What do you do with leftover cranberries once you’ve made cranberry simple syrup for mojitos? Or cranberry sauce? It seems like a heee-uge waste to toss them so I scanned the internet(s) for recipes.

Originally I said I was going to make scones but then I found this coffee cake recipe on the King Arthur Flour page that looked better!

You need:

INGREDIENTS:

There are 3 parts to this coffee cake: streusel, filling & batter.

Streusel
5 TBSP cold butter
1/2 c brown sugar, packed
big pinch of salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 c + 2 TBSP all purpose flour

Filling
1 c whole-berry cranberry sauce (this time I used the remaining cranberries/sugar mixture I made my simple syrup with but you can use cranberry sauce as well)

Batter
1/2 c butter
1 c + 2 TBSP brown sugar
2 large eggs (not pictured)
1 c plain yogurt (not pictured!)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 c all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 & lightly grease a 9×13″ baking pan.

Make the streusel first:
Using a large bowl, cream all but the flour together.

Add flour and beat until even crumbs form.

Note: my crumbs were sort of small/fine for my taste. Next time I might cut out the extra 2 TBSP flour to see if it clumps up more.

Now move the streusel aside to a small bowl. You can use this big bowl again for the batter. I appreciated this note in the original recipe! Love saving me some dishes.

Cream together the butter & sugar until smooth.

Add the eggs.

Note: For the past 6 months or so I’ve been experimenting with using egg replacer or other substitutes but have had a few kitchen FAILS. Stay tuned as I continue in my quest to bake without eggs!

Keep beating! Add the yogurt, vanilla & almond extracts, baking powder & soda, salt & flour.

The batter will be THICK.

Spread into a lightly grease 9×13″ pan or whatever molded cake pan you prefer!

Sprinkle the cranberry sauce/cranberries atop the batter.

Next time I think I’ll use a spoon to semi combine the cranberries with the batter.

Sprinkle the streusel atop.

Bake for about 40 minutes.

Without glaze.

With glaze.

Source: very slightly adapted from King Arthur Flour

This year we stayed home for Thanksgiving for the first time since we started dating. That meant we cooked this year. Which meant a lot of planning. One thing I’ve come to realize about myself: I LOVE planning & hate execution!

Here was my menu list:

1. Turkey – G was in charge of deep-frying this since fowl is not my thang these days.
2. Creamy Roasted Garlic Mashed potatoes
3. Cranberry Sauce (for looks)
4. Wild Rice & Crimini Mushroom casserole
5. Roasted Brussel Sprouts with a balsamic reduction & cranberries
6. Corn Bread Stuffing
7. Gravy
8. Arugula & Mixed Greens Salad with Pomegranate Seeds, Mango & a Dijon vinaigrette
9. Cranberry Mojitos
10. Classic Pecan Pie
11. Paula Deen’s Pumpkin Pie
12. Apple Pie Cookies

I started with a simple Homemade Herbed Ranch with crudite appetizer because I didn’t want everyone losing their appetites before dinner. Kids got their own plate.

It looks like it’s about to fall off the counter. It was.

This was the first time I cooked some of these items (including pie crusts which I just started making last week) and not everything came out the way Martha Stewart’s would have (including the pie crusts)! Also, I dropped the Apple Pie Cookies off the menu at the last minute because I ran out of time. I also made a simpler pan-fried brussel sprout dish for the same reason. Cranberries were already representing plenty.

Phew. I’m tired. I will be posting the successful recipes in the coming days.

The highlight of the menu? The Cranberry Mojitos! Yum. So festive, pretty & tasty.

Make these for your holiday parties!

You’ll need:

INGREDIENTS:
8 oz fresh cranberries (+ extra for garnish)
1 c sugar
1 c water
20 mint leaves
2 TBSP lime juice
ice
4 oz (light colored) rum
4-6 oz sparkling mineral water

First, make the cranberry simple syrup. Pour the cranberries, water & sugar into a saucepan.

Stir gently to combine. Turn heat to medium. When it starts boiling, turn to medium-low for about 10 minutes.

Remove from heat & cool. You can even leave it in the fridge overnight. The next day or a few hours later, pour it into a strainer over a large bowl. The strained bright red syrup is what you need! [Btw: I DID save the fruit in my fridge. Will be looking for a baking recipe that can use it as I hate to throw it away after all that went into growing, transporting, storing, boiling & refrigerating it. Please comment if you have any ideas!]

Now assemble your drink. I used the measurements more as a guide than anything else.

Add about 10 mint leaves and 1T lime juice to each glass. With a spoon, mash the mint along the side of the glass. Add ice, 2 oz of syrup and 2 oz of rum.

Fill with sparkling mineral or soda water. Garnish with a few cranberries!

Source: We are Not Martha