Five Cranberry Recipes

Growing up we were a Cranberry From The Can family. You know, the cranberry blog with can ridges? My sister swears that this is the one and only way to eat cranberries on Thanksgiving and will bring her own can, if needed.

Although the cranberry can-shaped blob invokes nostalgic memories - I've graduated to real Cranberry Sauce made with fresh cranberries. Considering Wisconsin is the number one producer of cranberries, I don't view this as snobbish but rather, I'm now better supporting my state.

1. Classic Cranberry Sauce 
from allrecipes.com

Every fall, I attempt to recreate our local coffee roaster's famous Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins. Every fall I get a little closer and I'm confident that if you haven't had Alterra's Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins, you'll love these. If you have, you'll know that I'm an impostor. A good impostor, but still, an impostor.

If for any reason you don't like them, please send your leftovers to Ingrid. She will happily shove them in her mouth two at a time.

2. Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins

Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins 
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup whole grain flour
1 ¼ cups sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¾ - 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cup canned pumpkin
½ cup milk
½ cup vegetable oil
1 Tbsp molasses
1 cup fresh cranberries
Optional: pepitas seeds and turbanino sugar

Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 400. Lightly grease 12 muffin cups or line with muffin papers.
2. Whisk flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices in a small bowl.
3. Mix pumpkin, milk, oil, and molasses in a larger bowl.
4. Mix dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture in batches. Fold in cranberries.
5. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full and top with pepitas seeds and turbanino sugar.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
7. Enjoy!

In addition to muffins and the traditional cranberry sauce another favorite of mine is Cranberry Bread from Martha herself (of at least, from her website). I love making a double or triple batch of this quick bread to freeze and gift around the holiday season.

3. Cranberry Bread 

from marthastewart.com

Every year my employer gifts us a few boxes of cranberries. If you're like me and find yourself with a few extra pounds of cranberries, the good news is you can refrigerate them for a month or freeze for up to a year. Or, find a local church or community center that is in need of food and donate your extras.

Have you had enough cranberry talk for one day? Good, me either. Finally, I can't wait to try these two new recipes this fall. Cocktails and carbs? What's not to like.

4. Cranberry Ginger Cocktail
from pixelatedcrumb.com

5. Fresh Cranberry Scone

from twopeasandtheirpod.com

Enjoy! 

Weekend Recap and Thoughts

At least mentally, my weekend started on Thursday. Dan and I laughed along to Louis CK at The Riverside and then joined friends at Boone and Crockett for a whiskey-ginger beer (me) and White Russian (Dan).

I could say that it was nice to be out of the house in heels, or that the drinks or Louis were extraordinary, but in reality - it was really, really nice to sit next to Dan for a few hours and just drink and laugh. 

He's been working on his business, internship and schoolwork non-stop since September and it was nice not to have a conversation about schedules or bills. 

This weekend was rainy and dreary, perfect weather for getting stuff done around the house. 

Perfect setting, sure.

But, that's not what I did. 

On Saturday, Ingrid and I ran painless, mildly-annoying, errands. On the way home we drove by Purple Door Ice Cream and Clock Shadow Creamery. After an awkward and abrupt U-turn, it was decided that a hearty dose of dairy in the form of Salted Caramel Ice Cream and seriously squeaky cheese curds was in order. 

A truly delightful little shop. 

That night I went to The Smoke Shack for dinner with one of my oldest and dearest friends on her way back home to Chicago. There's something truly therapeutic about spending time with an old friend. We don't talk that frequently, but when we get together, it's as if we saw each other yesterday. Instead of rehashing relationship woes or talking about our careers, we discussed skin care for about 45 minutes and then laughed about the fact that we talked about skin care for about 7 minutes. 

Today, we went for family walk and then I attempted to muster up the energy to do more.

"More" for me, meant doing laundry, going grocery shopping with Ingrid, roasting veggies, making this fantastic Turkey, Kale and Brown Rice Soup while munching on these wonderful Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies: 

recipe and photo via

And, I randomly had left-over cream cheese frosting in the freezer just waiting for this merry occasion.

In hindsight, this sounds like a perfectly enjoyable weekend. It was a perfectly enjoyable weekend. Yet this afternoon, I was "shoulding" all over myself (current or not, one of the best Sex and the City quotes). 

I should go running. 

I should change the laundry. 

I should do something with our budget. 

