Pumpkin Bread (with cloves)

Because I seem to have lost the ability to form a coherent or creative thought for a post this morning, even after staring at the five weekly writing prompts for two and a half hours, I've decided to go with this one, 4.) Share a favorite fall recipe! by re-sharing the one and only recipe post I have ever written.

*Originally posted on October 28, 2011....

We Made Pumpkin Bread!  And it's edible, if you don't mind cloves.

Today is a teacher workday so I slept until 10:30.  Yes, 10:30!  And still woke up feeling like a cup of death warmed over.  We were awoken around 3:30 am to a loud thunk followed by pitiful cries.  Dracen had fallen out of the bed and was sitting on the floor crying while sound asleep. I asked him this morning if he remembered and he looked at me like I had lost my ever loving mind because he had no recollection of it whatsoever.  

Both my boys have histories of night terrors and sleep walking/ talking but thank the good Lord most of that seems to be behind us. Because there is nothing more stressful than being woken up in the dead of dark by an inconsolable child who is screaming like a banshee while sound asleep. Devin actually used to get up and walk peg-legged like a zombie with his arms stuck straight out around and around the kitchen island.  Somewhere I have a video of that but he would disown me as his mother if I ever dared to post it here or anywhere else.


Dracen actually let me take his picture yesterday afternoon without cringing and hiding his face. We were making pumpkin bread from a recipe he brought home from school.  It was my first attempt at pumpkin bread and aside from the cloves thing and the fact that it crumbled a bit when I took it out of the pans, I think it turned out pretty good.  

It called for cloves.  It just said a teaspoon of "cloves".  Well, I've never cooked with cloves.  Unless you count that time I stuck them in the Easter ham.


We got ready to put in the cloves, that were whole, and I said, "Dracen, I think maybe these things need to be chopped up good" and began tearing through the cabinets in search of my Pampered Chef chopper but while I was looking he informed me that his teacher had put them in like that in the video.  "Are you sure?"  I asked.  He assured me he was sure.  And though my gut was telling me not to put those whole cloves in there, I went and did it anyway which turned out to be a mistake.


Because have you ever tried to eat a whole clove?  I don't recommend it.  But still...the bread is delicious. You just have to watch for cloves and spit them out if you get one. Kinda like eating watermelon.


Now you are probably understanding why it is I have never, ever posted a recipe on this blog but hold onto your seats because I am about to do so.  Just don't put whole cloves in it.  I since found out that they actually sell crushed cloves. Who knew? Probably everyone in the world but me.  And Dracen. Too bad I didn't spot those first at the grocery store.  Oh well, you live and you learn.


So here it is...

Pumpkin Bread!

2/3 cup butter                                                 

2 and 2/3 cup sugar

4 eggs

1 (1 lb) can pumpkin

2/3 cup water

3  and 1/3 cup flour

2 tsp. baking soda 

1 and 1/2 tsp. salt (which I am just realizing we did not put in....oops again!)

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. cloves (Ground!)

2/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

2/3 cup raisins

Grease 2 (9x5x3) inch loaf pans.  (I had to improvise here since I only had one pan that size...I put half in a square casserole Pyrex dish and it worked)  Cream butter and sugar together.  Add eggs, pumpkin and water.  Blend in dry ingredients except nuts and raisins.  When well blended, stir in nuts and raisins. Pour into pans and bake 65-75 minutes in 350 degree oven. (I ended up taking it out three times after 60 minutes and putting it back in 5 more minutes each time because it still seemed gooey inside.)  

Now I realize that you are probably highly doubting that this taste even halfway decent but I promise, it really is yummy! Even with the accidental omission of salt and the fact that you may or may not have to spit a clove when you eat a piece.