Ushering in the Season

OK I have to admit that we are coming up on at least one person’s favorite season in the Kimmel household. I love everything associated with Christmas and just about kill myself every year enjoying it and making sure everyone else does too. In our 37 years of marriage, Tim has come along and now looks forward to many of the traditions and especially time with our kids and their kids. So, for those that are interested, I am going to share some of our favorite traditions and memory making occasions in this holiday season of blogs. I would love to hear from you as well regarding your holiday traditions and memories. I will start with food because, well, because I can’t think of a better way to start celebrating than with some great goodies. Baking is a big part of our Christmas tradition, but it has a greater purpose than just providing delicious food. Children of almost any age, boys as well as girls, can be included in baking and decorating cookies. Some of my kids’ fondest memories were made on a kitchen chair with their hands covered with flour or frosting. The finished product, if it survives all of the handling and sneaking, provides a sense of accomplishment and also gives them a tangible way to contribute to all of the festivities. It is also a very simple way for them to do something nice for the people that love and care for them. There are just some recipes that fill our homes with more than good smells and good eats. These are the time tested creations that bring on a season and fill our hearts with memories and expectations. This pumpkin bread is one of them for us. It signals that the Holidays (Holy days) are here along with the cooler weather and the family gatherings that we all look forward to. These hearty loaves are also one of my favorite treats to put in the mail to my boys, especially when I want to say to them that we miss them and want them to have a taste of home at college. Their roommates also request this pumpkin bread whenever they know I am coming for a visit. In the last couple of years, our granddaughters have helped me bake a batch to send to their Uncle Colt up at NAU. It had been awhile since I needed to monitor the chocolate chip “adder’s” performance, but I think I was a little more lenient with Lydia than I had been with my own kids. Ah, the license of grandparenthood. I hope you enjoy this tasty treat as much as we have over the years! If you give it a try, let me know what you think of it. Amazing Pumpkin Bread Ingredients 3 1/2 c. of flour 2 tsp. of baking soda 1 tsp. of baking powder 2 tsp. of salt 2 tsp. of cinnamon 2 tsp. of nutmeg 2 tsp. of allspice 1 tsp. of cloves 3 c. of sugar 1 c. of cooking oil 4 eggs 2 c. of canned pumpkin 2/3 c. water Directions. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cloves. Beat together sugar, oil and eggs until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin; blend well. Add dry ingredients alternately to pumpkin mixture with water. Mixing well after each addition. Pour into 2 well greased 9x5x3 loaf pans. You can also make muffins out of some of the batter. (Optional – top with mini chocolate chips) Bake at 350* for approx. 1 hour for loaf or 18 minutes for muffins (less for mini muffins). Test with toothpick to see if done. Share with some very fortunate friends and family.