If Swedish meatballs and lingonberries work for Ikea, why wouldn’t cranberry sauce and turkey taste just as good? The idea of eating cranberry sauce at times besides Thanksgiving may make you scoff, and the thought of pairing berries with meat may seem like an outlandish concept. Often neglected at the feast, the acidic taste of cranberries has the important job of cutting through and balancing the umami flavors of turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy and corn. To get the full experience of what cranberry sauce has to offer, use homemade or even whole berry canned sauce. The cylindrical jello version is harder to use in new dishes and doesn’t have same satisfying texture. Here are some ideas on how to use the leftover cranberry sauce that’ll have you reconsider cooking with fruit.

A cranberry breakfast

One of the easiest ways to add cranberry sauce to your morning feast is to mix the cranberries into pancake batter. An alternative to blueberry pancakes, using cranberries gives your ordinary flapjacks a winter feel. For every cup of batter, thoroughly mix in 1/4 cup of cranberry sauce. When you take a bite into these pancakes, the tart cranberries will wake you up.

Berry sandwich surprise

Take your PB&J sandwiches a step further by using cranberry sauce instead of your average strawberry or grape jelly. Whip together a 1/2 tablespoon of cream cheese and a 1/2 tablespoon of cranberry sauce. Spread this mix onto one side of your toasted bread and add peanut butter to the other piece of bread. In less than five minutes, you can have a sweet but filling lunch. Goodbye grammar school taste, hello adulthood.

Meat with cranberry glaze

As a college student, there are only so many ways we can rotate the condiments we have on hand with our dinners. If you want to shake up your routine without sacrificing ease, look no further. Add the juice of one orange, two tablespoons of soy sauce, one tablespoon of ketchup and 1/4 cup of water to 1/2 cup of cranberry sauce. Sear four pork chops on a pan and then pour the sauce mixture on top. Let the pork chops simmer in the sauce for about 45 minutes until cooked through. If the sauce is drying up while the pork is cooking, add more water to keep the meat moist. It’s an easy-yet-impressive dinner for you and your dinner guests.

Icy hot delight

Finish the day and treat yo’ self with dessert. Break up a cookie into a bowl and add cranberry sauce. Microwave for about 30 seconds to a minute and pour this hot crumble mix over a scoop of ice cream. This warm topping will satisfy your sweet tooth and elevate your typical ice cream routine. Spread the love and make this the next time you decide to do some late-night roommate bonding.

Cranberry sauce is versatile, and its many uses make it a hidden gem Thanksgiving ingredient. We at the Clog hope this humble berry sauce can become an integral part of your year-round meals. Enjoy!