Don’t forget the cranberry sauce on your holiday buffet. It adds bright festive color as well as palate-cleansing flavors to your party! Here’s a recipe for a big batch. Enjoy!
Ingredients (Makes 6 cups)
6 cups fresh cranberries (24 ounces)
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Finely diced peel (yellow part only) from 1 lemon
2 tablespoons strawberry gelatin powder (i.e., from a small box of strawberry Jello)
Directions
Step 1) Bring cranberries, sugar, and water to a boil in a . Boil gently with stirring for 2 minutes, or until most of the cranberries have “popped” (you’ll be able to hear this).
Step 2) While the cranberries are coming to a boil, peel a lemon with a vegetable peeler. This is the easiest way to remove the yellow zest from the white pith. You don’t want the white part – it’s bitter! After you have peeled off the yellow zest, dice the zest with a paring knife.
Step 3) After the cranberries have boiled for 2 minutes, stir in the lemon peel and strawberry gelatin powder. Cook for another 30 seconds, then remove from heat.
Step 4) Allow the cranberry sauce to cool in the saucepan for a while, then transfer to a serving bowl. Cranberries may be served at any temperature, but I think they taste best cold (they also set up better, and are less “liquidy” when cold). My preference would be to place the serving bowl full of cranberry sauce in the refrigerator for an hour or two (or even overnight) before serving. Enjoy!
Crowded Earth Kitchen 
I use a microplaner for zesting. It works great for whole nutmeg grinding too. They are dirt cheap at A local Restaurant supply or Homegoods store.
Excellent suggestion! Ironically, I use a zester for nutmeg, but often a paring knife for citrus peel. Perhaps I should use kitchen tools for their intended purposes! 🙂