cranberry sauce

Thanksgiving is drawing near and all my favorite bloggers are sharing all their tips for a happy, healthy celebration. Somehow I imagine that they have all the time in the world to perfect these recipes and formulate these tips. I had visions of posts like these as well. But, whatever it is my fellows do for a living, I doubt any of them work as the personal assistant to Chicken Little.

Last year I prepared my first complete Thanksgiving meal for the Trainer and his family, who never had a traditional turkey and fixings before. It was a big hit, but I was left with a bird full of gluten free stuffing to eat by myself, along with the gravy, cranberry sauce and green vegetables. This year I'm only doing the bird, and cranberry sauce for myself.

Cranberries may have been one of the foods that the native Americans shared with the settlers in New England, where they are native. Some of the best cranberry bogs are in New Jersey. It's no wonder they have become a traditional Thanksgiving food.

I love cranberries and cranberry sauce. We are not a fancy cranberry relish or cranberry chutney family. We like our fresh cranberry sauce, and non of that canned stuff. This is our family's good old stand-by. I've tweaked it to be sugar free, and I venture to say it is just as good, if not better than the version we used to make with white sugar.

Cranberry Sauce

1 cup water
1/2 cup honey
1 bag cranberries

In a large sauce pan heat water and honey, stirring until honey is dissolved. Add cranberries and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and boil until all the cranberries pop. Stir and simmer for several more minutes. Pour into a heat proof serving dish or container. Let stand to cool, then place in refrigerator over night.