I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving! We went out with a friend. We went to a Brazilian steakhouse and had lots of steak and even more sangria. It was an awesome time! Now that Thanksgiving is over it's time to get ready for Hanukkah and Christmas. I saw this recipe a few months ago and knew I wanted to make it for the holidays this year. I made it a few days ago and it is amazing, such a nice change from pumpkin and pecan pie. The orange flavor is strong and goes great with the tart flavor of the cranberries. Please forgive these pictures, now that it is becoming winter and getting darker outside earlier some of my pictures will be taken inside.


Orange Cranberry Bundt Cake
adapted from Food Network





Ingredients
3 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature, plus more for the pan
3 cups cake flour, sifted, plus more for the pan
1 12-ounce bag fresh or frozen cranberries, thawed if frozen
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons whole milk
4 large eggs plus 2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons finely grated orange zest
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Syrup and Glaze:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons orange juice
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions
Prepare the cake: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350. Butter and flour a 10-cup fluted Bundt pan.

Cook the cranberries with 3/4 cup granulated sugar in a pot over medium-high heat until juicy and the mixture reduces to 1 1/4 cups, about 15 minutes. Let cool.

Whisk the milk, whole eggs and yolks, and vanilla in a medium bowl; set aside.

Whisk the 3 cups flour, the remaining 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, the orange zest, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add the 3 1/4 sticks butter and beat with a mixer on low speed until moistened. Add half of the milk mixture, increase the speed to medium and beat 1 minute. Add the remaining milk mixture in two batches, beating between each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat again, about 30 seconds.

Transfer two-thirds of the batter to the pan. Spoon the cranberry mixture in a ring around the middle of the batter (do not let it touch the pan). Top with the remaining batter and smooth evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the syrup: Dissolve the 1/4 cup granulated sugar in 1/2 cup orange juice in a saucepan over low heat. Remove the cake from the oven, poke the surface all over with a skewer and pour the syrup on top. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully invert the cake onto a parchment-lined rack to cool completely. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and let sit overnight.

When ready to serve, whisk the confectioners' sugar and the remaining 2 tablespoons orange juice until smooth. Spoon over the cake.

And just for fun, our 2009 Christmas tree!

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!! Hope everyone enjoys their turkey and pumpkin pie!! The picture is of me and my older sister some 20 years ago singing the "gobble gobble" song on Thanksgiving! This year I am thankful for many things. My wonderful husband of course being number one. Also I am thankful for our wonderful diva dog, all our family and friends, and of course being able to do what I love. I feel so blessed!

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving??

I just wanted to thank Lynfred Winery again for making it possible to have this great giveaway. Ok now onto the winners!!

The lucky numbers were....



#18! italianwinelovr said,
Oh how exciting! My favorite is Champagne! I love the bubbles! My school nite wine is Montepulciano d'Abruzzo! Great easy flavors and great price! Cheers!



#23! Kristina R. said,
I love a nice chilled pinot grigio for white and a shiraz for red.
What a great giveaway. This would the perfect reason for the Mr. and I to head back to Chicago to hang with our friends in the city.


#31! Anonymous said,
I'm so excited for your giveaway that I made a twitter account to share with my friends about it! Good luck to everyone!
http://twitter.com/lovefairylights
E-mail: caldera23@gmail.com





#39! overgrownwaltz Said,
What a great giveaway!! I live a few hours outside of Chicago, up in Wisconsin, and my favorite wine is a great Riesling... it goes with everything!



Winners, please email me at lindseydavis85@gmail.com with your address. The first two people to email me will have their choice of a certificate to the tour and tasting at Lynfred Winery in Roselle, IL or the tasting at Tasting Devine in Wheaton, IL

I have been surprised and excited to have so many people wanting to send me stuff. It is like Christmas morning whenever I get a package. I am like a little kid dying to see what is inside. This time I got these frozen herbs from Daregal. I have already used the basil and oregano in a bolognese sauce I made. These are fantastic and fit really well in my freezer. They smell really good, just like fresh herbs and they are really convenient to use.

Check out their site!

Here is another great recipe for holiday parties. The sweetness of the apricot goes great with the saltiness of the bacon and the sage just gives this small bite another depth of flavor. These took me a very short time to make and you can even assemble them ahead of time and freeze them (unbaked) for up to a month in advance.

Bacon Wrapped Apricots with Sage
from Real Simple


Ingredients
24 small fresh sage leaves
24 large dried apricots
8 slices bacon, cut crosswise into thirds
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
toothpicks, for serving

Directions
Heat oven to 375º F. Place a sage leaf on each apricot, wrap with a piece of bacon, and place seam-side down on a baking sheet.

Bake until the bacon is beginning to crisp, 6 to 8 minutes per side.

Remove from oven and brush with the maple syrup. Serve with toothpicks.