>Ah, a perfect fall day. Leaves raked to the curb, a chill in the air, Packer football on the television, and the clocks set back for an extra hour of sleep. This calls for a fire in the fireplace and home baked goodies.

I pulled a bag of cranberries out of the freezer to make these. Buy the fresh cranberries between now and Thanksgiving and freeze them; they’re a little hard to come by out of season.

1 1/4 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons canola oil
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs or 1/2 cup egg substitute
2/3 cup orange juice
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare 12 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray.
Place the cranberries and walnuts in a food processor or blender and pulse until chopped. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and orange peel. Set aside.
In small saucepan, combine the butter and oil and heat until the butter melts. Stir in sugar. (Note: sugar will not dissolve.)
In a large bowl, stir together the eggs and orange juice. Stir in the sugar-butter-oil mixture, then add the dry ingredients and mix until just moistened. Stir in the cranberries and walnuts.
Fill the muffin cups until almost full. Bake for 18 — 20 minutes or until muffins and golden brown. Test for doneness with a toothpick.

Serve warm with a mug of steaming coffee next to a roaring fire in the fireplace. Okay, the coffee is optional, and they’ll still taste good without a fireplace by your side. But really, these are not just for Thanksgiving Day breakfast!