauce is super easy and cooks in about the same amount of time it takes to get the Canned Jellied Cranberry Sauce out of the can.

I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!!!

 

Spiced Jellied Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients:

1 – 12oz Bag of Fresh Cranberries

1 Cup Sugar

½ Cup Brown Sugar

1¼ Cups Cranberry Juice

1 Orange, the zest and the juice

2 Cinnamon Sticks

½ Teaspoon Freshly Grated Nutmeg

1 Star Anise Pod

Pinch of Salt

Directions:

Add all of the above ingredients to a large, non-reactive saucepan over medium heat. Bring up to a gentle boil and stir continuously until the sugar has dissolved.   Allow sauce to boil for about 10- 12 minutes, or until all of the cranberries have popped and the sauce is very thick.

Carefully remove the cinnamon sticks and the star anise pod. Carefully pour the sauce into a large 4-cup measuring cup. Place a food mill over the same pan and process the sauce with the finest grate attachment

 

Fill jars and store in the refrigerator.

This will make enough jellied cranberry sauce to fill 3 small 8oz mason jars.

* If you don’t have a food mill you can use a blender of food processor and then run the sauce through a sieve. Just be sure to allow the sauce to cool just a bit before blending.