Cranberry Sauce with Lemon + Orange

Cranberry sauce has always been one of my favorite parts of our Thanksgiving meal. I always reserve a little spot right next to my turkey and although those two are supposed to be eaten together, I prefer to eat my cranberry sauce by itself, straight from a spoon. In fact, when I was in college, my dad would send me back to school with a couple of containers to hold me over until Christmas break! I can't get enough of this stuff. Just this morning, I mixed a tablespoon into Will's plain Greek yogurt and he was in love, too! 

This recipe comes from my family's kitchen (thanks, Dad) and is simple and delicious. This is my very favorite kind of cranberry sauce! The best part is the ever so thin slices of orange and lemon rind that are sweet and citrusy after being cooked in the sauce. I could eat a whole bowl of the sweet, cranberry flavored orange and lemon rind all by themselves. Double the recipe to keep this brightly flavored cranberry sauce on hand throughout the entire holiday season! 

Cranberry Sauce with Lemon + Orange

4 cups fresh cranberries

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 sliced lemon

1 sliced orange

1.5 cups water

In a large, heavy bottom pot on medium heat, combine water, white sugar and brown sugar. When mixture is warm and sugars begin to dissolve, add cranberries, lemons and oranges. The cranberries will begin to pop and the sauce will start to bubble. Let the sauce simmer for 20-30 minutes (the longer it cooks, the thicker it will become once it's chilled), stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and cover. Store in airtight glass containers in the refrigerator.