Touch o' Spice Cranberry Sauce

Sweet and spicy is the ticket with this one!

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Two hours... that's all it was. Just a simple 120 miles or so to the Mexican border, my hometown shaped much of my love for spicy cuisine.

New Mexico Hatch green chilis, tomatillo salsa, red and green enchilada sauce, sopapillas, and extra crispy fried chile rellenos, we were the crazy people who held pepper eating contests at the campsite. Ghost peppers, jalapenos, and chili pequins were frequent ingredients at our table!

To be honest, our brand of Mexican food was more on the Tex-Mex side: hot, spicy, cheesy, and full of flavor!

My husband's family hailed largely from Big Bend area in South Texas so his palate is even more accustomed to heat than my own. In fact, when we first married, we had to call a truce over dinner time.

I was a newly developing home cook and he had a penchant for covering everything I made with a load of salsa. It was pretty off-putting at first as I dabbled in French, Italian, and even German cuisines! I'd even set the dinner table to match but there it would be... that big, messy bottle of my husband's salsa!

Finally, we called a truce. I'd incorporate a bit more heat into our meal plan and he'd at least taste the food before drowning it in hot sauce!

Amazingly, he often found that additional sauce wasn't needed, and I found a host of ways to incorporate a bite or at least a good zing... without every meal having to be Tex-Mex fare!

True to form, one year, I decided to incorporate some spice into Thanksgiving. Traditionally, we'd fry a turkey, bake some dressing, and whip up a host of non-spicy sides... but this time, I was determined to surprise my husband and defeat the bottle of salsa he notoriously added to his turkey each year!

This is what I came up with! Touch o' Spice Cranberry Sauce!

To be honest, I have NEVER liked Cranberry Sauce. That is probably because the only times I'd ever seen it, it was unceremoniously plopped out of a can onto a plate and set on the table! It still had the ringed edges.

It just didn't do anything for me. I decided to not only had some zing to Thanksgiving for my husband but to make this Thanksgiving staple something I'd love to.

Those who know me best, know I am a connoisseur of coffee and cheesecake. In fact, back in my banking days when I'd develop migraine after migraine, cheesecake and coffee saved my life! Or, at least, I think it did!

At that time, I was dealing with weekly migraines and, even with insurance, I was paying $12 per pill to treat them!

One day, the pain and wobbly vision was too much, and I took the afternoon off of work. My District Retail Executive called me. She said, "Genessa, don't just go take another pill. Go do something you enjoy and relax."

Such a weird admonition from a higher up, but I obeyed. I drove straight to Barnes and Noble instead of home. I ordered a White Chocolate Mocha and a slice of plain cheesecake, and grabbed a book from the bargain bin.

I remember sitting in the little cafe and becoming so engrossed in my treat and the pages of that book that I didn't even realize at first that the pain was gone!

I realized after closing down the store that night. From that time on, every time I felt the first twinges of headache, I'd decide on a bookstore lunch break that day! Coffee and cheesecake--a bit of caffeine and a calming, relaxing treat--and the head pain would subside.

Apparently, my migraines were triggered by tension headaches! But...since that time, one of my favorite treats is cheesecake.

So... I decided that this special Thanksgiving treat needed to have something to do with cheesecake!

And that's how, through much trial and error, I came up with Touch o' Spice Cranberry Sauce which is a perfect compliment to the rich, sweet creaminess of a good slice of cheesecake!

Now that you and I are both drooling, let's make it!

Touch o' Spice Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Servings:

Serves 1 Cheesecake

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cranberry sauce, if freshly made, or about one can if store bought

• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

• 2 cloves (yep, the ones you put into ham at Thanksgiving dinner!)

• 1/4 tsp cayenne

• 1 Tbs Lime juice

• 1 dash salt

Directions:

If Using Fresh Cranberries

1. In a medium skillet, bring cranberries, brown sugar, cloves, and 1/3 cup of water to a rapid simmer over medium.

2. Cook until the berries burst and the mixture becomes syrupy, roughly 10 minutes.

3. Add cayenne and lime juice.

4. Season with a dash of salt.

If Using Canned or Premade Cranberry Jelly

1. In a medium skillet, bring cranberry sauce, brown sugar, cloves, and 1/3 cup of water to a rapid simmer over medium.

2. Cook until mixture becomes syrupy, which is roughly 10 minutes.

3. Add cayenne and lime juice.

4. Season with a dash of salt.

Serve cold atop your favorite dessert, whether original cheesecake or chocolate! It's going to be good!