Pumpkin Bread

I love to bake cookies, breads etc for my friends and family for Christmas. My neighbors get goodies and I always tuck a few into the boxes I send back to family.
While shopping at The Christmas Tree Shop recently, I found these cute little bread pans.

Aren't they precious? Notice the price tag. What a deal! Unfortunately, that price tag that thrilled me in the store had me wanting to curse today when I was washing the pans to prepare them for baking. I struggled to get those little suckers off.

Here they are ready for me to fill. Notice the mess. I never claimed to be neat in the kitchen!

 Ready to go in the oven.

I use Paula Deen's pumpkin bread recipe from her book, "The Lady and Sons"

Ingredients
3 C sugar
1 C vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 C canned pumpkin
2/3 C water
3 1/3 C all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmet
1/2 to 3/4 C chopped pecans or walnuts

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two loaf pans. Mix sugar and oil with mixer. Add eggs and blend. Add pumpkin and blend. Add water and blend. Combine remaining ingredients and add slowly. Fill pans equally and bake for one hour or until golden brown.
Varations: For the oil, substitute 1/2 C oil and add 1/2 C applesauce. For banana bread, substitute 2 cups mashed, ripe bananas for pumpkin and omit nutmeg.

This bread is delicious and will make your house smell heavenly as it's baking. Very Christmasy!
Isn't this nice?  A gift in a gift!