It's Fall Y'all!

I'm not sure if I have a favorite season but I know I do love FALL! Here are just a few things that I love about fall...

- cool morning and cool nights
- the smell of cinnamon
- comfort food like chili and chicken n dumplings
- baking delicious fall desserts
- Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte
- Starbucks Pumpkin bread
- it's a time of Thanksgiving
- my birthday
- means Christmas is upon us
- get to layer on the clothes
- seeing the colors change

Lately I've been guilty of wanting Starbucks pumpkin bread on a regular basis. Thankfully, I do not treat myself to this tasty bread very often. For one, it's rather pricey for a girl on a budget and it does no good for my waistline. I decided I was bound and determined to make a pumpkin bread similar to that of Starbucks. Well, mission accomplished! One year for Christmas (probably 3 years ago) Momma B. got me an entire set of Southern Living Cookbooks. They were vintage cookbooks from 1976. I am what you call a "cookbook junkie" kind of like the "fabric junkie" I am. Better than being a different kind of "junkie!" right? I think I wrote about my cookbook problem in a previous post, here. This was my first recipe out of one of those cookbooks and I know it will not be my last. It was super easy to make and that is the kind of recipe I love. No frills, just good eats! I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into the pumpkin bread when I took it out of the oven...I called my mom and told her if the bread taste half as good as the batter, I am in trouble! Ha!

This recipe says to bake in 2 loaf pans but my sister bought me THIS for my birthday last year and I thought it would be prettier if I used the Bundt pan instead of loaf pans. Use whatever you have or wish! But wouldn't this bread be beautiful in this PAN?? This recipe also is showing it's age...it calls for salad oil, I decided it must be vegetable oil. But at first I was like what? I need to call mom on this one...but I didn't, haha! I used my stand mixer for this recipe, even to mix in the flour. Beware it's a lot of sugar & flour going on in this recipe...

Pumpkin Bread

3 cups sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1 c. salad oil aka vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
2/3 cup water
2 cups canned pumpkin - I used 1 15oz can
3 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp soda

Mix the sugar, eggs, oil, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and water in bowl. Add the pumpkin and mix well. Stir in the flour and soda. Place in 2 well-greased loaf pans or 1 large Bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Right out of the oven...just looks like Fall to me!

I also dusted powdered sugar on mine for a nice finishing touch.

Enjoy!

"And even when the trees have just surrendered to the harvest time, forfeiting their leaves in late September and sending us inside...still I notice You when change begins and I am braced for colder winds, I will offer thanks for what has been and was to come - You are autumn..."

Zucchini Bread

Shredded zucchini goodness

Yesterday I made zucchini bread...it was a first for me. I normally am a banana bread person but for some reason I decided to make zucchini bread instead this time. Allen was unsure at first...squash nor zucchini are his favorite. For an extra added flavor, I added chocolate chips and omitted the pecans/walnuts because I was making the bread for Allens' co-workers. Never know who might be allergic to nuts & I would hate for someone not to be able to enjoy the yummy zucchini bread. The recipe below is from one of my favorite recipe websites - Smitten Kitchen and you can find her website link under "Some of my favorites" located on the right-hand of the page.

Zucchini Bread

Yield: 2 loaves or approximately 24 muffins

3 eggs
1 cup olive or vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
1 cup dried cranberries, raisins or chocolate chips or a combination thereof (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Grease and flour two 8×4 inch loaf pans, liberally. Alternately, line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Mix in oil and sugar, then zucchini and vanilla.

Combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt, as well as nuts, chocolate chips and/or dried fruit, if using.

Stir this into the egg mixture. Divide the batter into prepared pans.

Bake loaves for 60 minutes, plus or minus ten, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Muffins will bake far more quickly, approximately 20 to 25 minutes.

*I substituted unsweetened applesauce for the oil - less fat. My bread was a tad bit hard on the edges (not sure why but next time I will probably add more applesauce & maybe reduce cook-time by a few minutes). But if you heat up the bread and put butter on top...it's delicious! Allen said it was "a hit" at work...hopefully he wasn't telling me that to just make me feel good ;) I made one good size loaf pan & 12 cupcake muffins with this recipe.

Dry Ingredients w/ chocolate chips

All mixed together ready to go into pan

Friday morning breakfast