Cranberry Chutney with Cloves and Pecans

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all! Well, technically, it is now the end of the day after the holiday of Thanksgiving here in the States, but since we're still celebrating with our families, continuing the Thanksgiving festivities, it feels warranted to continue to wish all my wonderful blogger friends, both in the States and around the globe, a bounty of blessings and festive cheer.

This year marked the second annual Thanksgiving at Zach and Astra's House, with both my family and Zach's family cooking, chatting, and camping in our house with nary a complaint about the somewhat cramped, but utterly cozy and cheerful accommodations. Having heard countless stories about couples having to choose between spending Thanksgiving with one family or the other, I feel so incredibly fortunate that both our families are willing to travel to our home and spend the holiday as one, peaceful, laughing, joke-telling, and prank-playing united family!

Since both my family and Zach's family love to cook, we had the extra fun of everyone together in the kitchen, with nearly each person preparing a dish or two! Everyone was able to fix their dishes as leisurely as they liked, with contented pauses to replenish a glass of wine, or nibble a bite of the torta de patata I prepared for a midday brunch.

As usual, there was always the concern that our bounteous feast wouldn't be able to fit on the table, but somehow we arranged the dishes like puzzle pieces, and even managed to find room for the second dish of cranberry sauce!

And the roasted green beans...

The pecan-collages Elise, Miss Brenda, and I created atop the pecan pies...

Miss Brenda's famous sweet potato casserole...

Zach's famous rendition of Julia Child's Garlic Mashed Potatoes...

A rainbow of spiced olives...

A bountiful bowl of rice dressing...

Carrot and Parsnip "Sunshine..."

Buttery marinated mushrooms and feta cheese...

And that's only just a few of all the dishes!

Oh yes, and did I mention the cranberry sauce? :-)

Speaking of cranberry sauce... Much like last year, the Thanksgiving item I was most excited about this holiday was once again the cranberry dish. This year, Elise (of muffin fame!) and I fixed a glorious cranberry chutney, infused with white wine, cloves, and apples, and the light tartness and spice of the dish proved to be the perfect foil to some of the richer dishes on the menu...

Cranberry Chutney with Cloves and Pecans

3/4 cup orange juice
1 cup raw turbinado sugar
1/2 cup white wine (we used a Chardonnay)
5 whole cloves
1 large tart apple, diced
1 1/2 tsp minced crystallized ginger
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
12 oz fresh cranberries
1 T orange zest
1/2 cup chopped pecans

~ Combine the orange juice, turbinado sugar, white wine, and whole cloves in a large saucepan, and bring the mixture to a boil. Allow the mixture to simmer, stirring constantly, until the turbinado sugar dissolves.
~ Stir in the apple, crystallized ginger, cayenne pepper, and cranberries, bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce he heat and simmer until the cranberries have popped and the sauce has thickened a bit.
~ Remove the pan from the heat, allow the chutney to cool, and then stir in the orange rind and the pecans.
~ Serve warm or cool!