Does your holiday table laden with all the trimmings include cranberry sauce? Or is cranberry jelly persona non grata at family celebrations?
I have to admit, as a kid, I wasn’t much of a fan of the stuff. Mom (or grandma, or some other relative) would dump the can on a plate and slice it.
Was I surprised when I discovered cranberry sauce doesn’t have to be a sickeningly sweet, gelatinous mass.
I began experimenting with homemade cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving 2012, when I tried this sugarless recipe from Wellness Mama.
Since I made it more than a year ago, I don’t have many details. I don’t remember hating it, but I’m pretty sure I ended up tossing some in the trash.
Undaunted, I decided to try making my own cranberry sauce again this year.
It was a last-minute decision, actually. I hadn’t been planning to until Jenn’s Speedy Stovetop Cranberry Sauce swayed me. I was at Safeway after work on Thanksgiving eve, picking up the berries and limes. I had to buy the more expensive organic cranberries because that’s all they had left …
Well worth the expense, because the recipe’s a winner! This one is sweet and tart, with just a hint of lime (vs. the usual orange). Jenn is a genius!
Not only did it taste fantastic on my Thanksgiving Crock Pot chicken, it also makes great sandwiches.
I liked this recipe so much that I made another batch on Cyber Monday. This picture is from that second batch, to which I added half a pear, chopped.
It’d be great on a turkey sandwich. Imagine layers of turkey, cream cheese and cranberry sauce …
That sandwich is still on my to-try list—and I have a whole bowlful of sauce left to do it. But I’ve been rocking the cranberry sauce-infused breakfast sandwiches, inspired by Lindsay at The Lean Green Bean. Apparently she didn’t post a recipe on her blog, only a photo on Twitter or Instagram, because I went looking for a link and couldn’t find one.
Anyway …
Here’s what was in the mix for me: A Sandwich Thin, an egg with (runny yolk), a slice of cheddar cheese and cranberry sauce.
It might sound weird, but it’s not. Trust me. A little savory and a little sweet, this sandwich makes a great late-night snack or start to the day.
Lindsay also has her own recipe for fresh cranberry sauce. I haven’t tried it yet, but I might for Christmas.
Anything to banish that nasty canned cranberry jelly from my holiday table. If I never see another slice of cranberry sauce, it’ll be too soon.
Do you have a favorite cranberry sauce recipe? Ever tried it in a breakfast sandwich?
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