October Guest Post!!!

Each month, I plan on having one blog post be written by a guest post-er! Today's post is the VERY FIRST guest post!! To start the guest series off is none other than my amazing momma! I could go on and on about what I admire about my mom, but I won't (for your sake) and I'll just tell you that one of the things I most admire about my mom is her loyalty and selflessness she devotes to her family and friends. My mom is always doing for others, encouraging them, being there for others in any way she can, and being a thoughtful and generous friend. She's amazing in that way (and many others. Like: she's an amazing cook as you'll see from this cake she made for this post!) Check out her post below and be sure to send her some love!

I love you mom! Thanks for being the first guest on Letters From a GOOD Friend! (:

Wisconsin Cranberry Bog &

Cranberry Coffee Cake Recipe

What do you call a sad cranberry?

A BLUEberry!!

Greetings from OHIO...

I’m Andrea! I am Alix's mom and also have the privilege to be the mother/stepmother of two boys. Just a little about me… For 15 years I have been happily married to one of my best friends. I feel like my parents taught me a lot about How to Love and be Loved. I have been a school bus driver for 21 years, and I have the best friends a girl could ask for :) Super excited to be Alix's first guest blogger… Haha, beat her dad.

I am seriously addicted to traveling and new adventures. We recently went to Wisconsin to visit our great nephew Max and his parents! This is our second trip up to visit the baby. Max's dad needed some Hay wagons so, my husband Tony took him 2 wagons... yes we looked like the beverly hillbillies, but the trailer was loaded properly and we made it without any incidents :)

We took a day-trip to Glacial Lakes Cranberry farm and toured the 6,00 acre farm, sampled fresh cranberries (which I had never eaten before, turns out I like them) Glacial Lakes has been growing Cranberries since 1873! I found it very interesting that the farm is still getting berries from some plants that are 65 years old. Not all of the plants are that old, but cool to know how hardy these plants are. The berries grow in the underbrush and the fields are flooded for harvest, cranberries are hollow and float (just like in the Ocean Spray commercial). Great tour, just make sure when you call for reservations, that the farm is still harvesting!

(click the link at the bottom of this post for more info!)

I did purchase a small cookbook, fresh & dried cranberries and some WINE as souvenirs :)

I decided to try baking the Cranberry-Sour Cream Coffee Cake from the cookbook I purchased. Everyone I shared a piece with liked it and I do plan on using the last of the berries (which I froze) to make a cake for thanksgiving… along with sharing the wine. Check out the recipe below!!

(click the photos of the recipe to enlarge!)

*Next time that I make this, I will add some pieces of pecans to this recipe and an additional 1/2 cup or so of cranberries.

I hope you enjoy this cake as much as we did!

Thank you for spending some of your precious time with me.

-Recycle-reuse and live clean-

your new friend Andrea

http://www.glaciallakecranberries.com

Recipe from: "Very Cranberry" by Jennifer Trainer Thompson

(This is Alix) I want everyone to know that the KitchenAid mixer she used for this recipe is MINE that she is supposed to be storing for me, NOT using (brat) It was given to me by my Great Aunt Jody! 30-ish years ago she "HAD TO HAVE IT" so her husband came home one day with it! (Relationship goals! (; ) And when she gave it to me she said she had only used it a handful of times since then haha!

But just for that mom, here is a picture of my dad (so he can say he made the blog, too)

(: