Cranberry Salad

[An actual conversation held at a Friendsgiving one year.]

Friend 1: "Will you pass the beets?"

Friend 2: "Those are yams!"

Friend 1: "They're the same thing!"

Friend 3: "Actually...it's cranberry sauce."

You can't make this stuff up.

Thanksgiving is a great holiday; a time to spend thinking about all that we a thankful for with family, friends, and yummy food.  As a child I always intentionally skipped the cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving.  Sometimes you could see the ridges from the inside of the can, and others it had a similar consistency to cottage cheese.  It was not to be trusted.

Until I had it at my wonderful in-laws Thanksgiving.  My mind was blown.  Who knew the side of cranberries could be so delicious?!  My mother-in-law was gracious enough to share with me her mother's recipe, and I'm sharing it with you!  I did alter the ingredients a bit from the original, but it is delicious!

Grandma Springer's Cranberry Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

1 lb fresh cranberries, finely chopped in a food processor

1 - 20 oz can of crushed pineapple, drained

1 - 11 oz can of Mandarin Oranges, drained

2 - 3 oz packages of Lemon Jell-o

7 spoonfuls of white sugar [more or less, to taste]

2 cups boiling water

Directions:

Dissolve Jell-o in boiling water.  Place in refridgerator.  You want the Jell-o to cool and begin to  congeal {it takes about 45 min - 1 hour}.  While the Jell-o is in the fridge, finely grind the cranberries in the food processor and add sugar to the cranberries.  Stir until the sugar is dissolved, then stir in the crushed pineapple.  Once the Jell-o is beginning to congeal, add it to the salad and stir it until it's combined.  Last, add the mandarin oranges and mix them with the salad.  Cover the salad and place it in the fridge for at least 2 hours.  Enjoy!!