August is not yet over while I write this, but the light outside is changing. A few leaves are preparing for their fall showing by displaying a few reds and oranges here and there. It always seems too early for these changes to happen, but the changes do warn us that winter is coming and we need time to prepare, both mentally and physically.
We have about six months of winter in Thunder Bay, Ontario, where I live. Snow begins falling and sticking in November and tells us goodbye in late April.
This morning is chilly, probably because the sky is overcast with forest fire smoke. Yet the chill gets me in the mood for some baking. Here is a recipe that many people in our area enjoy.
The recipe makes two loaves, so one can go in the freezer. It makes a great gift or a treat for a guest. Once, I made it into muffins and my friend topped them with cream cheese icing and autumn sprinkles for our Sunday Gathering. They were so pretty that people thought we had bought them at a bakery.
Since I cannot have you over for a visit, I will share the recipe with you and hope you enjoy it.
Pumpkin Bread
(Makes 2 Loaves)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
CREAM TOGETHER:
2 2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cups Crisco
ADD AND BLEND TOGETHER WITH CREAMED MIXTURE:
4 eggs
2/3 cups raisins
1 can pureed pumpkin (not pie mix) 2/3 cups chopped pecans
2/3 cups water
MIX TOGETHER IN SEPARATE BOWL AND THEN ADD TO PUMPKIN MIXTURE:
3 1/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons soda
1 teaspoon cloves
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoons baking powder
Spray 2 bread loaf pans with cooking spray. Pour mixture into pans. Bake 55–60 minutes. It is done when knife is inserted in center and comes out clean.
Sue Carlisle grew up on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. An enrolled member of the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska, her passion is to encourage people to look at creation and see our awesome
Creator. Sue is author of
Walking with the Creator
Along the Narrow Road
(see page 19). She and her
husband, Wes, now live in
Thunder Bay, Ontario.
