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Cranberries - So Much More Than Just a Canned Jelly

© Sheri White

If your culinary encounters with this wonderful Autumn fruit have been limited to watching it slide out of a tin can on Thanksgiving Day, you're in for a treat. This week I'll be providing recipes using fresh cranberries, which are available in abundance at your grocery store right now. Buy extra bags and put them in the freezer so you can make these delicious recipes any time of the year. Cranberries don't need to be thawed before including them in a recipe.

Cranberry bread is one of my family's favorite quick breads. Make an extra loaf to have around for snacking if you're making a loaf to go with your Thanksgiving feast. Keep wrapped in plastic wrap or foil and refrigerated.

Cranberry-Orange Bread

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons oil
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup fresh or frozen chopped cranberries

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom only of 9x5-inch loaf pan.

In large bowl, combine sugar, orange peel, water, orange juice, oil and egg; blend well. Add flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in cranberries. Pour into greased pan.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely.

OK, I'm going to admit this right now - I don't make my own pie crust. To me, that is a chore, and baking should be fun and enjoyable. So store-bought pie crusts are my baking vice. That makes this next recipe extra-easy to make.

Cranberry-Apple Pie

Ingredients:

1 box Pillsbury pie crusts
4 cups peeled and sliced tart apples
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Using a 9-inch pie pan, prepare pastry for a two-crust pie according to package directions. Heat oven to 425 degrees F.

In large bowl, combine apples and cranberries. In small bowl, combine sugar and cornstarch. Sprinkle sugar mixture over fruit; toss lightly. Spoon into pastry-lined pan. Dot with butter or margarine. Top with remaining pastry; fold edge of top pastry under bottom pastry. Press together to seal; flute edge. Cut slits in several place in top pastry.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown.

HINT:

To keep edges of pie from becoming too dark, cover the edges with foil for first 15 or 20 minutes of baking. Remove and continue baking. Keep your eye on the pie; you don't want it to get too dark, and this can happen quickly.