We are Thankful....for you!

We had a wonderful time with family on Thanksgiving this year. It was our first year "home" in several years and the first year where Joel didn't spend 12 hours doing hw on Thanksgiving day. It was beautiful. 


I do not have any pics of our Thanksgiving, but wanted to share our way of saying thank you to the student ministry staff at our church that Joel is privileged to work alongside.

Monday evening I made yummy cranberry-orange bread...a Thanksgiving tradition in my mom's house.

Cranberry-Orange Bread
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
3/4 cup orange juice
1 egg
1 cup fresh cranberries, chopped
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom only of loaf pan.
(8 & 1/2" x 4 & 1/2" x 2 & 1/2" or 9" x 5" x 3")

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda; stir in butter until mixture is crumbly. Stir in orange peel, orange juice and egg just until moistened; 

stir in cranberries and nuts. Spread in pan.

Bake 8" loaf for 1 hour and 15 minutes, 9" loaf for 55 to 65 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan.

 Loosen sides of bread from pan and remove to a wire rack. Cool completely before slicing.

If you choose to bake two loaves at a time, be sure to decrease your cooking time to 45 minutes.

Next, I wrapped the bread to look like a package.

The placed the bread in plain craft bags, with a little twine & scrapbook paper

and a note that said "we are thankful for you. Love Joel & Amy"

It was such a simple way of giving a Thanksgiving gift (other than the time spent in the kitchen making 5 loaves of bread!).