a couple of recipes

I have done very little cooking since Maeve came along, but there have been a few exceptions.  I made these pancakes the other weekend for a big family breakfast - the kids devoured them, and the chopped apple cooked through (though it seemed unlikely because of my liberal chopping).  And friends and I ate the cranberry upside-down cake with champagne the other night.  The recipe suggests using four mini loaf pans so you can gift small cakes, but I baked mine in a 8x11ish pan -- just make sure your cranberries cover the bottom.

Pumpkin Apple Pancakes
 Sunset magazine November 2012 -- image from magazine, too

1 large egg
1 c each flour and milk
2 T vegetable oil
1/2 c canned pumpkin
1 T each sugar and baking powder
1/4 t each salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon
1 apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
About 2 T butter, divided
Syrup

1. Mix all ingredients except butter and syrup
2. Melt 2 t butter in large nonstick frying pan over med heat.  Spoon batter, making 3-4 at a time.  Cook, turning once, until cooked through, 8-10 minutes.
Serve with syrup and more butter if you like

Cranberry-Almond Upside-Down Cake
  Whole Living magazine, December 2012 -- image from magazine, too

4 T unsalted butter, softened, plus more for brushing
2 1/2 c fresh cranberries 
1/2 c plus 2 T granulated sugar
2 c raw almonds, toasted and ground in food processor (instead, I used almond meal and 1/2 t almond extract)
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t coarse salt
3 large eggs
1 t pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Brush pan(s) with butter (be generous, my cranberries stuck a bit)
2. In a small sauce pan cook cranberries and 2 T sugar over med heat, stirring until cranberries begin to pop, about 6 min.  Pour into pan(s), evenly covering the bottom(s)
3.  In a small bowl, whist almonds, baking soda and salt.  
4.  In a med bowl beat butter and remaining sugar until pale and fluffy.  
5. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.  Add vanilla.  Add almond mixture and stir til combined
6.  Pour batter over cranberries and gently smooth top 
7. Place pan(s) on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until loaves are golden brown and a tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 min.
8. Let cool and run spatula around edges to loosen, and invert cake, cranberry side up, on wire rack to cool.