Autumn has Arrived!

I love this time of the year, though if I was to confess, I have reason to enjoy every season of the year. Guess I just love living and can find something pleasurable about each one. It just depends on your perspective. The weather has been rather cool lately and is serving to stir the blood towards thinking hibernation. Our leaves around the farm are already showing hints of color, with a few spreading their bounty across the lawn. Breezes of the snuggling kind have caused me to add quilts and blankets for our outside sitting pleasure. A few mornings have even required a sleeve and a briskness to our morning chores. We have turned off the air conditioning and in turn have opened the house to the refreshing air. A sure way to save on electricity and increase our time sitting close together .

Changes can already be seen in the stores and around town. Everyone is placing their fall decorations out and mums can be readily found at the garden centers. I plan to get a few to dress up our porch and yard too. A trip back to storage will be needed in order to get my rather large box of Autumn decor to use at the farm. Wishing at present that I had been able to put in a pumpkin patch and few corn stalks to be used now. No worry, I am sure I can find a few dried up stalks in a neighbor's garden and pumpkins of all sizes are available in the grocery stores. With all these changes my mind wanders off to the collection of recipes I have gathered that taste like fall to me. One especially enjoyed is a flavorful pumpkin bread recipe that I want to share with you.


Pumpkin Spice Bread

1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup plus 1/2 tablespoon canned unsweetened pumpkin
1 large egg

Preheat oven to 350*. Grease and flour an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan. Sift together the first 5 ingredients; stir in salt. Combine sugar, oil, and pumpkin in a large bowl; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add egg, beating until well blended. Gradually add dry ingredients, beating at low speed until blended. Transfer to prepared pan. Bake at 350* for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until loaf is golden and a wooden pick inserted in the center comes our clean. Let cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes; remove from pan. Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!

Hope you are enjoying this early taste of fall weather that we have been experiencing. Dig out some of your fall favorites and cook some up soon. Before you know it these days will turn into the cold days of Winter. And pumpkins will be a thing of the past, along with ever changing leaves, mums, Friday nite football games, fall fairs and other pleasures of the season. Grab some now while they are available.

Don't forget to leave me a comment on a post with your favorite fall item, so I can add you to the list on this blog.

Digging through my fall favorite list,

Deborah