Homemade Cranberry Sauce

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, I've been digging through all of my recipes for my favorites. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year. I think in part because of my memories associated with it. We always spent the holiday with my grandparents, who I miss every day. We enjoyed a day of laughter and love, story telling and teasing.

One of my favorite dishes is a homemade cranberry sauce. I grew up on the canned kind - remember the slurp it makes as it leaves the can? A few years ago I decided I would make my own homemade for Thanksgiving. It was a hit & now I make it every year. It goes really well with our Thanksgiving panini's - I'll share that recipe soon.

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup white sugar - you can use the splenda/sugar blend
• 1 (12 ounce) package fresh cranberries
• 1 orange, peeled and pureed
• 1 apple - peeled, cored and diced
• 1 pear - peeled, cored and diced
• 1 cup chopped dried mixed fruit - I sometimes leave this out
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

DIRECTIONS

In a medium saucepan, boil water and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat to simmer, and stir in cranberries, pureed orange, apple, pear, dried fruit, pecans, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries burst. Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature.