Set the Table... for Pumpkin Bread

OKAY, OKAY I admit it: I like to stock up on sale items at the grocery. If it's not perishable and we use it, I will hoard a few extra containers of sale items. I recently bought, perhaps a few too many, cans of organic pumpkin at the grocery.

I like to bake with pumpkin, so in order to make some space in my pantry for the next round of grocery hoarding, I mixed up a batch of pumpkin bread. I'm pretty sure I didn't buy all the cans, so you can probably still find canned pumpkin at the store now, maybe even still on sale (but don't tell me if it is!).

Pumpkin, spices, chocolate - what's not to like?

1 16 oz can of pumpkin

2 cups flour (or your favorite gluten-free all-purpose bake mix)

1/2 cup oil

1/3 cup milk

1 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup white sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional, I suppose) + a few extra for nibbling

Preheat oven to 350

Mix the pumpkin, oil, milk, sugars and spices in a large bowl. Mix the flour and baking powder together and add them. Stir thoroughly. Add the chocolate chips last. Grease a loaf pan or muffin tins (makes about 2 dozen muffins). Pour the mixture into the pan put it into the oven. For muffins, check it in about 20 minutes and every 3-5 minutes thereafter.

For bread, check it in about 45 minutes and use a toothpick to check for doneness in the middle (Poke the toothpick into the middle of the loaf. If it comes out clean, the bread is done.) Allow the bread to cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes before cutting. The bread is moist, sweet, marvelously spicy and wonderful for breakfast or snacks. Enjoy!