Giving thanks, yet again, for chocolate (the recipe)

As I said yesterday, hurray for happy endings.

Here's the promised recipe:

Sarah's Chocolate Pumpkin Loaf

Ingredients

Wet:

• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 1/2 cups milk

Dry:

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 cups multigrain flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 cups pumpkin (pureed)
• 3/4 cup pumpkin seeds (crushed)

The how-to

• mix dry ingredients in medium bowl
• mix wet ingredients in large bowl
• add dry ingredients into wet, stirring
• pour batter into three loaf pans (greased)
• bake at 350°F for 1 hour
• cool 5 minutes
• run knife around edges of pans and invert pans onto cooling rack.

Serve warm with your preferred topping. Consider sour cream, whipped cream or frozen yogurt (vanilla goes nicely), plus berries, chocolate chips, chocolate shavings or a sprinkle of cocoa powder.

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container.

Note that the original recipe called for using an electric mixer, so if you've been aching to power up your gleaming, new Kitchen-Aid or whatnot, by all means, knock yourself out. But when I spied those directions, I — as I often do — simply laughed aloud, cackled "Bull feathers," and ploughed ahead with my wooden spoon. And that served just fine.

So fine, in fact, that these loaves emerged from the oven extraordinarily moist, with rich flavor and texture. Fred was so smitten he's already put away a full loaf by himself — and he hardly ever bothers with baked goods.

Anyhow, in the spirit of the Thanksgiving soon to be celebrated by my American friends, I'll close with, "I, Sarah, am thankful for the spirit of improvisation and for happy accidents."