Pumpkin Bread Rounds

This is such a beautiful time of the year. I love the crisp, cool weather. The leaves on the trees turn such beautiful colors and my favorite holiday, Halloween, is just around the corner. It's the one holiday that you don't have to shop to buy gifts for anyone......just lots and lots of candy. Halloween actually means Hallow (Holy) evening because it is the night before All Saints Day.

My grandma, Eva, who only spoke Italian, had a big family get together every Halloween. All of my aunts, uncles and cousins would be there. (I had seven aunts, six uncles and a whole bunch of cousins.) My grandpa, Gaetano, would string apples from the ceiling in the basement. He would push coins into the apples....nickles, dimes & pennies, even a quarter or two. We would have to put our hands behind our backs and try to grab an apple with our teeth without touching it. We would get to keep the money and then eat the apple. In the kitchen, there would be a large basin filled with water with apples floating on top. Some of us kids would opt to go bobbing for the apples.

The long wooden table would be full of goodies. The smell of fresh coffee would be in the air. There would be popcorn, candy corn, pumpkin pie, mince pie, homemade cookies and Grandma's Orange Cake. She would bake this amazing orange flavored cake with fluffy orange icing. So good!! (Sorry, but I don't have the recipe for it.)

This Halloween, try making Pumpkin Bread in a can. There fun to make with the kids. My grandchildren love them. Spread the sliced rounds with cream cheese for a real treat. Don't forget to save those empty veggie cans for this one.


Pumpkin Bread Rounds

• 6 empty cans, (16 oz size}
• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• 2 3/ cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 16 oz can of solid pack pumpkin (not pie filling)
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup raisins, optional

Clean, dry and grease inside of cans. Lightly dust with flour.
In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Add one egg at a time, beating after each egg. Add pumpkin and mix well. In a separate bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture one third at a time, mixing well after each addition. Spoon mix evenly into the six cans. Place cans on a cookie sheet and bake 325 degrees for 1 hour, 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes and gently slide out of cans. Slice to desired thickness. Great with cream cheese.

**You can leave the bread in the can, wrap the can with gift wrap, tie a ribbon around it and bring it along when visiting during the Holidays.