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I knew I was in trouble I just wasn’t sure for what offense I’d been discovered. Mr. Darcy huffed and puffed nearby.  I thought about my extra purchases in the last two weeks and the household chores I’d ignored while making cookies with the kids.  Maybe he didn’t like my new haircut and couldn’t even look at me, so he was staying in the kitchen to save us both the embarrassment.

“It’s the cranberries,” he finally sputtered.

My first thought, “What cranberries?” was quickly replaced by, “Whew, he doesn’t know how much I’ve spent yet!”.

“What, honey?” I still needed to find out the source of his aggrivation.

“I’ve looked forward to this season all year long and now it’s almost christmas and you haven’t made me even one cranberry, apple crisp.”

“Well,” I thought hard, scrambling,”Are you sure? No, I’m sure I have.”

“Not even one, ” his chin jutted out further.

“Yes,” I said, thinking myself saved,”We made you a pear, cranberry crisp.” It was true, we had.

He dismissed that quickly, “Well, I don’t remember it.”

My relief in realizing this confrontation was over cranberries and not cash was waning, I started to feel quilty.

His arms crossed together tightly, “Not even one cranberry recipe.”

I squirmed and squeeked, “I’ll make sure christmas dessert has cranberries, honey.”

He grunted.

“I promise!”

He looked me in the eyes for the first time.  I could tell I would have to earn his trust back again.

“Okay,” he said.

This morning I told the kids how I let their father down.  I told them we had to make it up to him.  I suggested we start with Cranberry muffins and end with a cranberry, apple crisp.

“We’ll just have to make cranberry recipes every day until he finds it in his stomach to forgive us.”

We ended up making cranberry, orange bread instead of muffins.  This recipe was perfectly suitable, just be careful not to overcook.  Dry quick breads are not the way to soothe your man’s cranberry deprived spirit.

Orange Cranberry Bread

• 2 cups flour(we used half whole wheat)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup squeezed orange juice
• 1 tbs grated orange zest
• 2 tbs canola oil
• 1 egg, well beaten
• 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 375. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan.

2. Whisk together, dry ingredients.  Whisk together wet ingredients.  Add wet to dry, stir just until combined.  Stir in cranberries.

3. Pour mixture into prepared pan.  Spread evenly, bake 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cook for 15 minutes on rack. Remove from pan, cool completely.

Notes: I didn’t have the orange zest on hand, and the bread still had a good flavor.