Recipe: Strawberry Swirl Bread

Strawberry Swirl Bread
From the Kitchen of Cathy Carroll

BREAD
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 cup margarine -- - melted
1 egg - -- beaten
1 cup strawberries (use fresh strawberries, mashed or thawed frozen strawberries)
1/3 cup water

SWIRL
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese - soft
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg - beaten

Make swirl first:
Mix all ingredients together until smooth. Set aside.

Grease and flour one 9x5 loaf pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Make bread:
Combine dry ingredients. Combine strawberries, margarine, egg, and water. Mix strawberry mixture into dry ingredients just till moistened. Pour all but 2 cups into prepared loaf pan. Pour cream cheese swirl mixture over strawberry batter: top with reserved strawberry batter. Cut through batter with a knife to create swirl.

Bake 1 hour and 10 minutes Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes, remove from pan, cool completely before cutting. Store tightly wrapped in plastic. Keeps several months if wrapped well and frozen.