Our weekend forecast is for clouds and rain—wonderful weather for reading, writing, and baking! I’m hoping to finish this hefty novel in time to tell you about it in Monday’s new edition of Quick Lit, and I want to bake something with the giant bag of cranberries I picked up at the grocery. (Got any ideas? Share them in comments!)
I hope you have something to look forward to this weekend, and that this collection of interesting reads and favorite things helps ease you into that weekend frame of mind.
Get your journal boxes!
Our reading journal boxes we’re offering in partnership with Alabama indie Snail on the wall are selling briskly! Choose the I Love My Reading Life box for grown-ups or the My Reading Adventures box for kids. Click here to order yours now; orders are open through Monday, November 21. Happy journaling, and happy reading!
My favorite finds from around the web:
- The Velveteen Rabbit Was Always More Than a Children’s Book. (Vulture) “It is quite easy to prove that the imagination makes things real: We call this reading. The little boy’s love for his treasured rabbit is not so different from an adult’s absorption in a good book.”
- Is Listening to Audiobooks Really Reading? (WIRED) Obviously, yes.
- If you have a thing for “sad girl lit fic” this comments section (and associated episode) is GOLD.
- Seven Reasons Why Thanksgiving Was Just Better in the ’80s. (Grown & Flown) I just might agree, especially point #6.
- How Toni Morrison Wrote Her Most Challenging Novel. (New York Times gift link) I love learning about her process.
- How to bust the ‘big lie’ around college applications. (NPR) Currently relevant to our household.
- This Cozy Autumn Wild Rice Soup (Gimme Some Oven) was a hit with the whole family (and made such great leftovers for lunch the next day!).
- Ross Gay’s ‘Inciting Joy’ Reimagines How We Find Life’s Greatest Happiness. (Shondaland) I can’t wait to read his new book.
- Ann Taylor Loft is having a great sale today! I just ordered this adorable Rainbow Sequin Sweater at the recommendation of team member Brigid.
- Home is Where Your Best Friend Is. (Harper’s Bazaar) “There’s no substitute for that bone-deep knowing, accrued over millions of footsteps along the same road.”
- Hugh Bonneville on His Illustrious Downton Abbey Castmate, Maggie Smith. (Literary Hub) Lovely excerpt from the actor’s newly released memoir Playing Under the Piano: From Downton to Darkest Peru.
- 67 Thanksgiving Side Dishes That’ll Outshine the Turkey. (Bon Appetít)
- I’d Rather Be Reading is CHEAP and part of a get 3 for 2 sale on Amazon right now. If you’re planning on gifting this is your chance to get three copies for six bucks each! (Or order your signed copies from Carmichael’s Bookstore; just specify “signed copy” in order comments.)
Don’t miss these posts:
- 9 tasty teas to warm up your winter days. We need all the hot beverages.
- 6 books I had to be talked into reading (that I’m so very glad I read). Sometimes we avoid books for shallow reasons but thankfully sometimes we give them a chance anyway and discover a great book.
Have a great weekend!
45 comments
We’re having lots of rain this weekend too. Reading is just so much cozier when it’s raining outside but, this weekend I won’t be turning many pages in my book. Instead I’ll be making jigsaw puzzle advent calendars to give to my nieces and nephews when I see them in a couple of weeks at Thanksgiving.
I found this site that has tutorials using Christmas-themed and not Christmas-themed puzzles. The instructions and photos are really good and concept would work with any jigsaw puzzle.
https://hurrayforpuzzlesblog.wordpress.com/how-to-make-a-jigsaw-puzzle-advent-calendar/
P.S. As for that bag of cranberries you scooped up, I make this recipe during the holiday season, it is so yum!!
https://www.budgetbytes.com/cranberry-cream-cheese-dip/
Making an Advent puzzle for my nephews this weekend, too!
We are buried under snow and it’s been sooooo cold with high temps in the single digits here in Montana–I am recovering from a total knee replacement and we are anxiously awaiting release from my surgeon so we can start out trek south for the winter. I saw this Smitten Kitchen recipe on Facebook this week–https://smittenkitchen.com/2021/11/cranberry-pecan-bread/?fbclid=IwAR0pbhwkWOsv63P1XKtUqaEflKLaDTdePKTX9SnJ0JgQkEsH57GZosLUhlY
I wait for cranberry season each year because we just love this easy Cranberry Apple Cake from Ina Garten: https://barefootcontessa.com/recipes/easy-cranberry-apple-cake. We have it for dessert and for breakfast. It’s good warm, room temp, and cold. Ice Cream goes great, but not essential.
