Spiced Apple + Cranberry Sauce
A simple twist on a classic holiday recipe, along with everyday ideas for entertaining and savoring the season ahead
Hello and happy mid-week. I can’t believe we’re nearly two weeks into November and just two weeks away from Thanksgiving eve.
We had family in town this past week and opted for a staycation. We spent the time simply enjoying each other's company—sipping coffee on the porch, going for walks, gathering around the fire in the evenings, and sharing many meals around the table. I’m convinced this is the ultimate vacation. Forget sightseeing and dining out—time seems to slow down when we make the effort to slow down. It also reminded me of the values I want to keep at the forefront during the upcoming holiday season.
Instead of focusing on buying piles of gifts and purchasing holiday decor, I plan to embrace the simple traditions that make this season special—gingerbread houses, Christmas movie nights, cookie-baking days, handmade cedar garlands, holiday tunes, and homemade festive beverages. I thought I’d share a few simple traditions from our home that help make the everyday moments feel a little extra magical this time of year.
Holiday mugs and jars of hot cocoa and organic mini marshmallows next to the tea kettle
Christmas music and a slideshow of holiday traditions past on the TV in the background
Festive charcuterie trays for snack times
Lit up cedar garland around the windows (I forage for cedar boughs every year and make these for free)
Score Christmas trees into your sourdough bread before baking (if you need a tutorial on how to do this, let me know!)
Light beeswax candles when the sun starts to go down
In keeping with my tradition of sharing holiday side dishes from our home, I’m sharing our favorite spiced apple and cranberry sauce recipe with you today. If you’ve purchased my Healthy Holiday Sides PDF in previous years, you might already have this recipe, though I’ve made a few tweaks to include some additional spices. Feel free to omit them if you prefer a simpler cranberry sauce. As always, a printable version of the recipe can be found at the bottom of the post.
Spiced apple + cranberry sauce
Ingredients:
3 Granny Smith apples: peeled, cored, and diced
12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries
Juice of 1 orange
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg and allspice
1/3 cup maple syrup
Instructions:
In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Cover and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens and the cranberries burst. The mixture will have a gel-like consistency.
Remove from heat and allow to cool. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate up to 5 days, or freeze up to 3 months.
*For a more classic cranberry sauce, simply omit the spices from this recipe.
Beautiful ❤️