Beef & Vegetable Stew

Today I bring you a simple post with a simple recipe. While this recipe may be simple to make, it's by far the BEST beef stew I have had thus far in my life. 

Fall for Pumpkin Bread

As I sit here in the early days of Fall I feel an overwhelming sense of comfort and inspiration to write and share stories. When I started to write this blog post I had a flood of thoughts and memories. I tried to narrow all I wanted to say into a story that wouldn't take hours to read but still held a personal element. To think, all these words I want to say came from a simple post about my favorite season, Fall, and my favorite seasonal ingredient, Pumpkin. Cheers to the power of food!

Pumpkin goes with Fall like grilling fits with Summer. It's just a natural and universal fact. It's a perfect harmony. There is nothing I like more in the Fall than to be baking pumpkin bread, pumpkin whoopie pies, or even just a plain pumpkin pie. Once that oven starts to warm the spices there is just nothing in comparison. That's one good thing about having a small kitchen and apartment, the aroma just flows throughout. It's in the warming of those spices and the release of that spicy aroma that I find my state of bliss. That natural warming scent is one that not even the best candle can reproduce. 

When I think back on the pumpkin desserts I've made I think the Frozen Yogurt Pumpkin Pie has to be the strangest one I've made. It was a simple dessert; canned pumpkin mix combined with frozen yogurt and placed in a pre-made graham cracker crust (not exactly sure of measurements and added spices). It was delicious, don't get me wrong, just weird to have the cold pumpkin. That was a one time thing I made back when I really started to get into cooking/baking. Come to think of it, I think that's the same year I attempted to make Homemade Eggnog. That was an epic fail! I'm not exactly sure, other than my serious food love for it, what I was thinking when I decided to try and make eggnog. Regardless at least one good food experiment came from that Holiday cooking adventure. 

I have to say my favorite pumpkin dessert, so far, would be the Pumpkin Whoopie Pies I came across last year. Check out my version of the recipe here. You can't go wrong with the combination of pumpkin cake/cookie and cream cheese frosting! These Pumpkin Whoopie Pies have been in high demand by those around me that have eaten them. I get hassled all the time because I don't make them enough and share them. So, if you decide to make them and share, be prepared for some serious attention. :-)

As I've already made the Pumpkin Whoopie Pies a few times this season so I thought it was time to go back to a classic, Pumpkin Bread. I decided to take a look at a few recipes and I settled on one I found in a Southern Living Holiday cookbook I have. I did make two adjustments to the recipe. I split sugar measurements into half granulated and half brown sugar. Instead of Pumpkin Pie Spice I did a spice blend similar to the whoopie pie recipe because I love the amount of flavor the combination gives to the Whoopie Pies. After a few taste tests, I liked this recipe because it reminded me of a Pumpkin Bread I would have eaten growing up, with a little extra spice. 

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Bread        [Printable Recipe]

adapted from: Southern Living Christmas Cookbook

Yields 2 loaves

Ingredients:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs
• 1 15 oz can pumpkin
• 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 Tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2/3 cup water
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla

Direction:

1. In the bowl of a mixer combine the sugars and oil. Mix until incorporated. 
2. Add the eggs, one at a time, be sure to mix well after each egg.
3. Stir in pumpkin.
4. In a separate bowl combine the flour and the rest of the dry ingredients. Whisk together and add to pumpkin mixture alternating with the water.
5. Stir in vanilla.
6. Pour batter in prepared pans . Bake at 325 for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool pans on a wire.