Spiced cranberry sauce

Right now, I have cranberry sauce on my stovetop, in preparation for tomorrow's Thanksgiving luncheon at work. On the stovetop, you say? Why doesn't she just bring a few cans? Well... because she likes to eat real food, not a log made with high-fructose corn syrup, sliced along the indententations of a can! OK, so the "can design" is a little cool. But honestly, it's super easy, and your house will smell oh-so-good when you're making your own sauce...

You'll need:
- the zest and juice of 2 organic oranges*
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 6-10 cloves
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 4 cups fresh cranberries (1 bag is about 3 1/2 cups)
- walnut halves (not sure how much, I just eyeballed it. Maybe 3/4 cup?)

*yes, organic. I for one don't like the taste of wax (and chemicals) in my cranberry sauce!

Put the cloves in a cheese cloth, then put the orange zest and juice, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and sugar in a pot, and bring to a boil. Add cranberries, let cook for about 5 minutes. You'll hear little pops, that's normal, it's the skins of the cranberries splitting open because of the heat. Add your walnut pieces, cook for another 5 minutes. And that's it!



So.... would you rather eat this



















Or this?

And the ultimate proof that this is GOOD STUFF? My mother-in-law asked if I could make my cranberry sauce and give her extras if we're here for Thanksgiving!

Final cost: cranberries: $1.99/1 bag. Oranges: $1.85 for 2 oranges. I already had everything else. So I spent less than $4 to make what is probably equivalent to 2 cans of jello'd sauce, which are probably on sale right now for $1.60 or so, B1G1. But mine's made with luuuurve!