Cranberry Swirl Muffins

This is a two-part recipe. My mom always made cranberry relish for Thanksgiving. It's a gorgeous ruby color and isn't cooked, so it tastes very fresh, of cranberries and oranges. But we always had some left because the recipe makes about 2 cups, and people usually only used 1-2 Tbs with their turkey. So, one year, I bought relish instead of making it because I was short on time, and there was a recipe for muffins right next to the relish. Ta-da!

I've had to modify the relish a bit because mom used to put the whole orange through her food grinder, and my little food processor can't handle that.

Mom's Cranberry Relish
1 package fresh cranberries, rinsed and sorted
1 navel orange
scant 3/4 c sugar

In your food processor or food chopper, grind the cranberries until small-ish (the size should look like pickle relish). Put cranberries in a bowl. Zest the orange, then juice it, right on top of the cranberries. Add the sugar and mix well. Refrigerate and let sit for several hours before the meal.

Cranberry Swirl Muffins
1/2 c cranberry relish
1/4 c shortening, butter, or margarine
1/2 c sugar
1 egg
1-1/2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla*
3/4 c milk (I used almond milk)

Preheat oven to 400. Grease or line 12 muffin cups. Cream shortening and sugar; add egg. Beat until fairly smooth. Add dry ingredients, vanilla, and milk and stir until just mixed. Fold in relish and swirl. Spoon into muffin cups and bake at 400 degrees for 20-22 minutes.

*I added the vanilla because I love it and it was the challenge ingredient. ha.

Five stars -- kiddo and baby loved them. The husband isn't home from work yet, but he'll eat them, too, and I'm taking a dozen to a family party later on. Yay!

Easy Caramel Popcorn

I found this recipe off of the blog www.ourbestbites.com. They have some really awesome recipes so you should check them out!!! I LOVE this carmel popcorn, so much that I made myself sick by eating a lot. It was just so good that I couldn't stop!!! Sorry no pictures I eat it all.

2 Bags microwave popcorn (I used air pop popcorn about 1/2 cup)
1 c brown sugar
1/4 c white Karo syrup
1/2 t salt
1 cube butter
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. vanilla

Pop the popcorn and set aside. Place brown sugar, Karo syrup, salt, and butter in a microwave safe dish. Cut up the butter into chucks so it melts better. Microwave on high for 2 minutes, stir and microwave for 2 more minutes. Add the baking soda and vanilla and stir until combined. Pour over popcorn and mixed well.

Spread it out over a piece of waxed paper to cool faster and so it doesn't get it stuck in one big lump. The longer it sits out the firmer it will get. If you want it crunchy spread Carmel popcorn onto a cook sheet and bake at 200 degrees for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

We give this 5 stars!!! It rocks!!! :)

Challenge Ingredient: Vanilla

Okay, okay, I'm way behind. It's been a busy week and I've been cleaning my house top to bottom because my family is coming into town on Saturday.

Well, this week (what's left of it anyway), our ingredient is vanilla.



My parents went to Cancún, México last year and brought me a big bottle of real vanilla. It smells amazing. I can't honestly say that I've noticed a difference in my baking with it, but it's been a long time since I've used fake stuff, so it's hard to compare. But I could just sit and smell the bottle all day. I probably shouldn't.

Vanilla, as you probably know, comes from beans, or pods. I have chanced to read several recipes that call for a vanilla bean, but I can't bring myself to buy one, because they're about $10 a pop. Vanilla is the second most expensive spice, after saffron, and it's due to the extensive labor required to grow the pods.

There are four basic types of vanilla: Bourbon-Madagascar, Mexican, Tahitian, and West Indian. French vanilla is not an actual variety, but more of a process. Most imitation vanillas contain vanillin, only one of 171 identified aromatic components of the real vanilla beans.

(Source: Wikipedia)

So have at it. Let's do some baking! The vanilla challenge technically ends Monday, but you can still make and/or post all next week.