THE ALABAMA 100 BOOK TOUR 2024 DATES

I am hitting the road to celebrate my new book, The ALABAMA 100 Best Recipes, Restaurants & Road Trips! Below is a list of dates and places. More are being added daily so check back if your city is not listed. ABOUT THE BOOK

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2024                      

10am-1pm                                                        

Harrison Brothers Hardware                   

Huntsville, AL

DECEMBER 1, 2024

2pm-4pm                                        

Holiday Open House with Mary Catherine Folmar             

207 South Beaty Street                            

Athens, AL 35611

DECEMBER 3

4pm-6pm    

Alabama Booksmith                     

Homewood, AL

DECEMBER 4                                   

11am-1pm

Tracy Barrett Interiors

Greystone Marketplace

Birmingham, AL                             

DECEMBER 4

5pm-7pm

Books-a-Million

Trussville, AL

DECEMBER 5

4pm-6pm

Bromberg’s

Mountain Brook, AL

DECEMBER 6

11am-2pm

The Charming Cottage

Fayette, AL

DECEMBER 7

10am-1pm

The Farm Company

Holiday Home Tour

Columbiana, AL

DECEMBER 8

5:00pm - 6:30pm

Odette

Florence, AL

DECEMBER 10

9:30am-1pm

Alabama Goods

Hoover, AL

DECEMBER 10

4:30pm-6:30pm

Bookmarked

Cookie Swap

Trussville, AL

DECEMBER 11

11am-2pm

Alabama Goods

Homewood, AL

DECEMBER 12

4pm-6pm

Grand Hotel

Fairhope Point Clear

DECEMBER 14

9am-1pm

Earthborn Pottery Blue Light Art Show

Leeds, AL

DECEMBER 14

4:30pm-6:30pm

The Funky Goat

Dadeville, AL

DECEMBER 15

Auburn TBD

DECEMBER 16

4pm-6pm

Hector’s Kitchen

Attalla, AL

DECEMBER 21

11am-2pm

Alabama Goods

Huntsville  

TO ORDER A PERSONALIZED COPY FROM ME EMAIL: Martie@MartieDuncan.com

RECIPE: BESSIE'S CRANBERRY ORANGE BREAD PUDDING

This recipe was shared with me by my good friend and former producer, Jason Burnett. You may remember him from the Homemade podcast. He interviewed me for one of the episodes. Meet Martie: Homemade Podcast Episode 14: Meet Martie Duncan

Bessie was Jason’s beloved grandmother and this is her recipe, with a few tweaks. It is my favorite bread pudding for the holidays; try it and you’ll serve it every year.

CRANBERRY ORANGE BREAD PUDDING 

1 large baguette, brioche loaf or other bread like leftover rolls, torn or cut into cubes

1/4 cup Grand Marnier

2/3 cup Craisins or dried cranberries

5 large eggs, room temperature

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon orange zest

scant pinch kosher salt

1 quart heavy cream (or you can use half and half)

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (fresh grated is best)

 Slice or tear bread into 1" cubes allow to sit out 2 hours.

Pour Grand Marnier over cranberries and allow to soak for 2 hours. 

Preheat oven to 350˚ F.

Add eggs and sugar to an extra-large bowl; whisk together well. Add vanilla, zest, salt and cream. Add the dried cranberries plus Grand Marnier. Mix well. Add bread. Allow to soak for an hour, pushing it down into the liquid.  

When ready to bake, butter a large heatproof casserole dish. Check the bread by pulling a cube apart to make sure it is soaked through and not dry in the center. Remove the bread from the liquid, one large spoonful at a time and place into the prepared casserole dish. Once you have added all the bread, pour the liquid over it. Push any exposed cranberries into the bread because they will burn.

Put the dish into the preheated 350˚ F oven and bake for 35-45 minutes or until it is set and golden brown. How long you bake it will depend on how deep your dish is. You will need less time if it is a shallow dish.

RECIPE: EASY TO MAKE HOMEMADE CRANBERRY SAUCE

While I secretly LOVE the jellied canned cranberry blob of my youth, this whole cranberry sauce is a million times better and it is so easy to make. It stores in the fridge for a month so you can make it well in advance of the holidays and it makes the best condiment for your leftover turkey sandwiches! Leave out the orange liqueur if you must but the alcohol cooks off so it does not taste boozy.

WHOLE CRANBERRY SAUCE

Makes 1 1/2 pints

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup water

1 package fresh cranberries

Pinch salt

1 tablespoon orange zest

2 tablespoons Grand Marnier

Juice of 1/2 orange with pulp

Combine water and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil; add cranberries, salt, and orange zest. Return to a boil, reduce heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Add Grand Marnier. Return to heat. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the orange juice. Cool completely. Store in a glass canning jar with a lid. Keep refrigerated until serving time. Set out 30 minutes prior to serving to take the chill off.