Thanksgiving Cranberry Sauce

Begin by picking over your cranberries, removing any wilted or damaged ones. Rinse them to clean them off, along with the berries, and place in a sauce pan. Add one cup each of water and sugar. Bring to a simmer, then with a potato masher, lightly mash. You want some texture with the sauce, so don’t even consider mashing them like your creamy mashed potatoes.

Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature. Add your lemon zest, mix, and place in the refrigerator, allowing for the sauce to thicken.

Packed with a great mixture of tartness and sweetness from the berries, this one will not only surprise your guests, but it will surprise you as well. Great the day of, but even better the following day (my favorite as well) for leftovers.