A fun hospitality idea, hosting a Two-Handed Coffee Hour, a gathering time for conversation with coffee, tea and a delicious Pumpkin Date Bread recipe.

Pumpkin Date Bread

I’ve been wanting to do this ever since I spent a weekend with Kristen, and she shared about her Two Handed Coffee Hour. So very inspirational and what I felt would be a good thing, I put my head together and invited 2 people in my town that I was dying to meet (who I only knew through social media), and a couple other ladies who I thought should know the two ladies I did not know. Whew!

Pumpkin Date Bread

On the menu? Coffee, tea, and this delicous Pumpkin Date Bread. Inspired by my mom’s baking, who loved to bake with dates, I combined my favorite fall ingredient, pumpkin, with dates.

Nuts are optional, but they make this bread oh, so good!

Delicious Pumpkin Date Bread

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Two Handed Coffee.

The premises of this coffee hour (for us, turned into two) is to invite ladies over to talk. No agenda or questions to prepare for.

To get to know one another, both hands on coffee cups, looking into eyes {cell phones in purses}–really getting to know one another.

You know, the old fashioned way—the way our mothers used to drink coffee with their friends.

Life feels so tedious sometimes, lacking in beauty and connection, so I was very excited to be a part of helping form new relationships.

Two Handed Coffee with Pumpkin Date Bread | ReulctantEntertainer.com

Share your friends

A confident person is one who loves to share her friends. The more you share your friends with others–hands off, not controlling your friendships, judging and figuring out motives of others–the richer your life will be. I promise!

Maybe that is a grown up thing, but these ladies were salt-of-the-earth good people.

Two Handed Coffee with Pumpkin Date Bread | ReulctantEntertainer.com

Do not wait

Too many of us are either too busy for true friendships, or we’re just sitting around waiting.

Waiting for a new or bigger house, waiting for our kids to grow up, waiting for the day we can afford a house cleaner, waiting for “better” friendships, waiting for a new season, or a vacation.

I say wait no more.

Moist Pumpkin Date Bread

How to plan

Text a group of ladies and invite them over for coffee and bread. I made a simple Pumpkin Date Bread and bought a couple packages of biscotti from Trader Joe’s.

By the way, this bread … probably a favorite for my family. It makes a large batch, too, so plenty to either give away, or freeze! And pumpkin and dates? The best combination – ever!

We also drink Storyville Coffee, so I made fresh cups of coffee and set out tea for the tea drinkers. Guess what? Everyone had coffee!

Two Handed Coffee with Pumpkin Date Bread | ReulctantEntertainer.com

Creating an easy environment is essential – just don’t stress about it and set out what you already have!

2 Handed Coffee with Pumpkin Date Bread | ReulctantEntertainer.com

How to set up a Two Handed Coffee Hour

1. Plan to serve coffee and tea or juice and water! Set out enough coffee mugs for the guests attending.
2. Make 1 breakfast dessert. If you feel you need more and don’t have the time, buy a couple store-bought treats.
3. Set out napkins, cups, sugars, cream, plates, napkins.
4. Decorate with flowers, pumpkins, seasonal fruit – or nothing. Decor is not essential.
5. Play your favorite music softly in the background.

Come together

We got down to the nitty-gritty, authentic, real talk right away. We didn’t have to come prepared with having read a book or fancy things to discuss.

Art, passions, are we doing what makes us happy, how are we spending our free time, or is it “busy” work? What are we doing to make this world a better place?

For both single and married gals–you get the gist of the meaningful two handed coffee time that we enjoyed.

Two Handed Coffee with Pumpkin Date Bread | ReulctantEntertainer.com

But what I really loved the most was the new friendships that were formed.

So much, that I plan to do it again.

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Get the Recipe:

Pumpkin Date Bread

The perfect combination of pumpkin and sweet dates. Adapted from A Taste of Oregon Cookbook.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: 12 -15
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
 

  • 3 eggs
  • 3 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 29 oz. can pumpkin
  • 1 cup oil
  • 5 cups flour
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. allspice
  • 1 tsp. cloves
  • 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
  • 1 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 4 tsp. baking soda
  • 2 cups chopped pecans
  • 2 cups chopped dates

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 2-3 loaf pans (depending on size) with cooking spray. 2-3 large loaf pans?
  • With a mixer, cream together eggs, sugar, pumpkin, and oil.
  • Mix in dry ingredients.
  • Lightly mix in the nuts and dates.
  • Bake for 50 minutes, or until bread is done.
Did you make this recipe?Tag @reluctantentertainer on Instagram and hashtag it #reluctantentertainer!

More date bread recipes: Orange Date Yogurt Bread [Well Plated], Date Nut Spice Bread [Brown Eyed Baker].

Pumpkin Date Bread Recipe

post updated from 2014