Holiday Favorites: Cranberry Dressing

Everybody loves a different kind of cranberry with their Thanksgiving turkey. My brother eats what we lovingly refer to as "canberry" jelly, because he squishes it out of the can in one lump. If he does it just so, he can even keep the serial number from the can base in tact. For him, this is a badge of honor.

I grew up with that kind of cranberry sauce. So, when the time came for me to make my first Thanksgiving dinner, it felt only right that I should try making it from scratch, just to see if it was worth the hassle that mom said it was to make. So, I went to my grandmother and got her recipe. Guess what? It's not hard at all. Here's everything you need to know about making a basic cranberry sauce from scratch, literally as simple as one, two, three.

YOU WILL NEED:

• 1 cup (200 g) sugar
• 1 cup (250 mL) water
• 4 cups (1 12-oz package) fresh or frozen cranberries
• Optional Pecans, orange peel, raisins, currants, blueberries, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice. 

THEN:

1. Wash and pick over cranberries, discarding any that look bruised or damaged. A good cranberry will be bright red, firm, uniform in shape, and will bounce when dropped. In a saucepan bring water and sugar to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add cranberries, return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until cranberries burst. This is basic cranberry sauce.

2. At this point you can add all number of optional ingredients. We typically mix in a half a cup of roughly chopped pecans with or without a few strips of orange peel. You can add a cup of raisins or currants. You can add up to a pint of fresh or frozen blueberries for added sweetness. Spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg or allspice can be added too.

3. Remove from heat. Cool completely at room temperature and then chill in refrigerator. Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools.

Cranberry sauce base makes 2 1/4 cups.