mmmmm....

Every year, at the first hint of fall, I have an urgent desire to buy as many cans of pumpkin as possible.  I can't explain it. Maybe it's a Pavlovian response. All I know is I gather pumpkin like a squirrel gathering nuts for winter.

I. love. pumpkin. But only in cool seasons. Pumpkin in the summer just doesn't feel right.  By the time November spring arrives, my family never wants to eat pumpkin again.

I made my first pumpkin dish of the season for our church small group last night. Pumpkin Bread. It's absolutely divine. I'm sharing the recipe with you. Feel free to spread the pumpkin joy.

Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup water
• 3 cups white sugar
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.
3. Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.