Chocolate-It's What's for Dinner

I know I was MIA again. This whole work thing gets in the way doesn't it?  I had this recipe waiting to be tried for quite some time (2007 to be exact - my "to try" recipe archive is quite large). Cranberry Blondies (Adapted from BHG) 1/2 c butter 1/2 c sugar 1/2 c brown sugar 2 eggs 1 t vanilla 3/4 t baking powder 1/4 t baking soda 1/4 t salt 1 c flour 1/2 c dried cranberries 1/2 c chocolate chips 1 c fresh cranberries Line a 9x9 square pan with aluminum foil, grease and set aside. Beat butter and sugars together until creamy. Add eggs one at a time and then beat in vanilla. Combine baking powder, soda, flour, and salt in a separate bowl. Add to butter sugar mixture. Stir in dried cranberries and chocolate chips. Spread into pan. Press fresh cranberries into batter with spatula. Bake 25 -30 minutes at 350 or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool on rack for 1 hour. Remove foil from pan. Cut into bars. These certainly aren't lookers bu...

Getting ready for Thanksgiving can be daunting but there are many things that can be done ahead of time to make life easier and cranberry sauce is one of them. I usually make it up to a week before. It is really easy to make. Cranberry Sauce 24 oz fresh cranberries 1c brown sugar 1/2 c sugar juice and zest from 2 oranges 2 cinnamon stick 1 t fresh ginger grated 1 vanilla bean Split vanilla bean down the center with a sharp knife.  Rinse and discard any soft cranberries. All ingredients ready to go Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and heat until cranberries start to burst. Stirring occasionally. Stir occasionally Taste and add additional seasoning and sugar as necessary. Cranberries can be quite tart so it really depends on the batch how much sugar needs to be added. Ready to remove from heat Let cool. Scrape vanilla bean and stir scrapings into sauce. Return bean to sauce. Chill. Remove vanilla bean and cinnamon before serving.  You might wa...