Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Loaf

I have a penchant for quick breads, so it was a no brainer for me when Di from Di's Kitchen Notebook e-mailed about her autumn seasonal blog event and that she had chosen handmade loaves - we could bake anything that is made in a loaf pan - even meat loaf, if we wanted. When I made the pumpkin whoopie pies from the BAKED New Frontiers in Baking book a few weeks ago, I saw a Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Loaf that I thought would be perfect for Di's event.

I adapted the recipe from the original by using dark brown sugar in addition to white sugar. I liked the combination so much in the pumpkin whoopie pies and thought it would be good for the quick bread as well, and it was. The dark brown sugar gives the bread a rich, dark color. It is a delicious, moist bread and has just the right ratio of chocolate to pumpkin. This is a quick bread that I am happy to add to my autumn baking repertoire.

Visit Di's Kitchen Notebook to see what she baked for the event and in a few days she will be posting a round up of the loaves of the other bakers who participated in this event. Can't wait to see what everyone baked!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Loaf
(adapted from BAKED New Frontiers in Baking)


Makes one loaf

1-1/2 cups of flour
1 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup white granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup room-temperature water
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a loaf pan and dust with flour; knock out excess flour. (I used Baker's Joy and it worked fine).

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, baking soda, and salt.

In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree and oil until combined. Add the sugars and whisk again. Whisk the eggs into the mixture, one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Add 2/3 cup room-temperature water and whisk until combined. With a rubber spatula, stir in the chocolate chips.

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet. Do not overmix.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Gently knock the bottom of the pan against the countertop to even out the batter. Use the spatula to smooth the tops.

Bake in the center of the oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a loaf comes out clean. I tested my loaf at 45 minutes and it was done and already getting dark around the edges. The recipe in the book is for two loaves and it said to bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes. You should adjust the time depending on your oven.

Transfer pan to a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes. Invert the loaf onto a wire rack and cool completely before serving.

The loaf will keep for 3 days (if it lasts that long), wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature.

Roasted Chicken and Butternut Squash Soup

The first rain storm of the season arrived last night, so a hot bowl of soup was in order for dinner. This soup takes only about 15 minutes of time to prep and 50 minutes or so longer before you have it to the table. The sweetness of the butternut squash is balanced perfectly with the flavors of cumin and coriander. It's a thick and chunky soup that is so very satisfying on a cold, rainy autumn evening.

Roasted Chicken and Butternut Squash Soup (from Everyday Food)

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
1 medium butternut squash (about 2-1/2 lbs.) peeled, seeded, and diced
1 small yellow onion, medium diced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Fresh cilantro (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet, toss together chicken, squash, onion and oil. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer and roast until squash and chicken are cooked through, about 30 minutes. (I used two pans and roasted my chicken on one and the squash and onions on the other)

2. Transfer chicken to a plate and let cool. Transfer squash and onion to a medium-size pot and add broth, cumin, and corinander. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. With a potato masher or back of a wooden spoon, mash some vegetables until soup is thick and chunky. Discard skin and bones from chicken. Cut or shred meat into small pieces and add to soup. Stir in lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with fresh cilantro, if desired.

hoot. hoot.

Have you ever had a recipe that just haunts you every time you go into your recipe file? Well, this one is it for me. I was looking through my cookie file the other day to begin selecting the cookie recipes that I want to bake for Christmas, and this owl cookie recipe flew out at me which it does every time I go into the file because I keep thinking, "oh, I want to make these!" But it's been five years since I tore the page out of the October issue of Sunset magazine and even though I think they are so very cute I never got around to making them. That is until this week.

Just a warning though. If you make these (and I hope you will) you will be tempted to eat a few while you are decorating them because you can smell the fragrant nutmeg and cinnamon that's in them. It was hard not to pop a couple in my mouth. They don't look as perfect as Sunset's, but boy, they sure taste good. You can download the recipe and owl template from Sunset magazine.

Whew! Now I can move onto Christmas cookies!

Decorative Art Gourds

A few years ago, my mom got a bunch of gourds at a gourd farm in Florida. She found a few that were in the shape of an apple and painted them for me. Looks realistic, doesn't it?

I love this little whimsical apple cottage she painted.

She painted this one for my grandma. So cute!

Thanksgiving Wreath

Last year, my dear friend Mike sent me an unexpected gift of Martha Stewart's Great American Wreaths book. The book has beautiful wreaths - one inspired from each state. Looking through the book, it was hard to choose just one to make because they are all so beautiful. But, since it is autumn and thanksgiving is quickly approaching and because I loved all the colors, the maple leaf on the cover became my inspiration.

I found some natural preserved California oak leaves at Beverly's craft store. I also picked up the wire wreath form there and found some brown floral tape at Michael's. Since a lot of the oak leaves don't have long stems, I also cut some floral stems to size and wrapped them in the brown floral tape and then wrapped the leaves and the floral stems together. I also found some white oak leaves from a tree not far from my office and worked those in throughout the wreath.

The final result brings so much color to the front door and since we have a double front door I need to make one more.

Autumn Birds

The wild duck startles like a sudden thought,

And heron slow as if it might be caught.

The flopping crows on weary wings go by

And grey beard jackdaws noising as they fly.

The crowds of starnels whizz and hurry by,

And darken like a clod the evening sky.

The larks like thunder rise and suthy round,

Then drop and nestle in the stubble ground.

The wild swan hurries hight and noises loud

With white neck peering to the evening clowd.

The weary rooks to distant woods are gone.

With lengths of tail the magpie winnows on

To neighbouring tree, and leaves the distant crow

While small birds nestle in the edge below.

Poem by John Clare