December is busy. Who am I kidding? Life if busy, but December trumps all the other months. Because on top of taking care of all the things, there are even more things. Holiday gifts, holiday decorating, holiday this and holiday that, and yes…holiday parties. So many parties. Fun, joyful, merry parties…where everyone brings their most beautiful, festive appetizer to share. And I sigh deeply and think, “How could I possibly find the time to make something festive, fun and creative?” And then my head has a brilliant idea! I joyfully remember the Cranberry Jalapeno Salsa everyone adores. And it only takes 10 minutes. Hark the blessed appetizer angels!
The month of December has red and green oozing all over it, so cranberry jalapeno salsa is an obvious choice for a holiday party. Especially since cranberries are readily available right now. Cranberries are high in nutrition, but as we know, are hard to eat straight up due to their “pucker factor”. So, you’ve got to sweeten them up a bit. You can use any granulated sugar you want here, but you do have to sweeten them or you’re going to have sour faces surrounding you. And that’s not bringing much holiday cheer to the table.
This salsa takes your taste buds on a journey all over your palate: sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, and cilantro (smirk). Throw some tortilla chips in there and you’ve also got salty, and a jackpot of flavor combinations. The cranberry jalapeno salsa will last several days in your fridge. If you have a couple parties on your horizons, make a big batch, store it in an airtight bowl, and bring it to the next party (and don’t forget your stocking stuffer for that gift exchange)!
What is your favorite go-to when whipping up holiday appetizers to bring to a party?
Cranberry Jalapeno Salsa
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries
- 1 jalapeno roughly chopped, seeds removed for milder salsa
- 3 green onions green and white parts, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup cilantro packed
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
Instructions
- Add the cranberries, jalapeno, green onion and cilantro to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until all ingredients are just finely chopped. Do not over process or puree.
- Scrape the cranberry mixture into a bowl and add the sugar, salt and lime juice. Stir to combine, cover, and chill for at least 2 hours to allow the flavors to meld.
- Serve with tortilla chips or crackers. Enjoy!
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