Wait, next Thursday is Thanksgiving? (Cranberry recipe)

Some Thanksgiving kitsch for you.  Courtesy of my folks.

I guess it's customary for mommy bloggers to post recipes this time of year.  I don't really cook much, but I do have one recipe that I have prepared every year for Thanksgiving dinner ever since I was old enough to bring my own contribution to the giant family potluck.

When I was a kid, the family joked on holidays that everyone better get their cranberry sauce before I got to it, because I could eat the whole can.  My cranberry binge-tendency has since been tamed, but I still love all things cranberry to this day.

Recipe credit goes to my mom's best friend, Cindy.  It is delicious to eat plain, or spread on top of turkey or turkey sandwiches.  It seems to be well-liked by all (except those who just don't like cranberries).

Cranberry (Walnut) Relish
(serves 20-30 people, tastes great left-over)

Ingredients:

• 1 package raspberry Jell-O (the SMALL box – if you can’t find the small box, get the big box and only use 2/3 of the Jell-O after you prepare it)
• 1 bag fresh cranberries
• 1 large (or 2 small) apples, with peel, slice and remove core/seeds (I use green granny smith, or yellow because I like my relish to be colorful!)
• 1 large (or 2 small) orange, with peel, slice and remove seeds
• 1 c. walnuts (optional – I don’t use them because I don’t like nuts, but some people do!)
• 1/2 c. baby carrots (also optional, you can use this instead of walnuts to make it crunchier, or go without!)
• 1 c. sugar

Directions:

• Prepare Jell-O as directed on the box at the bottom of a large bowl. (this will take several hours, so plan ahead! Best to do this the night before)
• With food processor (or other heavy-duty chopping device), chop up cranberries, apple slices, orange slices, and walnuts/carrots into fine crunchy bits of goodness. Blender can work but is not ideal because you want them to be crunchy/chopped, not mushed.
• Put fruit on top of Jell-O in bowl.
• Add the sugar and stir all the ingredients together until consistent throughout.
• Chill for a few hours before serving.

I hope you will think of me when you dish up your cranberries next week!