I used to say to my husband, they put Christmas decor out so early in the stores that one day they will put it out before Halloween. Well we walked into the local superstore to get dog food the other day. Low and behold there it was Christmas on one aisle and Halloween on the other… So my mind is on the upcoming holidays… forced there before the kids in costumes arrive at my door, and the horror movies on my cable tv. UGHHH
AND.. I am that woman who doesn’t have kids, who everyone assumes has a leisurely evening, full of flipping through magazines as I watch the latest hit TV show. SO NOT TRUE most of the time, but I digress… tonight I have had largely a leisurely evening. My husband has a bad back strain and it rained. So, I have been writing. The thing I absolutely love to do.
Tonight I was asked to donate a gift basket with my book Carolina Wine Country Cooking and some other goodies to a local event called the Fur Ball which supports the humane society. Another love of mine, puppies and kitties…So, I am thinking of a special personal touch I can put in the gift basket that will be at the event in mid November. Everyone will be thinking of the week to come when they will be serving, or sharing the Thanksgiving meal. I think that I will share a new holiday recipe now with all of you, and put another new one in the gift basket. A little exclusive preview from the upcoming Carolina Wine Country Cooking Vol II.
This would be really good for Thanksgiving, and the ingredients can be found in any grocery store. If you cannot find scuppernong blush in your grocery store, use a moscato rose instead.
Cranberry Swirl Corn Bread Pudding
1/2 (15 ounce) can cranberry sauce
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup scuppernong blush wine
1 (8-ounce) package corn muffin mix (Jiffy)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, steep the dried cranberries in the wine until they plump, approximately 30 minutes then strain out the cranberries and add them to the half can of cranberry sauce. Discard or find another use for the wine. Mix well. In a large bowl, stir together the corn muffin mix, sour cream, and melted butter. Pour into a greased 9 by 13-inch casserole dish. Pour the cranberry mix over the top in a zigzag pattern. Using a kitchen knife, zigzag the cranberry mixture in the opposite direction. Bake for 50 minutes, or until golden brown. Let stand for at least 5 minutes and then serve warm.
I hope you enjoy this dish, and your upcoming holiday season.
Cork and Fork Blog 
Thought-provoking post, Ginger! I remember when Christmas decorations were put out after Thanksgiving. Never thought I’d long for those days ago but I do!
How wonderful of you to provide your book for the gift basket at the Fur Ball. I adopted three rescues dogs from the Robeson County Humane Society – they are fabulous!
Can’t wait to try the recipe!
Our dogs are resuced dogs as well. There is something about them that makes them extra special. I miss those days when we used to look forward to shopping the Friday after Thanksgiving because it was the first time we would see the mall or shops decorated for Christmas. That day holds no special magic for me now. I seldom shop on that day because everyone else does. I did find a great website recently though that I may use this year for some Black Friday purchases… http://www.giftsthatgive.com – you can set up any charity that you would like to benefit by getting 20% of what you spend on the site. Pretty cool indeed.