Glazed Cranberry Cornbread Muffins

Anybody out there still surviving on leftover turkey pot pies and mashed potato patties? Not us. We were picked clean. Except for one thing, and I was just about to toss it out and move on. But wait! I read on my friend Valerie's blog that cranberry sauce is the number one discarded item after Thanksgiving. (Check out her post-she also has a recipe for pumpkin soup that I'm dying to try.) I had to give my frugal face a good hard look in the mirror. Am I a cranberry man or a cranberry mouse? Well, I'm more like a cranberry house-frau. But I am a decent cook, and a penny pinching one at that. I decided right then and there that I was going to use up that sauce and we were gonna like it. So let it be written, so let it be done. Amen and Hallelujiah. So, that's how these Glazed Cranberry Cornbread Muffins came to be. What a lucky experiment! I used up every last bit of that cranberry sauce, and guess what? The Quiet Man and the charges all asked if I would please make these again tomorrow. Oh, yes I'll make them again. But not till I've got some leftover cranberry sauce hanging around.

Money Saving Tips: If you don't have extra cranberry sauce, swap it out with some jam. Buy your cornmeal in bulk and store it in an airtight container in your cupboard.

Sweet Cranberry Cornbread Muffins

Estimated Cost: $2.50 for 12

1 cup flour

1 cup cornmeal

2/3 cup sugar

2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

6 tablespoons melted butter

2 eggs

12 teaspoons cranberry sauce

1 cup powdered sugar

2-3 tablespoons cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, powder, soda, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, butter and eggs. Pour over dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Line 12 capacity muffin pan with paper liners. Divide batter between evenly between cups. Top each with a teaspoon of cranberry sauce. Place muffin pan on cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for about 16 minutes, or until tops are browned. (Middles will sink a little.) Prepare a glaze by combining powdered sugar and cream to a drizzling consistency. Drizzle over warm muffins and serve.

P.S. The charges are doing acts of kindness everyday in December with their church classes. The Quiet Man and I are jumping in, too. It's a great way to celebrate the holidays all month long. Join in! Some ideas for the next couple of days: Call a relative on the phone that you haven't spoken with recently. Rake leaves, shovel snow, or pick up trash in a neighbor's yard.

Next Up:

Potato Latkes for Hanukkah