Cranberry sauce

12 oz cranberries
1 cinnamon stick
6 whole cloves
1 cardamom pod
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar

1. Wash the cranberries and discard any spoiled ones.
2. Tie the cinnamon, cloves and cardamom in a cheesecloth pouch. This makes it much easier to fish them out of the sauce!
3. Bring spices, orange juice and sugar to a boil. The longer you simmer, the stronger the spice flavour will be, so use your own judgment.
4. Add cranberries and boil until they pop, which takes about 10 minutes.
5. Discard the spices.
6. Allow to cool one hour, and serve. The sauce will thicken.

This is a fantastic recipe for holiday canning, and makes a unique, affordable Christmas gift. Process for 15 minutes if you're using the hot water method. Note that this recipe leaves you with a pretty strong cinnamon flavour, so you could use half a stick if you'd like a more balanced spice flavour.

Mint syrup

1 bunch fresh mint (4-5 tbsp leaves)
1 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar

1. Mix all three ingredients in a saucepan.
2. Simmer over medium heat until sugar is completely dissolved.
3. Set aside for 1-2 hours.
4. Strain out the leaves.
5. Store the syrup in the refrigerator

This is divine added to fresh lemonade or club soda in the hot summer months.