You know how sometimes you catch a quick whiff of something, and the memories come flooding back? Smells can evoke memories, and suddenly transport you back to other places and times in a way that nothing else can. The smell of pumpkin bread does this for me.
As a child, the minute the weather changed and the season turned to Fall, my Mom and I would make pumpkin bread. This recipe has been in our family for some time now, and I swear it’s the best one out there – and there are many. Something about that magical mix of cloves, allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon perfectly smells like Thanksgiving to me. When I started my own family, I knew that this tradition was worth carrying on.
For those of you who bake with your kids, you know firsthand the patience it requires.
I always start the project off with my positive pants on, knowing that we’ll make a giant mess, probably screw up the recipe, and almost certainly get some eggshells in the batter. And this always happens.
As we near the end of the recipe, I am always ready to be finished, and my chipper demeanor has become chippy. Despite this transformation, which inevitably repeats itself, my kids and I still bake pumpkin bread together every year.
No matter what messes are made or how many loaves we burn, the house smells magnificent, and I am immediately transported back to my childhood. I hope that when my kids are older, this smell will do the same for them. And hopefully it will evoke some good memories of baking with their Mama, and not just me imploring them not to put their fingers in the batter!
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