Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Bread

Ah....fall. The leaves changing colors, the pumpkins, Halloween decorations around the neighborhood, the 93 degree weather...WAIT - WHAT????

Yes, it was 93 degrees today at my house. In the middle of October. What is happening to fall? It is not OK to have to run my air conditioner this time of the year! I am just not willing to give up my favorite season, so in protest of the weather - here is a recipe for the best pumpkin bread I have ever had. It would go great with a cup of coffee or tea, a crackling fire and curling up with a quilt and a good book.

2 large eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1/2 of a 15 oz. can of pumpkin puree

1/4 cup water

1 tsp. vanilla

1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

sprinkle of nutmeg - about 1/8 tsp.

1/2 cup chopped pecans

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

3/4 tbls. all purpose flour

Whisk eggs and add 1c. sugar and cooled melted butter and whisk until blended. Stir in the pumpkin, water and vanilla.

Add the baking soda and powder, salt and spices to the whole wheat flour in a measuring cup and stir together. Add to the pumpkin mixture and stir until combined. Do not over mix or your bread will be tough.

 

Pour half the batter into a bread pan sprayed with cooking spray (or buttered and floured).

Beat together cream cheese,  1/4 c. sugar, egg and AP flour until combined. Pour the cream cheese mixture on top of pumpkin batter in the bread pan, spreading with a knife or spatula to cover the all the batter. 

 Then top with the remaining pumpkin batter, sprinkle the pecans over the top evenly and bake at 350 degrees in the center of the oven for 1 hour.

Remove and cool. Then eat a nice, big slice and enjoy some "mommy" time. I gave a slice to my son, he liked it too. I cut the top off his slice and ate it myself...you know, since nuts can be a choking hazard for little ones. Not because I wanted to eat it or anything ;)

The easiest way to make winter squash

Today I finally discovered the best, quickest, easiest way to make winter squash for babies and toddlers. I can't believe I just now realized it. I have been trying so hard to sneak calories into it that I never realized I was doing it the hard way! Now I know...and know you know, too!

My local grocery store had a sale on winter squash last week. I picked up these 3 bad boys for around $1 each and decided to experiment with some new squash types because they were just too pretty not to buy.

Acorn - not new for us, but sweet and yummy
Carnival - tastes a bit like sweet potato or Butternut squash and looks very good in a bowl on your table as fall decoration until you bake it! This one took a little longer to bake
Delicata squash - the long skinny one, really good, smooth and sweet. Also had little sweet potato like flavor. I read this is an "heirloom" variety.

5 easy steps to yummy winter squash:
1. Wash the outside of the squash and cut it in half lengthwise, scrape out the seeds and pulp with a spoon. 
2. Take a baking pan and add about 1/4" of water to it, then place the cleaned squash flesh side down into the water.
3. Bake on 375 for 45 minutes
4. Remove from oven, turn flesh side up and let cool on a paper towel. At this point, I smeared on a little butter, you could also sprinkle on some cinnamon. Or not - it's up to you!
5. After it cools about 10 minutes, take a spoon and scoop out all the flesh, careful not to get any of the skin. Now all you have to do it smash it up with a fork - it should be very soft already. For a younger baby, you can puree it super duper smooth at this point also.

That's it. I didn't need any extra liquid or anything. So easy. Why did I not do this before?!?!