Winter Spice Cranberry Cake

 I found this recipe and I just had to try it.  I love recipes with fresh cranberries.  This adds some warm spices that makes it perfect. This is a light cake that would be good for breakfast.  You could dress it up a little with some sprinkled powdered sugar. 

Look at all those beautiful cranberries. 

Cranberries and orange are a winning combination.

Start with 1 cup brown sugar

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon cardamon

3 eggs

This is a little different from other recipes.  You mix the sugars with the eggs and spices first.  It smells so good. 

It's mixed well and you can see the spices. 

Now add 3/4 cup softened butter. 

1 teaspoon vanilla

Zest a medium orange

Add that to the batter too.  Mix that well. 

Now add 2 cups all purpose flour.

You will want to hand mix the flour until just mixed. 

You want all the flour to be incorporated.  

Now add 12 oz fresh cranberries.  Before I started the recipe I looked and washed the cranberries.  The bag of cranberries is 12 oz.  You will want to take out any soft or mushy cranberries. 

Mix those in by hand too.  

Now spread out into a 9x13 baking dish you spray with nonstick spray.  Then place in a preheated 350 oven and bake for 45-50 minutes. 

You want it to come out lightly brown.  Doesn't that look so good.  I make another cranberry cake but it doesn't not have the spices and I think I like this one best. 

Winter Spice Cranberry Cake Recipe

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup softened butter

1 1/2 teaspoon fresh orange zest

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon cardamon

12 oz fresh cranberries

Preheat oven to 350.  Bake 45-50 minutes. 

Easy Green Beans with Bacon and Brown Sugar

 I have to share this recipe with you.  I will admit that this recipe shouldn't work.  The ingredients don't sound like they go together but trust me they do.  If you need to take a dish to a pot luck or you are making a meal for a group this is a great vegetable side to try.  Everyone loves it and it can be made ahead of time and baked day of. 

Look at all that nice bacon on top. 

This recipe calls for 5 regular cans of green beans or one large Sam's/Costco size can.

First thing to do is to cook your bacon.  I like cooking mine in the oven.  It cooks very evenly and you don't get splatter everywhere.  I lay the bacon on a foil lined baking sheet.  This is the foil that is nonstick.  I place in a cold oven and turn the oven on 375.  When my oven beeps that it has reached temperature I check it and depending of the thickness of the slices determines how long I cook it.  I will start with 4 or 5 minutes.  The thing about using it in this recipe is that you might not want it as crispy as you might if you were eating it from the oven.  It will bake some more on the beans. 

Drain your beans and spread out in a 9x13 baking dish. 

Melt 1/4 cup butter.  You will mix the following ingredients in a bowl.  I used the measuring cup I melted the butter. 

Add 2/3 cup brown sugar

Add 1/4 cup soy sauce.  I use low sodium.  

Recipe calls for 2 teaspoons minced garlic.  Put as much or as little as you like. 

Mix all that together.  I told you it was different. 

Pour the mixture over the green beans. 

The beans won't be swimming in the sauce but there is enough. 

The bacon is draining from the oven. See I didn't let it get too crispy. 

I chop mine up.  I know others lay the strips across the beans. Whatever you like. 

Sprinkle it across the top. 

Now you can cover and put in the fridge to bake later or you can place in a preheated 350 oven.  Bake for 40 minutes. 

Don't those look good?  I promise you they are delicious and you know I would not steer you wrong.  Delicious and easy it doesn't get any better than that.

Easy Green Beans with Bacon and Brown Sugar

5 cans or 1 large can green beans

10-12 slices bacon

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup melted butter

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 teaspoons minced garlic

Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 40 minutes. 

Cherry Cheesecake Dip

 This is a very easy pretty dip that I made during the holidays.  Of course you can change the pie filling flavor to whatever you like or color that you need.  This is great for the holidays and even for Valentine's Day.  

It's so good.  Serve it with graham crackers or some other kind of shortbread cookies.  I have even used my gingerbread men and that was very good as well. 

It only takes four easy ingredients. 

In the cheesecake mix take out the filling packet. 

You will not use the graham cracker crumbs.  Save this for some other recipe.

After you put the cheesecake mix in the bowl add 8 oz of Cool Whip. 

Stir those together well.  It will appear gritty.  That's okay because as it sits it will get smoother. 

Cover and put in the fridge.  Leave at least several hours but over night is even better. 

When you are ready to serve, Spread out in a serving dish.  You will notice it is not gritty. 

Then top with your pie filling.  Can't get much easier than that. 

Cherry Cheesecake Dip Recip

1 box Jello cheesecake mix.  Save the graham cracker crumbs

1 8 oz container Cool Whip

1 can pie filling of your choice.

Graham cracker or cookies to dip.

Strawberry Sugar Cookies

 This is the last of the new cookies for 2024.  I found these strawberry sugar cookies and I had to make them.  You can make them darker red if you add more red gel coloring but I didn't want a lot of red gel in these cookies.  They are so good and taste like biting into a fresh strawberry.

These are my sample cookies.  I wonder if you dipped half in chocolate they would taste like chocolate covered strawberries?  I'm not going to take the time to do that but it is a thought. 

This recipe uses dehydrated strawberries. You can get a small bag of them at the store, but I needed a lot so I ordered a small container on Amazon.  I am making more than one recipe. 

Before I start working on the dough, I pulled out the little food processor and made strawberry dust. I need 6 Tablespoons for each recipe so I poured a lot in the container. 

Pulse it until the bigger pieces are powder. 

Now for the dough.  Start with 2 sticks softened butter.

1 1/2 cups sugar.  Mix the butter and sugar until fluffy.

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon strawberry extract to make sure that strawberry flavor comes through.

A little red gel coloring.

Mix that well. 

6 Tablespoons freeze dried strawberry powder

3 cups all purpose flour. I don't know what I was doing when I took my pictures but I left out pictures of the 2 Tablespoons cornstarch, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons cream of tartar, 1/2 teaspoons salt

The dough needs to be chilled for a little while before you roll into balls to be baked.  I put it in the fridge for a couple of hours. 

In a small bowl add 1/2 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon freeze dried strawberry powder

Mix it well. 

Roll the cookie balls in the sugar before baking. 

My test cookies ready for the oven.  Place in a preheated 350 oven bake for 8-10 minutes. 

Fresh out of the oven. 

The strawberry flavor will be a nice surprise this holiday season. 

Strawberry Sugar Cookie Recipe

2 sticks softened butter

2 eggs

3 cups all purpose flour

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cup sugar

6 Tablespoons freeze dried strawberry powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon strawberry extract

1/2 teaspoon red gel food coloring

1/2 cup sugar and 1 Tablespoons strawberry powder for rolling

Preheat oven to 350 bake for 8-10 minutes