Festive Cranberry Orange Salsa

Certain flavors just seem to scream seasonal joyousness and walk us down memory lane!!! In summertime it's all about that BBQ (no trouble lol), fruity umbrella drinks, a nice crisp salad, watermelon, corn on the cob, and just that laid-back, light, island vibe kind of food. Fall takes us back to the comfort food zone with apple cinnamon and pumpkin flavored everything, chili, noodleee cassaroles, chicken soups, stuffing, mounds of mashed potatoes, and pretty much all the hardy, fatty good stuff that we will worry about eating after the New Year (lol). Ahhh, and Christmas.... the time for pies and cookies galore, peppermint everything, cranberries, oranges, little pasteries, danishes and more. Christmas truly embodies sugar, spice, and everything nice sorta like my Cranberry Orange Salsa! :) It's sweet (but not cavity sweet) and would mesh well with just about anything, yet it's a tad bit naughty, spicey, and packing a little heat, which is a great alternative to the common sugary Christmas flavors! I oringinally served this up with wet turkey burritos (YUMS), but it's great with just a good bag of nacho chips and cheddar cheese too. This recipe will make enough to please a large crowd, (I got about 7pint sized jars worth), it's also super easy to make, quick, tasty, and it won't break the bank! #Winner)

My peppers were WAY hotter than anticipated, so I cut out a pepper and added another orange ;)

  Whatcha' Need:

3 Medium-Large Tomatoes (I used vine tomatoes, but roma, cherry, grape , plum or the sweeter varieties of tomatoes would be great in this salsa, adjust accordingly; if you use a smaller mato add more than three.)

4 Navel Oranges

2 cups whole fresh cranberries

2-3 Medium Jalapenos with seeds (for a milder salsa, discard seeds or use green bell peppers instead) 

1 Large White or Yellow Onion

1 cup pineapple orange juice (or just orange juice, pineapple juice, or even a cranberry blend juice would be tasty as well)

2 tsps lime juice

2 tsp salt

1 tsp garlic or 2 cloves minced

1 tsp chili powder

1tsp red pepper flakes

Start by rinsing off all the produce. Next, place the cranberries into a blender, food processer, or similar fine chopping device if you have one. You could also chop them all by hand as well, but that is a bit time consuming for my liking, so I recomend just pulsing them in the blender on low. Next, coarsely chop the jalapenos and toss them and all the spicey seeds in the blender with the crushed cranberries. Pulse on low until well blended, between pulsing stir the mixture w/ a spoon a few times just to ensure no massive chunks of peppers or seeds are sneaking around the blades that will possibly kick you or your loved ones in the throat later (a little kick is good, but you don't want that heat to feel like a roundhouse kick to the throat from Chuck Norris type of unpleasant heat ;)

Next peel the oranges. Then cut them in half and slice them going against the grain of the orange into bite sized pieces. You want the oranges and all its yummy counterparts to fit comfortably on a tortilla chip. Small enough to get all the yummy stuff in one bite, but not super fine either to where you can't tell what's what.

Orange peels can be used for a variety of neat things so save them peels.

 Next peel and chop the onion and combine all the ingredients into a large sauce pan OR mix all ingredients in a large bowl, cover, chill, and serve as is, like a refreshing pico de gallo. 

For salsa~  combine all ingredients and cook on meduim/low for about 20-30 minutes just to slighlty cook down and soften the fruits and veggies a bit and to allow the flavors to really mingle. Stir frequently throughout heating and season to desired taste. 

I canned some of my salsa because it made way more than I had originally anticipated lol, but if you are making this for a large gathering or potluck, pour the salsa into a large festive dish, cover it with plastic wrap or fitted lid, and allow it to chill for about 2hours before serving. It goes great with cheddar cheese and tortilla chips, but it would also be great with a good cheesy cracker or some cream cheese and triscuits (OR almost ANYTHING/EVERYTHING really lol). I hope you enjoy this fun and easy twist on two classic holiday flavors. Next winter gathering you attend or throw, serve up this spunky salsa and pleasantly surprise guests with a yummy & festive, but refreshing appetizer, that's so simple to make and far from boring! <3 Happy Holidays Lovlies <3