Thanks!

I love fall and the harvest that comes with it, though, and this year I'm really looking forward to the Thanksgiving. It's not my favorite holiday, but I really do have so much to be thankful for!

To put me in the mood, I tried Kale and Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes from 101cookbooks.com. We used fresh chives as a topper instead of the scallions and shallots. I'm not sure it needed a topper, though! The potatoes were so good with the hint of kale and garlic. We didn't drizzle the extra olive oil on top, either, because I like the pure potato taste and they just didn't need all that.

This brings me to my next new love: cranberries. The whole berries are SO much better than the dried. The plump tartness just bursts in your mouth. First I tried Upside-down Cranberry Cake from smittenkitchen.com.  I used cinnamon (my favorite!), nutmeg, and almond extract as the flavorings and cut back on the amount of butter some. If I made it again, I'd add about another cup of cranberries. Even without that, though, this cake is perfection. 

That cake put me in the mood for another one. I asked my husband if he wanted chocolate stack loaf or Cranberry-Apple Coffee Cake. The man who LOVES chocolate chose the cranberries. It must be fall! This cake had a subtle lemon flavor, which complimented the cranberries well. I did like the other cake better, mostly because it had a stronger cranberry taste.

Cranberies, I'm very thankful for you!