Tis The Season

...for eating pumpkin!

Love for pumpkin knows no bounds in this house, especially when it is homemade! Our three favorite homemade pumpkin treats are pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread and swirled pumpkin cream cheese bars. I was in the mood to bake yesterday and I have been DYING for some of the bars, but since I didn't have any cream cheese in the fridge (and didn't want to run to the store) I settled for making some bread.

It's a rough life, let me tell ya!

When Zachariah got up from his "quiet time" (which is another name for toddler-who-is-skipping-nap) we set out on our bread making adventure! While I have had the pleasure of my toddler helping me make several things (broccoli casserole, pancakes, scrambled eggs, baked ravioli, muffins... just to name a few) I have never braved the bread making experience with him. But because of my prep work and a VERY easy recipe (no kneading required!) he did a great job helping and I kept most of my sanity. Which is a pretty big accomplishment.

His main job is stirring. Not because that is all I trust him with, but because that is all he wants to do. These days he just does not have time to put the spoon down to dump the flour in the bowl! Oh, and right when we were getting started he asked if I could "find his chef hat so he could be a cook". And then right at the time this picture was taken he started singing a song that he composed right there on the spot about being a chef.

Talent. My kid has it.

:)

Here is one bread pan right before it went in the oven! And the reason the hat is no longer on his head is because he was done stirring. Which, in his mind, means he was no longer a chef, so he couldn't wear the hat any longer.

And yes, he does crack me up on an hourly basis.

So! While we waited for the bread to bake Zachariah decided it was time for a bath. Well, I decided and he thought it was a good idea. It worked out wonderfully, because by the time his fingers were all prune-like the bread was just about ready to come out of the oven!

And here we are. Zachariah with his two loaves of bread!

And yes. That is a pink cat tattooed on his arm. And yes, he is completely naked. Sorry, but he smelled the bread as soon as he hopped out of the tub and seriously could not wait five seconds for me to clothe his naked butt before he drooled all over it.

Be still my heart. This bread not only looked and smelled amazing, but it tasted amazing too!

I don't know for sure, but I am pretty sure that this bread will be a staple around here for a while. :)