Christmas Bread in February

In December, I buy bags of fresh cranberries.  They are beautiful, those red, shiny berries, looking like Christmas decorations in the produce department.  I can't pass by without putting a bag or two in my cart.  What doesn't get used right away, gets tossed in the freezer.  They last a long time. 

I make my own cranberry sauce (it's so easy) and use the others in a  variety of baked goods.  I adore the fresh, tart taste of cranberries.  Just in case, like me, you find yourself with some extra cranberries to use, today I'm going to share a recipe for one of my favorite holiday breads (you know, one of those breads that should really be called cake), using fresh cranberries and other dried fruits of your choice.  This is the closest thing to fruit cake that I make, that doesn't taste like fruit cake.  There's no candied fruit in this, just lots of cranberries, dried fruit and nuts.  Toasted with butter, it makes a fine breakfast, or a little slice with a glass of milk, hot chocolate or hot tea serves as a great afternoon pick me up. 

Dry ingredients go in a big bowl, along with fresh orange zest.

Four beautiful fresh eggs go in a second bowl, along with milk and melted butter.

I made a well in the dry ingredients and poured the wet into the dry.  All of this comes together with hand mixing.

The fun part is deciding what goodies I want to use in the bread.  I use pistachios if I can, because hello, green nuts and red berries just scream Christmas.  Sometimes I use a mix of pistachios and walnuts or pecans.

I especially love dried apricots, so I always use those.  You can also use dried cherries, pineapple, figs or currants.  Really, any dried fruit works.

Naturally, the star of the show is the fresh cranberries, chopped in the food processor, to make easy work of it.

Gently fold in the fruit and nuts and stir.  Pour into greased loaf pans.  I usually make two large loaves, but this would make great mini loaves too.

What do you think?  Is that not lovely?  And it tastes good too!

Cranberry Orange Loaf

4 cups unbleached plain flour

2 cups sugar

4 t. baking powder

1 t. salt

2 t. fresh orange zest

4 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup melted butter

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups chopped fresh cranberries

1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts or pistachios (or both!)

1 cup chopped, dried fruit - choose your favorites

apricots, dates, figs, currants,etc.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease pans with baking spray.  

In large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Stir in

orange zest.  Make a well in center of flour mixture.  Set aside.

In medium bowl, beat eggs with a fork; stir in milk and butter.

Add egg mixture to flour mixture.  Stir until moistened.  Fold in

fruits and nuts.  Spoon into 2 large loaf pans.  Bake 65-70 minutes,

covering with foil for last 15 minutes.  Cool on wire rack for 10

minutes.  Remove from pan.  Cool completely.

Lemon Pie Ice Cream

Summer's here, which means it's time for ice cream!  Right?  This has become one of my favorite desserts and I've made it, oh, maybe four times already this year, and it's only the beginning of June.   For family dinners, church activities, birthday gifts and just to have around the house, this has been my go-to dessert.  Yep, I'm a big, big fan of this ice cream!  

I love "everything" lemon and lemon pie is high up on that list.  This ice cream is sweet and tart with crunchy bits of graham cracker, and really does taste like a frozen pie.  It's also easy peasy to put together and can of course be made days before you want to serve it, which makes it almost the perfect dessert in my book.  The last time I made this I substituted key lime zest and juice for the lemon.  It did take a little longer to put together, those key limes are so itty bitty, you know, and it took quite a few to yield half a cup of juice.  But it was mighty tasty.  So, go for lemon pie or key lime pie and enjoy!

Remember to zest your lemons first.  It's difficult to zest an already squeezed lemon.  I know this from experience.  The recipe calls for 4 lemons.  I usually buy a bag of lemons so I have enough to make a double recipe. My ice cream maker (which I love) came with two bowls.  When I have room in my freezer, I store them there, so they are ready to go when the ice cream cravings hit.   Also, this microplane zester is one of the most used kitchen tools that I own.

 Pour the half and half into a medium sized bowl.

Juice the lemons.  You'll need half a cup.  If the zest and juice from the lemons don't work out to the exact measurements needed for the recipe, you can freeze any extras for later use.  I freeze extra juice in ice cube trays and they thaw quickly when I need a little for a recipe.  Fresh lemon juice is so much better than anything you buy processed in a jar, so don't throw any away!

