Photo from Food and Wine

I love cranberries, but I know lots of people—particularly kids—can't handle the sourness. Still, with the right amount of sugar, I think this tart 'n' tasty fruit has potential to be more than a tired Thanksgiving side or a forgotten muffin. Check out the New York Times article about the underrated cranberry; then read on for an easy cranberry sauce recipe guaranteed to sweeten up your Thanksgiving spread. (None of that canned stuff allowed!)

 

If you've only had cranberry sauce from a can, you don't know what you're missing. Homemade cranberry sauce is so simple to make, and plus you can add as much sugar as you want in order to balance out the tartness. This recipe is a real winner: My guests couldn't get enough.

Cranberry-Pomegranate Sauce from Food and Wine Magazine

1.5 pounds (6 cups) of fresh or frozen cranberries

2 cups sugar

1 cup pomegranate juice

2 cups fresh pomegranate seeds (Optional, but they give a really nice pop. When making for kids, I'd leave these out. It still tastes great.)

In saucepan, combine cranberries with sugar and pomegranate juice. Bring to a simmer and cook until most of the cranberries have burst, stirring occassionally (about 10 minutes). Scrape sauce into bowl and let cool (about 2 hours). Fold in pomegranate seeds. Serve sauce chilled or at room temperature.