Looks amazing!
My fave cranberry dessert is from Martha Stewart. It’s Cranberry Cobbler on her website. I make it in my 10-inch cast iron pan and every time I take it somewhere or serve it to guests it gets rave reviews.
If you have maple syrup in the house, her Maple Cake is amazing, too. No cranberries involved, though! 🙂
I love cranberry pie! Deb Perlman at Smitten Kitchen has a great one! Also Americas Test Kitchen just put out a YT video on a cranberry tart I’m going to try. And I make cranberry sauce year around- cook berries with a little sugar, orange zest, pepper and a sprig of rosemary! You can add water or orange juice to loosen the mixture. Delicious!
One of our family traditions when I was growing up, which I still make, is a cranberry punch. It makes the house smell amazing and so tasty. Cranberries, cinnamon, cloves, fizz – what’s not to like?
These cranberry snowballs are addictive https://bitzngiggles.com/cranberry-snowballs/
We love Joy’s Apple Cranberry Crumble Pie, but I make it as a crisp.
https://joythebaker.com/2014/11/apple-cranberry-crumble-pie/
We made these cranberry bars for Thanksgiving last year–everyone loved them!
https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/cranberry-crumble-pie-bars/
And Anne, will you be at Books by the Banks this year?
Those look incredible!
We make these every year and enjoy them on Thanksgiving morning with coffee. Even my husband, who only likes sweets with chocolate, really likes these. They are easy to make and freeze well.
Sally’s recipes are always a success! I made cranberry crumble bars yesterday, similar to these, in a 9×9 pan. I mixed a few recipes, using one for the crust and another for the filling which cooks about ⅔ or 3/4 of the cranberries, then adds the raw cranberries plus chopped dried apricots, ginger, and vanilla to the filling. My recipe uses oats rather than nuts in the topping. I didn’t bother with the icing. They are amazing!
Here is the recipe I used for my crust. I cut back on the sugar to a scant ½ cup each white and brown, and they are plenty sweet. https://bromabakery.com/cranberry-crumb-bars/
We love the Nantucket Cranberry Cake from King Arthur, but plan to try the Smitten Kitchen Cranberry Pecan Bread this year.
Great post!My sisters and our friends loved The Velveteen Rabbit when we were teens,in the 70’s! Loved the Thanksgiving article, too. I was grown but still mostly benefitting from my mom, grandma, and mother-in-laws work on Thanksgiving in the 80’s.It was great, and I miss their cooking, and all the hubbub of lots of people of all ages in one place! The article about the best friend moving brought a tear to my eye. She captured the feeling, for sure. I’ll be making the wild rice soup this weekend, and have added books to my tbr!
Ina Garten’s Easy Cranberry Apple cake is delicious and makes the house smell amazing! It’s a must-bake for me as soon as cranberries are in stores. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/easy-cranberry-and-apple-cake-recipe-1923784.amp
How have I never seen this recipe before? Thank you for sharing!
Wolf Hall is one of my all time favorite books. I need to read it again. I read it several years ago for our book club, and I’ve also read the other two books in the trilogy…..they can’t compare with the first book. I thought the writing was just superb and I read it slowly and thoughtfully.
As for a cranberry recipe, I love Smitten Kitchen’s cranberry pecan bread. And her recipe for pumpkin bread is outstanding.
Delicious dip with cranberries- https://www.honeyandbirch.com/baked-goat-cheese-roasted-cranberry-appetizer/#mv-creation-114-jtr
This is our go-to recipe for a cranberry cake that is baked for family, friends, colleagues, neighbours, everyone! Every year!
https://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-cranberry-cake-16000
I have a great recipe for Cranberry Walnut bread which is on Pinterest under Martha Stewart recipes. It’s easy to make and yummy! Also an easy Nantucket Cranberry Pie by The Pioneer Woman-found on Pinterest too.
Thank you for the daily emails with book ideas. Will I ever get caught up? I recommend the new book about Paul Newman and narrated beautifully by Jeff Daniels.
We love this Cranberry cake!
https://barefeetinthekitchen.com/cranberry-christmas-cake/
Cranberry recipe on Smitten Kitchen this week — I’m definitely trying it:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Ckto1n8J8Co/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Sounds delicious!
