I don’t know about you guys, but I never liked the cranberry sauce that came in the can. I know that cranberry sauce is a Thanksgiving staple, but as a kid I was always afraid to eat it. I think the fact that it took on the shape of the can was off putting. I went for probably 20 years without ever having cranberry sauce on my plate. About 2 years ago, I decided to make a cranberry relish for one of our Thanksgiving dinners. Not to be misunderstood, this was not my original idea. I am sure people have been making cranberry relish for years, it just hadn’t occurred to me yet. I ended up loving the recipe I came up with, and now I can’t imagine my Thanksgiving plate without cranberry. It gives freshness to the meal that is much needed. I generally have a lot of this left over and with my leftovers I make green apple, brie, and cranberry relish Paninis. These would be perfect with leftover turkey on them as well.

1 pkg. of whole raw cranberries

Zest of one orange

Zest of one lemon

Juice of one orange

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp ground clove

½ tsp ground ginger

½ cup maple syrup

½ cup agave nectar

Rinse cranberries and place in a food processor. Pulse the cranberries until they are a finely shredded texture. Add the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. I like to let my relish marinate over night, but it could be served immediately. The longer it sits, the more intense the flavor becomes.