Chrissy's Baked Ginger Cranberries

As I was browsing through the produce department at the supermarket, I saw my friend Laura who works there. We see each other all the time and she always asks me what deliciousness I'll be cooking up that day. We got to talking about cranberry sauce, and I told her I always make them the way my Mom always did. Simple basic Cranberry Sauce, with nothing else to complicate it. Call me a purist, what can I say. Anyway, she mentioned this recipe that she got from her cousin, Chrissy. Actually, to be honest, she said Chrissy got it from a friend, but like I always say, since Chrissy is the one who brought it to us, she's the one who gets the credit for it. It sounded so fabulous I absolutely HAD to try it.
 Can I just tell you, this recipe simply couldn't be any easier. You just throw everything in a dish and bake it! Easy, right? You don't even have to be exact with the measurements. Serve with your next holiday meal! Better yet, why wait until then? It's perfect with any mid-week chicken dinner as well.
Thanx Laura! And Thanx to Chrissy too!

1 12oz bag whole fresh cranberries (about 3 cups)
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 tbs crystallized ginger, chopped

Simply place all ingredients in a small casserole dish and bake at 350F for a half hour. Serve warm, cold, or at room temperature.

Tips:
Be sure to give it a good stir about halfway through baking time, otherwise the sugar might clump on the bottom. Even if that happens, though, it'll still be fine. Just stir it all together while it's still warm. the sugar will melt and become all syrupy and sticky and mmmmmm.
The original recipe called for just 2 cups of cranberries. Laura and I decided to just use the whole bag and adjust the amounts of the other ingredients accordingly. Seems silly not to just throw the whole bag in, right?
Make sure you really super mince the ginger. Personally, I just like the added layer of flavor that the ginger brings to the whole dish and I'd rather not bite into a big honkin' piece of ginger. And btw, if you like a lot of ginger, add more! And if you have a big group to feed, double everything!
I bet this would be fabulous if you add a little Grand Marnier or a little orange zest. Yum!