Homemade Cranberry Jelly - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 lb whole cranberries, washed and picked over for any bad berries
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup apple cider
lemon juice (optional)

Preparation

Combine the first three above ingredients and simmer until the berries begin to burst. Remove from the heat and taste. If it's too sweet for you, add a bit of lemon juice to increase the tartness.
If it's too tart, you can add a bit more sugar and return to the heat in order until the sugar is integrated.
Once the flavors are adjusted and the fruit has cooled a bit run it through a food mill or press it through a sieve, to remove the skins.
Pour into clean jars (leaving 1/2 inch head space), wipe rims, apply lids (make sure to simmer your lids at approximately 180 degrees for about ten minutes prior to use) and process in a boiling water canner for fifteen minutes (starting the time when the canner returns to a boil).
This recipe makes just a bit more than a pint (I filled a pint and a four-ounce jar).
If you can't help but mess around with recipes, try adding some cinnamon, orange zest or a bit of vanilla bean (it's delicious, it just didn't match the food memory I was trying to satisfy). Make it your own!