Cranberries, oh my

I know I am little late with the cranberries, as Thanksgiving as come and gone. But bear with me, because it has been crazy at work, and by the time I get home at night, all I want to do is fall into bed.

This Thanksgiving was the first Thanksgiving at my apartment, and while I didn't make the turkey (a broken oven, which has now been replaced by a brand spanking new one), I did make some sides. And the one I absolutely insisted on making was cranberry sauce. Let me tell you why.

I HATE canned jellied cranberry sauce. Each Thanksgiving, its slid out of its metal container, placed in a bowl and then sliced up like a roll of Pillsbury cookie dough. It just looks so manufactured. And who wants to eat essentially cranberry jello on their turkey? Not me. So this year I made real cranberry sauce, and the canned kind was banned from setting its little jelly foot in my apartment.

And it is was ridiculously easy. Embarrassingly easy. And I made it the night before. So the question remains: why do people eat canned cranberry sauce then?

Basic Cranberry Sauce
(from Everyday Food)
Yield: 2 cups

In a medium saucepan, combine 1 bag (12 oz.) cranberries, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp. grated lemon zest and 1 cup water. Bring mixture to a boil.

Reduce to a simmer, and cook until the cranberries are soft, about 10 minutes. Transfer the cranberries to a bowl and let them cool to room temperature. To store, refrigerate in an airtight container up to 1 week.