This past week I was reminded that the days of potato salad and grilled corn will soon be far behind us. In the same way that this realization is frightening, it also welcomes the arrival of my favorite time of year: autumn. I like to think that the start of every season is my favorite. There’s nothing like the first blossoming of tulips in spring, warm muggy nights of summer, and that first snowfall that leaves you craving Christmas trees – hypnotized into forgetting winter does, indeed, last for months. But the first cold nights, the nights when you leave the windows open, the air conditioning off, and a heavier blanket wrapped around you and someone you love, are most certainly my favorite.

Mom's Pumpkin Bread (yields two loaves)

Although I'm sure my mom would insist that this recipe is nothing special, I know to my sisters and I that autumn is nothing special without it. Technically this is a cranberry pumpkin bread, and while you could substitute chocolate chips for the cranberries, or omit them entirely, they really help in making the bread more moist especially if using fresh cranberries.

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups flour
1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
1-15 oz. can pure pumpkin
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup frozen, fresh, or dried cranberries

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9 x 5 loaf pans and set aside.

In a small bowl combine the eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin and mix until well blended.

In another bowl combine the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and salt and mix until well blended as well.

Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until just moistened. Be careful not to over-mix. Fold in the cranberries.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 55-60 minutes or until fully cooked when a tester is inserted and comes out clean. Allow to cool, slice, and enjoy.