Leftover Cranberry Sauce Cupcakes



Part of being healthy is being resourceful. The holidays have just finished, and maybe Grandpa Ted didn't eat all the cranberry sauce you wanted him to. Or perhaps, you made too much because its so delicious and you felt like eating from the tub with a spoon during a Netflix binge. Since it keeps in the fridge for two weeks, feel free to be the star of your New Year's party (sauce recipe here). There's no substitute for homemade sauce, and it makes the perfect co-star for the sweet cupcake and creamy frosting. This would also make an incredible middle layer to a two-tiered cake.

Servings: 24 cupcakes

What You'll Need:

• 1 box (yes, box -- pick your battles) Vanilla Cake mix
• Egg, Oil, and Water required (listed on cake box)
• 1 tub vanilla frosting (again, pick your battles. If you want to make your own, mix 1/2 a cup of powdered sugar with a tablespoon of softened butter and a spoonful of milk at a time until it's the thickness you want.)
• 1/2 cup cranberry sauce for frosting
• 1 and a 1/2 cups cranberry sauce (for filling)
• 24 cupcake papers & an Oven
• Optional: 24 fresh cranberries
• Optional: Clear sprinkles

The Step-by-Step:

1. Preheat oven to degree listed on cake mix box (usually 350 or 375 degrees F)
2. Mix cake mix, eggs, oil, and water in a small bowl (based on the cake mix's directions).
3. Place cupcake papers in your cupcake pan, and fill each halfway.
4. Bake for the instructed amount of minutes, and repeat this process until all of the cupcake batter has been used up.
5. While the cupcakes are baking and you have some downtime, mix the frosting and the cranberry sauce (a little at a time until its "cranberry enough" for you), and place the mixture in the fridge to cool a bit.
6. Let the cupcakes cool off (about 30 minutes).
7. With a small spoon, (or even your finger!) scoop (or poke) a hole straight down about halfway through each cupcake.
8. Place 1 cup cranberry sauce in a ziploc bag. Use your hands to get all the sauce towards one side of the bag. Using a scissors, cut a small snip of the bottom corner off.
9. Holding the ziploc like a cone, place the snipped corner in the hole of a cupcake. Squeeze until the cupcake is filled (just to the top of the hole!), and repeat with each cupcake. You may have to pause and wiggle some sauce down towards the bottom of the bag (Stop and adjust -- this is perfectly okay!)
10. Fill a new ziploc bag with the frosting mixture. Snip the corner like before, and squeeze the frosting onto a cupcake, in a circle -- starting with the cupcake's edges and working your way to the center, like a spiral. When you get to the middle, stop. Repeat until all cupcakes are frosted.
11. Optional: If you have some fresh cranberries and sprinkles like I did, feel free to put them to good use.

xoxo n

A side note:

Even though I would hope you are using my recipe for homemade cranberry sauce, you don't have to. If you have a spare can lying around, you can use that -- but since canned sauce is kind of Jello-like, empty the can in a bowl and add 1/3 of a cup of orange juice. Mash and mix together until it is a nicer consistency. Then you can measure it out like in the recipe above.

The Perfect Cranberry Sauce

I have to admit -- growing up, I wasn't a big fan of "the sauce." However, cranberry sauce is Austin's favorite food group (besides egg nog; so let's just establish now that in December he's a very happy camper.) Anyways, having that information, I set out to find the easiest, most natural recipe, and after a little tweaking, this recipe is what tastes the best (and is the best.) I'm now a believer.

Servings: About 3 cups

What You'll Need:

• 1 package fresh cranberries (you can easily find them at any grocery store during the holidays)
• 1 orange, cut in half
• 1 cup brown sugar

The 3 Steps (yes, three):

1. In a medium pot (one you would use to heat up soup,) squeeze the orange until all the juice is in the pot, and put on the stove to heat.
2. Stir in the sugar until it is all dissolved.
3. Add in the fresh cranberries and turn down the heat to low. You'll hear popping as they cook. Stir often. After about 20 minutes, the cranberry sauce should be ready. 

Besides placing a bowl of it at your family table, feel free to also spread it on a leftover-turkey sandwich, or use it as a tangy filling for cupcakes or a cake! This version is so very easy and cheap. Bottom line: Ditch the can and impress everyone this holiday.

xoxo n

Israeli Cous Cous with Apples & Cranberries

Hi everyone -- made this the other day on a whim and I just had to share. Israeli Cous Cous (its like a happy medium between rice and pasta, and in a ball shape) is delicious! I simply cooked mine in chicken broth, and added in dried canberries and diced apples. It was SOOOO delicious. Sorry, usually I am better at describing the food I make, but literally that is the only word I can think of. I made another batch just a couple of days later, because Austin gobbled up what was in my fridge and it made me sad that there was none left for me! Hahaha. Not to mention -- it takes 20 minutes!

Servings: 4 (makes four side dishes, if you want it to be a main dish, it will only make two servings -- and add a protein like chicken -- yum!)

What You'll Need:

• 2/3 cup Israeli CousCous (sometimes called "Pearl CousCous" -- to get an idea of the price, I got a box of the stuff from Trader Joe's for $2.99 -- totally doable on any budget!)
• 1 cup fat-free chicken broth (such as Swanson's)
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries (Craisin's works!)
• 1/2 an apple
• Pinch of Salt, Pepper, & Garlic Powder
• OPTIONAL: Olive Oil, Crushed Garlic

The Step-by-Step:

1. Heat the chicken broth in a small pot  (the size appropriate for heating a can of soup,) then add the cous cous
2. Stir, and let cook until the liquid almost disappears (about 6-8 minutes)
3. While the cous cous is cooking, take the cranberries and cut them into small pieces, and then take the apple and cut it into small chunks
4. When the cous cous is done, turn off  the heat and let sit for 2 minutes
5. Add in the cranberries, salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and stir
6. Optional: If the cous cous is sticking together, add a dash of olive oil
7. Optional: For more flavor, mix a little bit of crushed fresh garlic
8. When serving, top with some apple chunks!

This warm, comforting, yet fruity dish lends a nice change from the usual. The chicken broth adds a depth of poultry flavor that you would miss by cooking the cous cous in plain water... so all in all, this is kind of like a healthy cousin of thanksgiving turkey with cranberry sauce. Enjoy this clean eating!

xoxo n

side note

this past weekend, i reunited with lots of college friends at my alma mater's homecoming -- one of Austin's fraternity brothers came up to me and said they love my blog and made my breakfast avocado! it really touched me!! even though this blog is a labor of love, and i truly love writing about my cooking escapades -- your comments as readers really keep me going on those tough long days. i really appreciate your words, alex! :)