If we were having coffee I would share this cranberry coffee cake.
I impulsively bought a 2 lb bag of cranberries, an awful lot for just the two of us. So this will be a very cranberry holiday season. My first adventure was to make this cranberry sauce: the recipe intrigued me because it contained apricot jam and almonds.
It goes like this:
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups cranberries
- 1/4 cup apricot or peach preserves
- 1/4 cup toasted, sliced almonds
Boil the water and honey for 8 minutes. Add the cranberries and cook for about 4 minutes (until they are popping). Remove from the heat and stir in the jam and almonds.
I used the sauce in place of the fruit filling in a coffee cake recipe. It seems to work pretty well.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the holidays this week. We did our shopping on Monday, because Tuesday Dad had a doctor consult about his heart test results (via Zoom), so we took the food over there (where we have Thanksgiving*). That shopping trip was when I grabbed the cranberries.
I looked back at a post I wrote about surviving the holidays last year: Aunt Kate’s Safe and Sane Guide to the Holidays. It really does seem SO last year!
Finding ways to have a bit of cheer and a break up of routine without doing anything much seems to be how I’m approaching this year. I made six bright holiday print masks from bits of fabric left from projects gone by.
How about you? Do you have any fun cranberry recipes? How about ideas to be merry and bright during the dark days of winter (obviously I am northern hemisphere).
For Weekend Coffee share hosted by Eclectic Alli.
*I feel like I have to explain, so you don’t think we are cheating, that for pandemic purposes we define our “household” as including both our house and my dad’s. Since he is in his 80s, lives alone and I often need to take him to medical appointments.
XingfuMama 
That coffee cake looks amazing! I made a cranberry sorbet for Thanksgiving itself, so it’s sitting in the freezer for that. I still have about a pound of cranberries to go. Not sure what to do with them yet. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sorbet sounds good. I’ll have to try it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Kate (I hope I have your name correct as I like to greet by name if possible).
I don’t think we’ve met, but I too consider myself a new blogger even though I’ve been seriously creating and sharing stories on my blog for almost 3 years. For most of the weeks of this time, I’ve been part of this coffee share each weekend. I would offer that it is a wonderful habit to form. I’ve made some good friends who have read and encouraged me along the way and they’ve made me a better writer, blogger and person.
Given our ages, it is even possible that we might have met. I did my under grad work across the lake from you in Kirkland but only did a very short missions project to Alaska, so I don’t have much experience in that world. My wife and I have done some traveling, Israel, Europe and I’ve done a few business trips to a few other places like Japan and Switzerland.
Out time in Washington was cut short after college by work which moved us back to Calif. But, you may know, is the huge Lutheran Church still alive in south Seattle? I interned there one summer as the children’s pastor. It was an amazing experience that perhaps I should write about sometime.
I use my blog to create stories that other would enjoy, so I write to be read. If you ever need someone to just answer questions, I’d love to be one of your first pings for help.
If you need a quick read for a short, clean, laugh, you would be welcomed to my site. I’ve created almost 70 stories of growing up and only write to entertain so expect more than a few laughs.
Okay, that’s long enough. Welcome to our virtual coffee time. I hope you find us habit forming.
Blessings.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you. I appreciate the greeting. Not sure which Lutheran church you refer to but Hope Lutheran is still here (we have lived here for 33 years). It has a big high school attached.
I’ve been blogging, sometimes more sometimes less for about six years and my main focus is photography, so I don’t actually put out much written content. I do try, now and then to get myself writing more. I’m afraid I don’t do anything very regularly, except walk my dogs. I’ll check out your site.
LikeLike
Ah – It was Immanuel Lutheran Church and not as far south as I thought. What an amazing and gorgeous building! And such great memories.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My mouth starting WATERING at the sight of that cranberry coffee cake!
LikeLiked by 1 person