Cranberry Salsa Appetizer

This is such a festive recipe. The colors are beautiful for this time of year, and the flavors are addictive. So here it is: The trickiest thing in this recipe is the fresh Ginger. It's in the produce section... it's a root. Peel it like a potato and grate it up. I highly suggest making it the day of, (it's less mushy and more fresh) but at least 4 hours before so the flavors can mix.
Cranberry Salsa Dip with Cream Cheese 
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed and drained (6 oz.)
1/8 cup minced green onions
1 small jalapeno chile pepper, cored, seeded and minced
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/8 cup fresh cilantro leaves, minced
1 tablespoons finely-grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
Cranberries and/or cilantro sprigs for garnish

1. Rinse, drain, and pick over cranberries, (discarding all that are soft or bruised). Place them in a food processor; pulse until finely chopped but not mushy.
2. Place crushed cranberries in a bowl; mix together with minced green onions, jalapeno peppers, sugar, cilantro leaves, ginger, and lemon juice.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours so flavors develop (salsa will be too sharp and tart to begin with).
4. On a serving plate, place cream cheese; cover with the dip. Garnish, if desired, and served with crackers.