Cranberry Relish and A Great Wine

At Thanksgiving, we always have the tried and true recipes.  It just wouldn't be the same without those.  But each year, there are always a fe new things added to the mix.  This year, two new treats wowed me.

First, my niece, Denise is the family wine expert.  She has all sorts of connections who know their wines and she usually brings a bottle of her newest find for those of us who enjoy wine to sample.  This year, she brought a zinfandel - 7 Deadly Zins.  Wow.  Sometimes the first sip or two of wine can make you pucker up. This wine didn't do that.  And it wasn't overly sweet or weak either.  I don't know all the right language for wine, but I know what I like and I liked this.  It was quite tasty with our wonderful meal.

Last but not least, my niece, Carly, brought a cranberry relish that was fabulous.  She got the recipe from her mother-in-law to be, Lois.   Lois - thank you sooooo much for sharing.  It was wonderful!   You know how good cranberries are with turkey or ham?  Well, this relish is even better.  Just the right bit of tart and sweet.  I love great flavor combinations.  Just to be clear, it looks a bit like a salad, but it's a RELISH - a seasoned sauce that is used to add flavor to other foods.

Also, of note...  I've recently had to go gluten-free.  My niece clicked off quite a list of ingredients in this recipe that she could remember.  I was a little worried that there might be something in it that would have me up all night.  Not to worry.  No problems at all.

Cranberry Relish

• 2 bags fresh cranberries
• 1 pkg (small) Jello-strawberry, cherry or cranberry 
• 1 medium can crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 orange
• 1 medium red apple, chopped-No need to peel. (I use red delicious.)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup finely chopped celery (optional)

1. Using food processor, coarsely chop cranberries. Set aside. 
2. Mix Jello with ½ cup hot water in a large bowl. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. 
3. Drain pineapple and add to mixture in bowl. Zest orange into mixture. OR, if you don't have a zester, you can grate the peel off carefully or do the same with a peeler. Try to avoid the white portion of the peel. Just make sure the pieces are very small before adding to the mixture. 
4. Add chopped apple and chopped pecans. (Add celery, if desired) Mix in cranberries. 
5. Chill several hours before serving. You can make this a day ahead if you want.