Guys, I’m in a bit of panic mode. Not only is this my first time HOSTING thanksgiving, it’s for my prospective in-laws! Eek! I needed to streamline all the cooking and not be in utter meltdown mode this week. Alas, I found a real simple cranberry sauce recipe that is from scratch and uses real cranberries. Can’t impress the MIL with canned cran sauce, now can I? Also, I mean, we have a food blog after all. Anyway, it’s really great because it comes out a bit chunky or chutney-like consistency so your guests can see that it’s homemade. I doubled the recipe, but this seems to be the recommended amount to make. I just figured since its yum I can save in a jar for leftovers for the week. Note some of the other sides I am serving for this holiday meal with my new family are: the mushrooms in poblano sauce, roasted Brussel sprouts (I added pancetta and balsamic glaze for a sweet & salty twist), and garlic chive mashed potatoes. Stay tuned for the corn bread “dressing” stuffing recipe we will be posting shortly as well…Boy menu planning has been a treat but stay on top of our Instagram to see how my first ever turns out…

• 1 bag fresh cranberries (12 oz)
• ¼ cup fresh orange juice (use the bottle stuff if you don’t have an actual orange)
• ¾ cup orange marmalade (smuckers is fine but I balled out and bought some artisan ginger orange marmalade)
• ¾ cup white sugar
• ¼ tsp cinnamon

Optional is I zested a lemon and the orange I juiced for some freshness

Combine all the ingredients in the crockpot & stir. Cook on HIGH for 3 hrs or until the cranberries begin to pop. After that 3 hrs or so, gently smash the cranberries up against the side of the crockpot to help the rest pop while you stir. Remove the lid and then cook on HIGH for another r30 minutes without the lid on. Did I mention that stove top and oven space is limited & therefore precious for such a big meal? So this crockpot wonder was a LIFESAVER! Hope you guys dig it too…

Happy Eating, XO