A Summer Recipe and A Giveaway!

I have been wanting to blog for a while now, but life keeps coming at me full force! I also couldn't figure out what I should blog about after being gone so long. I have projects to share, etc., and didn't know where to start!

Then today, I was making a recipe I've made a lot but never shared here, so I thought that would be a good place to start. 

This recipe is for Cranberry Chutney, so I guess you could say it's a winter or summer recipe. Winter because that's about the only time you can buy cranberries, and summer because that's when you eat it! (at least that's when we eat it the most!) We like to serve it with grilled chicken, made with my dad's marinade, of course, or on a chicken or ham sandwich. I'm sure there are many more ways to eat this, but these are our favorites!

Cranberry Chutney

1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
4 oranges
4 apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2" dice
2-inch piece of ginger root, peeled and cut into 1-inch matchsticks
2 tsp. ground mace
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1 1/4 cups cider vinegar
2 (12 oz.) packages fresh or frozen cranberries, picked over
1 cup dried currants (I've never used these, because I never remember to buy them!!)

In a large saucepan, combine the onion, water, and sugars. Bring to a boil, stir, decrease the heat to low, and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.

Scrub the oranges. Quarter them through the stem end, discard any seeds, and slice them as thinly as possible.

Add the oranges and their juice, apples, ginger, mace, cloves and vinegar to the saucepan and continue to cook for another 20 minutes.

Add the cranberries and currants to the pan and continue to simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes, until the mixture is thick.

Ladle the hot chutney into clean, hot jars, leaving a 1/4" headspace, seal and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes for long-term storage. Or ladle into sterilized jars, cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 6 months. Allow to sit for at least 3 weeks before opening or giving away. (I don't always let it sit that long, and it's fine)
Makes about 4 pint jars

Joel's Marinade (for chicken)

2/3 cup oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 lbs. of chicken

This is my favorite marinade to use for grilled chicken, and the chutney is excellent on it!!

So you're wondering, where is this giveaway she was talking about? Well, I didn't know how many people would try this recipe, either because they had never eaten chutney before or didn't know what this one tasted like. So, leave a comment, and in one week (March 26th) I will pick a winner, and send them a jar of this wonderful chutney! And there might be another surprise in the box, too. You never know!