recipes // cranberries and more cranberries

thanksgiving.  it means: lots of food, sharing embarrassing stories of one's past, waiting in line for the bathroom, trying not to trip over shoes, cramming 7 people into a tiny 2 bedroom apartment for five days (yes, five. whole. days.), making crazy concoctions with cranberries, getting out that old box of board games, taking naps at random, yelling at various football teams, and then, of course, consuming MORE food because there will be leftovers for daaays, right?

well, at least that's what it means for our family and we wouldn't have it any other way.  :)

last night i did my best to create some yummy cranberry treats for this holiday since we are hosting in our new home this year.  i have been prepping all week long and last night was dedicated to the cranberry.  

with only two bags of berries, some peppers, sugar, a little orange juice, water, and my trustee le crueset pot, i made three darn good recipes under one hour.  i suppose there were a few more ingredients...

so, if you have an hour to spare and love cranberries, this one's for you!

habanero lime cranberry salsa

ingredients: 
1 1/2 cups fresh cooked cranberries (chop and cook in water until soft)

• 3 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions 
• 1 small jar of roasted red peppers
• 1 small jar of whole tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice 
• 2 table spoons of lime juice
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped green bell pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon sugar 
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 habanero pepper or 1 serrano chile, seeded and minced
• 
  
• to prepare salsa, place all ingredients into food processor. pulse until desired thickness. cover and refrigerate.  best to use on: a chip!
• 
  
• ruby red cranberry syrup
• ingredients: 
• one bag of fresh cranberries chopped
• 1.5 cups of sugar
• 1.25 cups of water
• pinch of salt
• squeeze of a fresh lemon
• 1. in a large saucepan, combine the cranberries, sugar, water and salt and bring to a boil. simmer over moderately low heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is bright red, 8 to 10 minutes.
• 2. strain the syrup through a fine sieve set over a heatproof bowl, without pressing; reserve the solids for another use. stir in the lemon juice. let the syrup cool completely, then funnel it into glass bottles and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour. shake before serving.
• best to use on: ice cream, in cocktails, on pancakes or any cake for that matter, or on a spoon for fun.
• 
  
• smoked chipotle cranberry chutney
• ingredients:
• left over cranberries from syrup recipe (they should be cooked and beautifully soft)
• 2 shallots minced
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ginger, minced
• 2 chipotle peppers (dried or in adobo - see note below)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 
  
• to prepare the chutney, cook the shallots in oil in a saucepan over medium heat until translucent. add garlic, ginger and the peppers. cook until just fragrant, for one minute or so. add the cooked cranberries and all other ingredients. simmer until the cranberries have broken down and it reaches the desired consistency (about 10 to 15 minutes).best to use on: cream cheese, on sandwiches, turkey, or with a cracker and cheese.
• 
  
• i hope you enjoy these cranberry recipes and have a delightful thanksgiving!