clickinmyheels

After my husband and I bought our first house, we started hosting Thanksgiving. It was our first time being real grown ups and hosting a holiday meal. I loved it. Cooking all day, making all my favorite dishes and having our family over to our beautiful house was special. Of course, everyone helped and brought sides and my sister-in-law brought over this Cranberry Chutney. It is a funny story because one year the Crock Pot fell over somehow in their van on the way to our house and the chutney spilled all over. So they had to make a quick stop at the store for more ingredients to make another batch. They no longer own that van, but I’m sure there’s still a hint of cranberry and a smell of cinnamon in that van upholstery.  I believe this recipe came from Taste of Home and my sister-in-law shared it with us. Anytime someone needs a good Thanksgiving or Christmas day side dish recipe, I tell them about this one. It requires no cooking skills, is super easy to make and has many uses. I also love it, because it can be made in advance and you can cross at least one item off of your jam-packed Thanksgiving Day Stovetop Schedule since this can be made in a slow cooker and free up those precious stove burners that are working overtime on holidays. We serve it warm in little ramekin type dishes. You can spoon it right on the turkey, and it’s great anytime of year as a side dish, topping for oatmeal or ice-cream. Another reason to love this little keeper is the aroma that comes from your kitchen while it simmers. Warm cinnamon, brown sugar, cranberries, pears, and apples all melding together in a cozy candle worthy scent that will even bring those teenagers to the kitchen to see what smells so good.  I’m pairing this Warm Cranberry Chutney with grilled pork chops, garlic green beans, and a salad for our supper today

For a large crowd over 8 people, I double the recipe below.

Warm Cranberry Chutney

1 can whole cranberry sauce

1 can apple pie filling

1 can pears, drained and sliced into chunks

1 teas cinnamon

1/4 C brown sugar. I use light, but I bet dark would work too.

Combine all in a slow cooker or pot on the stove and heat on low until sugar is dissolved. I also roughly cut the apples from the apple pie filling into thirds or halves with a spoon while in the pot so they match the size of the pears. The Cranberry Chutney is best served warm, but you could also serve this cold.