Fresh Cranberry Bread

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Cranberries, beautiful little crimson red cranberries! They're fresh in the market right now and I'm stocking up on them to use in some great recipes that have been featured in many cooking magazines this season.  I have an old perennial cherished family recipe that I cannot be without for the holidays, but I'm also anxious to try a lot of new recipes this year too.  Gotta stay fresh and on top of things!

So to share with you, here is one of my absolutely favorite Thanksgiving and Christmas family recipes.  I bake batches and batches of this Cranberry Bread that our family just devours.  They freeze beautifully and make wonderful gifts for friends, family, and neighbors (especially nice to give as gifts to folks who pop by with those surprise visits with a holiday gift in hand, and you're standing there thinking, "Oh my gosh, I need to reciprocate with something nice in return!"  Well this little bread is the answer to your situation.  Plus, it's so nice to know that something as delicious as fresh cranberries have such strong health benefits as well!  These little red gems are packed with powerful antioxidants and cooking does NOT destroy their benefits!

So dig in, enjoy, and feel good about it all at the same time!

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Cranberry Nut Bread
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Here's what you need for the cranberry bread:

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1 cup fresh, sliced cranberries

2 cups flour

3/4 cups chopped walnuts

3 tsp. baking powder

1/4 cup melted butter

3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup whole or 2% milk
2 cups sifted flour

1/4 tsp. salt

Crisco/shortening

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Here's what you need to do to prepare the cranberry bread:

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Wash and slice the cranberries (can be sliced in a food processor).

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl.

Stir in cranberries and nuts.

Beat eggs with a beater.

Add the beaten eggs to the milk, butter and vanilla.

In the center of the dry mixture, make a hole or well into which you pour in the egg mixture.

Blend together until all of the dry ingredients are moistened.

Spread Crisco/shortening on all sides and bottom of small and mini bread loaf pans.

Pour the mixture into greased loaf pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes or until golden brown on top, until a cake tester/knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let stand and cool in pans for 10 minutes.
Remove from pans and allow to cool on wire racks.
Decadent when spread with softened butter and sprinkled with sugar.

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Autumn Harvest Spinach Salad with Pears, Cranberries, and Pumpkin Seeds

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This week's theme in the 'I Heart Cooking Clubs' food blogging group is "Autumn Harvest" with Nigella Lawson's recipes. I selected her Spinach Salad with Pumpkin Seeds and Avocados because I just LOVE spinach salad and always serve it for special occasions and holidays. However, I've never made this particular recipe. So I decided to give it a go. And as usual, I made some changes for my own creativity by ADDING sliced pears, dried cranberries, and a cranberry balsamic vinaigrette instead of using Nigella's dressing. These additions truly made this salad more representative of autumn fare!

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Spinach Salad with Pears, Cranberries, and Pumpkin Seeds

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Here's what you need for the salad:

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2 packages of baby spinach leaves

pumpkin seeds

2 sliced pears with peels (my addition)

2 avocados, peeled and cubed

dried cranberries (my addition)
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Here's what you need for the Vinaigrette:

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Cranberry Balsamic Vinaigrette (my substitution for her dressing)

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2 - 3 Tbsp cranberries
4 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 tsp salt

fresh ground black pepper to taste
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Combine all ingredients in blender and mix until smooth. Adjust ingredients by adding what you prefer.

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Here's what you need to do to prepare the salad:

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Gently wash the spinach leaves with water and gently pat dry with a towel.

Add the avocado to the spinach.

Sprinkle the pumpkin seeds in the spinach.Add dried cranberries to your desired amounts.

Gently toss together well.

Place on individual salad plates and place several slices of the pears on top.

Add more cranberries or pumpkin seeds if desired.

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Either add the vinaigrette and toss lightly all of the ingredients again or pass the vinaigrette around in a pretty bowl or small pitcher for your guests to add their own dressing.

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Pumpkin Brownies That Are Simply Sinful !

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Happy November everyone!
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I want to thank all of you who wrote to me in the last few days. I missed each of YOU TOO! I just read on another blog that the author was 'missing in action' for awhile as she was also unable to post on her blog either . . . I thought that was humorous! Life does get busier at times, doesn't it?
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Well, before you know it, the holidays will be here. So I wanted to share a superb, incredibly cinnamon-y dessert recipe with all of you. I have never given this recipe away to anyone but my kids. I literally had to PRY it out of a friend when I lived in Scottsdale, Arizona back in the '80s.
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My mother says that these pumpkin brownies are simply sinful and that she just can't stop eating them! Personally, I think these are even better than pumpkin pie. These little delights have 3 layers of yumminess: a soft cake-y crust, a very pumpkin pie-like center, and and oh-so-cinnamony-crumb topping. And oh, yes, your kitchen smells better than any of those expensive scented candles! You be the judge if you decide to make them.
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Pumpkin Brownies
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What you'll need for the brownies:
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1 yellow cake mix
1/2 cup melted butter
1 jumbo egg, beaten
1 small can pumpkin
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 jumbo eggs, beaten
2/3 cup milk (I use whole or 2% milk)
1/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 Tbsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup butter
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Here's what you need to do to make the brownies:
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In an ungreased square baking pan, combine the following:
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the yellow cake mix --- SAVE one (1) cup and set aside for the brownie topping!
1/2 cup melted butter
1 beaten egg
Blend these together and PRESS into the baking pan to form the 'crust' of the brownies.

In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the following:

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the can of pumpkin

pumpkin pie spice

2 beaten jumbo eggs

the milk

Blend well and pour over the 'crust' layer

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In a small bowl, combine the following:
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the cup of cake mix that was previously set aside

1/4 cup sugar

1 -1/2 Tbsp. cinnamon

1/4 cup butter

This is very gum-my, so break it up and sprinkle this on the top of the pumpkin layer.

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Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes.

Serve alone, with vanilla ice cream, or caramel sauce drizzled on top

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I hope that you try this sweet little recipe . . . and if you do, please let me know what you think! And now, I'm going to go and visit your blogs to do some catching up with you!

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