Holiday Foods Follow-Up

So I got a few responses on people's favorite holiday foods.  Naturally, two out of the three were cookies.  The third was bacon-wrapped sweet potatoes.  Sounds like everyone is ready for some delicious holiday food!

Thread

As we prepare to head into winter break and Christmas time, I'm hoping to be able to spend some more time preparing and eating meals.  What are some of your favorite wintertime meals, recipes, and desserts?

Here's one of my favorites: pumpkin gingerbread.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 2 eggs beaten
• 3 tablespoons water

1.  Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Prepare a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan with non-stick spray or butter to keep the pumpkin gingerbread from sticking to the pan.

2. In a medium bowl, vigorously whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

3. In another bowl, use a wooden spoon to mix together the pumpkin purée, melted butter, sugar, molasses, fresh or candied ginger, eggs, and water.

4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Add the raisins if using. Stir only until incorporated.

5. Place the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, until a bamboo skewer inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then gently run a knife around the edge of the loaf and invert the loaf to remove it from the pan. Let it cool on a rack for 30 minutes or longer.