Cranberry-Pomegranate Sauce

This evening marks the 5th annual Thanksgiving dinner that Jax and I will be hosting for our friends. The meal is potluck style, which gives us all an opportunity to get in the kitchen and wow each other with our culinary skills. The food is always delicious. Incredible. Mouth-watering. Minus the cranberry sauce. We never really give the cranberry sauce much thought. Instead, somebody picks up a can of that cylindrical solid jelly as an afterthought, and we usually end up tossing it at the end of the meal. It never even has a fighting chance.

But those days are behind us. Rather than serve my loves that questionable gelatinous mass, I have decided to make homemade cranberry sauce this year. While I don’t expect it to be the hit of the feast (how could it be when it’s competing with green been casserole and pumpkin cheesecake??!), surely it will be a vast improvement over the pitiful excuse for cranberry sauce we usually serve.

So, please join me as I make cranberry-pomegranate sauce.

I started with 12 ounces of fresh cranberries, rinsed them in cold water, then tossed them into a saucepan. Next, just for fun, pour a 16 oz bottle of pomegranate juice over the cranberries. I went with blueberry pomegranate juice, not because the recipe called for it, but because I’m a rebel. And because that’s the kind my boyfriend got for me. To his credit, the blueberry variety is my favorite, which means I may or may not have stolen a sip or two.

Then comes the sugar. 3/4ths cups, give or take. Give it a good stir, bring to a boil over medium to medium low heat, then cook for approximately 15 to 20 minutes, all the while stirring occasionally. For those of you who are impatient, let me warn you that it takes a minute (or 12) before the mixture starts boiling. Once it does though, the fun really begins. The mixture thickens and turns into a mess of jelly goodness. It’s like magic!

Recipe and Photography by The Pioneer Woman

Let cool to room temperature, somehow make room for it in the fridge, then bust it out when the turkey is ready!

Greatly looking forward to tonight’s feast! Yummm!