Pour the juice and zest into the bowl, along with the can of sweetened condensed milk.  Mix well and then pour into the ice cream maker.  My machine takes about twenty minutes to freeze to a soft serve consistency.

After you start the machine, take your graham crackers and crush them into pieces.  I just do this with my hands in a ziplock bag.  You don't want crumbs, so don't overdo this.

Near the end of the churning time, add the crackers. 

Scoop into a freezer container and freeze for a few hours before serving.  This is an important, although sometimes difficult step.  Who wants to wait?    

Hooray for summer foods!

Lemon Pie Ice Cream

3-4 lemons

2 cups half and half

1 (14oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

3/4 cup coarsely crushed graham crackers

Grate zest from lemons to equal about 1 T.  Cut

lemons in half; squeeze juice from lemons into a

measuring cup to equal 1/2 cup.  Whisk together

half and half, condensed milk and lemon juice. 

Pour mixture into freezer container of an electric 

ice cream maker.  Freeze.  Add cracker crumbs when

ice cream is almost frozen.  Transfer to airtight container.

Freeze at least two hours before serving.

* Recipe source here.

Molasses Sugar Cookies

Last Christmas, a friend of mine gave me some molasses cookies.  Soft and chewy, full of spices, oh my gosh, they were so delicious!  Competing against all the cookie recipes out there, I know they don't sound all that exciting.  In fact, an old fashioned molasses cookie is kind of humble, made from ordinary ingredients that you probably have in your cabinet.  Don't let this deceive you.  I'm going to share the recipe with you today, because trust me, you want to make these cookies!  They taste and smell like Christmas.  

I've included a picture of the recipe card Janet gave me, because I love it.  It's old fashioned, like the cookie.  With all the technology available to us, few people write recipes on cards anymore.  Most recipes are sent to me by email, Facebook or text messages.  I miss all those cute recipe cards, written  by hand.  Just like letters received in the mail, I think we're losing a piece of history, when we type

everything out on the computer.

Now for that recipe.  The first thing you need to do is measure out the shortening and melt it in a small saucepan.  I know that's a lot of shortening, but this is what makes the cookie soft.  Just do it and don't think too much about it.  Let the melted shortening cool.

Put the shortening in a mixing bowl and add the molasses.

To this, add eggs and sugar.  Mix well.

Next, add spices, salt , baking soda

and flour.

It will come together as a soft dough.  Put the bowl in the refrigerator and go do something else.

After an hour and a half, or so, you're ready to make the cookies.  I use a scoop to measure out the dough, because I like my cookies to all be about the same size.  Don't judge. I'm just weird that way.  Then I roll them into little balls.

Each ball gets rolled around in sugar.

I take a little glass and gently smash the tops.

Bake for 8-10 minutes.  I lean towards the lesser time, because I want them chewy!!!

Molasses Sugar Cookies

1 1/2 cup shortening

2/3 cup molasses

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1/2 - 1 t. ground cloves

2 t. cinnamon

1 t. vanilla extract

1 t. salt

1 T. and 1 t. baking soda

4 cups unbleached plain flour

extra sugar for rolling

Melt the shortening over low heat, then cool.  Add molasses, sugar

and eggs.  Beat well.  Mix in the cloves, cinnamon, salt, baking soda

and vanilla.  Mix in the flour.  Chill for an hour and a half.  Dough

will not be really firm.  Roll the dough into 1 inch balls.  Roll balls

in sugar.  Gently press the tops of the balls.  Bake at 350 degrees for

8 - 10 minutes.  Let cool for a couple of minutes before removing from

baking pan. 

To Slow Down and Notice is to Worship

First Monday counting... 
                                    when I share entries from my Gratitude Journal.

