Pumpkinfest

So it's safe to say I have never been the type to go overboard with "seasonal spirit". Don't get me wrong, I'm no Scrooge--I love to see the autumn-themed recipes on everyone else's blogs, coo over everyone's fall-themed manicures, and d'aww at people's pets dressed up in costume for Halloween. But I'm just not quite so proactive when it comes to my own autumn-themed activities.

A couple days ago, though, I was feeling more jolly than usual, and I'd been meaning to make pumpkin bread. I find that this is best eaten slowly, in thick slices accompanied by a hot mug of chrysanthemum tea.

Shoddy photo. You'll forgive me.

Seasonal Spirit Pumpkin Bread
A note--yep, this recipe is a cavity-ridden delight. Feel free to halve the sugar if you feel like it, but take my word for it that this definitely wasn't too sweet for me...and I've actually kind of moved past my "everything must taste like gummi bears!" phase. Shocking, I know.


 Recipe makes approximately 12 muffins, or two small loaves, or one large loaf.

3 cups flour
1 can of pureed pumpkin
3 cups turbinado sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup butter, soft
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1 cup flax seeds
1 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder

~Preheat oven to 350˚F.
~In a bowl, mix the flour, spices, salt, baking soda, and baking powder and set aside.
~In a large bowl, beat the sugar. softened butter, and eggs for about 2 minutes. Add the pumpkin puree and mix well.
~Add the dry portion of the ingredients slowly and mix gently.
~Mix in the nuts and flax seeds.
~Grease your baking container(s) and fill 3/4 full.
~Bake for an hour or until a knife comes out clean.

Box Lunch Adult v.2

Rice with sakura denbu, tiny oil-marinated fish with blackbeans (inbetween layers of rice), honey beef, quail eggs, ants on a log, and strawberries. Also packed a peach that is not shown here.  Unfamiliar ingredient--Sakura denbu. It's a fluffy, sweet-and-salty condiment make of flaked whitefish, named "sakura" because of its pretty pink color. My sakura denbu was storebought, but Maki has a great recipe for it herethat I'd like to try someday! Once I get over the intimidation...haha.