Notice I didn’t saw low fat. Or low sugar. Or healthy.

I’m talking sweet, delicious pumpkin bread with a buttery, pretty glaze on top.

I don’t really bake. But this recipe is handed down to me by my mom, who also doesn’t really bake. And if she can do it, so can I. My mom bakes dozens of these loaves of pumpkin bread and freezes them. Then she hands them out to friends and colleagues in the days before Christmas. She is famous for this, and folks look forward to her pumpkin bread with great anticipation. And I get to imagine her as domestic for a mere moment, but then the image is gone.

So I am trying it this year. It is a nice affordable present for people, one they are bound to enjoy. It’s not from Wal-Mart. Not imported from China, at the Christmas Tree Shop for 2.99. It’s straight from Grandma Kate (minus the shortening) to your kitchen, friends and family. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. And your kids can help you make it. Check out the picture of my oldest stirring the batter.

(It is much better to double this recipe. You’ll want two loaves anyway, and then you don’t have to worry about using up the rest of a can of pumpkin.)

Grandma Kate’s Pumpkin Bread Recipe

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin (1/2 can)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 2/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
dash of salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup warm water

Glaze ingredients:
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon water

1. Preheat oven to 350. Combine sugar, pumpkin, eggs and oil. Mix well.
2. Add vanilla, flour, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Mix until fully blended.
3. Mix the baking soda and warm water in a separate bowl.
4. Add it to the pumpkin mixture a little at a time.
5. Pour into a greased loaf pan.
6. Bake at 350 for one hour. It takes a full one hour and 20 minutes in my oven, however.

When it is fresh from the oven, make the glaze. Boil ingredients over medium hear until thickened. Spread on bread with brush, or pour over bread. Let it cool completely.

Then you can wrap it up in foil, and tie a pretty ribbon around it, and you have a festive holiday treat for anyone on your list. Or you can freeze it for later. Or eat it immediately yourself, and do the dishes quickly to erase any evidence of your divine creation.