BANANA PUMPKIN PIE BREAD

RECIPES THAT MAKE YOU WANT TO INVITE PEOPLE OVER SO YOU CAN SHARE YOUR BOUNTY WITH THEM.

Here is a little trick to help you get rid of any extra pumpkin pie you might have lying around that you don't want to keep. Either the temptation of having it around is too great because you can't eat pumpkin pie without a big dollop of whipped cream and you can't afford the calories or else you just can't bear to throw it out because of all the starving children in Africa or Asia or Indonesia or wherever there are a lot of starving children. Didn't your mother use this ploy to try to get you to eat your vegetables when you were a child? Mine did! Anyway, did you know you can throw in a piece of pumpkin pie, crust and all, and have it turn into a remarkably good loaf of bread as easy as pie? (Pardon the pun.) Chances are you've never even thought of doing such a thing, but cooking is all about taking chances, doing new things, going out on a limb and finding ingenious and creative ways of using up leftovers. Your mother would be proud of you for refusing to let a perfectly good piece of pumpkin pie go to waste (or waist). There are few things more fun in life than creating something and finding out it actually does work and this bread is no exception. It's one of those serendipitous things that leaves you with a smile on your face and a warm spot in your heart for the whole idea of making something new and different. Anyway, it's worth a try. Here are the steps:

1. Prepare a basic loaf pan by greasing it or spraying it with vegetable spray. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Put all of your ingredients into a large mixing bowl:

2 C. flour

1 1/2 C. sugar

1 tsp. soda

1 tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

Mix together well:

2. In a small bowl mash up 1 or 2 ripe bananas. Add 3 eggs and mix together until well blended.

Add a piece of pumpkin pie--yes, the whole thing!

3. Put it all back in with the dry ingredients. Add:

2/3 C. oil

1/2 C. water

Mix well.

Add 1/2 C. chopped nuts (optional)

4l Pour into the prepared pan and set it on the middle rack in the oven.

5. Give it plenty of time to bake, approximately 60 minutes or until it is done in the middle. Turn out of the pan onto a wire rack and allow to cool slightly before serving. It's best if it's eaten warm. Serve with butter or cream cheese. Makes approximately 8-10 slices. Enjoy!