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Pumpkin bread features pudding mix

Carolyn Lamberson

Earlier this month, Phyllis Manderscheid of Spokane wrote looking for a recipe she clipped from The Spokesman-Review a few years ago.

She had great success with Melt in Your Mouth Pumpkin Bread but had misplaced the recipe. Could we help?

In November 2004, we printed a recipe adapted from one found at Allrecipes.com. The secret ingredient? Instant vanilla pudding mix. The bread was praised for its moistness.

Melt In Your Mouth Pumpkin Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups white sugar

2 (3.4-ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

5 eggs

1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, pudding mix, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and coriander. In a separate bowl combine the oil, eggs and pumpkin until just blended. Stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture and mix until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes, then remove from pans and cool on wire rack.

Yield: 10 slices per loaf.

Clam chowder, Rhode Island style

A while back, Carol Green of Coeur d’Alene wrote in with a question about Rhode Island clam chowder. She wondered: If New England clam chowder is made with milk, and Manhattan clam chowder is made with tomatoes, what goes into Rhode Island clam chowder?

Turns out, not even Rhode Islanders can agree on this one. The most common school of thought says Rhode Island chowder is broth-based, without milk or tomatoes. However, a quick look online turns up some Rhode Island chowder recipes with milk, others with tomatoes, and still others with both milk and tomatoes.

So, before I dive into this quahog quagmire, I thought I’d get some reader advice. Any former Rhode Islanders out there with a recipe to share or expertise to lend? If so, contact me at the e-mail address below.

Looking for a recipe? Have a food question? Carolyn Lamberson would like to hear from you. Write to Cook’s Notebook, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210, or e-mail to cooksnotebook@ spokesman.com. As many letters as possible will be answered in this column; sorry, no individual replies.