Williams Sonoma Botanical Pumpkin Loaf Pan

 

I've had my pumpkin Loaf pan for several years, and it's one of my favorite things.  In fact, I was having coffee with my friend Barb, and she said that she has worn hers out she's used it so much.  It's so festive, I just used it to make a loaf of pumpkin bread that I won't be eating. *sigh*.

Williams-Sonoma has a new version, much more detailed than mine, but I still love the way mine looks.  Lots of memories associated with this pan.  Just thought some of you might enjoy treating yourself to one of these this fall if you don't have already one.

Here's the link...

This is my pumpkin loaf, fresh out of the oven...

And here's my recipe, it's a good one...

1¾ cups sifted unbleached all-purpose flour

¼ tsp. double-acting baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1½ cups sugar

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. ground ginger

½ tsp. ground cloves

½ tsp. ground nutmeg

1 heaping tsp. ground cinnamon

1 heaping tsp. pumpkin pie spice

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

½ cup vegetable oil

1 cup canned pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)

1/3 cup water

½ cup yellow raisins (optional)

 

Preheat oven to 350°. Pam your loaf Pan...

 

Into a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon.

 

In another bowl beat together the eggs, oil, pumpkin puree and water. Add to the flour mixture and beat until the batter is combined. Stir in the raisins (if using). Pout the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Using the tip of a sharp knife, draw a line down the length of the surface of the batter. (This helps the appearance of the baked loaf.)

 

Bake in center of preheated oven for about 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. (Test after 1 hour and 15 minutes.) Let the bread cool in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes. Turn it out onto a rack, immediately use a small strainer with sugar in it to dust the top and let it cool completely.  Using a strainer distributes the sugar uniformly.

 

NOTE:  I didn't bake mine that long, started testing at an hour and baked it an hour and five minutes, ovens vary, just test and take out when finished.  If it starts browning too much, lightly tent the top.

 

I got this recipe from the Chowhound Recipe Forum, and altered it a bit.  Here's the original recipe and the lady had this to say about her recipe.

 

I had a request for this recipe on another board, so I'll post it here. When my kids were young, we used this recipe numerous times to make either pumpkin bread or pumpkin muffins which we entered in our annual Unionville (PA) Community Fair. Without fail, each time we entered, we won first place ribbons, the kids in their respective age categories, and me in the adult category. One year the muffins even won Best of Show (best out of all baked goods entered by elementary school students). Now that the kids are grown, the recipe still remains a family favorite. It's been a few years since I've submitted any entries in the Fair, so I'm no longer quite so protective of the recipe.

 

 

I read an interesting article this morning on anti-aging on Radar Online of all places...

Dr. Gerald Imber, M.D., one of the nation’s foremost plastic surgeons and medical authors, is revealing his must-follow skincare prevention tips!

In a guest blog for RadarOnline.com, Dr. Imber, an internationally renowned specialist in anti-aging procedures, details how you can achieve timeless beauty by following his tried and tested strategy of prevention, maintenance and correction.

Dr. Imber knows what’s he writing about, too: The credentials that put this surgeon at the top of his field include owning and operating a private clinic in Manhattan and serving as Assistant Professor of Surgery (Plastic) at New York City’s Weill-Cornell Medical Center.

Dr. Imber — the author of The Youth Corridor: Your Guide to Timeless Beauty (available now in both print and video-enhanced eBook editions) – writes:

As far as the skin is concerned, there are genetic, chemical and mechanical causes for the visible changes that we think of as aging. We know a few basic facts about aging skin, which should direct our behavior and prevent accelerating the process. These simple lifestyle measures will not stop the clock, but they will definitely help.  read more...

Reflecting

 

I switched out my closet today, putting away summer clothes, bringing out the fall and winter.  It was so quiet, the only noise was the hangers bumping against the wall.  Our clothes hold so many memories, I was smiling as I remembered wearing some of them this summer, frowning because there were others that were never worn because they didn't fit.

And I wonder what changes will be in my life when I switch them out again in the spring.  Will hubby and I be in good health?  Will they fit better than they did this summer, as I seem to be hanging in there with my new eating lifestyle.  What will sweet Abby and Ben be doing by spring, they are growing so quickly.

Lots of changes for sure, nothing stays the same.  And so it goes, folding and stacking, what do I keep, what do I pitch.  Feeling nostalgic, again.  What's going on with me and all of this reminiscing….