Cranberry...apple? Bread

So, I saw a bag of cranberries at the store and decided to buy them and try one of the recipes on the bag. Definitely didn't expect it to turn out quite as well as it did. It's a really simple recipe (thanks, Ocean Spray!) and by modifying it just a tad, I've gotten it to be free of a lot of common food allergens. Sorry, it still has eggs. Anyway, here's the recipe:

2 cups flour (I use King Arthur's gluten-free multi-purpose)
1 cup sugar (I used brown sugar) (This recipe tends to come out more on the tart side. Definitely meant to be eaten with something sweet. If you like your bread sweeter, I'd probably add about an extra 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup or use a sweeter juice. Mine wasn't that sweet.)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder (the first time I misread this and hastily scooped out half of the baking soda I'd added on accident. Oops!)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup apple cider
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 egg, beaten
1.5+ cups cranberries- translation: a lot of cranberries, chopped approximately in halves...

I've dropped the grated orange peel and chopped nuts that the original recipe calls for. The apple cider is also a substitution for orange juice.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix all the dry ingredients together, then add oil, juice, and egg. Mix well, then add cranberries. With gluten-free flour, I usually try and add a bit more air into the batter so that it isn't so dense, but I'm not sure if it makes any difference mixing it that way. Usually comes out good, so I haven't bothered changing the way I mix things. Lightly grease 9x5 pan. Bake for 55 minutes (according to the original recipe) typically gluten-free stuff takes longer to bake. Use toothpicks to be sure. The top should get pretty brown but not super brown. My floormates and I are usually too impatient to let it cool for 15 minutes, but that's what the recipe calls for. It keeps pretty well in the refrigerator for at least a week- if it lasts that long. On a floor with lots of hungry college students, things typically don't survive for that long. Enjoy!

little note: this bread does end up on the crumbly end of breads... still trying to figure out a way to get it to stick together better. Would appreciate help on this one! (I tried making banana bread and that turned out really well, but I'm hesitant to put bananas into a cranberry bread cause I feel like that might kill the flavor a bit...)

Another little note: Adding in more eggs seemed to make it fluffier and stick together better...

Leisure.

There's nothing quite so nice as a little breather from the endless stream of work. Not to say that the work has disappeared over the four-day weekend in the least, but I have just a little bit of time to step away and take a break. Spread my grading over three days rather than two. Go grocery shopping. Sleep in. Enjoy the weather. Forget about looking for jobs while I sleep. Catch a football game while working. Yell when the quarterback throws a really nice pass, groan when the receiver lets the ball just slip through his hands. Actually make dinner. Savor a cup of freshly brewed coffee.

I ran into one of my friends at church today. It was a good reminder of how God moves in our lives, orchestrates our movements before we even know where we're going. It was also a really good reminder of how God changes our hearts through His amazing love and grace. Things that I want to remember even on busier weekends. Sharing our lives with others, taking life as He guides us, and sharing the Gospel when we are given the opportunity to do so. Enjoying life.

I went for a little run tonight as the sun set. Just me. Hair blowing in the wind. And the wind - just cool enough to be refreshing - blowing in my face. The soft thud of running shoes hitting concrete. And just really loving all of it. Wanting to run and never let the moment fade.

Today I actually had  a chance to let my emotions actually go instead of keeping them under tight control to focus on getting my work done. Let myself actually be me. The crazy, energetic, chase one of my floormates down 5 flights of stairs and then back up just because I can me. Sit down, write for fun while listening to some of my favorite Christian bands me. And of course the me that is procrastinating on going to bed even though I have an interview tomorrow morning. I really like the feeling of letting my personality show through instead of being the tightly wound work machine that I sometimes feel like I become during the school year. Taking a deep breath, relaxing. Today really was such a nice day. Thank you, God.