Freezer Meals

When I was pregnant with "L" I decided I was going to make as many meals ahead as possible. When I got to looking up "freezer meals" online I was amazed at the variety and simplicity of it! In the last month or two of my pregnancy I was able to make and freeze about 18 meals in total. It was a God send after she was born! With many a sleepless night dealing with a very high needs baby by myself when Zach went back to working (he works nights), the premade meals made things so much easier! I still use freezer meals now on at least a once a week basis. They are quick, easy and save me from breaking down and ordering pizza!
So, a tutorial on what a freezer meal is, how to make them, ideas on what to make, how to freeze them, how to thaw them, and how to cook them. :o) This could be a long one!

A freezer meal is:
This is fairly simple to answer. A freezer meal is a meal in the freezer. Got it? :o) Ok, maybe a little more in depth. Freezer meals can be casseroles, enchiladas, lasagna, premade pizza dough, precooked meat, freezer marinades, meat loaves, soups, pot pies and even breads/rolls/biscuits.

How to make, freeze, thaw and cook the different types of freezer meals:

• Casseroles: This week, make a casserole but double the recipe. Put the second batch in a disposable foil pan and place in the freezer. Uncooked! Now you have a freezer meal. This can be done with casseroles, lasagna, stuffed shells, mac and cheese, meat loaves, pot pies and enchiladas. You can buy foil pans for really cheap that have plastic covers that stack nicely in a freezer. Write on the lid of the container the bake temperature, time and any special instructions (Ie: add 1 cup shredded cheese to the top the last 5 minutes of bake time.) Also write on the lid what goes good with the casserole (Ie: for baked spaghetti: serve with green beans, salad, sliced peaches, and garlic bread.) To cook: allow the casserole to thaw for about 24 hours in the refrigerator. Bake at the time and temperature on the lid and serve!

• Pizza dough: make a double batch of pizza dough (I love my bread machine!) Roll out your pizza crusts, poke holes in the bottom with a fork and bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Place baked crusts on a flat surface to cool then place in a zip top baggie or wrap in plastic wrap and place in the freezer. I like to do these in personal sized pizzas so we can have a few different types of toppings (meat lovers, peppers and onions, tomato basil mozzarella.) When you are ready to make them, pull the crusts out, unwrap and allow to thaw on your baking sheet for 10-15 minutes while your oven is preheating. Place on your toppings of choice including cheese. Put in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes till the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown. These have been a lifesaver more than once for us! Times when we get home from being gone all day and there is nothing in the house to eat that is quick. Within a half an hour I can have hot pizza with a side salad and maybe some green beans ready to go.

• Precooked meats are nice too. When I have a recipe that calls for diced cooked chicken, I always cook twice the amount. Pull out what you don't need for that recipe and throw it into zip top baggies in 1-2 cup amounts for later use. These are nice for salads! Also, breakfast sausage is a great cook ahead meat. Buy the bulk ground sausage (cheaper than the premade patties) and cook it all up in patties like you normally would for breakfast. Just cook double or however much you bought. Lay the cooked patties on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and place in the freezer for a few hours. Now you have precooked sausage patties for breakfast. In a hurry one morning, pop a couple in the microwave while your eggs are cooking. Or place on a biscuit/bagel with some cheese for an "egg McWhatever" to go. Also, when you buy a package of bacon, split it up into serving sizes to fit your family (3 slices per person in the family kinda deal) and freeze these uncooked like you do the cooked patties. Then when you need bacon you are only thawing out the amount needed!

• Freezer marinades are a nice one. Buy a big bag of chicken breasts or a family sized package of beef cut however you like it when they are on sale. I have been told you can do this with tofu as well. (Hi Andi!) Divide the meat into zip top baggies in the portions you need for your family (4 people in your family, 4 chicken breasts in the baggie.) Pour in your favorite marinade. This can be store bought or homemade. Then place in the freezer. When you are ready to use them, put the baggie in a large bowl in the refrigerator for a few days to thaw. As the meat thaws it will marinade by itself. Cook as you normally would!

• Soups: Make a big pot of chili or veggie soup, pull out half and freeze in a large container or zip top baggie. Or freeze in individual portions for a quick meal. Simply thaw and reheat on the stove!

• Breads/rolls/biscuits: Make up your bread/rolls as usual. Allow to rise for the final time. Then bake for about 3/4 of the time you usually do. You are looking to get them to the point of being baked completely but not browned. Allow to cool completely and then place in a freezer bag. When you want to use them, allow them to thaw and then bake for the last 1/4 amount of time. You now have "Brown and Serve" bread just like from the store! Biscuits can be done like for the bread or they can be mixed up, cut out and then frozen unbaked. Allow them to thaw most of the way and then bake as usual, though you may need to increase the time a bit.

