Tea Bread Tuesday: Lemon Poppy Seed Bread with Lemon Glaze

I am devoted to Mr. Lime, I really am . . . and it seems disloyal to go flirting with his sunny cousin, Mr. Lemon, at the first sign of trouble.  Alas, Mr. Lime is making himself very dear this summer, what with the terrible crop we've had . . . bad winter!  So when life gives you lemons . . . we must make the best of it . . .  I'm such a tramp!  But a bread like this one can make you re-think your loyalties . . . It . . . is . . . DELICIOUS!  So moist, so lemony . . . and the hint of almonds doesn't hurt one bit!  You must try it!  This might be the beginning of a beautiful ménage à trois . . .

Here's the recipe:

For the bread:

1½ cup all-purpose flour

1¼ cup sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

¾ cup of half and half

½ cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs, slightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1½ teaspoon almond extract

2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest (1 large lemon = approx. 1 tbsp. grated lemon zest)

For the glaze:

1/3 cup sugar

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon almond extract

½ tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 350º F.  Grease and flour a 9” x 5” loaf pan.  Set aside.

In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and poppy seeds.  With electric mixer, add the wet ingredients, one at a time, until they have all been incorporated.  Beat for one additional minute.  Pour into the prepared loaf pan and bake for approximately 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, with a few crumbs clinging to the toothpick.

While bread is baking, prepare the glaze.  In a small saucepan, combine all the ingredients and cook over low heat until the sugar is dissolved.  When the bread is done, let cool in the pan for a few minutes, but while still hot invert into a wire rack, and then back into a serving tray.  Brush glaze immediately over the warm bread, on top and on the sides.  Use all the glaze, the bread will absorb most of it.  For best taste, make it the night before and the bread will be ever so moist and flavorful!  Enjoy!

House Remodeling, House Guests and Worrying About David

The title of this post sums up the last two months at our house.  No sooner had David left for Basic Combat Training, we launched into a few house updates, including new siding for the exterior . . .

 

Here's a picture of the old one . . .

  

 

We are such wild people, going from light grey to white!

We also got rid of the "builder special" lights and got pretty new ones!

We were trying to get it all done before our guests arrived!  I hadn't seen my cousin Robert and his wife, Ely, since their wedding in 1970!  We had kept in touch over the years by phone and Christmas cards.  The visit was wonderful!  It was as though we did this all the time!

We played tourists on Lake Michigan.  Here they are with Navy Pier behind them, and the beautiful Chicago skyline . . .

And here's a picture of my son, David, "borrowed" from the FB page for their battalion (he's the one on the far left).  Boot Camp ain't what it used to be.  Imagine!  They have a Facebook page!  He looks well, but it seems I've found a new hobby:  Worrying about David.