slow cooker cranberry sauce

When friends and family arrive on Thanksgiving Day, everyone brings their favorite family recipes to the table. Grocery bags filled with ingredients, platters, trays and large serving bowls fill both the counter and the refrigerator. Trying to determine how to bake, roast and warm multiple dishes in one oven can be daunting and improvisation becomes a much prized and necessary skill.

A few years ago, I purchased a very large countertop roasting pan for the turkey. It’s a lifesaver and while it does tend to warm the kitchen immensely, it also frees the oven for friends and family to bake and warm those speciality dishes they have brought with them. I’ve also found a couple of crock-pots or slow-cookers on the counter frees up much needed stove top space.

This week, McCormick Kitchens sent a few recipes our way to share with our readers. They understand that planning a perfectly timed Thanksgiving feast brimming with the nostalgic flavors and aromas of the season can be challenging. This year, the McCormick Kitchens have developed wow-worthy recipes that put the slow cooker to work, making everything from homemade cranberry sauce to sausage sage stuffing and mouth-watering apple cobbler. Our Thanksgiving menu has just been expanded.

“Many classic Thanksgiving dishes are even better when prepared in a slow cooker – it gives desserts an ooey gooey texture and allows flavors to fully develop in sides and sauces,” said McCormick Executive Chef Kevan Vetter. “Instead of using canned cranberry sauce, let fresh cranberries, cinnamon, bay leaves and an orange slowly simmer in the slow cooker. Four hours later you’ll have an impressive, sweet-tart sauce to serve with the turkey and spread on leftover sandwiches.”

Stay tuned this holiday season as we share McCormick Kitchen’s delicious slow cooker recipes.

For more Thanksgiving tips and recipes, visit McCormick.com. Also, check them out on Pinterest and Facebook.

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