Thanksgiving dinner is over, the dishes are done, the leftovers put away.
Did you enjoy your Thanksgiving?
Wasn't it fun catching up with family and friends one rarely sees?
I still consider Thanksgiving my favorite holiday, even though most of us, myself included, spend much more time getting ready for Christmas. I had a thoroughly enjoyable Thanksgiving!
What did you and your family do on Thanksgiving evening? Did you watch movies, play a game, or go through the papers so you could hit the sales bright and early on Black Friday?
Once again, several stores opened on Thursday afternoon to tempt shoppers into their stores rather than allowing their employees to spend the day with their families. Shame on Belk, Best Buy, Big Lots, Dick's Sporting Goods, J.C. Penney, K-mart, Kohl's, Macy's, Sears, Target, Toys R Us, Walmart and many more.
Those who want to shop can shop online for the best deals; they don't have to physically go shopping on a family day. Since Thanksgiving is the day for which we give thanks for our abundant blessings, this push for sales and more "things" seems a bit incongruent.
I shared Mother's Cranberry Nut Bread recipe a few years ago, and have had some requests, so here it is again.
Cranberry Nut Bread
Ingredients:
- 6 ounces orange juice concentrate
- 1/2 cup water; boil in a saucepan until the cranberries pop
- 1 and 3/4 cups white sugar; set aside
- 1 package rinsed fresh cranberries
- 4 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder; sift together
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 eggs
- 2/3 cup oil (I use canola) cream
- 2 teaspoons orange peel
- 1 cup of walnuts or pecans
Gently add the cranberry mixture to the flour and mix well.
Add the egg mixture to the cranberry and flour mixture; mix thoroughly.
Have two loaf pans ready, spray with cooking spray and lightly dust the bottom of the pans with flour, then evenly divide the mixture into the loaf pans.
Cook for one hour at 350 degrees; a toothpick should come out clean when the bread is done.
Cool for 10 minutes, gently remove from the pan and continue to cool on baking racks. Makes two loaf pans.
Enjoy!
Janice Lynn Crose, a former accountant, lives in Crestview with her husband, Jim; her two rescue collies, Shane and Jasmine; and two cats, Kathryn and Prince Valiant.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Thanksgiving reflections; Cranberry Nut Bread for Christmas