Pumpkin is Back!!!

For months, I have been checking the local grocery stores for canned pumpkin but to no avail, the shelf was always empty. Now that it's October, pumpkin is back, and I'm stocking up! Pumpkin is packed full of vitamins and carries a serious punch of flavor and moisture. I love to bake with pumpkin, and this year I'm going to expand my repertoire. Our list of favorites includes pumpkin pie, cranberry pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies, and pumpkin cupcakes. I know that there are loads of pumpkin chocolate chip recipes, but they just aren't for us. Give us a good fruit-nut-pumpkin combo any day! Pumpkin pie separates from the crust when baked, but the other baked goods are excellent candidates for freezing, and who says that a quick bread with pumpkin, cranberries, and walnuts can't be a breakfast food? Homemade pumpkin puree can be frozen, but only pumpkin cubes can be canned, not pureed pumpkin as the puree is too dense for reliable heat penetration in home canning (and no one wants botulism). I'm thinking about making a batch of pumpkin butter for the freezer, though! Stay tuned for the recipe if I like how it turns out.

Cranberry Pumpkin Bread
2 1/4 c. flour
1 T pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
2 c. sugar
1 15-oz can pumpkin puree
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 c. dried cranberries
1 c. chopped walnuts (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x5 loaf pan.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the dry ingredients minus the sugar: flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and salt.
In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the wet ingredients plus the sugar: eggs, sugar, pumpkin, and oil, beating until just blended.
Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until batter is just blended/moistened. Stir in the cranberries and the walnuts.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes.
*If you don't have pumpkin pie spice, use the following for each tablespoon of pie spice: 2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp allspice, 1/2 tsp nutmeg