Cranberry Spice Loaves

Recipe From: Barbara Clarke, Kirsten's mother-in-law
From Thanksgiving in Cazenovia, NY

Preheat Oven to: 350 degrees

Ingredients

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup nutmeats, chopped
1 3/4 cups flour
1 lb can jellied cranberry sauce, crushed
OR 1 1b can whole cranberry sauce, drained
OR 2 cups homemade
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves

Instructions

Preheat oven.  Cream shortening, sugar & egg.  Stir in raisins and nuts.  Combine dry ingredients and sift.  Add to first mixture.  Stir in cranberry sauce.  Spoon into two greased and floured loaf pans and bake 40-50 minutes, or use 4 small loaf pans and bake for 30 minutes. Cool.  Freezes well.  Good with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 stick margarine
8 oz cream cheese
1 16oz pkg confectioners sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Cream cheese and butter.  Add sugar and vanilla.
Kirsten's note: I make a half recipe and that's plenty for the cranberry loaves.

Zweiback Rolls

Recipe From: Gwenlyn Busby, a fellow guest for Thanksgiving at my friend Barbara's house, Nov 2008

Notes: This recipe is fairly complicated as you have to cook potatoes first and save some of the water, and then make the dough which has to rise twice.  But they're fantastic.  Soft and fluffy with a good flavor from the cardamom and cream.  Plus they freeze well.  This recipe makes quite a lot so you can make some for Thanksgiving and freeze the rest for Christmas.

Ingredients

2 pkgs Yeast
2 T Sugar
1 Pint lukewarm potato water + 1 large mashed potato
1 tsp Salt
1Cup Sugar
1 Cup Whipping Cream
2 beaten Eggs
Grated rind of 1 Lemon
1/4 tsp powdered Cardamom, or 4 Cardamom seeds, ground
10 cups flour (more or less)

Instructions

Put together the first 4 ingredients (yeast to salt). Stir, and when yeast has dissolved  (the liquid will be a little bubbly) add the remaining ingredients. Add about 10 C white flour (or substitute 1 or 2 C of Whole Wheat for that quantity of White). Knead until smooth. Let rise 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

Punch down and shape into balls...about the size of golf balls...squeeze dough through buttered hand (thumb and first finger). Put 8-10 of these dough balls into a buttered bread pan.  (think you will need 4 or maybe 5 pans for all). Let rise 1 1/2 - 2 hours.   The rolls should have reached the top of the bread pan.  (protect from drafts throughout making the rolls)

Bake at 350 degrees ......for 30-35 minutes.  Will be light brown on top.

Slide out of the bread pan and cool loaves on a cake rack.