Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Eggnog Muffins

 These moist, yet fluffy Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Eggnog Muffins are chock full of tart cranberries, white chocolate chips, and just the right amount of eggnog flavor. They are the perfect addition to that holiday breakfast table!

I find that people usually have pretty strong opinions when it comes to eggnog- they either love it or they hate it. There rarely seems to be a middle ground when it comes to this popular holiday flavor. 

I think that maybe I do fall into that all too rare middle ground here. I wouldn't say I love it, but I also definitely don't hate it.

I mean on the one hand, I do like the flavor. But I can't go for the traditional stuff with the raw eggs and rum and all that. I also don't prefer to go all dairy since my lactose intolerance isn't too cool with that option. 

The flavor of eggnog also happens to bring back a little holiday nostalgia for me. When I was a kid, we used to go to my grandparents' house every Christmas Eve for dinner and my grandma always set out a punch bowl of eggnog (non-alcoholic, of course). 

Before I was aware of my slight lactose intolerance or that such a thing even existed, I used to ladle myself cups of it to drink all evening until I almost sick to my stomach. Oops.

But I do like the occasional glass of soy or coconut milk eggnog with a little splash of whiskey while I am wrapping gifts or baking cookies during the holiday season. I also love the flavor of eggnog in holiday baked goodies like these Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Eggnog Muffins I am sharing with you all today...

Cranberry Ginger Gin Fizz

 This bubbly Cranberry Ginger Gin Fizz combines refreshing mint, tart cranberries, fresh lime, and crisp gin in a perfectly festive cocktail perfect for the holiday season...

So, Christmas is just one week away and the end of 2020 is definitely in sight (FINALLY!). And I think both of those things call for a festive and bubbly cocktail. What do you all think?

I mean, 2020 hasn't been all doom & gloom. But it definitely is not the kind of year that I would like to repeat any time too terribly soon. 

Besides the obvious (ahem, Covid, a global pandemic, and statewide shutdowns across the country), 2020 was also the year I acquired my first official funeral dress. I have attended 3 funerals this past year, the most recent being for my own grandmother just a few weeks ago. 

I was contracted for two of my biggest jobs ever as a food blogger, and both of those were permanently shelved within the past month thanks to the 'Rona virus. 

Kaffir Lime & Jalapeno Cranberry Sauce

Traditional cranberry sauce gets a savory twist with bright lime and a kick of jalapeno in this Kaffir Lime & Jalapeno Cranberry Sauce...

Is Thanksgiving really next week?? It feels like just last week that I was getting the littlest all dressed up in her Anna costume to go out trick or treating, and now I am talking turkey with you all. But this is how it is every year, right? Once Halloween is done and over it, the holiday season seems to come at us at lighting speed. 

If you haven't even had a chance to think about Thanksgiving yet let alone plan that dinner menu, then you all are going to really love today's post. Because I am going to let you all in on a little secret on how to make Thanksgiving dinner super easy this year- with a little help from my friends at Urban Accents. ;)

You all probably remember me talking about Urban Accents last month when I shared their recipe for Salted Caramel Apples, and they gave one of you all a party pack for Halloween. Well now my friends at Urban Accents want to help one of you out with that Thanksgiving dinner, so I have teamed up with them for another fun giveaway for my readers. 

We will get to that giveaway in a just few minutes, but let's first chat a little about this Kaffir Lime & Jalapeno Cranberry Sauce, k? With just a handful of ingredients and less than 30 minutes, you can transform a bag of fresh cranberries into a cranberry sauce that will wow them this Thanksgiving. 

If you typically shy away from cranberry sauce because of its sweetness, then you are going to love this more savory version. Plus, you just can't beat the little kick of heat from the jalapeno...

Cranberry White Wine Sauce

Forget the canned stuff for your holiday dinner! This classy Cranberry White Wine Sauce takes just 4 ingredients and 15 minutes to make...

In case you all have been too busy to notice, Christmas is just two days away.

Two days, folks. Who all is ready? ;)

I can honestly sit here and say for once that I am ready. I did just finish wrapping up the last of the gifts last night, but I am done. Everything is ready to be placed under the tree and then ripped open in less than 48 hours. 

