Cranberry Muffins

Cranberry muffins are a holiday staple at the Chaston home. It just wouldn't be Christmas without them!

This recipe is an old one from my mother's side of the family. We think it may have originated during WWII since it has no eggs and uses evaporated milk. However, it does have a lot of sugar so that may not be true. Regardless where it originated or why, it is a great recipe!

These aren't the typical "muffin." They are spongier than a normal American muffin. Some with whom we have shared these muffins dislike them, yet others love them.

This Chaston Christmas staple pairs perfectly with another Christmas staple: "Frosty the Snowman." What made me think of it is in the story/song, those who meet Frosty either dislike him or love him--the same divided response to our cranberry muffins! So check out "Frosty the Snowman" from Jazzy Christmas to You III. And hopefully, you'll absolutely love it!

CRANBERRY MUFFINS

Yield: 36 Muffins (using 2½ inch baking cups)

6 tablespoons butter

2 cups granulated sugar

4 teaspoons vanilla

2 tablespoons baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 12-ounce cans evaporated milk

4 cups (or more if desired) fresh cranberries

1. In a large bowl, beat with an electric mixer butter, sugar, and vanilla together.
2. Combine baking powder, salt, and flour in a small bowl.
3. Open evaporated milk cans with church key can opener making a large triangular pouring spout on one side of the rim and a smaller hole on the opposite side of the rim.
4. Pour one can of evaporated milk into butter mixture and beat on low speed.
5. Add 2 cups of the flour mixture and beat on low speed.
6. Add last can of evaporated milk then flour mixture, beating on low speed after each addition.
7. Rinse and sort cranberries, tossing out the soggy ones.
8. Add to the batter and stir lightly with a large spoon.
9. Line muffin tins with papers.
10. Scoop batter into cupcake tins about two-thirds full.
11. Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes until lightly golden on the top.
12. Serve with Cranberry Muffin Sauce. 

CRANBERRY MUFFIN SAUCE

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

½ cup heavy cream

1½ teaspoons vanilla

1. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally as it thickens. 
2. Cook for 10 minutes.

With Family, It's Still Christmas

I just love Christmas. There's no way to contain how much I love Christmas. I own two "Mrs. Claus" floor-length dresses (for performing and I have two because the first was lost and we had to make another and then the first one was found), an elf costume (also for performing), have released three Christmas CDs (Jazzy Christmas to You!, Jazzy Christmas to You II, and Jazzy Christmas to You III), and I listen to Christmas music year-round.

I also love to be home at Christmas with my family. In fact, we often joke that anytime we are together it's like Christmas. And it's true.

So check out "Please Come Home for Christmas" from Jazzy Christmas to You II. It is and always has been one of my favorite Christmas songs.

Baby, It's COLD Outside!

It is the day after Christmas and it IS very cold outside. I grew up with cold winters, but this one has been really cold early on in the season. I'm glad I have warm coat! I am very grateful.

But all of this cold reminded me of a fun duet I recorded with James Archibald for my first Christmas CD Jazzy Christmas to You! So check out "Baby, It's Cold Outside" from Jazzy Christmas to You!

Helping Santa...And Asking for a Little Help in Return!

Today I helped "Santa" wrap some presents in preparation for Christmas! I often take on the role of an elf at Christmastime!

One of my favorite memories of Christmas is The Dick Van Dyke Show Christmas episode ("The Alan Brady Show Presents"). In it Rose Marie sings a song asking Santa for a boyfriend. I loved the song so much I recorded it on my first Christmas album Jazzy Christmas to You!

So check out "Santa Send a Fella" from Jazzy Christmas to You! 

And don't forget to download your free track "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" from Jazzy Christmas to You III.

Link to Jillaine's Interview on the Doug Stephan's Good Day Show!

If you missed my artist interview to promote Jazzy Christmas to You III on the Doug Stephan's Good Day Show this morning, no need to fret! Christmas miracles--and archived audio--do exist!

You can listen to the archived interview here. I don't think it will stay at the top, so just scroll down until you find "Christmas Star of the Day - Jillaine."

I enjoyed being on the show and talking about Jazzy Christmas to You III, starting my own jazz record label  (Jillaine Records) with Erik (my brother), and choosing to go to law school! Doug Stephan was great to talk with! And I loved being able to be on radio again! It has been since August that I was on the air. During the Christmas break I'll be joining Chris Farber on Y105 again for the weekday morning show 7:00-10:00 a.m. CST, so stay tuned!

I've been promoting Jazzy Christmas to You III a lot, but I also have two other Christmas CDs: Jazzy Christmas to You! and Jazzy Christmas to You II. Today it was really cold and so icy that school was canceled in my hometown in Iowa. So check out "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" from last year's Christmas CD Jazzy Christmas to You II.

