Thanksgiving Eve and Pumpkin Bread

I love Christmas, as you can tell from my two albums Jazzy Christmas to You! and Jazzy Christmas to You II, but you may not know that I also love Thanksgiving!

In 2007, my sister, Amy, bought me some bakeware from Williams-Sonoma as an "after-performance" gift when I sang with a big band. Ever since, it has been a yearly tradition for me to make a pumpkin spice bread in one of the ceramic dishes!  Below are the results.

Just out of the oven...

Just out of the dish...

Just glazed!

You can see in the background, the book, Thank You, Sarah by Laurie Halse Anderson and illustrated by Matt Faulkner. It is recounts the diligent efforts of Sarah Hale lobbying, writing letters, and promoting the importance of a national holiday dedicated to gratitude. The book is also hilarious! I highly recommend it!

Did you know that it took Sarah 38 years of pursuing approval by the time Thanksgiving was declared a national holiday in 1863 by Abraham Lincoln?  Four previous presidents did not support her efforts.  I am grateful the United States of America has a day of gratitude on Thanksgiving each year!

Happy Thanksgiving Eve from me to you! Save some room for pie! My dad likes Pumpkin Chiffon Pie.  My mom likes Raspberry Blueberry Pie.  Amy likes Coconut Cream Pie or Pecan Pie.  Erik and I like all of the above!