Pumpkin Bread with Dark Chocolate.

This year has blown by in a thick haze of WTF. I honestly can't think of a more articulate way to express it. As we are many months into this pandemic (with really no end in sight yet) coupled with the seemingly endless stream of weekly/daily catastrophic events - this year has just been too damn much to process. I almost can't even remember what life was like before. How carefree we all were. Hugging each other, enjoying dinner parties while unknowingly spitting droplets at each other's faces, kids playing, school drop-offs, and shopping for food without protective coverings. I could go on, but you already know all of this.

Thankfully though, pandemic life has gotten a little smoother since the beginning of this shit show. The overwhelming panic and fear have melted and replaced with being as safe as possible, wearing masks, avoid touching faces, staying outdoors, washing your hands, keeping distance, and always bringing sanitizer. This protocol has now become our norm and, I must say, I don’t understand why certain people are such bitches about not following these simple practices. It’s really not a big deal. Not to mention, we must be able to continue to live our lives through this thing, and this is all we can do at this point. I'll admit, in the beginning, I was terrified to leave the house and all I wanted to do was hide out at home and hunker down far away from everyone and everything. My parents are still doing that (they haven't left their house since March!) and will probably continue to do so until a vaccine.

I get it, of course, but I refuse to live my life in constant fear, holed up in a (seemingly) protective bubble like John Travolta in that movie "The Boy in the Plastic Bubble" (unless, of course, you have a disease that you really can't live outside the bubble.) We must be as careful as we can be, of course, protecting ourselves and our fellow humans, but we must figure out how we can continue to live the fullest life we can during this time. I mean, this is it, people; this is the world we are living in right now. And, let’s not forget, life is about learning how to embrace this fleeting time and enjoy every morsel it may bring. Good or bad. Disappointing or exciting. Happy or sad. Single or not. Rain or shine. Sick or healthy. Pandemic et all.

My son and I beautifully captured in those pre-covid days by photographer Eva Kolenko

It's challenging, of course, but isn't that the point of life? It is full of these life-changing moments of growth, letting go, and trying to accept the present moment for what it is. For instance, right now, I am struggling with embracing the fact that it's almost Halloween. I mean, it's already October! Which means it is also my favorite time of the year - fall. And, no matter how many gorgeous winter squash, persimmons, pomegranates, root vegetables, and seasonal decorations I see abound, I do not have the same zeal as I have had, oh, every year before. And though I appreciate people around me still committing to this holiday and trying to stick to these traditions to attain a sense of normalcy and stability during this crazy time. The fall season's historical fuzzy warmth is not having the same effect for me this year. So, this quite possibly means that if I feel this way now, by the time Christmas rolls around, I may become the grinch!

Look, I have loved this season ever since I can remember. And, maybe if we had an actual home right now to decorate (more on this soon), I still might be going to the dollar store with my kids to buy those crappy Halloween window decorations we have put up each year. Or, perhaps, I wouldn't. Perhaps, it's just my newfound perspective that these COVID quarantine months have brought. I'm not quite sure, but it doesn't matter in the end. What matters is that I am doing my best to get in the spirit of things. And, you know what is still (thankfully) getting me all jiggy with it - baking. More specifically, baking my tried and true old school Pumpkin Bread with Dark Chocolate straight from my cookbook. YUM. I hope you bake it, and it turns your grinch face into a smile as it does mine.

PUMPKIN BREAD WITH DARK CHOCOLATE

I encourage you to make your own pumpkin puree if you have never done it. It is terribly simple and without a doubt better than the canned stuff. But having said that, this bread will still be great if you use a can. I am leaving the instructions on how to roast a squash below the recipe in case you wanna.

1 cup spelt flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1-1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp clove
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup buttermilk or or plain kefir or milk of choice
1 cup roasted pumpkin purée *
1/2cup fruity extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup muscovado or brown sugar
1/4 cup coconut palm sugar
2 eggs
8 ounce dark chocolate 66%, roughly chopped
1 TB turbinado sugar, to top

Preheat oven to 350°. Oil a 9x5x3” loaf pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, clove, nutmeg, and sea salt. Set aside. 

In a small bowl, mix the milk and pumpkin purée. Set aside. 

In a separate bowl whisk oil and sugars until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until mixture is well combined. Gradually add pumpkin mixture; beat until well combined. Add dry ingredients in 3 batches, beating just until incorporated. Gently fold in the chopped chocolate. Sprinkle the top evenly with about a TB of turbinado sugar.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake until a tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let bread cool in pan for 20 minutes before eating or serving.

• TO ROAST A SQUASH
  Roasting your own pumpkin, or winter squash, is a very very easy endeavor. Most recipes call for just taking a knife and cutting the hard-ass squash in half. But I’ve found that unless you have a really large sharp knife with some confidence attached to it, it’s a bit daunting. While I have done it, I still fear I may chop off some part of my hand in the process, so I always do this trick before cutting the thing in half. Pre-heat oven to 350°, wash and dry your winter squash of choice, rub the entire thing with a little olive oil, and put it on a large baking sheet. Now, just pop it into the oven, whole, and take it out after about a 1⁄2 hour or when the hard squash has softened a bit. At this point you can easily take a sharp knife to it and cut it in half. Then scoop out the seeds and discard. (Some people save the seeds, wash then, dry them, and toast them. By all means go for it if you’ve got the time and patience.) Return the now-halved squash, flesh side down, to the baking sheet and back into the hot oven to continue baking until the squash is very soft. About another 1⁄2 hour to 45 minutes, depending on how big your squash is. Remove squash, scoop the flesh out, discarding the skin, and that is that. Leftover baked squash keeps very well in the refrigerator for at least 5 days in an airtight container. My favorite winter squashes for roasting are butternut, kabocha, red kuri, and hubbard.