Art of Gracious Living Podcast #1

Welcome to the Art of Gracious Living...

In this first podcast get some ideas about how to remember people for the holidays and take this opportunity to make new connections.

I do not always write the material in advance, so information here is in addition to the podcast. You can hear the podcast on your computer or your mobile device.

Pumpkin Bread is a Great Gift

I grew up eating pumpkin bread. It was one of my mother’s staples. When I went away to college, I made it myself on occasion. At one point I had misplaced my mother’s recipe and found another one in a Kentucky cookbook. I made a few modifications and created this.

I knew I had arrived as a cook when my mother started using my recipe instead of hers.

This is always perfect. You cannot overbeat it, as far as I can tell. It freezes well, and will keep in the fridge for a few days, but I’ve not known it to last long enough for refrigeration to be necessary.

It has a dense texture, but it moist and delicious. It’s not overly spicy. You can add butter or honey on top of a slice, but it’s not really necessary.

You can cook your own pumpkin if you wish, but, frankly, there’s no significant difference between the canned and what you cook at home. The reason is that most pumpkins in the US are grown for decoration, not food.

This makes a wonderful gift, too.

Pumpkin Bread

3 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups sugar
1 cup oil
2/3 cup water
4 eggs
2 cups (approx.) canned pumpkin (1 can)
1 cup pecans (optional)

Mix dry ingredients. Then add other ingredients and mix well. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Makes 2 loaves in 9 by 5 pans.

You can print a pdf designed for a 3 by 5 card by clicking here.

Thank you.