Happy Baking to You!

In case you are in the mood for some last-minute holiday baking, I must share with you this most wonderful of breads. My favorite!

Orange-Cranberry Bread

From The Great Holiday Baking Book
by Beatrice Ojakangas
(a wonderful treasure!)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
¾ cup orange juice
1 cup halved fresh cranberries or ½ cup dried cranberries
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour one 8 ½ x 4 ½-inch or three 5 ¾ x 3 ½-inch loaf pans.

Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the butter, egg, and orange zest and juice all at once, stirring just until the mixture is evenly moist. Fold in the cranberries and nuts. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan or pans.

Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes for the large loaf, or 50 to 55 minutes for the smaller loaves, or until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool

Makes 1 large or 3 small loaves

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a salt & pepper concoction

It was the first time she'd had two french braids. :) So kissable!

From our trip to WY~

:: holiday baking ::

With the very best little cooking buddy ever!

My helper

Rosie loves to wash dishes :)

little girl evening

a good afternoon nap

warmed-up chicken and dumpling soup

long sudsy bath with eucalyptus

coconuties and footie-jammies

warm chamomile tea with honey and milk

stories read with Mama, next to Dad

Buddies

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Greta and Pa

Walk

pleasant Octoberings

(a few colorful bits of our days)

growing girl :: a yummy autumnal meal :: wood-hauling weekend with much help (my man's family is the best!) :: much canning (also with helpers) :: indoor coziness :: snow! :: my great new purse from Ana (!!)


Among things not shown: painting our basement, cleaning out corners before winter, family shopping trips, going to favorite restaurants with even favoriter people, a faraway friend, Miss A., come to visit, laundry folding, winterizing our yard, lots of rain, the first frost, picking apples, my shiny new pressure canner, new winter coats, new purple little-girl snowboots and pink snow mittens...