• Other ideas: 1:)Have a favorite crock pot recipe? Mix up a double batch of the ingredients next time you make it. Freeze one half of the uncooked ingredients for later use. Just like those expensive store bought ones. 2) Next time you have a meal that calls for diced onion, cut up a couple extra while you have the knife and cutting board out. Place in snack size freezer bags and use when you are in a hurry. 3) Buy bell peppers when they are on sale/in season. Wash, core and slice/dice them, place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and freeze over night. Next time you want a pepper omelet in the morning, pull out a hand full, toss in the microwave for 30 seconds or so and then add them in. Or if you have a recipe that calls for one pepper pull out a big handful (a large handful of sliced peppers for me is about equivalent to 1 whole pepper). 4) Short breads (muffins, banana nut bread, Amish friendship bread, ect.- those that do not use yeast but do use baking soda/powder) can be frozen after baking. These freeze wonderfully! Bake a big batch of your favorite muffins and then freeze the extra. In the morning, simply pull one out, warm it up in the oven or microwave, butter and enjoy! Bake a big batch of banana nut bread when "too old" bananas go on sale for $.20 a pound. Freeze the extra loaves. Thaw for a few hours and you have "fresh" bread that tastes as good as the day you made it. Honestly, freezer zucchini bread in the middle of winter has always tasted better to me than fresh baked.

I hope this gives you some helpful tips on how to make make ahead meals. Making meals from scratch can be a time consuming, tiring, and labor intensive process, but by doing a little thinking ahead, a little extra work here and there, and spending a few extra minutes at each meal, you can make it much easier and tastier!

Shepherd's Pie

I have always been a fan of this lovely, simple, old-timey meal. Meat, potatoes, vegetables and cheese all in one pan. How can you beat that? Way back when, Mothers used to make this out of the bits of meat and veggies they had left over and covered it with the cold mashed potatoes from last night. Now, in better times, it is just a tasty comfort food that sticks to the ribs. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef or turkey

2 cups hot mashed potatoes

4 ounces cream cheese

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups frozen mixed veggies, thawed

1 cup gravy

1. Preheat your oven to 370` F. Brown the meat in a large skillet. (While doing this, cook and mash your potatoes.) Drain.

2. Mix potatoes, cream cheese, 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese, and the garlic until well blended.

3. Stir vegetables and gravy into the meat.

4. Spoon the meat mixture into a 9x9 inch square baking dish.

5. Cover with the potato mixture. Don't worry about it being perfectly even; the more imperfect it looks, the better.

6. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until it is heated through.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Notes: I choose to scoop the meat out of the pan, leaving the drippings. Then I made a simple gravy (about 3 tbsp. flour, 1 cup of milk, and the fat drippings.) This worked out just perfect for me and saved me from either dirtying up another pan or buying super salty jarred gravy. Also, make sure your veggies are completely thawed! Mine were not and so I ended up having to bake it for another 10 minutes. This did not harm it in any way, it just took longer to bake than I expected. You can also use instant mashed potatoes for the topping and it works out well. Just omit the milk from the package directions, that way when you mix in the cream cheese they stay fluffy.

All in all, we really enjoyed this! Zach took leftovers to work the next day and lots of his co-workers said it smelled and looked yummy and one of them said he remembered his grandmother making it for him.

Quick Tip Tuesday: Easier bread slicing

It is hard to get fresh baked bread sliced thin enough for our liking. If we are planning to eat it warm, slathered in butter or jelly, it's not a big deal. But when it comes to sandwiches, we like it to be as thin or thinner than store bought. So I have discovered how to do just that.

Allow the fresh loaf of bread to cool completely on a wire rack. When it is totally cooled, place into a zip top baggie and the put it into the fridge over night. This "firms" up the bread. Then slice it into your thin slices. The bread is firm enough to slice yet still soft and yummy!

White chocolate chip cookies

These are just yummy! They are great warm, cold, with a glass of milk or broken up in a bowl of vanilla ice cream. A simple cookie with a great flavor! Chewy on the inside, crunchy on the outside. (This one's for you Christine! Hope you enjoy it!)

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened



• 2 cups white sugar



• 2 eggs



• 2 tsp. vanilla extract



• 2 cups all-purpose flour



• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (the powdered kind)



• 1 tsp. baking soda



• 1/2 tsp. salt



• 1 2/3 cups white chocolate

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.



2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.



3. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.



4. Add dry mix into the wet mix a little at a time till all dry is used and the dough is well mixed. Fold in the white chocolate chips.



5. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet, allowing for room to spread.



6. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until cookies are set. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

The dough from the cookies freezes really well! I have some thawing on the counter right now to enjoy with some yummy raw goats milk! Mmm.

Quick Tip Tuesday: Double batch cookie dough

Next time you whip up a batch of cookies, make double! Roll the extra cookie dough into cookie sized balls, place on a cookie sheet covered in wax paper, and freeze for 24 hours. Place in a zip top bag labeled with the type of cookie they are and the bake time and temperature. Cookies that work great for this are...

• Peanut butter (roll in the sugar before freezing)
• Chocolate chip
• Short breads
• Sugar
• Snicker doodles (roll in cinnamon/sugar before freezing)
• Chocolate white chocolate chip (pictured above)

When it comes time to bake the cookie: Take out how ever many you want, place on a lightly greased cookie sheet (unless the recipe calls for it not to be greased,) allow to thaw for about 20 minutes and bake like normal! *You may have to increase the bake time by a minute or two. Bake for normal time and then check for doneness.*

This also allows couples or families with just a few children not to have to bake an entire batch of cookies. Instead, you can make up the whole batch and only bake what you need right then. We usually bake 4 to 6 cookies at a time. This also makes for a great last minute dessert when unexpected company arrives for dinner!

Scalloped Asparagus

I have never like asparagus! In fact, it has always been on my "foods I hate" list. But the only way I'd ever had it was boiled till mushy. That's just the way my family had always fixed it. So when I came down with a UTI when pregnant with "L" and the midwives told me to eat lots of asparagus (as it is great for urinary tract health,) I went out looking for a recipe that sounded even remotely edible. I was not holding out much hope! Then I came across this recipe and was pleasantly surprised to discover that asparagus can actually taste good! Since then I have made this and other dishes using this lovely green sprig and am glad to say that asparagus (as long as it is not boiled till mushy) is no longer on my "foods I hate" list!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups fresh asparagus, trimmed (this is about one good sized bundle at the grocery store)
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter, softened/room temperature
• 1/2 cup grated cheese
• 1 cup bread crumbs

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Put all the asparagus (reserving a few tips for garnish) into a greased 8x8 casserole dish.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, milk and butter then pour over the asparagus.
4. Sprinkle with the cheese and then the bread crumbs. Dress with asparagus tips.
5. Brown at 425'F for 20 minutes till asparagus is tender but not mushy.
6. Enjoy!

Makes approximately 4-5 servings.

Sausage Chili Bake

This was on last weeks menu to try and I said if it was good, I'd post the recipe. So, it was evidently good! :o)

Ingredients:

• 1 pound smoked sausage, cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 1 small onion, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
• 1 tsp. garlic powder (or garlic salt, we just watch our salt intake)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) stewed tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (15 to 16 oz.) kidney beans, undrained
• 2 cups biscuit mix (store bought or homemade)
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup milk
• 2 eggs

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350'F. Spray a 10-inch skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Cook sausage and onion in skillet for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender. Spoon into ungreased 9x9 or 8x8 inch baking dish. Stir in garlic salt, chili powder, tomatoes and beans.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients until blended. Pour over sausage mixture.
3. Bake uncovered 35 to 40 minutes or until crust is light golden brown.

Notes: There was quite a bit of liquid when it was finish cooking, though later the leftovers were less moist as some of the liquid was absorbed into the mixture. Next time I might drain a little of the juice off the tomatoes or beans. Also, the "pour over sausage mixture" is a joke. It is way to thick to pour! Instead, you have to spoon it on in lumps all over the top and then kind of spread it out. It will pretty well even out when it is baked. I also cut the sausage into smaller pieces. I cut it in half length wise and then sliced it into 1/4 inch thick pieces. I also used a little less than a pound and we didn't miss it. Between the beans and the sausage, I figured it was plenty of protein!

Makes 6-8 servings. Serve with green beans, a side salad or just by itself. Either way, it was quite tasty!

Monster Cookies (Rarrr!)

Monster cookies! Called that because they are BIG cookies if you follow the recipe. You can make them smaller, but why would you want to? These have become a favorite around here as they are quick and easy to make and are super yummy!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups baking mix (store bought or home made)
• 1 cup oats (old-fashioned or quick cook)
• 1 cup M&M's, chocolate chips, butter scotch chips, peanut butter chips, white chocolate chips or what ever you have on hands
• 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375'F. In a large bowl, beat brown sugar, shortening and eggs till smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients.
2. On an ungreased cookie sheet, drop by 1/4 cupfuls about 2 inches apart. Flatten to about 1/2-inch thickness with the bottom of a glass that has been lightly sprayed with oil.
3. Bake 12 to 16 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for about 3 minutes before trying to remove from the cookie sheet.

