Merry Christmas Eve! (don't read yet if you are going to see me tommorow)

I am listening to Christmas music on Air1 (www.air1.com) and baking some bread! I have decided that I am super poor this year and am giving everyone some home made baked goods. I decided on cranberry orange bread and banana walnut bread. I will be able to make 4 loafs of each and all of the ingredients only costs me 20 bucks! I can't think of a better way to make giving 8 people Christmas presents more inexpensive :-) I am using a couple recipes I found online for the breads. I am adding walnuts to the banana bread :-)

Cranberry Orange Bread

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
• 1/4 cup margarine, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup orange juice

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in cranberries. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together margarine, sugar, and egg until smooth. Stir in orange juice. Beat in flour mixture until just moistened. Pour into prepared pan.
3. Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until the bread springs back when lightly touched. Let stand 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool. Wrap in plastic when completely cool.
   
   
   

   Banana Bread Recipe

   Ingredients

   • 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
   • 1/3 cup melted butter
   • 1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
   • 1 egg, beaten
   • 1 teaspoon vanilla
   • 1 teaspoon baking soda
   • Pinch of salt
   • 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

   Method

   
   

   No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.
    
   
   

   Here is a picture of the Cranberry Orange Bread in the over 

   
   
   
   
   

    
   
   you can turn a bowl of bananas.....

   
   

   

   
   into yummy banana bread :-)
   

   

   
   

   and in case your wondering, yes...the oven in my apartment is green :-)