Meal Stretcher Monday - Cranberry Sauce

Way back during November and December, the store flyers all had typical holiday season fare front and center. Turkey, cranberry sauce, ham, potatoes, pies, etc. were all being highly promoted. We loaded up - like most families.

There's always one item in that list that just leaves me somewhere between angry and disappointed.

No, not the meats. The "cranberry sauce".

The problem is that they are promoting that freaky, gelatinous goo in a can.

THAT IS NOT CRANBERRY SAUCE.

Trust me.

Here's what to do instead. Get this stuff.

It's one bag of cranberries ($1.50), one cup of orange juice, and one cup of sugar (these cost me nothing as they were in my fridge and cupboard already).

Get a saucepan, and put in on the stove on medium heat.


Whisk the sugar and juice together until the sugar is fully dissolved.

Rinse and add the berries.

Simmer until the berries burst open.

Put it in a bowl, let it cool, then EAT. It's magnificent. Trust me on this.

Sorry for the lack of a final picture, but by the time I realized that my photo was too blurry to use, the sauce had been demolished by my family. (I'm thinking of trying to make this as part of Valentine's Day dinner.)

As for the final cost: $1.50 for about 3 cups of mine, versus $1.50 for about 3 cups of theirs. Hey! It's a tie! Only mine's infinitely better! And doesn't jiggle in a disconcerting way! Yay!