Makes about 1 1/2 dozen cookies.

This is what we chose to do with a few of our cookies. Yes, that's ice cream and it was GOOD! :o)

Frugal Tip Friday: Bake in batches

In the picture: gronola bars, fresh bread, and 10 half-baked personal sized pizza crusts.
Not in the picture: loose gronola

My frugal tip for today is to bake in batches. As you can see from above, this day I baked a number of things. The loose gronola was first as it takes a low tempature. Then I had to plan out when the bread and pizza dough would get done rising and baked them one after the other. Next was the gronola bars, which I was mixing up as the pizzas were baking. Then I turned around and made a couple of those pizzas for dinner that night. All in all, my oven was probably on for 3 hours. But, there was no preheating for each item. I'd get one done and in would go the next one.

Also remember, during the winter, do your baking in the morning. That way it heats your house. In the summer, do your baking in the evening so you aren't running the A/C to cool off the house again. And when you are done baking in the winter, leave the oven door cracked and you'll have a toasty kitchen to do your clean up in!

Morning Glory Muffins

These turned out so good, I just had to share! They are packed with fruits, nuts, spices, and even a veggie. It's like an entire meal in a muffin. :o) Ok, so maybe you will have to eat something else with it but they are really good!

Ingredients:

6 eggs

2 1/2 c. sugar

2 c. oil

4 c. grated carrots

1 c. coconut

1 c. raisins

1 c. chopped nuts

2 c. grated apples

4 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

4 tsp. cinnamon

4 c. flour

Directions:

Stir all ingredients together. Make as many muffins as desired, baking at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Note: This recipe makes quite a lot of batter. Extra batter will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks!

Yields: 4 dozen muffins.

I made a half a batch and baked them all in two mornings. The first day will take a while in prep to get all the ingredients shredded, chopped, together, and mixed, so allow yourself a good hour or so from start to finish. But then the next day(s) are super easy! Just pour however many muffins you want and bake! Or do like I did and bake them all in just a couple/few days.

These also freeze well! Bake them up, allow them to cool and then store in a freezer bag in the freezer. When ever you want them for breakfast or a snack, pull out the number you need and pop in the microwave for about a minute or in the toaster oven for a couple minutes.

Serve with butter or just dry and enjoy!

Italian Bake

This is a quick, simple and very good dish that could prove to be a favorite around the Lance house.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef or turkey
• 1 1/4 cups tomato pasta sauce
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 cups homemade biscuit mix or Bisquick mix
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 400'F. Spray one 8-inch square (2-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray.

In a skillet, brown beef/turkey until brown; drain. Stir in 1 1/4 cups pasta sauce and the corn and heat to boiling; spoon into baking dish. Top with the mozzarella cheese. (In the picture I accidental forgot to put on the cheese and ended up putting it on the biscuit topping. It still turned out good. Do it how ever you like!)

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir biscuit mix, milk, and Parmesan cheese until a soft dough forms. Drop dough by 12 to 16 spoonfuls onto the meat mixture.

Bake uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes or until topping is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the topping comes out clean. Serve topped with additional warmed pasta sauce if desired. (We didn't as it seemed fine without it.)

This makes approximately 6 servings. Pair with a salad, green beans and warm applesauce and you've got a tasty meal for a work night!

Mmm. Yum!

Homemade Baking Mix

Mmmm, fresh biscuits. Strawberry short cake. Impossible pie.

When working with a good baking mix, the possibilities are just about endless.

This is a recipe for your favorite baking mix. Sorry, but I am going to have to drop a brand name here. Bisquick. Shh! Don't tell anyone but you can make this at home, from scratch, for WAY less than you pay for it in the store! Ok, you can tell someone if you'd like!

Ingredients:
5 cups white flour
4 cups wheat flour (I would guess you could substitute with white)
1 1/2 Tbsp. salt (I usually only use maybe half this)
4 Tbsp. baking powder
2 c. vegetable shortening (I have used coconut oil for a healthier option and it works just fine. I would think you could also use lard but it would have to be refrigerated.)

Get out a BIG bowl. I have also used a dish pan. Mix together the flours, salt and baking powder. Add in the shortening and use your hands to break it up into the flour till it is light and crumbly.



Do not over mix. The shortening lumps should be about the size of peas. Place in a good sealing container and store in the cabinet.


Use where ever biscuit mix or Bisquick is called for.

A simple and yet yummy recipe using your baking mix...

Drop Biscuits

2 1/4 c. baking mix
2/3 c. milk.

