if it ain't broke

don't fix it for damn sure!

it's pumpkin baking time in case you haven't seen the mouth watering recipes and photos like all over the place!
i literally drool at times. no, it's certainly not my best trait but it happens....

anyway, i don't know why i made a detour on my pumpkin bread (because it's practically famous ya know) but i saw this recipe for pumpkin bread with a streusel top and after wiping up my drool i went for it.
my littlest little and her friend were my taste testers. they both had 2 pieces so i think it's worth sharing the streusel topping portion of it. 
the bread part? no. not as good as mine. 
i ain't shy about saying that.

me? no, i didn't try any. i recently got a letter from my back end that told me to slow down on my baked goods. i know, rude!

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here is my pumpkin bread-get the recipe here so you can be famous as well.

**tip- to make sure my bread stays soft on top and moist throughout, i wrap it in saran wrap after i pop it out of it's pan while it's still warm. don't do this if you like a harder baked crust on your bread. you can't do this with the topping version though-wahhh, wahhhhhhhhh.

if you wanna try the topping, just combine all the ingredients below. cut the butter in with a pastry cutter making a crumbly mixture. disperse evenly on your loaves. pat the topping down a little with your hand so it sticks better when it bakes.
***don't fill your loaves quite as much as you normally would so you have room to pat the streusel topping on while leaving room for the bread to rise as it bakes.

topping:

• ½ cup salted butter
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• pinch of cloves, ground nutmeg, cinnamon
• ¼ cup old fashioned oats

here is pumpkin bread on streusel:

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another don't fix it recipe?
snickerdoodles.

don't fall for those pinterest pics of pumpkin snickerdoodles. just do the good old original snickerdoodle cookie. 
as much as we all love pumpkin we gotta know when were pushin it ya know?!

bland and boring is all i can say. those reviews out there that tell you you're gonna fall all over the place and sink into deep love with pumpkin snickerdoodles are all lies! 
lies i tell ya! 

here is a picture of mine:

meh. i know they look really good but.....

i will save my calories for my pumpkin bread or maybe even a dry piece of toast since that's sorta what i'm gonna compare it to.

oh man, i'm gonna get pumpkin hate mail now aren't i?

**you can send hate mail to me via any of these places:
follow me via BLOGLOVIN!!
follow me on TWITTER!!
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follow me on GOOGLE+!!



linking up:

i gotta create 

 

oh hey there monday!

if there was any way to bribe ya and send ya away for just one more day i would- don't take it personally.

don't you always feel like ya need just one more day? one more sleep in,  one more morning sipping your coffee in bed, one more day to just be?

the weekend was a beautiful one. i did a little more crafting, baking, cleaning, costume shopping, soccer game cheering and general taxi work. ya know, the basics for a typical week-end in october.

have ya ever had a mango on a stick at the soccer park?
never? well then you must say hello!

and while you're here and all warmed up,

hello new halloween coffee mug-
the makings of this mug, and it's friends, up on the blog soon.

hello game of i spy-
i spy a cat, watching birds, longing to get out and have a lil breakfast.

hello label maker-
found my grandpa's old label maker, remember these? anyone? bueller? bueller?
this.
well, it made my whole day.

hello pumpkin bread-
i added a top to you.
i think i like you better topless. (save the "that's what he said jokes"-dirty people!)
more on this later.

hello pumpkin-
no, i don't mean you.
i mean that, there, below.
it's fun to be back with you in the kitchen again.
we do good things together you and i.

week-ends. sigh. you are so good to us.
happy monday to you all. here is to the start of a fabulous week!



linking up:
week-end shenanigans
funday monday 

bestest pumpkin bread eva'!

pumpkin anything is a fall favorite in my home so this week-end i had planned on making pumpkin bread. then i remembered we had early morning soccer pics followed by a soccer game, birthday parties, two play dates (can i call them that anymore? my kids seem too big for that) corn mazes planned, pumpkin picking to be done, senior breakfast dresses to be bought, a new backpack to be purchased and a few school projects-i was feeling a little mommy maxed. ya feel me?

then on sunday when we were at fornier farms we purchased some of their pumpkin bread to take on their train ride- oh, p.s. their train ride is approximately 2.2 minutes long so by the time you get the plastic bag off the loaf it's time to disembark the train.

anyway, the kids were acting like they hadn't been fed in years, never mind the hot dogs and sub sammies and chips and lemonades and kettle corn remnants still stuck to their faces, they were literally stuffing this bread into their mouths oohing and ahhing about how this is the best bread ever.
ok. so i tried a small piece because i know my pumpkin bread recipe is freakin' good and had to see what this bread had on mine.
are you kidding me?? i mean, it wasn't bad. at all. but please! mine is sooo much better-less bland and more fall spicy!!


so, although i was super tired from conquering the maze, and hauling fat pumpkins, and driving all over the valley, going to parties, cheering at games, doing 1 not so successful mall trip, sitting in the petting zoo with a fancy chicken perched atop my head (not kidding) i was determined to make my pumpkin bread and show them what really darn good pumpkin bread tastes like.




these lil round pumpkin loaves are the perfect size



• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
•  4 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup water
• 3 cups white sugar
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

directions

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees. grease and flour whatever pans you'd like to use. this recipe made 4 of the round pumpkin loaves, 2 mini loaves and 1 large loaf. i always try to make my breads in the smaller loaves because i feel that they cook better and are evenly moist all around whereas the larger loaf always seems to get hard corners that nobody likes.
2. in a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar and blend. in a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended.
3. bake small loaves for about 20 minutes, large for about 45-50 minutes. pop the loaves out of the pans right away and set on cooling rack.

if you want to get the pumpkin pan they have them at oriental trading company right now for under 4 bucks!

oh, and by the way, my bread is almost gone.

and i really wasn't kidding about the bird on head photo...

no, i don't feel stupid



isn't it cute when your daughter puts a bird on your head then yells "don't move"!!

all i could think of was to stay still and calm or i would either have bird crap on my head or it would freak out and tangle itself all up in my hair.

this would have been the perfect day for me to be wearing a sock bun-or maybe it would have thought that it was a nest??? hmmm... thankfully there was no screaming, no tangling and no crap.

now go make yerself some pumpkin bread!