Tea Bread Tuesday: Cinnamon Raisin-Bran Bread

I left work at 2:25 P.M. today.  As I write this, we are in the middle of a blizzard, and are expecting the biggest snowstorm to hit Chicago since January 1967.  The wind gusts are incredible!  The snow has been falling steadily since early in the afternoon, and forecasters are telling us that we are not even in the thick of it yet! 

I got home at 5:00 P.M.  My husband hadn't made it home yet, and he normally has an even longer commute than I do.  Baking was the perfect activity to keep worry at bay, and . . . it's Tea Bread Tuesday!

This recipe came from the back of a box of Hodson Mill unprocessed wheat bran and what attracted me to it at first was the name of the bread - Cinnamon Raisin Bran Bread.  I'm very fond of every single one of those ingredients!  So, in between looking out the window, and worrying about Lee, and taking a long distance phone call from a cousin who entreated me not to drive tomorrow because she had had a "vision,"  I baked the bread.

The bread was O.K., nothing particularly special about it, but it did fill the house with wonderful, cozy smells, so when my husband walked in, he had a warm treat, and a fresh pot of coffee waiting for him.  He got home at 6:00 P.M.  Here's the recipe:

1½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1½ cups unprocessed wheat bran
1½ cups seedless raisins
¼ cup softened butter
1½ cups hot water
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 375°F.  Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.  Combine in a separate bowl wheat bran, raisins, butter and hot water.  Mix until the butter melts.  Add egg and vanilla extract.  Beat well.  Add the mixed dry ingredients and nuts; stir until all ingredients are moistened.  Spread batter in an oiled 9x5x3 loaf pan and bake for 45-60 minutes.  Cool before slicing.  Yield 1 loaf.

The Best Hot Apple Cider Drink Ever!

I worked with Kim for many years, and her Hot Apple Cider Drink was a staple at our gatherings during the Fall.

I've planned parties around this beverage, always trying to come up with reasons to entertain in cold weather, just so I could serve this yummy, warming cup.

Here's the recipe:

1 teaspoon whole allspice
1 teaspoon whole cloves
3 cinnamon sticks
6 cups apple cider
3 cups orange juice (without pulp)
3 cups cranberry juice or cranberry juice cocktail
½ cup granulated sugar

With a piece of cheesecloth, tie a small bundle with the allspice, cloves and cinnamon.

Measure all liquids into a crockpot. Add and stir sugar until dissolved. Add the bundle of spices. Simmer until hot. The crockpot will make it effortless to keep the drink warm . . . if it lasts, that is . . . Be prepared to double the recipe.

This can also be prepared in a regular pot.

Wouldn't this be great for a Christmas Caroling party . . . ?