Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pecan Muffins

Yum Yum Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pecan Muffins.

1 cup canned or fresh pureed pumpkin
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup canola or veg oil
2 Teaspoons ground flax seeds
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour OR unbleached white flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon each: baking soda, cinnamon, salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup chopped pecans or walnut – optional
3 teaspoons raw sugar – optional

Homemade Bread

Mmmmm...the smell of baking bread is one of my favorites. It always makes me smile. That warm, cozy feeling is so friendly and welcoming. The smell of baking bread seems to waft freely throughout the house giving it a very down-to-earth, back to basics feel. I have never been able to bake bread, but my last few attempts have turned out better than any previous ones. I'm not sure what I'm doing differently...but the few times I've been able to make bread and have it turn out well have been while we were living in an apartment. Just after we got married, we lived in a little 1-bed apartment in Perrysburg. I made babka for Christmas that winter and it turned out beautifully. Every bread making attempt after that was in our house in Kansas. A home built in the late 1890s, aesthetically very beautiful and rich with history - however, the old windows and seams were drafty and not baker-friendly. Now that we are in our cozy little apartment here in Toledo, my bread making has once again been successful. I don't want to live in this apartment forever just to be able to bake good bread, but I'll keep practicing and improving while we're here! :)