A new pumpkin bread tradition

My mother's annual Christmas package to us, mailed from California to Arizona, always included a loaf of pumpkin bread. Dang I looked forward to that every year. She always made the full-loaf size - the big one, you know? Not the mini's like I always make. It was a dense, heavy loaf of bread with lots of cinnamon and cloves.

By the time Mom's Christmas package arrived every year, we were usually already reaching our limit of sweets and goodies. You know how you reach that point where you look forward to not having so many Christmas sweets around the house? We would enjoy some slices of her pumpkin bread with coffee, then I'd slice and freeze the rest for after the holidays. She always liked hearing from me in February to say thanks again for the pumpkin bread. "It was awesome, Mom!"

 

I knew I'd be able to find Mom's recipe after she was gone, and I knew that it was in my Aunt Betty's handwriting and rather faded and stained from years of use. But I ended up not having access to it last Christmas so I had no other choice but to Google "pumpkin bread recipe."

My mom's pumpkin bread was awesome and my Christmases will never be the same without it. Having said that, I have to admit that I like the recipe I found through Mr. Google better than hers. {gulp. Sorry, Mom.}

So Christmas is coming up and even though my sister and I have found Mom's recipe, I don't plan to use it. It's weird, and I feel slightly rebellious, but I like the new one better.

Even though I'm not using her recipe, maybe the fact that it's still pumpkin bread redeems me. I mean, it's not like I totally switched to fruit cake or something.

 

~sigh~

New traditions.

{you can find "my" new recipe here}

♥