Love this simple cake (called a crustless pie but really a cake): https://www.food.com/recipe/crustless-cranberry-pie-441979
And cranberry salsa: Cranberry Salsa
2 bags of fresh cranberries ( fine mince, use the food processor )
1 med Granny Smith apple chopped
1 small red onion chopped ( I use the food processor)
1 1/4 cup sugar
juice of 1 lime or 1 1/2 if it’s small
at least 1 cup fresh cilantro chopped
Combine all ingredients. Let flavors meld together at a minimum of 2-3 hours, best overnight.
These cranberry bars are amazing!
https://www.homesicktexan.com/cranberry-crumb-bars-with-mulling-spices/
They look delicious!
I’ve made these cranberry lemon bars the last couple of years and they are outstanding. The cranberry layer is really tart, which I like, but my family prefers a little more sweetness so I increase the amount of sugar to one cup.
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021641-cranberry-lemon-bars?action=click&module=Local%20Search%20Recipe%20Card&pgType=search&rank=1
Those sound amazing!
My two favorite cranberry recipes:
https://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/libby-s-pumpkin-cranberry-bread/
https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/11/cranberry-pie-with-thick-pecan-crumble/
SUGARED CRANBERRIES
1/2 cup sugar (I use organic as it is a bit more course)
1 cup (or more) sugar for dusting
1/2 cup water
1 12 oz bag fresh cranberries (I usually double or triple the recipe); rinsed in cool water
two cooling racks
lipped cookie sheet
parchment paper or wax paper
bowl to hold sugar
1) Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in medium saucepan. Cook on medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.
2) Stir in berries until coated.
3) Place cooling racks in parchment paper-lined lipped cookie sheet. (Otherwise it is kind of a mess.)
4) Transfer berries into single layer (if possible with the space) on the cooling racks. Leave for one hour. They will tacky to the touch but not wet.
5) In batches of 4-6 at a time, roll berries in sugar to coat. (The sugar may clump after a while, so I toss it and put new in the bowl.) Dry for one hour.
6) They are pretty tart on Day 1. By Day 2, they are more sour and Day 3 they are more sweet. By Day 4, they get bitter.
YUM!
We love cranberry. Cranberry muffins are a good choice.
Marilyn
These cranberry cream cheese muffins—I love the tart and the sweet! And I see several recipes above I want to try now.
https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/cream-cheese-cranberry-muffins/
Thanks for mentioning the sequin sweater! Looks like a fun top, and the reviews are good and say it’s not “over the top” so it’s wearable for more than the holidays. o I ordered it, too!
Sunny and mid-60s in San Diego today. Here is a cranberry chutney that I created by combining a bunch of recipes. I usually start with less sugar, as it’s easy to add more if you like it sweeter.
1 12-oz. bag cranberries
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar (can use raspberry or pomegranate vinegar, too)
1/4 cup orange juice
2 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger (or 1/2 tsp ground ginger)
1/2-3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. curry powder (can omit)
lemon and/or orange peel
1/2+ cup chopped dried apricots (any chopped mixed dried fruit is good; I use a mix with apples, apricots, peaches, pears, raisins)
Optional additions: chopped orange, lemon, apple; a bit of cranberry juice
Place all ingredients in medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until cooked to taste and cranberries pop, about 10-15 minutes (longer if necessary). Cool and chill at least 1 hour before serving.
Can double; proportions are not sacred. Keeps forever in refrigerator or freezer!
Cranberry Apple crumb pie is delicious and Cranberry loaf is nice with tea or coffee.
Marion
Thanks so much for adding the publication sources for the links! I really appreciate it!
Yes, thank you! This is so helpful!
A coworker made these for my birthday last month and they are delicious. The tartness of the cranberries with the rich buttery shortbread — perfect.
https://houseofnasheats.com/fresh-cranberry-shortbread-bars/
If you want something savory with your cranberries, this Cranberry Orange Chicken dish is SO GOOD! Made it for my book club last month- cranberries, wild rice, butternut squash, chicken… so cozy and yummy! https://www.erinliveswhole.com/cranberry-chicken-casserole/#tasty-recipes-9019
That sounds delicious!
Thanks everyone for all the recipe links! Here is one for brownies: https://www.afamilyfeast.com/bog-hollow-cranberry-brownies/