It Has Begun. (RECIPE)

Fall baking season, that is!! Ok, technically, it began this past weekend when I made baked apples. It was the first time I tried to make them, and I learned that I have some room for improvement. Good flavor, bad delivery method / not necessarily easy to eat.

In any event, the season continues! Of course I can find an excuse to bake any time of year, but each season brings its own unique set of ingredients to the kitchen. Fall means apples, pumpkins, spices, and savory goodness. So, tonight I've decided to make pumpkin bread using some of the pumpkin I froze last fall. Need to use it up before freezing any this year! While it's in the oven (and before NCIS begins), I thought I'd share the recipe with you. It's from the Betty Crocker cookboook.

Pumpkin Bread
1 can of pumpkin (16 oz), OR 2 cups of mashed pumpkin
1 and 2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cups vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
4 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose or whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup raisins

1. Heat oven to 350F. Grease bottoms only of either 2 (8x4x2) OR 1 (9x5x3) loaf pans.
2. Mix pumpkin, sugar, oil, vanilla and eggs in a large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients, then pour in pans.
3. Bake the 8 inch pan 50-60 minutes. Bake the 9 inch pan 70-80 minutes. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in the pan on a wire rack, then loosen the bread from the sides of the pan and remove from the pan. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature for 4 days, or refrigerate for up to 10 days.