Pumpkin Bread

3 Cups Sugar
1 Cup cooking oil
4 Eggs
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsps baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
2/3 cup water
15 ounce can pumpkin

1. In a very large bowl beat sugar and oil with an electric mixture. Add eggs and beat well. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg.
3. Alternately add flour mixture and water to sugar mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined.  Beat in pumpkin.
4. Pour batter into greased bread pans (two 9x5x3 inch, three 8x4x2 inch, or four 7.5x3.5x2 inch pans)
5. Bake at 350 for 55 to 65 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. (I usually have to bake my two large loaves anywhere from 75 to 80 minutes. So depending on your oven it may take longer. Little loaves are easier to bake. But don't worry if you smell burning or the crust looks really dark. The bread is still good as long as it is baked all the way through!)

Kate's Easy Breadsticks

My friend Kate makes these all the time. I just tried them out and I am sold! They are SO easy. No raising the dough, no nothin. These are a great quick fix and she taught me some tricks to speed it up too.

2 TBSP sugar

1 1/2 C. hot water

1 TBSP yeast

4-5 ish cups of flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 cube of butter

Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, Italian seasoning (all opt.)

In mixing bowl with dough hook: dissolve sugar in hot water. When water cools slightly add the yeast and salt. Add flour until dough pulls away from sides of mixing bowl. Knead as you like it. (I usually leave it kneading for 5-10 minutes...but whatever you like). While it's kneading place cube of butter on a large cookie sheet in the oven at 350 to melt. Roll out dough on a floured surface and cut into breadsticks. (here's the great trick: if you have a cutting board or another cookie sheet about the same size then flip it over, coat with flour, and role out dough in the rectangle shape. Then use a pizza cutter to cut into desired size of breadsticks. Then just invert sheet with dough over the sheet of melted butter... and vwala!) If desired sprinkle garlic powder and Italian seasoning on the buttered sheet before inverting the dough onto it. Then roll sticks over on pan to coat. Sprinkle entire sheet with Parmesan cheese if desired. Allow to raise 10 minutes if desired (but she doesn't and neither did I and they were perfect). Bake 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees. Enjoy hot!

Total Time: 35-40 minutes Yield: about 2-3 dozen breadsticks.