Mix together in a medium bowl till mostly smooth. Drop by spoon fulls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Makes approx. 10 biscuits.

Chocolate Oatmeal Cake

Mmm. Chocolate cake! I have never been a big fan of chocolate cake. Then I found this recipe! Not too chocolaty. Moist. Chewy. And oooh so good!

Ingredients

• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 1/2 cups quick oatmeal
• 3/4 cup melted margarine or butter, melted
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 2/3 cup baking cocoa (the powdered kind)
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Get out your trusty mixing bowl and spatula.

Mix oatmeal and boiling water together the large mixing bowl. While that is sitting, grease one 9X13 inch pan or two 8 inch round pans. Add in the margarine and stir, making sure it is completely melted. At this point, it will look like runny oatmeal.

Add in the sugar and mix well. Then add in the eggs and beat till smooth and glossy. Add vanilla, salt, cocoa, and baking soda. Mix well. Add in the flour and mix well again.

Pour into your greased pan(s) and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Or till a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

See that little crumb on the plate to the left of the cake. Yeah, I ate that right after taking this picture! :o)

Allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting, if you can wait that long. I have never used icing on it but I am sure it would be yummy with some. But it really doesn't need it!

This cake freezes really well!! I usually freeze all but a couple pieces to eat later. All you have to do is get out a piece, warm in the microwave for a minute or so and top with vanilla ice cream! A quick and easy dessert any day of the week.

Granola: Not just for hippies anymore!

Ingredients

This isn't so much a recipe as a guide to making granola. Granola is super expensive to buy in the store! And even though it is supposed to be "healthy" it is often packed with fillers and who knows what else. It is actually quite easy to whip up a batch!

Ingredient Options

• 2 cups Oats (the quick kind, not the old fashioned)
• 2 cups Rice cereal (like the kind to make rice crispy's)
• 1/2 cup peanuts (or any other kind of nuts)
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (semi-sweet, milk, butter scotch, white, any will do) You can also use M&M's
• 1/2 cup dried fruit
• 1 cup shredded, sweetened coconut
• 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup raisins
• Anything else you can come up with

All but the top two are optional. It's your choice! Mix all of your choice of ingredients together (holding back the chocolate chips, raisins and dried fruit till after cooking). Once mixed well, pour it out onto a cookie sheet. You may need two, just make sure it is no thicker than 1/2 inch.

Granola before toasting.

Place the granola in an oven heated to 250 degrees. Toast it for 15 minutes, stir, toast again for 15 minutes, stir, toast, stir... Well, you get the point. Do this pattern till you have toasted the mix for 45 minutes to an hour. 45 minutes usually does it for me. Allow to completely cool before mixing in the dried fruit, chocolate, and/or raisins. Store in a sealed container. I keep mine in an old oats container.

The finished product!

Serve on yogurt, as cereal with milk, or just as is. It will keep on the counter for 2 to 4 weeks, but ours never seems to stay around that long. :o)

Pumpkin Bread

Ok, can I just say "Yum!" I think I could eat this picture!

Honest, it tastes even better than it looks!

I figured since I taught you how to cook and clean a pumpkin, I should give you something to do with it. And if you don't feel like making the pumpkin yourself, feel free to buy a can! I'll never know! :o)

This is a super easy bread recipe. It reminds me of a zucchini or banana nut bread in that is it really moist and, like the zucchini bread, has a good spice to it.

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh or canned pumpkin (this is one regular sized can)
1/2 cup vegetable oil (or canola, that's what I use)
1 egg
2 cups sugar
3/4 tsp. cinnamon (more if you like)
1/2 tsp. pumpkin spice (more if you like)
3/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
2 1/2 cups flour (white, wheat or half and half)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Instructions:

1: Preheat oven to 350' on bake. Grease a bunt pan, one regular sized bread pan, or two mini bread pans. I would think you could do this in a muffin tin but I have never tried it to know how many it would make or how long to bake it. I would guess at least a dozen and probably 30 minutes.

2: Mix all but the last three ingredients together till smooth. Then add in the last three and mix till smooth again.

3: Pour into the pan/pans and spread evenly. For the bunt or regular sized bread pan-bake at 350' for 1 hour and 30 minutes. For the mini loafs- bake at 350' for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

You can't see it in the picture, but it was still steaming. :o) I am impatient!

4:Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Turn out onto a cutting board and force yourself to give it at least a few more minutes before cutting into and taking a big bite.

This is really good with a little butter on it! Have it for dessert, for breakfast along side bacon and eggs, or for an afternoon snack. It is yummy no matter when you try it! It's spicy, moist and you can still see little orange bits of pumpkin! Mmmm. I think I will go have me another piece now!