Super Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread from Two Peas & Their Pod

Hey everybody! I know I haven't been the most attentive of bloggers lately, but if its an acceptable excuse... I've finished my master's thesis! And in two days, my graduate school experience will be over and I'll be packing up to move to MA. So life is good, and I feel like writing about delicious treats.

I made this pumpkin and chocolate chip bread for the first time this Thanksgiving, and I have to say, it's kind of the perfect Holiday bread. It's great with coffee for a breakfast treat, or with dessert. Did I mention it's super easy, and this recipe makes three super-moist 9"x5" loaves? If you're looking for something new to make this Christmas, this is a good egg. So to speak. Though there are actual eggs in it, too. And if you bring a loaf to a friend or relative's house, you will be very popular. This is experience speaking.

Thanksgiving baking workshop! Photo credit to the fantastic Kathy Koplik.

This recipe came from a really fun blog, Two Peas & Their Pod. I made mine according to the recipe (unbelievable, right?) and I wouldn't change a thing:

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 cups granulated sugar
1 15 oz. can pure pumpkin puree
1 cup canola oil
2/3 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips


Directions: 
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray three 9x5 inch loaf pans with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin, canola oil, water, vanilla, and eggs. Mix until smooth.
4. Slowly blend in flour mixture. Fold in chocolate chips. Evenly divide batter between the three loaf pans.
5. Bake for 60 minutes, or until browned and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove loaves from oven and cool in pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes. With a knife, go around the bread and loosen the loaves. Remove from pan and cool completely before slicing.
*Note-this recipe makes a lot of bread, so be prepared to share or put a loaf in the freezer for later.

Photo credit to Two Peas & Their Pod

The recipe kind of speaks for itself. I'm pretty sure this will become a regular Thanksgiving thing for me, but it would also be perfect for any winter celebration.

Quote of the Day: There's nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with chocolate. ~ Linda Grayson, the Pickwick Papers


EDIT: I suspect this would also be delicious using raisins instead of the chocolate chips, if you're not the chocolate type.

Lentil & Pumpkin Chili, or The Triumphant Autumnal Return of Guerilla Kitchen

As the first day of Fall, this turned out to be the perfect pumpkin-themed day for the triumphant return of Guerilla Kitchen. If you can say that a two-week hiatus warrants a triumphant return. Whatever. Anyway, I love anything with pumpkins in it, which is just another reason why Fall is my very most favorite season of the year. Apparently that cranky lady Irene has created the specter of a pumpkin shortage here on the east coast, but I intend to enjoy them while they last.

 Ingredients:

1/4 large onion of any color, chopped

1 clove garlic, smashed

1/4 green bell pepper, chopped, and/or 1 medium carrot, chopped

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (with or without green chiles)

1 14.5 oz can vegetable broth

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 tsp salt

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 pinch allspice

1/4 tsp cumin

1/2 cup dry brown lentils, rinsed and sorted

Olive oil

Fresh cilantro leaves for topping, cleaned and torn (optional)

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, saute onions, pepper and garlic in olive oil until soft.

2. Add all remaining ingredients, and stir. Cover and simmer until lentils are soft - about 90 minutes, give or take.

3. Serve and top with fresh cilantro, if desired.

I realized at that just-too-late moment that I forgot to pick up a green pepper in my shopping trip yesterday, so I subbed in carrots, which might make first impressions of this dish more of a "stew" than a "chili," but a rose by any other name, and all of that. If you find yourself in the same position, or if you're just feeling adventurous, I think the earthiness of some chopped mushrooms would also be delicious.

Overall this was a super yummy chili, and though I don't think that the pumpkin flavor was as pronounced as I might have hoped, I think it has a nice balance. To do it over again, though, I think I would skip the cilantro, since its brightness somewhat overpowered said pumpkin.

Between the tomato and the pumpkin, this might as well be called "antioxidant chili," but that doesn't sound so appetizing. And it is. So that would be unfortunate.

Quote of the Day: Only the knife knows what goes on in the heart of a pumpkin. ~ Simone Schwartz-Bart