Cranberry Sauce

Every Thanksgiving, my Aunt Rae cooks up an amazing meal to a packed house of family and always a few friends.  She cooks and prepares virtually every single thing that goes on that table from scratch.  It is a delicious meal and transitions from antipasto, to stuffed mushrooms, to artichoke pie, to the main meal of turkey and about 9 vegetable dishes, and then down to dessert, she always makes an assortment of pies.  The only two things that are allowed outside of what she prepares are the cranberry sauce (made by me) and the apple pies (made by my mom).

People who don't eat meat don't understand how vegetarians can enjoy Thanksgiving. They equate turkey with Thanksgiving.  But really, there are so many things to eat, the turkey is a small portion of what actually goes into your belly.  Thanksgiving has been a particularly important tradition and holiday in my family, going all the way back to my grandfather, who was a butcher and chef. My Aunt Rae has taken over his role and makes the meal just as my grandfather would have.

Thanksgiving is about eating.  That eating is what nourishes the togetherness and the cultivates the conversations that take place all day (well, the wine also helps). That's what Thanksgiving is really about.  Being thankful for loved ones, and always remembering those who have passed, reminding you to be thankful for the ones who are still there.

I have been making this cranberry sauce for years, I can't remember how far back.  The recipe has never been told before.  I hope you and your loved ones also enjoy it. Happy Thanksgiving.

- 2 12oz. Bags of whole fresh cranberries

- 2 Apples (preferably McIntosh, because they just melt into the sauce)

- 2 Navel oranges

- 1 Cup of cold water

- 1 Cup of orange juice

- 2 1/3 Cups of sugar (preferably vegan)

- 1/2 Tsp of vanilla extract

- 1/2 Tsp of ground cinnamon

First wash the cranberries in a strainer and take out any of rotten ones and remove any leftover stems.

Then cut some of the zest of the oranges off with a vegetable peeler.  Try not to get much of the white part, because that will make it bitter. 

Now remove the rest of the orange peel by cutting off both ends of the orange and using a knife, slice of the peel and all white parts off.  Save the peels on the side! 

Chop the orange into small pieces and place with the cranberries and orange zest in a bowl.  Next, peel both apples and chop into small pieces.  I unfortunately had to use Gala apples this time and the apples didn't cook into the sauce as well as they do with the McIntosh.  Set apples with the cranberries and oranges. While your dog stares at you because she loves apples, try not to give her too many, because you don't want to mess up the recipe.

Into a dutch oven or large pot, add the sugar, orange juice, and water.  Squeeze all of the juice out of the orange peels/ends that you cut off into the pot and any juice from the cutting board.  Throw out the orange peels.  Let this come to a boil while stirring a few times.  Make sure all of the sugar has dissolved.

Now add the bowl of cranberries, apples, oranges, and orange zest.  Stir and allow to come to a boil.  You will want to simmer this on low until the cranberries have popped and the apples are cooked (about 15-20 minutes).  Right before the sauce is done, add the vanilla and cinnamon and stir.  Turn off the heat.  This will continue to cook for a while, so stir it every so often until it cools down and you can add it to containers to be refrigerated.  Remove the orange zest and discard.