CRANBERRY CHUTNEY

I've been playing around with different cranberry recipes the last few years and the one I made last year was the biggest hit with my family. I was shocked that it became my teenage son's favorite Thanksgiving food, except for chocolate pie. Nothing will ever replace chocolate as his favorite food.

I'm not sure what to call it. It's not really a salad, maybe more of a chutney or relish. Adding a little jalapeno and serving it over a block of cream cheese really put it over the top. The tartness of the cranberries combined with the sweetness of the orange and pineapple plus the little kick from the jalapeno is delicious.

CRANBERRY CHUTNEY

1 - 12 ounce pkg of fresh or frozen cranberries
1/2 cup sugar or 1/4 cup Stevia or Ideal
1/2 cup orange juice (or zest & juice of one orange)
1/2 cup crushed pineapple
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg

OPTIONAL - chopped pecans or walnuts

                       1 jalapeno (seeded & chopped)

Place cranberries, sugar and orange juice in medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until it begins to thicken. The cranberries will burst open and will spit at you, so be careful and keep little ones away.

Once it thickens, stir in crushed pineapple, cinnamon, nutmeg and nuts or jalapeno, if using. Stir for a few minutes until thoroughly combined.

It will be chunky. If you want to leave it chunky, that is fine. Or, ONCE IT HAS COOLED, you can take an immersion blender and blend it up a little. You could also put it in a blender. This does help break up the tiny seeds that you get from the fresh cranberries.

Let it chill for a few hours or overnight. Can serve alone or over a block of cream cheese with crackers. If you love cream cheese as much I do, you are definitely going to want to try this.

NOTE: If you want to thicken it up a little more, add a little Wondra or cornstarch mixed with water. I found a great thickener online at King Arthur Flour Company. It thickens without clumping.

P.S. I just looked up chutney in the dictionary and it says chutney is a mixture of sweet and sour flavors, such as fruits, combined with spices. So, Cranberry Chutney it is!

Wishing you all a very blessed Thanksgiving,

Lori