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

Cranberry, Apple and Pecan Chicken Salad Sandwiches

My blogging buddy, the talented and prolific author Blonde duck, is having a birthday this month. Although I'm many miles away and we've never actually met in person, I'm sending her lots of Pennywise birthday greetings and good wishes for many happy returns. And also, a recipe. The little blonde duckie is having a princess style birthday bash with guests bringing various decadent pies and sandwiches. For her party, I've created a pretty little September chicken sandwich, full of the season's best flavors, like apples, cranberries, and pecans, which are also sprinkled on top for a confetti-birthday effect. Canned chicken-yes canned chicken for speed, makes the base, but any fully cooked chicken will work well. I've made this sandwich very light to provide a healthful base for all the sugar laden pies that will come for dessert. Instead of the usual binding of mayonnaise and sour cream, I've used plain whole milk yogurt, made extra tangy by the addition of fresh lemon juice. Pop on by and wish the little duckie a happy birthday, and then make one of these scrumptious and healthy sandwiches for yourself. I'm sure your birthday is coming soon, too.Money Saving Tips: Keep a couple of cans of chicken in your pantry for super fast sandwiches. Stock up when it goes on sale. Leftover chicken of any kind will work well here, though. Use whatever variety of apple, or even dried apples for this salad. Cranberries can be swapped out for other dried fruits also.
Cranberry, Apple and Pecan Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Estimated Cost: $4.50
1 (10 ounce) can chicken chunks, drained
1/2 golden delicious apple, diced-plus matchstick slices for top
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/3 cup sweetened dried cranberries, plus more for top
1/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, plus more for top
1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt
1/3 cup minced celery
1/4 cup chopped scallions
pinch of dried thyme or 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh
4 large slices whole grain bread, crusts trimmed, cut into 4 squares each and toasted

In a medium bowl, combine chicken, apples, and lemon juice; mix well to coat. Stir in cranberries, walnuts, yogurt, celery, scallions, and thyme. Add 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Taste salad and adjust salt and pepper if needed. Mound chicken salad on toast pieces. Top with matchstick apples, cranberries, and walnuts and serve.
Coming Tomorrow:
Weekend Lunch
Turkey, Cheddar, and Bacon Sandwiches with Chipotle Mayo

Baby Greens with Cranberries, Sunflower Seeds and Blue Cheese with a Sweet Red Wine Dressing

Scroll down for any posts you might have missed this weekend, like a Pennywise tip/tribute to my popcorn lovin' pop, and some blog awards. My, we're getting to have lots and lots of readers. Keep coming. Bring friends. Wear sunscreen.

I hope everyone had a terrific and tasty Father's Day. I gifted the Quiet Man a red wheelbarrow, and of course that made me think of the William Carlos William poem, "So much depends upon a red wheel barrow..." I know how you feel, red wheelbarrow. So much depends on the person who makes food around the house, too.

So, here's a copy-cat quickie for you on a busy Monday. Paradise Bakeries are springing up around the country, offering yummy but pricey fare such as sandwiches, freshly baked bread, cookies, and salads. From the menu, this delicious baby green salad with cranberries, sunflower seeds and blue cheese caught my eye. I paid my fistful of greens, tried it, loved it, came home and copied it. It's relatively inexpensive to make at home and possibly even more delicious. You could serve it as a side salad for four, but frankly, you might happily eat the whole bowl yourself. Next time I will.

Baby Greens with Cranberries, Sunflower Seeds, and Blue Cheese
with a Sweet Red Wine Dressing

Estimated Cost: $5.50

Notes: I paid much more for just one serving at the bakery. This would make a lovely lunch with some warm, crusty bread. Add some grilled steak slices, and it's dinner.

1 (6 ounce) bag baby mixed greens

1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

2 ounces (1/2 cup) crumbled blue cheese

For the Dressing:

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper

Layer greens, cranberries, seeds and blue cheese in a medium bowl. In a small bowl whisk together vinegar, sugar, and mustard. Slowly add oil and mayonnaise, whisking until smooth. Add salt and pepper. Taste dressing with a leaf of lettuce and adjust sugar and vinegar to your liking. Pour over salad and toss to coat.

Coming Tomorrow:

Tuesdays with Dorie

Chocolate Glazed Peppermint Cream Puffs

Cranberry Spinach Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing

Last July, we moved to a quaint little small town in the southwest. It's the kind of town where neighbors congregate in driveways to chat about PTA meetings and the price of gasoline while the children eat Popsicles and race bicycles around the cul-de-sac. It's also the kind of neighborhood where if you have something extra, you pass it around. It could be extra tickets to the symphony, half open bags of fertilizer, gently used baby bibs, or it could be this....Spring Spinach.

So fresh, so green, so crisp that I couldn't even dream of cooking it. A simple salad was the only worthy choice. The hot-and-smoky, sweet-and-tart, bacon-and-onion dressing only slightly tames the greens, making it possible to eat vast quantities without feeling too much like Popeye the Sailor man before he socks it to Bluto. Although it helps to bring up the famous sea-faring spinach-lover if you're trying to convince a 5 year old boy about the virtues of iron and folate. It helps to remind grown-ups (38 year old husbands), too.

You're going to want seconds....

Cranberry Spinach Salad

Estimated Cost: $5.50

Notes: To make this salad more substantial, add a couple of hard-cooked eggs.

4-8 slices of bacon, chopped

1 red onion, cut into thin wedges

4 tablespoons apple cider or red wine vinegar

4 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Fresh spinach

sweetened dried cranberries

sliced fresh mushrooms

In a medium saucepan, cook bacon for five minutes over medium heat. Add onions and continue cooking till bacon is crisp. Add vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Cook until thick and syrupy. Meanwhile, layer spinach, cranberries and mushrooms on 4 separate plates. Pour HOT dressing atop salad and serve immediately. Makes four servings.