Protestant Churches (and maybe Catholic, too, for all I know) have great cookbooks. When I was growing up, I called my grandmother's congregation the "eating Church," because we always went there on the monthly potluck Sundays. The monthly (or quarterly, or whatever) potlucks lead to the inevitable, "Ooh, this is so good, how did you make it?" Followed by the inevitable cookbooks. Church cookbooks are potluck-friendly, mind you, so they're not for everyone. If you don't like muffins, desserts in brownie pans, casseroles, crock-pot or corning-ware -served dishes, you'll have to look elsewhere. But if you're into the "down-home cookin'" in which so many restaurants specialize, these are the ultimate source for you.

My most recent Church cookbook discovery is this little treasure - commented where needed.

PUMPKIN BREAD

3 c. sugar

3 eggs

1 c. vegetable oil

1 t. vanilla

1 small can pumpkin (or 1.5 c. fresh; alas I didn't have fresh pumpkin available when I last made these.)

3 c. flour (I use spelt flour)

0.5 t. baking soda

1 t. baking powder

0.5 t. salt

1 T. pumpkin pie spice + 1 t. cinnamon

-(The recipe calls for 1 t. each of cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg. My version comes out rather spicier.)

1 c. chopped pecans (but I used walnuts, and only in half of the muffins - some folks don't like nuts)

Mix sugar, eggs, oil, vanilla, and pumpkin. Add flour, soda, baking powder, salt, spices, and nuts. Mix well. Grease and flour loaf pans or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 350 deg. for about 1 hour. Or... line muffin tins with papers, use an ice cream scoop to measure batter into muffin papers, and bake at 350 deg. for about 30 minutes.

I lost track of how many muffins I made, partly because I ate so many hot right out of the oven. But it was around 30-40. This recipe is a lot fluffier than many pumpkin breads, possibly due to the spelt flour, but also because it calls for oil instead of shortening.