Monday Meals: Pumpkin Bread

As I mentioned last week, I love pumpkin-related things. Despite their overabundance during this time of year, I will always lean on pumpkin as a fall staple. A couple of weeks ago, I made an amazing pumpkin bread. It was my first time to make bread--I haven't done a ton of baking in my life--and it turned out pretty dang well, if I do say so. Here is the recipe I used (from a very random website that I found via Google), complete with fresh pumpkin that I puree'd in my mom's Vitamix, which I have complete access to while living at home... #gettingspoiled.

Before...

Pumpkin Puree

Preheat oven to 350. Cut pumpkin into fourths and scoop out seeds with an ice cream scoop. Place pumpkin on a large baking sheet (either face up or down) and bake for 45 minutes. Let it cool, then remove skin using a knife to help peel. Cut the "meat" into chunks and put in a blender (with a 1/4 cup of water) or food processor. Blend until smooth.

Pumpkin Bread

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
3 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. allspice
2 cups fresh pumpkin
1/2 cup water (2/3 cup if pumpkin is canned)
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup chopped pecans, walnuts, or raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and sugar. Add eggs, water, oil, and pumpkin. Stir until blended. Pour into 2 lightly greased 9x5 loaf pans, or muffin pans for muffins. Bake 1 hour, and test with a knife to see if they are done. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then cool on a rack.

...After!

My Favorite Time of the Year

Tuesday was the first day of Fall!! I love fall, you love fall, all white girls love fall. But for me, it's more than the scarves, the leaves turning colors, and comfort food. For me, it's all about the TV shows. The stories, the drama, the everything. It makes me giddy. This list is going to seem like I do nothing but watch TV, but I promise it's not true.**  I limit my TV time to only a couple hours per day, and only after dinner. Otherwise, I could pretty easily sit on the couch all day with a bag of Doritos and do nothing productive ever.

I wrote last week about lessons learned from medical dramas, but this year there are a whole slew of other shows that I'm super excited about.

1. Once Upon A Time (Sunday) -- I've tried to explain this one to people that haven't watched it and I feel like a total dork. Everyone loves fairy tales, but a show where all the fairy tale characters live together in the real world and don't remember who they are because of a curse doesn't really sound that appealing. But the same writers and creators from LOST always leave you wanting more, and I'm excited to see where this season goes. Also, I should probably watch Frozen so I have some semblance of what's going on:

2. The Blacklist (Monday) -- Only in its second season, The Blacklist struck me early on as a show different from any other. James Spader is the master of this dark FBI drama and commands your love and respect. He also knows how to straight up CUT someone iffin they get out of hand. It gets more intense every episode, and the twists and turns in the first season left me panting for breath and more wine. It's on Netflix now, so go catch up on the first season and watch the second one with me!

3. New Girl and the Mindy Project (Tuesday) -- These two go hand in hand for me because they are on the same night and both tickle my funny bone in similar fashions. Jess and Mindy are very lovable and I would like to be both of their best friends.

4. Modern Family (Wednesday) -- It's just great writing, pure and simple. Dry, amazing humor that doesn't quit. What a wonderful hump day treat.

5. How to Get Away With Murder (Thursday) -- I love being in Shondaland. Viola Davis pretty much kills it (no pun intended) in everything she does, so I'm intrigued by this show and am anticipating how good it will probably be.

6. Biggest Loser (Thursday) -- Not a new one, but the only reality show I watch. It gets very dramatic with all the competitions, but it's also all about learning to eat right and live a healthy life.

Bonus: Who is excited about the new True Detective??

Double Bonus: Downton Abbey and Parks and Rec both start in January, so I'll revisit this when the year is ending. Get ready.

What shows are you excited about this fall??



**As I finished this blog post, I was a little ashamed and embarrassed to realize how much TV I actually watch when my shows are back. But then I thought, "eh, what the hell, that is how many TV shows I watch," and decided I shouldn't pretend.