Pumpkin Bread

With Fall here ... finally ... I love to fill the house with smells that smell like Fall and tastes that ... well ... taste like Fall. Genius I know. This is a new recipe that we recently tried. Half of the batter I put chocolate chips in and the other half no chips. I personally liked the chocolate chips but it could just be any excuse for the addition of chocolate to a recipe.

Pumpkin Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cloves

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3 cups granulated sugar

1 cup butter, super soft

3 large eggs

1 - 16 ounce can of pure pumpkin

1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray 2 medium loaf pans (or muffin tins) with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, mix the flour, spices, salt, baking soda, and baking powder and set aside.

In a separate bowl, dump in the sugar. Melt the butter in the microwave for 30 seconds, so that it is half melted. Add half melted butter and eggs to the sugar. Cream ingredients together on medium speed for about 2 minutes or until fluffy. Add the pumpkin and combine well.

In 3 batches, add the dry ingredients and mix gently until each batch is just incorporated. Scrape the sides between each batch. Mix in pecans or chocolate chips.

Pour half of the batter into one of the prepared pans or into muffin tins. For loaf pans: bake about 1 hour. For muffins: bake 30-35 minutes. Or until an inserted knife comes out clean and the top is golden.

Craft Hope

As ya'll know, I do not consider myself the next Martha Stewart. That being said, I want to share a website I recently came across. It is called Craft Hope (click HERE) - Spreading Seeds of Hope One Stitch at a Time. "Craft Hope is a love inspired project designed to share handmade crafts with those who need them. It is our hope to combine our love for crafting and desire to help others into a project to make a difference around the world."

Past projects include: Pillowcases for children with cancer, teaching beanbags (shapes, letters, numbers, etc) for children in Liberia, sock monkeys for child burn victims, and baby blankets for newborns in India.

A little birdie (namely Twitter) just recently informed me that a new project will be announced today. If you are a crafter or even if you are like me and not a "gifted" crafter, click on over to Craft Hope today to check out the new project and see if you can help.

The Secret Spa in Your Kitchen - Classic Hair Color

Classic Hair Color**

For darkening dark brown and black hair.

1/3 cup walnut shells

Black tea

Cherry tree bark or cloves

2-1/2 cups water

Simmer walnut shells, black tea and bark or cloves in water in a nonmetal pot for 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Strain when cool, saving the liquid. Apply to hair as a final rinse.

**I have never personally tried this, so I cannot vouch for how it will work or how long it will last.

Stressed?

We all know that stressed spelled backwards spells out desserts. However, there are other ways to help counter the effects stress has on your body. If you are particularly stressed, try this Stress-Busting Meal Plan.

Breakfast

1 banana

1 cup cereal containing at least 5g of fiber per serving, mixed with 1 cup DHA-enriched yogurt

2 cups green tea

Snack

1 slice low-fat cheese

1 slice whole-grain bread

1 cup blueberries

Lunch

1 cup navy-bean soup

4 ounces grilled chicken breast

2 cups green salad with 2 teaspoons vinaigrette

Late-Afternoon Snack

1 cup low-fat milk

2 graham crackers

1 sliced apple

Dinner

4 ounces baked salmon

1 cup spinach sauteed with 1 minced garlic clove

1/2 cup mashed sweet potatoes

1 cup strawberries dipped in 1 tablespoon melted dark chocolate (containing at least 60% cocoa)

Bedtime Snack

1 cup low-fat yogurt

2 graham crackers

Five Facts Friday - Facts About Fall Foliage

1. Composting fall leaves is an excellent way to improve yard and garden soils. Mixing green and brown materials together is the basic rule.

2. Most leaves fall from trees because the ends of the branch are sealed off near the leaf stem to protect the tree through the long winter months.

3. Fall days become shorter and many plants stop making food. That is when the green chlorophyll starts to disappear from the leaves.

4. Fall colors are best when late summer is dry and autumn has bright sunny days and cool nights bellow 40 degrees F.

5. Maples, Oaks, Elms, Birch and Ash trees are just a few of the trees that give spectacular colors during the Autumn season.