Happy October!

When the daily high dipped to eighty-five degrees this weekend, it finally felt like fall and I was inspired to bake!  This pumpkin bread seemed like the perfect thing.  The mix of spices--cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves--will make your kitchen smell like fall.  It's an easy recipe to bake with children.  Enjoy!

Pumpkin Bread (from the Chinaberry cookbook)

1 1/2 c. sugar
1 2/3 c. flour
1/4 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
3/4 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. cloves
1/2 t. nutmeg
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. water
1 c. canned pumpkin
1/2 c. coarsely chopped nuts if desired (or add chocolate chips if you wish)

Preheat oven to 325. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Combine the wet ingredients in a smaller bowl, then combine with the dry ingredients. Fold in any add-ins. Bake in two smallish loaf pans for 50 minutes.


When we returned from a cold-water snorkel on my trip last summer, we were sometimes welcomed with steaming cups of cinnamon hot chocolate!  One of my favorite things and a perfect way to rid the chill from the inside out.  You can find Abuelita hot chocolate tablets at most Houston grocery stores or steep cinnamon sticks in milk and mix it up from scratch.  It's wonderful with the pumpkin bread!

As temperatures cool, Ms. Frizzle's thoughts turn to updating her wardrobe . . . 

Stay tuned!

Happy October!