Fall is such a pretty time of year with the colored leaves and the smell of wood smoke in the air. My grandmother would always make chili sauce this time of year and you could smell it in the air. It makes my mouth water just talking about it. It’s funny how a smell can take you right back to a memory of a time and place you haven’t thought about for a while. This time of year is full of pumpkins and pinecones, hunters and pots of stew or soup and baking bread. I love the smells of autumn. I have been baking pumpkin recipes lately, looking for something different. I found a recipe using pumpkin pie spice with popcorn and white chocolate, a cookie recipe using cinnamon chips and a bread recipe for pumpkin-parmesan bread to eat with a bowl of stew or soup. Get ready for trick-or-treaters, carve your pumpkin and bake something delicious. Happy autumn.

Pumpkin Parmesan Bread           

3 1/2 cups flour

1 1/3 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

5 large eggs, beaten

1 1/4 cups canola oil

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1/2 cup chopped fresh sage

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two loaf pans with cooking spray and dust with flour.
• In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, ginger and pepper.
• Add eggs and oil, beating well. Stir in pumpkin, 3/4 cup Parmesan and sage.
• Divide batter between pans. Sprinkle loaves with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.
• Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 5 minutes.
• This recipe is in the Cast Iron Comfort Food 2017 magazine.