If you’re celebrating Thanksgiving in Santa Fe this year, I guarantee this little dish will be a huge hit. Even if you’re celebrating Thanksgiving in Florida or Milwaukee, I’m pretty sure your guests will over my cranberry salsa. It’s easy, delicious, packs a punch, and my recommendation is that you make it tonight or tomorrow. It tastes best on the second or third day after the flavors have a chance to meld together.

This is the easiest cranberry salsa recipe in existence.  If you’re a total purist, make your own cranberry sauce from the directions on a bag of fresh cranberries.  If you’re in a hurry and have 22 other dishes to make (that’s me), use canned cranberry sauce.

And this isn’t just a Thanksgiving recipe – make it and take to a potluck and you’ll be deemed brilliant.  All the other guests will want your recipe.  That’s why you go to potlucks, right?

Ingredients:

Cranberry sauce (canned or fresh – you choose)

Jalapenos – seeded and deveined and chopped (1 or 2 or 3 – you choose based on who’s eating this salsa and how hot you want it)

½ purple onion, chopped

Fresh cilantro, chopped, at least a tablespoon (again you decide on the amount.  At my house we love extra cilantro.  At some houses they think it tastes like dirt.  I don’t invite those people over. . )

Lime juice (at least a teaspoon, and fresh is better.)

Garlic salt (pinch to taste)

Mix all ingredients together and serve with corn chips OR fresh veggies for dipping.

As I said previously, my suggestion is that you make this at least a day ahead of your big meal. Like almost everything, it’s better when you let the flavors sit together at least overnight.

Note:  There are about 927 recipes online for cranberry salsa.  I’m just giving you the easiest, quickest and as far as I can tell, the most warmly received.  Enjoy.  And be thankful. Especially if you’re getting to celebrate in Santa Fe!