Sunday, November 11, 2007

Cranberry Onion Sauce

Cranberry SauceYes, yes I know that jellied cranberry sauce jiggling on a plate in the perfect form of a can is an American tradition but once you've had the real stuff you won't go back, I promise. A true cranberry sauce is good on turkey, chicken or pork and it has the beauty of sweet and savory, not just sickly-sweet.

This sauce has some body to it and is a wonderful accompaniment to the traditional turkey meal. It also freezes well so you can enjoy the leftovers. Don't forget to saute the onions at a medium heat so they don't gain bitterness and maintain a nice, mellow sweetness.

1 ½ cup chopped onion
¼ cup butter
4 cups fresh cranberries
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 ¼ cup brown sugar
3 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground ginger

Saute the onion in the butter for five minutes over a medium heat until they're soft and translucent. Then, in a medium saucepan heat the berries, water and broth until the berries begin to pop, about five minutes. Add the onion and butter mixture, sugar, lemon juice and ginger and simmer for five minutes.

Remove from heat and gently pulse or puree until desired consistency, but not too much, you still want pieces of berry and onion in there.

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Dan in Real LifeOn an unrelated topic, Andrew and I saw the cutest movie this weekend--Dan in Real Life. If you're in the mood for a sweet romantic comedy that makes you laugh and cry and care this would be it.

Andrew loved it too and the couple we saw it with felt the same way so not only does it pass the Guy Test, it's even worth full price which is how I measure a movie's true quality--would I be willing to pay full price for it? $19.50 and worth every penny. It's not unlike Sleepless in Seattle only a bit cleaner (which shows you how clean it is) and it's got that same quirky innocence of a widower looking for another shot at true love.

And between you and me?  Steve Carrel is more fun to watch than Tom Hanks was, much funnier, much cuter. Go see it and tell me if you liked it as much as I did.

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Have you entered this month's Write-Away Contest yet?  It's about something that made a difference to you in your life and the deadline is November 21st.

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17 comments:

Joyful Days said...

I gave up the can years ago, but have never added more than the berries, sugar and water. That sauce looks fabulous. I will be trying it. I'm kind of strange and put my cranberries over my stuffing.

Lisa Wheeler Milton said...

I loved Dan in Real Life too! It's a keeper, so tender and funny.

jubilee said...

Cranberry onion Sauce sounds wonderful and so easy. I think I'll be adding it to the menu. I am doing Thanksgiving for the family this year. First time. Yikes!

all over the map said...

I love cranberry relish/sauce, homemade of course. I'm a big fan of fruit and chutneys with meat. Yummy. I'm looking forward to trying this.
I do want to see that movie. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Megan Cobb said...

I can't wait to try this cranberry sauce... I tried making some last year and it was good, but still sticky sweet. This one sounds perfect. On another note, I love me some Steve Carrell too. But whooooooooo doggies it rankles that you said he's funnier and cuter than Tom Hanks. That's it, put 'em up, Michelle! (Tosses off shoes and earrings.) ;)

Annie-Savor This Moment said...

Yeah, more cranberries!

Ice Cream said...

Thank you for the movie review. This is one that I actually thought looked good so I'm glad to hear that it is.

therapydoc said...

That looks great. I'm going to give it a go. Lars and the Real Girl is also a feel good flick.

Loralee Choate said...

Oh, YAY! I so wanted this film to be good. I am planning on going this week with my hubs so I'm really happy that it gets a male thumbs up, too!

Amber M. said...

We can't wait to see Dan in Real Life...we are die-hard Office fans and laugh so hard it hurts every Thursday night.

Valerie Taylor Mabrey said...

count me in this is awesome

pussreboots said...

I detest the canned stuff and am always looking for new recipes for the real thing especially now that both my kids love cranberries. Thanks for sharing!

Thea @ It's Me Vs. Me said...

I can't wait to see this!! Finally, a movie that Dave and I are BOTH excited to see! I think we are going to try to get to it on 12/1...

...although August Rush will be out by then. But then might require some serious arm twisting.

randi said...

I want to see that movie soon. I love Steve Carrel!

Crissybug said...

We saw Dan in Real life a few weeks ago...and yes it is everything you say it is. We loved it!

luckyzmom said...

Yes, fresh cranberry sauce is the only way to go. So quick, easy and way tastier. My husband doesn't like it messed with though. I will try it for myself though as I am very adventurous.

Megan Cobb said...

Okay I just finished making this and it's delicious! I hope it does well in the fridge until Thursday... I had to do SOMETHING to start gettin' all that food ready, you know?