Making Christmas meaningful (a.k.a. "The Un-Grinchification of the Holidays"), day 2: Baking Cranberry Cream Cheese bread

I've said it before, and its no joke - I just plain SUCK in the kitchen.

I can cook OK, but I'd rather fold an entire day's worth of laundry than clean the top of the stove.
A few weeks ago I made some cream cheese fruit dip and Nick as well have made it. My counter was a mess and it looked nothing like it does when my friend makes it. (Hey Nikki - how ya doin' girl?) It has three ingredients.

But every once in awhile I surprise myself - I find something online or buy something at a bake sale and have to try the recipe.

A few years ago, I did just that - at a pot luck at work, someone brought in the most unbelievable bread and I asked for the recipe. It took a year, but I kept that recipe and made it myself. And it was good even when I made it.

Now I make this bread every year around the holidays. I made it last week for Thanksgiving.

CRANBERRY CREAM CHEESE BREAD*
8 oz. cream cheese
1 c. butter
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
2 1/4 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 c. whole cranberries**
1/2 c. chopped walnuts

1) Rinse & drain cranberries.
2) Blend cream cheese, butter, sugar, vanilla & eggs - beat until creamy. (Hint: I put the cream cheese and butter in the micro for 30 seconds or so to make them soft enough to mix.)
3) Add 2 c. of the flower and the baking soda and beat well.
4) Combine the other 1/4 c. of flour with the cranberries, fold them and the walnuts into the batter.
5) Grease 2 large loaf pans and bake at 325 for 50 minutes.

*I totally made up the name for this bread. Ignore the fact that there is cream cheese and four eggs in it - calories don't count from mid-November til January 1st, anyway.
**If you buy an 8 oz bag of fresh cranberries you'll have some left over. Keep 'em. I have a decorating idea I'll be sharing later.

Why am I doing this?

Past "Un-Grinching posts":

Day 1: The Christmas Special

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