We celebrated my birthday this past week. I’m in my final year of my twenties and as I get older, I’ve noticed that I am much better at accepting myself for who I am and, also, who I am not. Sadly, I will never be asked to sing in the church choir nor will I be able to wedge my feet into a “petite” size 10. I’ve come to the realization that I am a little clumsy, I have a huge head circumference, and I am prone to embarrassing myself.  Case in point- the other day I thought I was wearing leggings all day until I went to smooth the front of my shirt and I discovered I was actually wearing Bert’s long johns. I felt reeeeeeally great. Here I thought my “leggings” were looser and my better eating habits were paying off. Yeah. Not really. I had a good laugh at myself and carried on. Something I have learned in my 29 years is that it’s better to embrace our eccentricities than to try to conform to the normal. It makes life much more interesting. Plus, male long johns are actually seriously comfortable.

In baking news….

It’s time to kick off the holiday baking season with this pumpkin bread recipe. If you’re looking for a sturdy baked good that would hold up well in the mail, this is a great option. Another bonus- this particular recipe makes two plump loaves, so you can make a few batches and gift them to your loved ones or freeze them for a Christmas brunch. My little rump roast has tasted a few bites of this bread and he loves it!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Pumpkin Bread

Yield: 2 loaves

Ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup water
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two standard loaf pans.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine pumpkin, eggs, oil, water, vanilla and sugar until well blended.
3. In another large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice until well combined.
4. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour batter into the prepared pans.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Source: My Baking Addiction, originally from All Recipes