This post is long due. In fact, I took a break in between and a lot has happened since. About two weeks back, on a Sunday evening I was suddenly informed of the demise of one of my classmates. She was 38 and it was a freak brain aneurysm that ended it all. It was a difficult two weeks of coping up for me personally. My friend has left behind a 13-year-old and a 9-year-old. I could see all the RIPs and messages line up on her social media page. But how could a mother who was so invested in every minute detail of her children’s’ lives find peace anywhere. In my heart, the transiency of life and everything else that it comes with it left me blank in my mind with fear, yes, with fear.
As I would put Gungun to bed in the night, I would shudder at the thought of something similar happening to me. I just could not come to terms with the fact that somewhere her kids’ lives were turned upside down. How would they manage and how would they cope?
A couple of days into this, I finally dragged myself to the gym one evening. A lot of time I watch quite a bit of TV at the gym while I am working out on the elliptical or the treadmill. As I set my eyes on the telly, I could figure looking at an episode of “Dancing with the Stars”. To my amazement, they were talking about a 17-year-old girl and guess who she was! It was Bindi Irwin, the daughter of “The Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin. I remember the time when Steve Irwin passed. We were all heartbroken to see the life of a man as lively and rambunctious as he cut short by a freak accident. We might have been virtually connected to him, but never the less somewhere our hearts did go out to that little girl who just lost her dad. And as frail as human memory is, I soon forgot about it all.
That day, when I lay my eyes on her and saw this beautiful young lady gyrating, swirling and swiveling flawlessly, I knew it was a message. It was as if someone telling me that it would all be ok. My friend’s kids will be just fine. They will bloom too and have beautiful lives. I was just so overwhelmed that I am getting goosebumps even when I am writing this. I know it is hard but life does have its way of helping sort things out. RIP my friend, it will all be ok.
Now, the recipe is a Honeyed Pumpkin Oat Bran Bread. We did have a low-key Thanksgiving this year. I roasted a medium sized chicken, had some stuffing on the side made from the homemade cornbread that I baked. I also made single servings of green bean casserole and had some Alfredo sauce to tie it all in. For dessert, we had some store bought pumpkin pie. My mom is here and so it was really nice.
With Maa being around, our evening tea is something we look forward to and this is where my Pumpkin Bread comes to the picture. A fragrant cup of golden hued Darjeeling tea paired with a slice of the pumpkin bread is a real cozy treat, this time of the year. I generally participate in the pumpkin mania with full gusto every year, however, this year things have been a little slow. Never the less, the break had me rested and rejuvenated and more than anything, I am just thankful for all that I have. Really can’t ask for anything more.
P.S Bindi Irwin won DWTS 2015.
Honeyed Pumpkin Oat Bran Bread
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 60
- Total Time: 80
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
Try out this Honeyed Pumpkin Oat Bran Bread Recipe at home. A perfectly cozy tea time accompaniment this festive season.
Ingredients
- All Purpose Flour – 1/4 cup
- Whole Wheat Flour – 1 cup
- Oat Bran – ½ cup
- Pumpkin Pie Spice – 2 tsp
- Baking Powder – 1 tsp
- Baking Soda – ¼ tsp
- Salt – ¼ tsp
- Brown Sugar – ½ cup
- Fat Free Yogurt – 1/3 cup
- Honey – 1/3 cup
- Fat Free Milk – 1/3 cup
- Vegetable Oil – ¼ cup
- Pumpkin Puree – 1 cup
- Vanilla Extract – 1 tsp
- Egg – 1
- Chopped Walnuts – ¼ cup
- Dried Cranberries – ¼ cup
Instructions
- Pre heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Sift together all- purpose flour and wheat flour. Add oat bran to it.
- Add baking powder and soda.
- In a bowl, cream together yogurt, honey, milk, vegetable oil, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, vanilla extract and the egg.
- Pour in the dry ingredients to the bowl and slowly fold it in.
- Add the walnuts and cranberries and mix them in.
- In a greased 8-inch loaf pan, pour in the batter and bake for 50 mins.
- Insert a tooth pick in the middle and if it comes out clean, the cake is done. If not bake for another 10-15 mins until it is done.
- Slice and serve.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 10
- Calories: 134
- Sugar: 13
- Sodium: 34
- Fat: 2
- Saturated Fat: 0
- Unsaturated Fat: 2
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 26
- Protein: 3
- Cholesterol: 19
Keywords: Honeyed Pumpkin Oat Bran Bread Recipe
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