Get ready for pumpkin everything- The first day of fall is tomorrow!

Yesterday we had so much fun at the Jerry Smith Produce and Pumpkin Farm up in Kenosha, Wisconsin. They just opened up over the weekend with all of their fall festivities, which includes all sorts of fun activities for families to enjoy: hayrides, corn maze, animal farms, pumpkin showcases and tons of pumpkins, mums and produce to buy for this time of year.

As you can see, we are still rocking shorts and flip flops. It hasn’t been less than 70 degrees out here in a while. I guess I shouldn’t complain, but it’s been a really warm summer. I almost can not wait for a cool down. (I know I will regret saying that VERY soon!) We roamed around the pumpkin farm for over an hour and we were sweating as we left. We came home with a small bale of hay and a couple of cute pumpkins, that Charli picked out, of course! 

Pumpkin Bread with Chia Seeds

Today I whipped up a nice pumpkin bread! Since it was raining all morning, it seemed like a great time to stay in and bake. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! (Makes One- 9 inch loaf)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 tablespoons chia seeds (if desired)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups of light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup of fresh or canned unsweetened pumpkin puree (I used Libby’s canned)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup milk

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-5 inch loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment or wax paper. In a bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, baking powder and chia seeds.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Gradually add the brown sugar and beat it for a few minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add in the pumpkin puree. Stir in the vanilla and the milk. Beat in the dry ingredients gradually at low speed until thoroughly mixed together.
3. Spread the batter into the loaf pan. Bake for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.