It's Pumpkin Time!

It's Pumpkin Time!

Missy Tippens

This past week was my turn to take refreshments for our United Methodist Women's circle. I paired up with my friend Jan (who decorated those beautiful tables I shared last Christmas). I told her I'd do the food if she would decorate. (I'm terrible at decorating anything.)

She graciously agreed to decorate AND bring fruit. She also showed up with sugared pecans.

I told her I would do pumpkin bread and cheese straws. But when I went to look at mixes (I know, I should have tried the recipe I said I was going to try), I spotted the cranberry bread mix. And my mouth started watering. Cranberries feel like fall to me as well, and I LOVE this particular mix.

So I grabbed two boxes.

These are amazing with actual berries to add to the mix. I made a double batch, then folded in the cranberries.

I decided to take mini-muffins to my meeting. And to make a loaf to keep at home.

While one pan of mini-muffins baked (I only have 1 pan), I put batter into the next set of papers to wait for the pan to come out. I was afraid they might collapse, but the didn't!

**Also, a tip from the box: spray the paper cups with baking spray to make peeling it off easier.

Here's my bread loaf that went in the oven with the first batch of muffins and finished with the second batch.

My reward for baking! (That's butter melting on the hot bread.) :)

And here is our table at our meeting. Jan brought some beautiful glass pumpkins, one sitting on a ring of fall flowers. We had coffee and juice and a lovely time!

So…now you're wondering why I said it's pumpkin time, and then baked cranberry muffins. Well, that's because it truly IS pumpkin time at our church, for the Youth Group fundraiser the kids and adult helpers do each year.

We get the pumpkins on consignment and sell them through the month of October.

It's a beautiful, orange sight!

 NOW, I'm ready to make pumpkin bread. That'll be next on my agenda...

Mary Curry's Cranberry Bread

Many years ago (so many that no one remembers when), my daughters and I began a Thanksgiving tradition that still holds today.

Somehow (we don't remember this part either - Oops!) we came into the possession of a well worn copy of a delightful book called Cranberry Thanksgiving. (There's also a Cranberry Christmas and Cranberry Valentine's Day.)

This is the description on Barnes & Noble

Maggie and her grandmother each invite a guest to their Thanksgiving feast, featuring Grandmother's own cranberry bread, made from a secret recipe...Grandmother almost loses her secret recipe for cranberry bread to one of the guests she and Maggie invite for Thanksgiving dinner. Includes the secret recipe. 

That bold part - that's the key to the tradition. 

When the girls were little, reading the story and then baking the bread together was a favorite part of our Thanksgiving preparations. Today my daughters are 22 and 24 and guess what - yup, we still bake the bread. (Although I have to admit we stopped reading the story long about the time they hit middle school.)

The bread is definitely easy-peasy (TM Ruthy) to make and sooooo moist and delicious.

I could just share the secret recipe (that's prominently displayed on the back cover *g*) but where's the fun in that? Instead I'll give you the photo version.

I love the description of the recipe. It says Grandmother's Famous Cranberry Bread and then in parentheses (Get Mother to help).

The ingredients:

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup butter or margarine (I've only ever used the butter)

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon grated orange peel (okay, I always leave this out)

3/4 cup orange juice

1 1/2 cups light raisins (dark work also)

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, chopped (nah, too much trouble. I toss them in whole).

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 raisins and cranberries.

This is before mixing and adding fruity goodness...

And this pic is after. This is because Ruthy can't remember where exactly Mary had these lovely photos placed so I'm stickin 'em in, here and there.  ;)

Spoon into a greased 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour and ten minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan; cool on a wire rack. 

The recipe says you may substitute all cranberries for the raisins but I don't recommend it. The raisins are a nice sweet balance to the tartness of the cranberries.

ENJOY!  (It tastes great with whipped cream cheese - maybe with afternoon tea.)

I love to hear about traditions that families have established over the years. Please share yours!

And one final shot for cuteness sake.

This is Fenway "helping". His new favorite toy is the cranberry he's been chasing around the house.