This was my dream. We were hosting a dinner party, except we lived in a campsite in the woods, in a tent. The hour of the event arrived and I realized we didn’t have any ingredients, such as yeast to cook the pizza dough. Waking up disoriented and perhaps concerned for the welfare of our guests, I went to the kitchen and ate some of my cranberry bread. It is nothing but the recipe on the package of cranberries, sold for 99 cents at Safeway (no doubt to get rid of them now that the season is over). These, I think, are fairly standard proportions for quickbread: 2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons of a combination baking powder and soda, salt. The principal liquid is three-fourths cups of orange juice, with two tablespoons oil and a little orange zest. Slice the cranberries in half: It takes a long time but will give you twice as much to eat.

(Photo: Winterberries in Duluth, Minnesota.)

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