I believe this may be a first for me, friends. 

So now that the whole gift wrapping business is done and crossed off my holiday to-do list, I am focusing on my Christmas dinner menu. 

I actually wasn't planning on hosting a big family dinner for Christmas this year, but my husband kind of changed all that thinking when he came home from work the other day with a 20 pound ham in a bag.  

This thing is huge. So naturally, I decided that hosting family for a big Christmas dinner would be in order. 

Cranberry Gingerbread Mug Cake

Soft gingerbread and tart cranberries come together in this low calories dessert for one... 

This shop has been compensated by #CollectiveBias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

I am picturing it all now... The busy holiday season is quickly approaching on the not so distant horizon.

I see lots of holiday cookie baking, and gift wrapping, and online shopping in my near future.

I see lots of wonderful memories about to be made. Cozy evenings snuggled up on the couch with my family and a warm mug of cocoa watching the twinkling of the lights of the Christmas tree.

But I am also seeing lots of extra calories and fat grams and not enough time for a good workout (ahem... time to #drinkTEN ). And a some stressful, frazzled evenings. And moments when all I want to do is hide in a distant room of the house and catch my breath for a moment... alone. 

Ahhhhhh... 'tis the season, folks! ;)

Before the hustle and bustle and wonderful craziness of the season are upon us, I decided to come up with a perfect little dessert for one that can be made in minutes, is low calorie and low fat (less guilt!), and has some of my favorite flavors of the season. 

And believe it or not, the recipe inspiration for my newest mug cake came from a little trip to my local Kroger to pick up some of my favorite TEN beverages...

Slow Cooker Cranberry Coq au Vin

At the start of each week while I am doing my meal planning, I always try to ask my husband and my son if they have any special requests for dinner for that week.  9 out of 10 times my son will almost always ask me to make this Slow Cooker Coq au Vin from Better Homes & Gardens.  I mean, this child of mine would eat that EVERY single week if I would allow it. ;)

Since it has become such a staple in our home, I decided to put my own little spin on the classic slow cooker Coq au Vin I usually.  On one particular week when I had granted my son's request for his favorite dinner, I realized I had forgotten to pick up the mushrooms for it when I was at the store earlier in the week.  

I scoured my freezer and a rather large bag of frozen cranberries were staring back at me. 

Hmmmm...  how about a little Cranberry Coq au Vin?? 

What you will need:

4 large chicken thighs (about 2 lbs), with skin removed & trimmed of fat

Salt & pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup red wine

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 packet of dry onion soup mix

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup of fresh or frozen cranberries

Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.  Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper.

Once the oil is heated, place the chicken in the skillet & brown both sides of the chicken thighs- about 2-3 minutes on each side.  Once browned, remove from the pan & place in the bottom of your Crock Pot.

In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients- the red wine through the cinnamon.  Dump the cranberries on top of the chicken thighs in the Crock pot, and then pour the red wine mixture over top.  

Cook on low for 5-6 hours.

The chicken thighs will slow roast beautifully until the meat is literally just falling off the bones.

When you are ready to serve your Cranberry Coq au Vin, whip up some rice or some nice homemade mashed potatoes to pair with it.  We usually do mashed potatoes with our Coq au Vin, but since I had changed up our traditional recipe I also decided to switch up our usual side to rice.

Is there a traditional recipe that you like to put your own clever and tasty spin on? :)

Cranberry Coq au Vin

by Frugal Foodie Mama

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 5-6 hours

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Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 4 large chicken thighs (about 2 lbs), with skin removed & trimmed of fat
• Salt & pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 packet of dry onion soup mix
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup of fresh or frozen cranberries

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper.

Once the oil is heated, place the chicken in the skillet & brown both sides of the chicken thighs- about 2-3 minutes on each side. Once browned, remove from the pan & place in the bottom of your Crock Pot.

In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients- the red wine through the cinnamon. Dump the cranberries on top of the chicken thighs in the Crock pot, and then pour the red wine mixture over top.

Cook on low for 5-6 hours.

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Cinnamon Spiced Apple-Cranberry Jam

I purchased the book Food In Jars before I even knew that it was based on a blog by Marissa  McClellan.  I just started to learn to can this past summer, and I am hooked.  So when I happened upon this book at Sam's Club while I was there shopping with my mom one day, I had to pick it up.

Later that afternoon when I was on Twitter gloating about my new cookbook find, a friend of mine said, "You know Food In Jars is a blog, right?"  What?!?  Stop the presses!  So, I am now a faithful follower of Food In Jars. :)

I immediately spent the evening after I bought the book happily earmarking everything I wanted to make (yeah, a lot of this book is dog-eared at this point ;) ).  One recipe that I knew I had to make for the holidays is her Apple-Cranberry Jam.  I added my own little spin on it with the cinnamon to make it a little more festive. 

What you will need:

11-12 medium apples, peeled, cored, and chopped (I used a mix of Cameo, Suncrisp, & Fuji.)

4 cups of fresh cranberries

6 cups of sugar

Zest & juice of 2 lemons

3 small cinnamon sticks (about 3 inches long each)

I am not going to get into all of the canning basics with this recipe.  If you need a few tips or are a beginner, check out my post of A Few Tips From a Canning Novice to the Canning Newbies or take some time to peruse the Resources Page on Food In Jars.

Be sure to sterilize your jars and lids.  I like to do this in the dishwasher.  Just leave the jars in your dishwasher to keep them warm until you are ready to fill them.  This recipe made four 16 oz jars for me.  

Combine the apples, cranberries, sugar, & 1 cup of water in a large pot or dutch oven.  Over high heat, bring it to a boil.  Add the cinnamon sticks.  Allow it to boil for 15-20 minutes.  The apples will become soft and the cranberries will pop open.

Mix in the lemon juice and zest.  Reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for another 10-15 minutes.  I let mine simmer for about 20 minutes because I was aiming for a thicker consistency, more like a cranberry sauce than a jam.  (I actually used some of this instead of cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving dinner, and everyone loved it. ;) )

Ladle your jam into your hot jars and add your lids and rims just until finger tight.  Process in boiling water for about 10-15 minutes.  Remove from the pot and allow it to set up on a counter overnight before moving them.  You should hear the reassuring little pings as your jars cool letting you know that your jars' lids have sealed. 

Add a festive bow or some twine and you have a perfect hostess gift or a fabulous jar of homemade jam to add to a gift basket for your favorite foodie! :)

What are some of your favorite gifts to can for the holidays?

Apple Cranberry Bread Pudding

Okay, since the Get Your Chef On- Cranberries Challenge (which I am going to toot my own horn *just for a second* and let you all know that I WON with my Cranberry Cheesecake Ice Cream! Woot woot! :)), I have had cranberries coming out of my ears.  I bought this HUGE bag of them at Sam's Club, and now most of them are happily frozen in my freezer.  It is safe to say that you all may be seeing quite a few cranberry spiked recipes from me in the coming weeks.  Starting with this creamy and comforting Apple Cranberry Bread Pudding...

What you will need:

1 large or 2 smaller apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

1/2 cup of fresh or frozen cranberries

4-5 slices of thick, day old French bread, cubed

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cups evaporated milk

1/4 cup butter

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x9 inch baking pan.  Mix together your peeled & sliced apples, the bread cubes, and cranberries in a large bowl.  Set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, mix together the brown sugar, milk, and butter.  Continue to heat until the butter is melted.  

In small bowl, whisk together the eggs and vanilla.  Add the milk mixture in the saucepan to the eggs and vanilla and whisk together. Then pour all of this over top the apples, bread, and cranberries in the large bowl.  Add the cinnamon and then mix well.

Turn over into the greased pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 35-40 minutes.  

Allow the bread pudding to cool slightly.  I served my Apple Cranberry Bread Pudding with a drizzle of caramel and a dollop of whipped cream.  This recipe makes 6-8 servings.

What would you like to see me make next with the cranberries? ;)  Come on.... I need suggestions!  I have A LOT of cranberries, folks.