You're going to say it isn't possible...but it is.  I found another use for the cranberry ketchup.  :)  Today at work I was fretting a bit about the fact that the batch of cranberry ketchup (CK) I made last month is nearing its 4-week birthday.  Now I don't know for sure that it will go bad on its 28th day in existence, but that was the rough estimate I was given when I asked sweet Erin of Care to Eat for the recipe, and I didn't want to take any chances of wasting a single drop.  I was also thinking about baking because, well, I think about baking a lot.  The two thoughts eventually converged and I began to think about ways I could incorporate the CK into a baked good other than simply smearing it across the top (which is an excellent way to use it, don't get me wrong).   I've loved the different swirl breads I've seen pop up over the holidays, but have never attempted one myself.  I thought about banana bread with a cranberry swirl...yummy for sure, but I had no overly ripe bananas on my counter.  Cinnamon bread with a cranberry swirl?  I couldn't find or come up with a plain cinnamon bread recipe to modify.  Sweet potato bread with a cranberry swirl?  Now we're talking, I just happened to have a baked sweet potato sitting on the top shelf of my fridge.  But wait...Sweet Potato Apple Bread with a Cranberry Swirl?  Ding Ding Ding! I started with the recipe I came up with for BSI: SWEET POTATO a couple of months ago.  This batter is a bit thicker than typical bread or cake batters, so I wasn't really sure how to incorporate the cranberry swirl in.  The hubb helped me wing it...we just cut 6 slots in the top of the bread batter in the short direction of the pan, then pulled a knife across the long direction.  As you can see, it looked like a big mess.  At this point I wasn't sure what I was going to get after it spent 50 minutes in the oven.  I'm still a very novice baker and am definitely learning by doing, or actually learning by taking plenty of chances that often result in big messes. I was pleasantly surprised when I peaked in the oven after 45 minutes and all seemed well.  And the smell...oh. my. goodness.  It took me right back to the holidays.  I gave the bread an additional 5 minutes to set up then pulled it, placing it on a rack in the pan to cool for 10 minutes.  It fell a bit after sitting, I'm sure the cranberry goo contracted as it cooled and lost air bubbles, causing the bread to cave in a bit.  I was absolutely terrified to flip the pan and release the loaf. Another pleasant surprise...it released perfectly. After letting the loaf cool on the rack without its pan for 40 minutes, I couldn't resist slicing it to see how successful our swirling method had been. I wouldn't call it a swirl, per se, but the CK added a lovely touch to the sweet potato apple bread, both visually and orally.  I will DEFINITELY be making this recipe every year, along with the cranberry ketchup.  :) Sweet Potato Apple Bread with a Cranberry Swirl Ingredients:

• 1 medium baked sweet potato, mashed (about 1-1/2 cups) 
• 1/2 cup turbinado sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp apple sauce
• zest from 1 orange
• 1 cup peeled, chopped tart apple (pink lady, granny smith, etc.) 
• 1-1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1-1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup of cranberry ketchup* or other cranberry preserves

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350*.  In a small bowl, mash the potato and add the brown sugar, applesauce, orange zest and egg.  Mix well.
2. Add the chopped apple to the wet mixture.
3. In a larger bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently fold together.
5. Pour batter into greased loaf pan.  Smooth top of batter, than cut 1/2-inch deep slits in batter across short direction of pan.  Pour cranberry ketchup of preserves into slits, then drag a knife across long direction of pan to pull preserves through batter.  Do not overwork.
6. Bake for 50-55 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool in pan for 10 minutes.  Remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

*  If you would like the recipe for cranberry ketchup, please send me an email.  The recipe is directly from a cookbook and I am not comfortable with publishing it on the blog.  Thanks!  Oh!  The hubb and I did have dinner tonight too.  And it was a lovely dinner, it just got overshadowed by dessert as so many great meals do (in my world anyway). Dinner:  Roasted Pork Tenderloin and Veggies.  It doesn't need much of an explanation, the pictures speak for themselves.  Although I do want to say that the tenderloins are from our favorite local pig farmer, Babes In The Wood.  So so so good. I hope you all had a fabulous Monday!