Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip
By: Lindsey Chambers
INGREDIENTS:
• 1 12oz package fresh cranberries
• 1/4 cup green onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 small jalapeno
• 1cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• dash salt
• 2 8oz packages whipped cream cheese
• pecan nut thins
DIRECTIONS:
1. Finely chop cranberries in food processor.
2. Chop onion, cilantro & jalapeno into small pieces.
3. Add all ingredients together except cream cheese and nut thins.
4. Place the mixture in the fridge and chill for 4 hours. This allows the sugar to melt.
5. Spread the cream cheese on the bottom of a shallow dish. Then spread the cranberry mixture over the cream cheese, as a second layer.
6. Serve with nut thins for dipping.
While we can presume that cranberries were available when the Pilgrims ate their first Thanksgiving meal in 1621, they probably weren’t served on the Thanksgiving table because sugar, the key component in cranberry sauce, was a luxury item and not widely available at the time. And according to the New Jersey Star-Ledger, “Cranberries officially became a part of the national Thanksgiving tradition in 1864, when Gen. Ulysses S. Grant ordered cranberries be served to soldiers as part of their holiday meal.” For those of us who don’t care for the jello-like cranberry sauce, you have to try this Mexi-twist on the Thanksgiving staple. I first discovered this recipe a few years ago when my step mom, Joanne Smith, served it as a pre-meal treat. I HAD to have the recipe! Since then, I’ve served it at Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and just about any party that comes up from mid-October (when cranberries first become available) through January; turning friends and family alike on to this creamy, salty, spicy, sweet dip. This Thanksgiving I’m giving thanks to this unique crowd-pleaser that will forever replace the dreaded cranberry sauce on my table. Viva Cranberries! — Lindsey Chambers
