Kicking Off 2023

 

   Welcoming in 2023!  Trying to find the cheer and keep in mind all I have to be grateful for, especially during a tough holiday season missing those family members who are gone and not looking forward to a milestone birthday I have coming up. But deciding to worry about that later!

My first bake for 2023 was a Cranberry Upside Down cake to share at our family celebration. I decided to make this recipe from Joy of Baking because it required minimum effort, and I had all the ingredients at hand. Having spent all of Christmas Eve in the kitchen, I didn't want to do the same for New Year's. My cranberries were frozen, and I thawed them out by running them under cold water until they were soft, then drying them thoroughly. I needed more than the 227 grams the recipe called for in order to cover the bottom of the pan. Only thing I regret is taking some caramel that was left in the pan when I unmolded the cake and sticking it on top of the cranberries. It probably didn't make any difference taste wise, but it kind of spoiled the appearance a little bit because it looked like brown splotches on top of the bright red berries. Some in the family were surprised at this choice but were won over after tasting it, served with whipped cream. This cake looks festive, was easy to transport, and keeps well at room temperature for two days and then in the refrigerator. If it lasts that long. I read you can't freeze this cake though, probably because of the cranberries.


It's not a pizza! It's Cranberry Upside Down cake. 

The first day of 2023 started off well with another slice of the Cranberry Upside-Down cake and two cups of coffee, followed by a nice 40-minute walk in Grandpa's neighborhood in unusually mild weather. We'd stayed up to watch the ball drop for the sake of Bubby who still jumps up and down with excitement and has us all count down together. Later we went for a drive, just to cruise around Ridgefield and take a look at the house Grandpa's brother used to live in. In the evening we headed home.




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