Pumpkin bread

 I was absolutely craving pumpkin bread last weekend, so I baked up this easy pumpkin bread recipe from King Arthur Flour.  I mixed up the recipe as written, except I added a teaspoon of cinnamon because I think pumpkin and cinnamon are the perfect pairing -- like chocolate and peanut butter.

Instead of canned pumpkin puree, I roasted a few pie pumpkins that I bought earlier this fall from the DeMoss family farms at the North Grand Farmers Market in Ames.  Here are easy instructions on how to roast pumpkins at home.

I recommend trying to get as much water out of the pumpkin puree as you can so whatever you are baking (pumpkin bread or pie) doesn't turn out soupy.  I placed the pureed pumpkin in a fine-mesh sieve over the sink and let the water drain out for about 10 minutes.

OK, so not the greatest pumpkin bread photo, but I didn't have much time before my husband and I gobbled it up!

Are you making plans for Thanksgiving already?  I bought a turkey for 98 cents a pound at our local Fareway store.  I'm not too picky when it comes to buying turkey.  I just look for the best deal and hope I don't overcook the bird :)