Cranberry Thanksgiving

Last Thanksgiving the girls borrowed a book from the library called, Cranberry Thanksgiving by Wende and Harry Devlin written in 1971.  It was a really cute story and had Grandmother's Famous Cranberry Bread which was the secret recipe that the story was based around. At the end of the book, they gave the "secret recipe".   So, since I can never pass up a recipe - especially one that is "secret", I copied it and tried it.  It is really quite amazing!  I made it last year for my neighbors for Christmas and tonight we had a family baking night that featured this bread.  It is so good!  You have to try it.  It's perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Enjoy!!!

Here's the "Secret" Recipe:


Grandmother’s Famous Cranberry Bread
From Cranberry Thanksgiving by Charles and Wende Devlin

2 cups sifted flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon grated orange peal
3/4 cup orange juice
1 1/2 cups light raisins
1 1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, chopped

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda into a large bowl. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Add egg, orange peel, and orange juice all at once; stir just until mixture is evenly moist. Fold in the raisins and cranberries.

Spoon into a 9 x5 x 3 inch loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from pan; cool on a wire rack.

If you choose, you may substitute cranberries for the raisins to have an all cranberry bread.  (That's what I did.)

Recipe tested by the Food Department of Parents' Magazine

Here were my gifts of the cranberry bread all wrapped up for my neighbors.

Morning Glory Muffins

I'll also throw this in:  I made these Morning Glory Muffins last Saturday night for breakfast on Sunday morning.  We had a really busy day ahead of us on Sunday with a concert at a local church (1 hr. away on back roads - if you consider that local) and then we taught the children's group for Sunday night's church immediately following our return home.  I really wanted to start out our day with some homemade goodness.  My Grandma had given this recipe to me and I found it on King Arthur's Flour site.  They're very good and packed with a ton of good nutrition.  To make them even better, I substituted homemade, no-sugar-added, applesauce for the oil. 

Morning Glory Muffin Recipe