Well folks, it’s October; the month of the pumpkin. Have you ever thought about how many things that one can do with a pumpkin? Fall is already here, but then October comes rolling around, and bam! Pumpkin patches, pumpkin carving, pumpkin costumes, pumpkin shaped cookies, Halloween candy collectors, the subject of all elementary school artwork, household decorations in the form of lights, garlands, tablecloths, giant yard pumpkins, etc., and the best, “It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown.” Then we have pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins and pumpkin cupcakes (they are not the same thing), the pumpkin pie blizzard Dairy Queen dishes out, and my personal favorite, pumpkin spice lattes. It’s kind of like we have this massive pumpkin explosion every October, and after a while, just the word pumpkin gets a little annoying. Regardless, I happen to love all of these things, except for anything pumpkin pie related…I really don’t like that stuff. Ironically though, pumpkin pie is the only pie I’ve ever made…go figure. I digress.

When I was little, I grew up around my mom and my aunt baking all kinds of goodies, all of the time. It got extreme during the holidays, and I can say we were never lacking in holiday treats from October through December. Pumpkin bread has always been one of the things made the most. In fifth grade, I baked pumpkin bread for the first time, but even though I knew how to make it, that was still my mom’s area during the holidays. For the past few years, the responsibility has shifted on to my shoulders. Don’t get me wrong; I love this task. This year however, I wanted to find a second pumpkin bread recipe; one that had a slight twist to it, but wasn’t too weird. I just wanted something a little different. Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Bread. I have eaten a lot of things in my life time, and this bread was honestly one of the best things I’ve ever had. It was wonderful. However, while following the recipe, I ran into more problems than I expected. The fault wasn’t mine though; it was the fault of misleading directions given to me on the recipe. So, I took the recipe, modified some of the ingredients and rewrote the directions. Round two was even better. Making it was super easy, and I think everyone should treat themselves to it. Make it, love it, and enjoy it.