And don't forget, you can still get a free download of "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" at jillaine.com/JCTY3!

Tomorrow I’m on the Doug Stephan’s Good Day Radio Show!

Finals are “finally” over! Actually, they weren’t quite as stressful as I had anticipated. Not that they were easy—they were definitely challenging—but “first-semester-law-school-anxiety” didn’t overtake me!

Now I can focus on Christmas and Jazzy Christmas to You III. Which brings me to the exciting news I alluded to in a blog a few days ago.

Tomorrow morning at 6:40 AM Eastern Time I will be the “Christmas Star of the Day” on the Doug Stephan's Good Day Show! I’m very excited!

If you can’t listen in live, no worries, you can still listen to the recording of the interview. I will post the link when the interview is uploaded to the Doug Stephan's Good Day Show website.

And if you’ve been waiting to buy your physical copy of Jazzy Christmas to You III, your wait is over! You can order your CD at Amazon. Don’t worry if it says “out of stock.” If you order, the CDs will arrive at your door.

So listen in tomorrow to the Doug Stephan’s Good Day Show radio show at 6:40 AM Eastern Time.

For me, Christmas is officially starting NOW since my finals are over. To show how excited I am to be on the show tomorrow I want to share with you my jazzy rendition of an old Christmas boogie woogie song, “Boogie Woogie Santa Claus” from Jazzy Christmas to You III!

The Christmas Song

It is just about here! I'm very excited! Believe it or not, I've had my three little Christmas trees set up and decorated since the beginning of November. And the garland on the railing with Santa hats hanging from it has graced the stairway for just about as long! I just can't get enough Christmas!

And what song could be more apropos than "The Christmas Song" from my latest album Jazzy Christmas to You III for today's blog?

Monkey Bread for a Good Christmas Morning!

The Chaston family has many Christmas traditions. Last year, I wrote about many of them: Christmas Pajamas, Christmas Eve Nativity, Christmas Children's Books, Christmas Ornaments, Christmas Candy Trails, and Christmas Caroling. We also have our Christmas Cereal tradition. Each family member gets a favorite cereal just for them for Christmas breakfast--but we all share! This tradition had more significance when we were all little and only had sugary cereal at Christmas, but it still lives on. If "Santa" stopped bringing the Christmas Cereal, there might be an uprising on Christmas morning...

In addition to our Christmas Cereal, however, we often try a new baked good for Christmas morning, too. One year we tried popovers--my sister and I both got popover tins for Christmas--and they were mildly successful for a first attempt. Popovers are tricky, though, and probably should have been tried out pre-Christmas morning.

Well, this year, we're getting a little smarter. For a fuss-free Christmas breakfast (cereal included) we're trying out our baked good BEFORE the big day. And what a keeper this monkey bread is!

Now that we have grown wiser, we can keep those Christmas morning "my-baked-goods-didn't-turn-out-right" blues at bay! So be wise, and check out "Good Morning Blues" from my new album Jazzy Christmas to You III. Trust me, you won't be blue for long! (And try the monkey bread, too. It's absolutely delicious!)

And remember, you can still download--for free--"God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" at jillaine.com/JCTY3!

MONKEY BREAD

½ cup granulated sugar                                        

2½ teaspoons active dry yeast                            

5 cups all-purpose flour, divided                         

¾ teaspoon baking powder                     

¾ teaspoon baking soda              

1 teaspoon salt                                                       

2 cups hot skim milk                                             

½ cup canola oil                                                     

Filling:

8 tablespoons butter, melted                               

¾ cup granulated sugar                            

12 tablespoons cup brown sugar, divided                                                        

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon                       

1. Combine ½ cup granulated sugar, yeast, 3 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
2. In a small bowl stir hot milk and oil together.
3. Pour liquid mixture into dry mixture while the mixer is mixing just until mixed together. .
4. Stir in last cup of flour by hand with a large spoon.
5. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rise until it has doubled in size.
6. In a saucepan, melt butter just until it is pourable. Set aside.
7. Combine granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
8. Line two loaf pans with parchment paper covering the bottom and sides of the pans.
9. On a clean, floured surface, scoop dough out of the bowl. Roll dough into a large rectangle that is ¼ of an inch thick.
10. Pour 7 tablespoons melted butter over the dough. Spread cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over the butter, reserving 4 tablespoons for sprinkling over the top of the bread.
11. Sprinkle 6 tablespoons brown sugar over the cinnamon mixture. Spread evenly.
12. Loosely roll dough into a log.
13. At a 45-degree angle cut the dough into one-inch slices. Then cut into the dough at 45-degree angle in the opposite direction.
14. Line two 9-inch glass pie dishes with parchment paper. Put ½ tablespoon of the remaining melted butter in the bottom of each pie dish. Spread butter over parchment paper up the sides and across the bottom. the sides of the parchment paper with your fingers.
15. Place chunks of dough in each loaf pan and adjust the height to be even between the two pie dishes.
16. Drizzle ½ tablespoon of the remaining melted butter over the top of each pan filled with dough chunks.
17. Sprinkle remaining cinnamon sugar and 6 tablespoons brown sugar over the top of the dough chunks.
18. Let rise until double.
19. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 30-35 minutes and check to make sure the center is no longer doughy.
20. Remove from oven. Let loaves sit for 15 minutes in the pans. Taking the loaves out of the pans, place them on cooling rack with parchment paper intact. You can flip the monkey bread over onto a large plate also.

