CRANBERRY SAUCE & CHRISTMAS MORNING COFFEECAKE

Thanksgiving has come and gone, that is, all except for the left-overs.  Aren't they wonderful?!  One thing we always have left over is cranberry sauce.  It's been years since we ate canned cranberry sauce.  Why buy it in a can when it is so SO easy to make and turns out so much better?  Here is my go-to recipe.

WHOLE CRANBERRY SAUCE.  Makes about 2 cups.
*  1/2 pound fresh cranberries
*  1/4 cup port
*  1/4 cup fresh orange juice (1/2 of an orange)
*   zest from 1/2 orange
*  1/2 cup diced dried apricots
*  1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
*  1/3 cup granulated sugar
*  1/3 cup toasted pecan halves (optional)
Place everything except the nuts in a saucepan.  Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries are cooked and the sauce is thick, 25 to 30 minutes.  Remove from the heat, cool, and stir in the pecan halves.  Store covered in the refrigerator.  Sauce will keep for several weeks and is best brought to room temperature before serving.
Adapted from Cold-Weather Cooking by Sarah Leah Chase.

So now we are moving into the Christmas season and we will have cranberry sauce left over.  What to do with it?  Make a coffeecake!  Here's a delicious and easy recipe.

CHRISTMAS MORNING COFFEECAKE.
*  2 extra-ripe, medium bananas, peeled
*  1 egg
*  1 teaspoon vanilla extract
*  2 cups. buttermilk baking mix (such as Bisquick)
*  2 tablespoons sugar
*  1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
*  1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
*  1 cup cranberry sauce
Topping:
*  1/2 cup packed brown sugar
*  1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
*  2 tablespoons melted butter
*  2 tablespoons flour
Preheat oven to 400º; grease a 9" square pan.
Puree banana chunks in blender or processor (to make 2/3 cup).  Add egg and vanilla to pureed bananas.  In a mixing bowl combine baking mix, sugar, cinnamon and allspice.  Beat in the banana mixture.  Pour into prepared pan.  Break up the cranberry sauce and distribute over the batter.  Make topping by stirring together all ingredients.  Sprinkle entirely over the top of the coffeecake batter.  Bake for 25 minutes or until cake tests done.

ENJOY!