Pumpkin Coffee Bread

This delicious concoction satisfies the sweet tooth with velvety pumpkin goodness without being overly sweet or decadent.  Made with simple ingredients, this is another holiday favorite I gleaned from my mother.  Enjoy.

You will need:
1 cup of butter
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 cup of solid pack pumpkin
1/2 cup of Dutch apple yogurt
(You may substitute a mixture of vanilla yogurt and Dutch apple baby food)

Directions:
Cream sugar and butter, add vanilla and eggs (one at a time, beating after each addition).
Sift the dry ingredients together.
Combine the yogurt and pumpkin in a small bowl.  Add yogurt-pumpkin mixture and sugar-butter mixture to dry ingredients alternately, beginning and ending with the sugar mixture.
(Don't ask me why... this is just how she does it.  If it makes you feel better, you can also spin around three times and throw a dash of salt over your shoulder for good measure.)

Pour 1/2 of the batter into a buttered 9 1/2 inch tube or bundt pan, top with 1/2 of the topping mixture* and cover with remaining batter, then add the rest of the topping mixture.
(I use a bundt pan because it makes for a prettier presentation.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes.

*Topping: Combine 1/3 cup of firmly packed brown sugar, 1/4 cup of granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 cup of chopped pecans.

This really is delicious and as the name suggests, goes perfectly with a cup of coffee.

If you make this recipe, we would love to know about it!  Send us a photo and let us know if you made any substitutions or revisions of your own!

Linda's Texas Caramel Corn

My mom (Linda) has made this every Christmas since 1976 when a friend of hers in Dallas shared the recipe.  This is a holiday staple in our family - enjoy!

Combine:
2 cups of brown sugar
2 sticks of real butter
1/2 cup of white Karo syrup
1/4 tsp. of cream of tartar

Boil for 5 minutes
Remove from heat and add
1 1/4 tsp. of baking soda
Beat down the foam and pour over
6 quarts of plain popcorn (or enough to fill a turkey roasting pan)
     (Linda recommends air popped Jolly Time Yellow Popcorn)*
Bake for 1 hour at 200 degrees, stirring every 15 minutes

*Linda suggests shaking the large container of popcorn for a few seconds so the "old maids" go to the bottom and then scooping it out into the roasting pan a cup-full at a time to avoid having un-popped  kernels in your caramel corn.  Even if it tastes spectacular, you'll be in the doghouse if someone chips their tooth!