Thanksgiving Recipe: Grandma Lylah’s Cranberry Relish

The fall housecleaning is done. Our houseguests are here. That means it’s time to turn our attention to the Thanksgiving food. It’s time to repost a few of my favorite harvest festival recipes.

Or, how to make all the kids eat their cranberries while still entertaining adult palates. Seriously.

3 12-oz. bags fresh cranberries
2/3 c. granulated sugar
1 large can crushed pineapple
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1 lb. mini-marshmallows

Wash and drain the cranberries. Grind using a medium die.

Mix in sugar and let sit overnight in the refrigerator.

Drain the crushed pineapple thoroughly. Mix the juice with some rum. This is for you, not the kids.

Whip the cream to very stiff peaks, just shy of butter.

In a bigger bowl than you think you’ll need, mix the pineapple and marshmallows into the cranberries. Fold in the whipped cream just until you have no large red streaks.

The end result is fluffy, unthreateningly pink and has distinct sweet and tart elements. Serves dozens and freezes remarkably well.

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Thanksgiving Recipe: Grandma Lylah’s Cranberry Relish
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7 thoughts on “Thanksgiving Recipe: Grandma Lylah’s Cranberry Relish

  1. F
    1

    That’s a cross between two of my favourite holiday food-thingumies: pineapple whip and (different) cranberry relish.

    The pineapple whip is a bit like Grandma’s relish minus the cranberries and rum, but you melt the marshmallows and fold in the whipped cream and the pineapple.

    The cranberry relish is crushed/ground cranberries with orange peel and a bit of sugar.

    Your (Grandma’s) recipe will certainly be passed on to my Mom, Grandma, and other interested relatives. And yes, I’m lucky enough to still have a Grandma. The women in my Grandmother’s matrilineal, uh, line, live for, like, ever.

  2. F
    2

    Oh, and just for the sake of being a pain in the ass, could I ask you if you might give the recipe a slightly more unique name? Like “Grandma X‘s Cranberry Relish.” So the millions of people about to fall in love with this little delight can discern it from similarly named recipes.

    Regardless, thank you (and your Grandma) for the recipe.

  3. 3

    Ooh. Orange peel. Maybe I’ll add some this year.

    I’m also lucky enough to have had my grandmothers for quite a while. The last one died a couple years ago at 90.

    Enjoy your Thanksgiving.

  4. 4

    Funny, I don’t recall the rum. Is this a recent addition or just well disguised? And orange peel sounds great – you get both in your stuffing, you know.

    And “F”, if you want a full name, it’s “Grandma Lylah’s…” etc.

  5. F
    7

    Oh, thanks so much! And I did enjoy my Thanksgiving, the celebration of which had been moved to this past Saturday. I had forgotten to check back and copy down the recipe, so here I am with my belated thank you to you both. Cheers!

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