I should work on Ingrid's Halloween costume. 

I should make a meal/work-out plan for the week. 

I should remove my nail polish. 

I should really go change the laundry. 

And even though "life goes on" with chipped nails, I was annoyed with myself for not having the energy or motivation to get out nail polish remover. 

As we sat down to watch the Packer game (with our cheese curds, natch), I realized that I had a full, wonderful day with my family and reminded myself to get over whatever weird expectations I had for myself. 

I was able to relax with Ingrid. Laugh with Dan. There's a fridge stocked meals for the week and my running shoes, chipped nails and laundry will all be there tomorrow.

Pumpkin Spice Without the Guilt

We get it pumpkin spice - you've managed to get yourself into bars, breads, cookies, pastas, coffee and even Rice Krispie Treats.

Like you, I'm a fan of the pumpkin spice and have managed to whip up a few pumpkiny treats to celebrate the season. Is it a celebration if there isn't sugar?

Last month I needed a mid-day pick-me-up so I walked to Starbucks with high hopes that the Tall, Extra-Hot, Non-Fat, Pumpkin Spice Latte would be all that it promised - and of course - it was. But, shelling out four-something for a coffee felt indulgent and a little silly.

Since this can't become a habit, let's make a delicious pumpkin spice latte at home, shall we?

No espresso maker? No problem, brew up some strong coffee and grab a mason jar for the milk.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

• 2 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons canned pumpkin
• 2 tablespoons sugar or simple syrup 
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• espresso or strong coffee

1. Combine milk, pumpkin and sugar in a saucepan and stir over medium heat until steamed.
2. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and pumpkin pie spice.
3. Transfer the mixture to a mason jar and shake until the mixture has doubled in size. Or, transfer the mixture into a blender and process for 10 seconds or until foamy. Or, you can simply whisk the mixture until foam appears. There are a lot of options here people.


Pour into your favorite mug, add espresso/coffee and enjoy. Enjoy the pumpkiny goodness without the buyer's remorse.


adapted from here

September, You Just Arrived.

Do you have to leave so soon?

With Dan starting school, his internship - and his business picking up steam - we've had a hectic month at home adjusting to a new schedule. Isn't organization a wonderful thing? If only someone else could arrange everything and I could just reap the rewards of an organized schedule, closet and life. 

With schedules being more structured than we're used to - I've tried to make an effort to be more easygoing. To sleep in on the weekends, have two beers on a school night, stay in bed and watch cartoons with Ingrid and forgo lunch in favor of baking cookies. 

Let's not lie. This isn't really a huge departure from my "normal." 

Anyways, here are some September highlights from my iPhone (sidebar: any recommendations for a decent non-point-and-shoot camera?): 

Celebrating my best friend's 30th birthday with cocktails (and later over manicures.)

Watching Ingrid's face light up as she watched the kites takeoff from Milwaukee's Lakefront Kite Festival. 

Ingrid's love for babies continues to grow. She tests our swaddling skills and insists on giving them a bottle and "pupcakes" (aka, plastic cupcakes.) 

Savoring lemon cucumbers. A cucumber with the zing (and shape of) a lemon. Seriously amazingly good. 

You can bet that I stuffed those figs with (Kirkland) goat cheese and called it dinner too. 

Never one to say no to anything free - I gladly took this hand-me-down car from a coworker. Ingrid has mastered backing up and is trying her best to move forward. She has mastered the art of turning the wheel - and the horn. 

One of my favorite ways to start the day: a long walk to the park with Harper and Ingrid. 

Hoping there is some sort of nutritional benefit to pumpkin-flavored things - because I've consumed a few pumpkin-flavored things. 

Children's literature just gets better and better. Ingrid has a thing for The Foot Book and "Moo Baa, Lalala" - and loves to recite her favorite phrases. 

Regardless of political affiliation, taking Ingrid to see the President, was memorable, inspiring and uplifting. 

Ring ring! The phone's for you and it's probably Henry from daycare. Or grandma. 

It doesn't get anymore Wisconsin than spending a day at the fair: eating cheese curds, getting an Apple Pie Baked in a Paper Bag from The Elegant Farmer and - gazing at cows: 

A sweet end to a sweet month. 

This month I'm looking forward to welcoming fall, carving pumpkins and taking Ingrid to go Trick or Treating for the first time. 

What are you looking forward to this month?