Homemade Cranberry Sauce

As a little girl, I remember standing on my tippy toes watching and listening with child like excitement.

The bright red cranberries popping and bursting as they cooked on the stove top.

I loved watching and listening to them cook down into a delicious cranberry sauce that my Mom made every year during the holiday season.

She never added too much sugar, leaving them a bit on the tart side...just like we liked them.

The bowl adorned with the delicious cranberry sauce was a favorite of mine...and still is.

Fresh cranberries, water, and sugar...that's it!
That's all you need to make homemade cranberry sauce.

While cooking, the aroma is tantalizing.
(Even better than a cranberry scented candle.) :-)

As they cool, the sauce will thicken.
I especially love to eat cranberry sauce warm and with some texture.
(If you want a smoother consistency, cook a little longer.)

The taste is a lovely combination of sweet/tart...a welcome contrast to the sweet cookies, pies, and candies that this time of year offers.

As a child, we didn't have a lot of processed food...most of our meals were from what we grew or raised ourselves.  Buying a bag of cranberries from the grocery store was a treat!

Here is the easy recipe:

Homemade Cranberry Sauce
one 12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup sugar
In a saucepan, heat the water and sugar over medium-high heat until the sugar is dissolved.
Stir in the cranberries.
Bring to a low boil, then simmer, stirring occasionally as the cranberries begin to pop.
Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, leaving some of the cranberries whole.

Fresh Cranberry Orange Salad

Cranberry Orange Salad is another way to enjoy cranberries.
The cranberries are not cooked for this concoction.
They are mixed with oranges and a bit of sugar, making this another seasonal favorite.