It's FINALLY Here! Jazzy Christmas to You III!

It's finally arrived! Jazzy Christmas to You III is released!

It took a bit longer to release since I just started law school and Erik just got into the Global Supply Chain emphasis in the Marriott School of Business (remember to check out his video, too, if you haven't yet).

But we made it before Christmas! Jazzy Christmas to You III is available at most online music retailers including iTunes, Amazon MP3, Spotify, GooglePlay, iHeart Radio, and Rhapsody. If you want an actual CD, it will be available shortly from Amazon.

If you want a physical copy now, send me an email at jillaine@jillainerecords.com.

This year classic favorites like "Frosty the Snowman" and "White Christmas" are included, along with some lesser-known gems like "Boogie Woogie Santa Claus." And what would a Christmas CD be like, especially one from a blues singer like me, without a soulful blues song? Check out "Good Morning Blues" to hear vintage Jillaine!

And here's a little secret: if you go to jillaine.com/JCTY3 you can download "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" from the album for FREE! Yes, I said FREE! It is my Christmas gift to you!

Thank you to all. And have a wonderful, merry Christmas!

Soon...Jazzy Christmas to You III...Will Be Released...

I'm getting excited for the release of Jazzy Christmas to You III!

The mastering is almost finished and Jazzy Christmas to You III will be released. Soon the CD cases will no longer be empty--just as on Christmas morning the stockings will be filled! And releasing it digitally is almost like magic!

To whet your appetite for Christmas music, check out my version of "Please Come Home for Christmas" from Jazzy Christmas to You II (2012).

Home

Above is a banner that greets everyone who goes to the Dubuque Regional Airport.  I love it!

Today my older brother, Keith, went home to Dubuque after his vacation visiting us in Utah.  We had fun while he was here.  Of course, enjoying BYU sports was almost a daily occurrence!

So today's song is "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" from my album As American As Jazz.

Constitution Day...A Day Late

Yesterday was Constitution Day and I did not write about in on my blog so I am making up for my oversight and writing about it now!

I'm so very grateful for the Constitution.  What a miracle it is!  All the law students, myself included, found on our carrels a pamphlet with the entire Constitution in it.  What a great gift for law students!  What a great gift for everyone the Constitution is!

To celebrate Constitution Day, albeit a day late, here's "The Star Spangled Banner" from my album As American As Jazz.

Patriot Day

I love the USA!

In honor of Patriot Day, here's my rendition of Lee Greenwood's modern classic "God Bless the USA" from my album As American As Jazz.

Happy Labor Day!

Happy Labor Day!  I love patriotic holidays and celebrating our country!

Even though I spent most of my day studying, I still celebrated in my heart.  To help you celebrate too, here's "America the Beautiful" from my album As American As Jazz.

Review of "You Really Meant It!"

A new review of my 2009 debut album "You Really Meant It" just published on www.merryandbright.blogspot.com!

Here's part of the review:

Jillaine is an independent vocal artist possessing a powerful, steamy, sultry voice that leaps out at you from the first few bars of her debut album, the 2009 release "You Really Meant It".  She does not have a sound similar to the greats - Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Billie Holliday - nor the contemporary stars of jazz like Roberta Gambarini, Sophie Milman, or Jane Monheit.  Jillaine has a voice and style all her own, and it's good stuff, cats, good stuff.

Stay tuned for more updates! I have an exciting announcement tomorrow!

"You Really Meant It" on iTunes!

Hey everyone!  My album "You Really Meant It" just went up for sale on iTunes today!  You can either go to iTunes and type in "Jillaine," or you can use the link on this blog, or on the purchase page of my website.  The individual downloads are $0.99 each.  The download album is $8.91.

"You Really Meant It" CD Release

I released my CD "You Really Meant It." It is available for purchase from amazon.com (see links above) as both a CD and as mp3 downloads. It will soon be available through other services: iTunes, Rhapsody and Napster. Keep checking back for updates!