Summer-tarians: I know you’re sad about the whole Summer Friday thing. And the fact that it is no longer acceptable to eat ice cream and a lobster roll before noon on a Saturday. So I thought I’d help ease you into the fall season with a list of reasons to love October. Take it or leave it. But, ahem, #5 is sort of important.
- Your electricity bill. It’s going to start going down. If you’re cheap like me, you’ve been embracing the windows-open lifestyle since the mid 80’s. I’m talking Fahrenheit here, not decades.
- Your social life. It will no longer hinge entirely on weddings. That’s right – people will actually overlap on weekends in the city. I know this only applies to certain demographics but feel free to swap in your own reason for leaving the city every single weekend.
- Layers. Yup, go ahead and order the mac n’ cheese and a pint of beer. You’ve got a sweater, a scarf and a jacket to cover up the repercussions. Chalk it up to your body’s winter survival instinct.
- Hot drinks. This one isn’t everybody’s cup of tea (oh no I didn’t) but for those of you who enjoy the unmatched comfort that comes from sipping on a hot cup of coffee – or better yet a hot cup of mulled wine – on a cold day, it’s on.
- The Ultimate Fall Dessert Bread. You knew that was coming! It’s finally appropriate to eat pumpkins with everything – so why not toss in apples, dates and pecans for good measure?
Also, Jews – this one would be great for the upcoming New Year! I adapted Gimme Some Oven‘s dairy free pumpkin bread for this recipe.
Ingredients:
1 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 and 3/4 cup of flour
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of baking soda
Several shakes of cinnamon (you can never have enough!)
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 eggs
2 small apples, peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup of melted coconut oil
12-15 finely chopped, pitted dates (I’m obsessed with Trader Joe’s $2.99 Deglet Noor)
1 cup of chopped pecans
1/4 cup water
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, sugar and cinnamon and whisk thoroughly. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to carve out some space in the middle and plop in the egg yolks, pumpkin, coconut oil, vanilla and water.
Use a hand whisk to combine these wet ingredients thoroughly, then work from the inside out and begin whisking in the flour and dry mixture.
Whisk thoroughly, then dump in your apple, date and pecan chunks and fold into your batter.
Grease a 9×5 loaf pan, then pour the batter in, using a spatula to even out the top part of the batter.
Bake the bread at 350 for about 50 minutes, or until the inside has cooked (test with a toothpick).
Remove from oven and let cool in the loaf pan for about 15 minutes, then use a knife to separate the edges from the pan and carefully place the bread on a cooling rack. Enjoy!
