Cranberries (And what to do with them.)

These are two cranberry recipes that I make for Thanksgiving every year, without fail! They are both delicious and I think you'll like them, too.

First up, Cranberry Salsa. This recipe is from my sister, Emilee from the Dixie Coupon Chicks. She and her blog partner, Heather, post awesome recipes every weekend. Emilee always brings the BEST recipes to family get-togethers, so you'll definitely want to check it out!

Cranberry Salsa

1 12 oz. package cranberries, rinsed
3/4 c. sugar
1 medium jalapeno pepper
3 green onions
2 T. fresh cilantro or 1 t. dried cilantro
1 t. cumin

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until chopped and blended. Serve over cream cheese with tortilla chips. We usually have this delicious item as a Thanksgiving appetizer.

Next: Whole Cranberry Sauce. I grew up with canned cranberry sauce. As soon as I tried making my own cranberry sauce, I never went back! This recipe is courtesy the back of the cranberry package.

Whole Cranberry Sauce

1 12 oz. package cranberries, rinsed
1 c. sugar
1 c. water

Boil the water and sugar together in a saucepan. Add the cranberries and bring back to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes and stir frequently. Beware: the cranberries will pop! Let cool at room temperature and then refrigerate. Serve with your favorite Thanksgiving dishes. (Mine would be turkey.)

The nice thing about cranberries is that you can buy the bags on sale this time of year and store them, as is, in the freezer. They will freeze for a whole year so you can have your favorite cranberry recipes all year long. Enjoy!