Simple Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients

• 12 oz bag fresh cranberries
• 1 small orange
• 1/2 cup sugar

Directions

1. Combine 1/2 cup sugar with 1 cup water in a medium sauce pot, stirring until the sugar is moistened. Set the pot over medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil.
2. As the sugar water warms, rinse the cranberries well. When the liquid is boiling, add the clean cranberries and cover the pot. Bring everything back to a boil; the berries will start bursting as they heat.
3. After the cranberries have all popped open, take off the lid, stir the mixture, and lower the heat to medium low. Continue simmering over medium-low heat for 5-7 minutes, until the berries have fully softened and fallen apart.
4. While the sauce simmers, zest the orange with a microplane, zester, or small-holed cheese grater. Slice the orange in half and squeeze the juice into a bowl, aiming for about 1/2 cup juice.
5. When the cranberries have cooked down, mix the orange juice into the sauce. Take the pot off the heat, then stir in about 1 tsp of the orange zest. Let the sauce cool a bit before serving.