Cranberry Nut Bread

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It's Cranberry Time!!

Here is one of my family's most treasured holiday recipes: Cranberry Nut Bread. I share it with you and hope you enjoy it as much as we do. P.S. Get those cranberries now out in the market (October, November, and December) while you can because once they are sold out for the year, you won't be able to find them again until next year. And these little breads freeze wonderfully!

Cranberry Nut Bread

1/3 cup butter

2/3 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup very warm, not hot, water

1/3 cup non-fat dry milk

2 cups sifted flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 cup fresh whole cranberries

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Cream the buter and sugar in a bowl with a hand-mixer.

Add the eggs and vanilla, beating thoroughly.

Sprinkle the yeast into the warm water and stir until dissolved.

Stir in the dry milk.

Blend yeast mixture, flour and baking soda into the egg mixture.

Beat at highest speed of mixer for 6 minutes.

Stir in the cranberries and nuts.

Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate batter overnight

Then, stir the batter down and put into SMALL greased loaf pans.

Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

Bake at 375 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes.

Cool and dust with powdered sugar or top with your favorite powdered sugar icing.

WE LOVE THIS BREAD WITHOUT ANYTHING! But the choice is yours.

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ADDICTING, Oh So Good (and SWEET) Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Here is a recipe that I found on the 'All Recipes' web-site. I do not claim this recipe to be my own creation. My husband and I are the pickiest cookie foodies. So when we were researching the best oatmeal (raisin) cookie recipe, I found this. If you log on to All Recipes for this recipe you will see that there are over 600 5-star reader reviews for this cookie recipe . . . honestly, this recipe is that good!

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We bake half a batch with raisins and half a batch without raisins because our family is split on this little tiny ingredient (in fact, I double the raisins for my batch, since I love raisins).

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If you nibble on these when they are warm, you will become addicted to them!

Soft Oatmeal (Raisin) Cookies

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1 cup butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon!

3 cups quick cooking oats

1 cup or your preferred amount of dark raisins

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In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together and then stir these into the creamed mixture. Mix in the oats.

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Cover and chill the cookie dough for at least one hour.

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease cookie sheets. Roll the cookie dough into walnut-size balls and place them 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. Flatten each cookie with a large spoon dipped in sugar.

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Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the pre-heated oven. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before placing them on a wire rack to cool completely.

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Dauphinois Potato Gratin. Very elegant!

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I've been outside enjoying this last bit of 70+ degree weather. It is so beautiful outside in the fall, don't you think? Plus, turning back the clock an hour has really helped me catch up on some z-z-z's from my sleep deprivation!


I am going to give you a very special, elegant recipe that I found in "The Vegetarian Gourmet", a cookbook printed in the '70's. This is a classic dish filled with wonderfully familiar ingredients such as garlic, cheese and cream. I am not a vegetarian, but the cookbook has many good ways to fix veggies, which we all need more of.


Now in no way is this a healthy side dish! This very French gratin recipe is rather rich and high in fat . . . it is a warm, creamy, cheesey, soul-satisfying dish that is perfect for autumn meals! Anyway every now and then we can enjoy something like this, right? Isn't the saying that "everything in moderation?"

If you prepare the pork roast recipe that I gave you a few days ago, this potato side dish is lovely combined with it. Pairing the two dishes together make a delicious Sunday afternoon dinner after church or for an elegant evening also. For a pretty plate, I'd serve some freshly steamed broccoli or asparagus alongside. The creamy-cheese sauce from the potatoes is very good to soak up into a green vegetable.


Here is this classic potato gratin recipe for you:

Dauphinois Potatoes

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

3 Tbsp. butter

1 cup whole milk

1 cup whipping cream

2 cloves garlic, minced

5 - 6 medium Idaho potatoes (peeled and thinly sliced)

1/2 tsp. salt

Freshly ground pepper

Butter a 9" baking dish.

Gently heat the milk and cream in a saucepan, add the butter, salt and pepper.

Rub the inside of the baking dish with the garlic or sprinkle the bottom with garlic powder.

Arrange the potatoes in overlapping layers in the baking dish.

Pour the milk/cream sauce over the potatoes.

Sprinkle the grated cheddar cheese on top.

Bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 45 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked and well-golden browned on top and the milk has become a creamy sauce.

M-m-m-m-m-m, this is just heavenly!

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