Geez, this summer flew by fast! It’s unbelievable that some schools have already begun the Fall Semester and here I am, graduated and wondering what to do with myself now that I will never walk into a university again. (I know, I know. You’re probably saying, “never say ‘never,’ Hope.” So maybe it isn’t never but at least it is for now.) I’d apply for jobs, but Cobalt and I are planning to move soon.
In the meantime, I have much enjoyed volunteering twice a week at Crabtree, receiving fresh produce through my CSA, caring for our garden and cooking/baking to my heart’s content! Sure, it’s boring at times to be unemployed and not busy but it has also been refreshing. I’ve found peace and rest in the freedom that was lacking during college. Plus, I’ve picked up yoga and been laying my worries before God more routinely/intently, which has helped me stay calm in the midst of the well known “career searching crisis.”
Besides finding my happy place at the farm and at home, I’ve been teaching a friend how to cook and bake this summer. This week’s recipe was pumpkin bread, a perfect transition into autumn! We made two different versions of the recipe; one following the original as a control and one modified to lower the fat and sugar (we used applesauce to replace half the oil and reduced the sugar by 3/4 cup). I personally liked the applesauce bread better; but the original did have a delicious crunch to the crust that lacked in the modified recipe (sugar adds that crunch, plus the control was baked longer due to the larger amount of fat from the oil).
Below is the modified version with the original in the link at the bottom of the recipe card. Enjoy!
- 1 cup white flour
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour*
- *wheat flour was added both to the control and to the modified version
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice -or- cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (instead of white)
- 1/4 cup apple sauce
- 1/4 cup vegetable -or- canola oil
- 2 eggs
- 15 oz pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup water
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease one (1) 9x5 loaf pan with cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
- In a large bowl, beat the wet ingredients.
- Gradually add the dry to the wet ingredients, stirring well but not over stirring.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean**
- **This recipe with the applesauce bakes faster than the original. So keep an eye on it near the end of the baking time.
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