These orange-scented muffins are moist, not too sweet and studded with chocolate chips. I’m eating one now between sips of freshly brewed French roast coffee…Yumm! I got the recipe out of the Fresh Every Day Cookbook by Sara Foster. She calls the muffins Orange Chocolate Muffins, but I renamed them Orange Chocolate Chip Muffins since they’re not really chocolate muffins (other than the chocolate chips).

I followed the recipe as written, using Trader Joe’s High Fiber cereal in place of All Bran or bran flakes. The addition of the fiber cereal means you’re getting some roughage along with your chocolate. See…chocolate can be healthy! Next time I make them, I’ll definitely add dried cranberries, too, since I love the flavor combo of chocolate, orange and cranberry.

Orange Chocolate Muffins
-recipe from Fresh Every Day: More Great Recipes From Foster’s Market by Sara Foster

These are best served warm, fresh from the oven. Makes 12 large muffins.

1/2 cup bran flakes or All Bran cereal
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup sour cream
Grated zest of 2 oranges and 1/2 cup of their juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375F degrees. Line 12 large muffin cups with liners and spray the top of the pan with vegetable oil spray or grease lightly.

Stir the bran flakes, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together in a large bowl.

In a separate large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer on high speed until fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Add the egg and mix to combine. Add the sour cream, orange zest and juice, and vanilla and mix until incorporated.

Add the bran-flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon or the paddle attachment of an electric mixer until the dry ingredients are just moistened. Stir in the chocolate chips to combine. Do not mix any more than necessary.

Use a 1/3-cup measure or ice cream scoop to scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them to just below the rim of the cup. Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes, until a wooden skewer comes out clean when inserted in the center of a muffin and the muffins spring back when touched. Let the muffins rest for about 5 minutes before turning them out. Serve immediately or cool on a wire rack.

Tags: bran cereal, butter, chocolate chips, Muffins, orange, orange juice, orange zest, sour cream

Cranberry sauce is a must-have at any turkey dinner, and every year I like to try out a new recipe. This year, however, I went back to a tried and true recipe that I love: Spiced Cranberry Sauce with Zinfandel. The name may sound fancy but it’s super easy to make. This delicious crimson sauce is lightly flavored with citrus and spice while the Zinfandel adds richness without tasting winey.  Serve alongside roast turkey, chicken, or pork.

I used 6 whole cloves and 1 cinnamon stick for just a hint of spice flavor, and 2 strips of orange peel. For another layer of flavor, I added 2 sprigs of fresh thyme, 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard and some freshly ground pepper to the simmering wine-sugar mixture (straining out the thyme and the spices before proceeding with the recipe). The sauce is good as written; I just wanted to play with the recipe and was happy with what I came up with. The first time I made it, I used Pinot Noir instead of Zinfandel (it worked great, too). Next time I make it, I might reduce the sugar a bit. For an easy appetizer, serve the cranberry sauce over cream cheese and spread on crackers.

Spiced Cranberry Sauce with Zinfandel
-recipe from epicurious.com

Yield: Makes about 3 cups

1 3/4 cups red Zinfandel
1 cup sugar
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
6 whole cloves
6 whole allspice
2 cinnamon sticks
1 3×1-inch strip orange peel
1 12-ounce bag fresh cranberries

Combine all ingredients except cranberries in medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat and simmer until reduced to 1 3/4 cups, about 10 minutes. Strain syrup into large saucepan. Add cranberries to syrup and cook over medium heat until berries burst, about 6 minutes. Cool. Transfer sauce to medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate until cold. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Keep refrigerated.)

Tags: allspice, Christmas, cinnamon sticks, cloves, cranberry sauce, holidays, orange, Thanksgiving, zinfandel