CRANBERRY/STRAWBERRY TRIFLE & GIFT CARD DEALS

There are two things you are guaranteed to see every year without fail, and I bet you already know what they are.  If you said cranberry sauce and fruit cake, you go to the head of the class.  For some reason, I always ended up with about 4-5 cans of that stuff and at least one not very tasty

fruitcake from a friend.

Now I use fresh cranberries that are versatile and allow you to be creative with a dish. My girl crush Martha Stewart made this, along with Good Housekeeping back in 2007 and Better Recipes, so I tweaked it for my own yumminess.  They want you to cook the pudding and some other hard stuff that I passed on! (lol)

INGREDIENTS
2 Oranges
1 Bag of Cranberries
1 Cup Strawberries that have been hulled
1 Cup of Sugar
1/4 Teaspoon of Ginger
1/2 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
1/4 Teaspoon of Cinnamon
1 Can of Whipping Cream
2 - 4 Pack of Vanilla Pudding (This is enough for 2 people)
1 Pound Cake or Angel Food Cake, cut into 3/4 inch slices or whatever size you like.  Does anyone ever actually measure this?
Nuts for topping (Optional)

1. From oranges, grate 1 teaspoon peel and place in a saucepan. With knife, remove all remaining peel and white pith from oranges. Holding 1 orange at a time over same saucepan, to catch juice, cut sections from between membranes and add to saucepan, then squeeze juice from membranes into saucepan; discard membranes.
2. Set aside a few cranberries and strawberries for garnish. In the same saucepan, stir remaining cranberries & strawberries with water, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, and vanilla. Heat to boiling over high heat, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium and cook 10 to 16 minutes or until cranberries pop and the sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cool to room temperature.
3. Meanwhile, in bowl with pudding,fold in whipped cream until blended.
4. In an elegant glass, or even a beer mug or other serving bowl, place one-the pieces of cake on bottom. Spoon some of the cranberry/strawberry mixture over the cake, spreading .Top with your pudding mixture. Repeat layering 2 more times. Garnish with reserved cranberries, orange slices and strawberries.  Add nuts if you like.
5. Cover trifle and refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 2 days.
6. 
   

GIFT CARD DEALS - you know there is a friend in your life who has everything, so avoid having your feelings hurt when she regifts that ugly sweater you gave her last year.

Go ahead and get a gift card to her favorite store or restaurant. But who says you have to pay full price? Save money by visiting missiontosave.com or www.thebalance.com .