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Our family isn’t your traditional family when it comes to Thanksgiving dinner. Sure we enjoy ham and turkey like everyone else but we like to dress our turkeys with something a little different! While all the other moms are out buying crannberries I’m sitting here with summer fruit feeling like a total winner! That’s right, we don’t do the cranberry thing around here! We like to dress up our turkey with some good ole raspberry and blueberry sauce!

This year I was inspired by a Citrus Cranberry Sauce Recipe I saw on the Hefty site. I love fresh berry sauce, and I love citrus so I figured if it works for cranberries, it should work for my blueberries and raspberries as well. Cranberries aren’t the only ones who get to have all the fun!

Now it’s only the first week in November, so why would I already be prepping Thanksgiving foods? Is it just for show? Uh, no! This mama is planning ahead. That’s right. I have decided to start marking certain recipes off the list before the big day. Why? Well, mainly because I love Thanksgiving and as much as I love the cooking and chatting I also like to offer LOTS of foods. If I waited until the day of to start making all the different foods I serve I would be in the kitchen until Black Friday!

So here’s a tip: If you want to offer the huge spread that Grandma used to offer be sure to a) plan ahead and b) enlist your family members! Even family members who aren’t usually very helpful are usually willing to lend a hand if they can prepare their dish weeks ahead of time.

There are so many different appetizers and sides that can be prepped before the big day.

*Cookies
*Pies & Cakes
* Sausage Balls
* Meat Sauces
* Soups

Want to know exact times? Check out this awesome infographic from Hefty! Need more Thanksgiving Day Prep tips?

Heck, you could even pre-cook the meat, but then you wouldn’t have any excuse to spend time with the girls in the kitchen!

Anyway, if you want to make these recipes ahead of time go ahead and grab some Hefty Slider Freezer Bags and you’ll be all set! Just freeze and thaw the day before in the fridge. You can serve these sauces cold on top of your pies, but we prefer then warm on our turkey!

Citrus Berry Turkey Sauce:

Yield: 1 Cup

Berry Citrus Turkey Sauce

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Print

Ingredients

For Blueberry Turkey Sauce

• 2 Cup fresh blueberries
• 1/2 Cup sugar
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon lime zest
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

ForRaspberryTurkey Sauce

• 2 Cup fresh raspberries
• 1/2 Cup sugar
• 1/8 cup orange juice
• 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon lime zest
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

For both recipes follow these instructions (Note: We like our blueberry sauce a little more liquified, if you don't use half the orange juice)

1. PLACE berries in a large saucepan. Add sugar, orange juice, orange zest, lemon zest, lime zest and cinnamon; stir to combine.
3. COOK over medium-high heat, stirring often for 6 to 8 minutes or until the cranberries come to a rapid boil. Reduce heat to medium –low and continue cooking, stirring occasionally for 10 to 12 minutes or until cranberry mixture has thickened.
5. COOL cranberry sauce to room temperature, then transfer to a Hefty Quart Size Slider Freezer Bag. Store in freezer for up to one month.

Reheating & Serving

1. TRANSFER cranberry sauce from the freezer to the refrigerator 24 hours before serving. Bring to room temperature before serving. Or to serve warm, place cranberry sauce in a large saucepan and reheat over medium-low heat.
3. Garnish with orange, lemon or lime zest before serving.

Be sure to stay close to the stove because you don’t want your berries to stick and burn!

We make the blueberry sauce a little more runny. but you can add 1/2 the required orange juice if you don’t like it. This helps compensate for turkeys that may have cooked too long and might be a tad dried out. Of course we don’t know this from experience so….. 😉

Make sure your sauce is COMPLETELY cooled! Seriously. Let it sit.

Don’t forget to label your bags. We do a lot of food prep around here and things can get mixed up pretty easily!

Looking for cool Thanksgiving Day craft ideas for the kids? Hefty’s got cha covered!

More Thanksgiving Recipes To Try:

Thanksgiving Squash Soup
Sausage Balls 
Sweet PotatoeCasserole
Cranberry Cream Cheese Dessert 

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