Grand Marnier Cranberry Sauce

Humans many times become creatures of habit, and I for one find my life extraordinarily habitual.  Perhaps it is my "mom world", but most mornings I pass the exact same moms at the exact same minute in the exact same spot.  Meal at our house are often at about the same time of day and the ingredients are ones I turn to again and again.  Mostly because they are popular, but also out of habit.

Thanksgiving is very traditional (or is it habitual?) for me and our menu doesn't really vary much over the years.  I even have a Thanksgiving folder with recipes that are only made only during this season creating similar menus that we look forward to the rest of the year.

On occasion a new dish will find its way to our table, the most recent being the White Chocolate Pumpkin Pie Cups which did indeed make the tradition cut and have been lovingly added to our Traditional Menu Folder.

Tradition for more than 15 years, these cranberries are flavored with orange peel and fresh orange juice making them a wonderful sweet complement to your traditional turkey (or a turkey sandwich the next day).  Sprinkled with a touch of Grand Marnier while still hot, these simple berries have been elevated to a near heavenly experience in my book.  While we did post them last year, I think they are important enough to bring to the blog table once again to share.

Easy to make, fine to make ahead (actually better), homemade cranberry sauce is a lovely and simple way to dress up your holiday table, and the smiles and "Oh, these are sooo good!" comments always make my evening just that much better.

Grand Marnier Cranberry Sauce

1 12 oz. package of fresh cranberries

3/4 cup sugar (I like things fairly tart... add more sugar for a sweeter sauce)

2 Tbs freshly squeezed orange juice

1 Tbs grated orange peel

2-3 Tbs Grand Marnier

Preheat oven to 325º.

Place cranberries in a glass baking dish and toss with sugar.  If your taste runs fairly sweet, add an extra 1/4 cup of sugar.  Stir in orange juice and peel.  Cover tightly with foil and place on a baking sheet (experience has shown that on occasion the berries can boil over!  Best to be safe and place on a baking sheet). 

Place in the oven and bake for about an hour or until the berries are very soft and juicy.  Remove from the oven and stir in the Grand Marnier (the aroma is intoxicating!).  Cover and refrigerate.  Can be made up to 3 days in advance.