I wish I could say I've been doing a better job of taking pictures with my "real" camera, but I haven't. It's been packed away for a couple weeks now, awaiting the big baby debut (mostly so we don't forget to bring it). Alas, this means the food I've been making has gone undocumented so you'll just have to imagine what it looks like. But nonetheless, I thought I'd share a couple of favorite recipes, you know, just since I have time. This first one has become my go-to when I all of a sudden recall the existence of canned pumpkin come October every year. I have visions of someday trying to substitute part whole wheat flour and decreasing the sugar but it's so good as it is that I've been afraid to waste good ingredients. Enjoy!  

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

(From Cooking Light Magazine)

2 cups sugar

2 cups canned pumpkin

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup vanilla pudding

4 large egg whites

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, stirring just until moist. Stir in chocolate chips.

Spoon batter into 2 (8 x 4-inch) loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans on a wire rack, and remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

Makes 2 loaves