Helicopters and Pumpkin Bread

I think we may have a budding aerospace engineer on our hands. Won't Daddy be proud? Samantha is completely enamored with flying helicopters. She has learned to recognize the sound of them and stops everything she's doing to run to the window whenever she hears one. Today she even stopped nursing so that she could look out the window and see one fly by. It takes a lot to interrupt a nursing session!

Now that October is almost here, I'm really starting to get into the fall spirit. I've been loving all things pumpkin lately (I blame Starbucks for advertising the heck out of their Pumpkin Spice Latte). I decided to bake some pumpkin bread, and it turned out super delicious. It's pretty heavy on the spices, but I like it that way. In case the picture convinces you that you just have to have some yourself, I'm including the recipe. It's slightly modified from the Food Network. Or you can just come visit, and we'll gobble up the one that's safely tucked away in the freezer.

I may reduce the total sugar and substitute some brown sugar for some of the regular sugar next time and try applesauce instead of oil. That way I won't have to feel quite as guilty when I eat the whole loaf in 3 days.

Ingredients

3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs , lightly bean
15 ounces canned unsweetened pumpkin
3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
2/3 cup water

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 2 9 by 5 loaf pans. Stir together sugar and oil. Stir in eggs and pumpkin. Combine dry ingredients in separate bowl. Blend dry ingredients and water into wet mixture, alternating. Divide batter between two loaf pans. Bake for about an hour or until cake tester comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool.