Giving Thanks & Cranberry Sauce

"For each new morning with its light,
For rest & shelter of the night,
For health & food, for love & friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Is there any smell better than onions frying up in a pan of butter? Mmmmm....that is just one of the scents taking over our house right now.

It's 10:30 am & I have already made cranberry sauce, apple sauce, pumpkin bread, cranberry bread, sweet potato casserole, pumpkin pie and have prepped the green beans and brussels for tomorrow. I still have the pecan pie to make before I call it a day in the kitchen.

It feels good to be organized and prepared ahead of time. I just want to enjoy myself tomorrow with my family. It will be my first Thanksgiving as a hostess and I'm looking forward to it. Luckily, Andrew has off today so I have an extra set of hands to help with preparations or with the boys.

Also, Andrew's mom is making the turkey and gravy at home and bringing it already sliced! She's saving me a lot of stress & making more room in the oven!!

Here is a recipe for super easy cranberry sauce. It resembles my mom's recipe (formerly my Grandmom Annie's recipe), especially if you run it through a ricer after it's cooked. You can also use a food processor but it doesn't come out quite as silky smooth. If you like chunkier cranberry sauce, just mash slightly with the back of a spoon and serve.




Start with 2 bags of fresh cranberries. Place in large saucepan.

Add 2 cups of white sugar, a few shakes of cinnamon and 2 cups of orange juice.


Over medium heat, stir all together and cook for about 15-20 minutes. Listen for the cranberries popping!

Remove from heat & process through a ricer (this was my Grandmother's - you can see how worn it is!).


Transfer to serving bowl and let cool then refrigerate and serve.

Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!
xoxo