It's Not Christmas Anymore

I know, what on earth does this title mean? Well, I have had cranberries frozen since the holidays waiting to become something besides cranberry sauce. I finally decided to use them and make Cranberry Orange Bread. I never actually made cranberry sauce from scratch before and we received at least 2lbs in our CSA box for Thanksgiving - of which I think I used about a third (the sauce is good but 6 people can only eat so much). So, with high hopes of making something based on tradition... out comes this bread.

I used my James Beard cookbook and some delicious organic oranges and orange juice. I have found it very satisfying to cook locally and thankfully living in California we have the opportunity to buy a huge variety of local produce. I also enjoy making things from my CSA box (like the strawberry rhubarb crisp) when possible, even if I wait half a year to do it. It actually takes a lot of planning when grocery shopping to get local foods because we have so many grocery store chains to choose from. One of my favorites is actually nestled in our neighborhood and stocks mostly organic and local foods. The butcher is especially great for a small store (think about a quarter or less the size of your regular super market). But, it is more expensive than Safeway, which requires planning. I have read that in other countries that people spend more money on food than we do here in the US and I think its time for us to take note. Buying fresh, healthy food (like grass fed antibiotic free beef) returns more to our bodies than eating from a box. The way we were meant to eat. These foods provide the nutrients our bodies need and we get healthy in return. What a concept for a diet! Enough of this though... read The Omnivore's Dilemma or In Defense of Food if you are interested in learning more.

I did enjoy making this bread and learned cranberry juice stains your fingers well. I'm especially excited for breakfast this week on account of this bread. The aroma was nice (paired with the sandwich bread I was baking in the bread machine). This bread seems like the type of bread that changes flavor as it ages - like pumpkin. It is fairly dense and has a very bright citrus punch followed by a sweet and tart finish. Maybe I'll try it with dried cranberries next to see how it turns out.