Happy St. Patty’s Day

Just as my title says, Happy St. Patty’s!  Are you going out to celebrate?  I am meeting friends downtown (Fremont Street Experience) for a pub crawl.

Now, I don’t plan on going too crazy since my sister and I are doing a spa day tomorrow for my birthday.

I am all ready to go, green accessories in hand.  Happened to find these today so I figured I’d bring them with.   Does bringing a shot glass contradict my last statement about not getting to crazy?

Can I just say, that I am loving my time off.  It really is nice to have a break from work.  The sky was a bit overcast and it felt like the perfect weather to bake.  And perhaps I was missing this guy just a bit…

So where do you think I went to find a recipe?  If you guessed allrecipes, you are right on.  What can I say…I just can’t get enough.

There were so many recipes that I liked, but ultimately decided on one that included both my loves- chocolate and pumpkin.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread (source) 

Ingredients

• 3 cups white sugar
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup water
• 4 eggs
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour  loaf pans.

2. In a large bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin, oil, water, and eggs. Beat until smooth.

3. Blend in flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts.

4. Fill pan 1/2 to 3/4 full.  (I had a tough time with the clumps, but it still turned out)

5. Bake for 1 hour, or until an inserted knife comes out clean. Cool on wire racks before removing from pans.

Check out that nice crisp crust.

I was not at all disappointed by this recipe.  In fact, I loved it!  The bread was super soft and every bite tasted as good as the last.  Finding a chocolate chip in a bite was especially delicious.

Once cooled, I enjoyed a slice with a cup of coffee.  (Coffee in my new mug I picked up at Anthropologie. )

The pumpkin added a smooth, soft texture to the bread.

177 calories per slice isn’t that bad in my books.  And hey, today is a holiday.  I think that accounts for a treat. 

Good to the last bite.

This is Oliver looking at me thinking, “Mom, why are you taking pictures of your food, and outside no less?”

I hope you have a fantastic St. Patty’s Day and be sure to be safe!  Thanks for reading! 

What is your favorite kind of bread?  Pumpkin (clearly) and Banana Nut are at the top of my list.  St Patrick’s Day plans?

Tagged as: allrecipes, baking, chocolate chip pumpkin bread, fremont street experience, recipe, st patty's day