Cranberry BBQ Sauce

Yum!

This sauce is AMAZING.

Really amazing.

It is sweet, spicy, smoky, and super easy to make. And it doesn't require any ingredients that you're not likely to have in your pantry already.



Onions are lightly caramelized with fresh garlic. Then you add a bit of tomato paste, brown sugar, and spices (the recipe calls for cayenne and ground mustard, and we also added a bit of spoked paprika). When that is nice and blended and lightly darkened, you add some cider vinegar and the cranberries, cooking them until they begin to "pop". Then you add your liquid (we used water which was just perfect), bring to a boil, and simmer until nice and thick and fragrant.



if I had to make a list of my top 5 kitchen gadgets, this immersion blender would definitely be on that list. It's SOOO much easier to blend sauces and soups into smooth and creamy purees right in the pot. I would never want to have to put this piping hot BBQ sauce in a blender or food processor to blend, I am afraid I'd burn myself and make a huge mess.

I think I got this blender a year or two ago and it's one of the things I use most frequently in the kitchen.

The first time we made this sauce, it was gone in 2 days! We simmered meatballs in the sauce and served them with creamy bacon, chive, and sharp white cheddar mashed potatoes :) I made this sauce again last night and froze some for another day. I think this would be great on BBQ chicken pizza, perhaps with ground turkey, thinly sliced red onions, mozzarella, and cilantro.

Mmmmm....... Buy some cranberries and try this! Or use those cranberries that you bought back in September when they showed up in the grocery store, but you haven't found a use for yet!

Okay...... I should really be getting ready for work :) I love my job and exciting things are happening this week!