323- hair cut day

324- digging garlic

325- five weed free rows

326-being an American

327- sleeping with the windows open on a breezy night

328- peace and quiet

329- breakfast on the deck

330- hiking beside a river

331- stretched out on John Rock, face to the sun,  the wind blowing across my body

332- a Christmas in July, breakfast for dinner meal

333- a husband's support

334- wooden name tags

335- dirt in a new raised bed

336- the smell of freshly cut grass

337- crispy fried squash

338- CC, the cat

339- being able to repent

340- teaching at Patriot Camp

341- sharing food from the garden

342- an afternoon nap

343- a sweet note of encouragement from Mark

344- granola and blueberries

345- lunch visit with Cindy

346- the picking of beans

347- admiring an "I grew my dinner" plate

348- a nice evening with Mark

349- a cold snap in July

350- fruit smoothies

351- watching brides try on dresses

352- the hiss of the pressure cooker

353- garden goodness preserved in jars for the winter

354- being Travis' guest at a new restaurant

355- a night out for the boys

356- hotdogs cooked over a fire

357- a day of rest

358- fried green tomatoes

359- talking wedding plans around the dinner table

360- spending time with Dad and Yvonne

361- picking peaches with Tara

362- tomato sandwiches and corn on the cob

363- the kitchen counter overflowing with good food from the garden

364- making travel plans

365- being reminded of the important things

366- clearing out clutter

367- cutting corn off the cob and thinking of Grandma

368- attending a planning meeting while little boys play around us,

memories of days gone by

369- peaches ripening in brown paper bags

370- the hum of the dehydrator as background noise

371- receiving an "I passed my test!" text from a hard working student

372- cold water to quench my thirst

373- garlic braids

374- watching the dogs run through the pasture

375- mixing up a bowl of Nana's pimento cheese

376- feeling content with the given good

377- drying, freezing and canning my summer's work

378- feeling God's presence

379- date night with my husband

380- making Christmas presents in July

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory"

Isaiah 6:3

Eating From the Garden

The kitchen is my favorite hangout, where my creative juices flow best.  I like to keep my camera close at hand so I can capture the moment; the one when the recipe works, or doesn't, the one when I've just brought in fresh produce from the garden, or when the kitchen counter is in a state of chaos because there is something wonderful cooling in the background.  These things make my heart sing.   I believe that good, real food given in each season is a gift from God and is meant to be enjoyed and celebrated with those we love.  This month's photo collection spotlights fresh food from the garden.  

July Offerings From the Kitchen

Squash, zucchini and cucumbers.  The vegetables that just keep on giving.

Squash and zucchini cut up in sticks for a stir fry. 

 I've discovered Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute is delicious on squash,

 and other things too.  It's the dried spice blend I grab most often. 

These zucchini sticks with onion dip were delicious.  You can find the recipe here.  Next time

 I will use marinara sauce for dipping.  I think I would like it better, as the onion dip had

 too much mayo in it for my taste.  Also, these need to be eaten straight from the oven. 

 Don't let them cool down too much.

I've grated a lot of zucchini for the freezer,

and for this bread.  Trust me, this is the best use for zucchini I've come across so far.

I like to grill squash and zucchini,

 to make these sandwiches.  Grilled veggies on toasted baguettes with fresh

 mozzarella and basil, drizzled with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  It's really, really good!  

It wouldn't be summer without fried squash, at least once, or twice.

Fourth of July cook out in our outdoor fireplace.

I love a good hotdog cooked over a fire, with all the fixins.

 Time to make pickles.

I'm having a hard time keeping these on the shelf.  These spicy dills are beloved at my house.

It's a happy day when the beans arrive.

This green bean salad is one of my favorite ways to use small tender green beans.

When you just can't wait for the first tomato to ripen, it's time to make fried green tomatoes.

We enjoyed a family dinner with roast chicken with lots of garlic and fresh herbs.  

It made me happy to roast "my" potatoes, carrots and onions along side that bird.

Fresh dinner rolls have become a staple that I keep in my freezer.  They are so easy to make.

My first "I grew my dinner" meal.

  I love the beautiful color of beets.  I don't even mind that they make my fingers pink for a day or two.

I've been using the beet greens as well as the beets.  I've discovered they work just fine 

in place of spinach in most recipes.  They are good in egg burritos and salads,

like this one. I've got lots of recipes for using beet greens on my Pinterest page too.

Oh, how I love summer food!