Honey-Lemon Poppy Seed Bread {& a Rusted Chain necklace giveaway!}
Thanks for all the support this week as my newest book and DVD Bible study series KEEP IT SHUT: What to Say, How to Say it & When to Say Nothing at All released.
Despite the fact that I am still home in my sweats recovering from horrible bronchitis, it has been fun to see people talking online about how they have grown from reading it. {Which makes it a WHOLE lot easier to put my heart out there as I share my utter failures in this area, which I do in the book!}
Now, some more freebies for you as we continue the launch week!
First, one of the key verses in the book is all about our words being gracious and sweet:
Gracious words are a honeycomb,
sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. Proverbs 16:24
The talented Beki, from The Rusted Chain made a necklace based on this verse and my book. Wow! I am so thrilled! Her jewelry is adorable and she has been featured in such places as popular magazines, The Pioneer Woman on her Food Network show, and her pieces have been worn by Candace Cameron Bure, Martha Stewart, some of the Duck Dynasty ladies, Miranda Lambert, Deanna Daughtry (wife of singer Chris Daughtry) and more.
So, in addition to the giveaway from earlier this week of a KEEP IT SHUT bundle that includes the book, Bible study DVD, one study guide, AND a Kindle Fire! (you can still enter that giveaway until January 27 so click here to do so!) today I am giving away one of these necklaces!
And, I am posting a recipe that is in my book. Because the book talks about making our words gracious and sweet like it says in Proverbs 16:24, I include a recipe for honey-lemon poppy seed bread to make to take to someone with a card full of sweet words for them. (And the book gives a whimsical tag to photocopy with the verse and a cute-as-punch bumble bee hive. It is full of fun bonus material in the back of the book such as this.)
To be entered to win the necklace, simply leave a comment on this post with the answer to this:
With whom is it hardest for you to speak sweetly sometimes?
With me, it is my hubby. Oh I HATE that this is so! BUT, I think if you ask him he’d say he’s seen me make progress over the years as God taught me the truths I share in this book and Bible study!)
Ok…here is the recipe. Don’t forget to leave a comment!
Honey-Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
As pretty as it is tasty!
Ingredients:
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
2 T honey
4 large eggs
1/4 cup grated lemon zest
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
Glaze ingredients:
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
3 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Dash of almond extract
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8-inch loaf pans. With an electric mixer, cream the butter, 2 cups sugar, and honey in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time. Add lemon zest. Mix in 1/4 cup lemon juice, the buttermilk, and almond extract.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Combine the flour and buttermilk mixtures together mixing until smooth. Stir in poppy seeds. Divide the batter evenly between the pans, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until a cake tester comes out clean. If the top begins to brown too much, cover with a piece of foil gently set on top.
Combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar with 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Let loaves cool for 10 minutes. Remove from the pans and set them on wax paper or foil. Drizzle the lemon syrup over them. Let loaves cool completely.
For the glaze, combine the confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice and almond extract in a bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour over the tops of the cakes and allow the glaze to drizzle down the sides.
For giving: Once the cake and icing have completely cooled and set, wrap in foil, being careful not to wrap the top and sides too tightly due to the icing. You may also give in bakery boxes designed for 9-inch loaf pans. You can find these at craft and gourmet food stores. You may also carefully slice the loaf and arrange some slices on a plate and cover with plastic wrap before giving. Whatever the presentation, be sure to include a copy of the tag featuring Proverbs 16:24 “Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”
I think it would have to be a co-worker. She is quite a bit younger than me and doesn’t value my life experience. It’s hard to be sweet to a know it all . . . .
My sweet family who I love! I hate this truth, but there are days we seem to grate on each other and our words get less than sweet.
Definitely the hubs. Sad to say, but oh so true.
The hardest for me is angry people. Fortunately, I rarely come in contact with angry folks – people who are very riled up and irrational.
It’s a toss up between my hubby and my kiddos!
The hardest people for me is unfortunately my husband and teenage daughter. My tone can just get all wrong when I talk with them. So need to change that!
I would have to say my answer would be my daughter – although I am working on this daily. I feel I have gotten better over the years, but it is a struggle every day. I am looking forward to reading your book as I think it will greatly help me in my relationship with God and my daughter. Thanks for the chance to win!
Would wear this necklace with full agreement to what it states !
My husband is the number one person I need to speak more kindly and lovingly too; second in line are my boys, my goodness, they sure do know how to push my buttons. With God’s help, I will grow more like Jesus in my speech patterns. I must admit, I struggle with speech at all different times, but two things I notice about me are , my speech is directly related to my thoughts-if I let my thoughts ramble on in a bitter or angry way, my speech is sure to be the same way.I have to learn to stop bad thoughts right away with prayer and/or a verse. Secondly, when I am having a day full of pain (physically I have several chronic, painful issues) I find my tone (and words) can sound very frustrated and I get short with my family and others. I struggle so much with not letting my pain do the talking-and managing very real pain along with two young, energetic boys, a home and being a wife gets so difficult! Anyone have tip on not allowing pain to affect my speech? Thanks for the giveaway and hope you feel better soon!
It isn’t what you say, it is how you say it. Often my tone is not sweet to my husband or youngest son. The necklace is cute! Thanks for the recipe.
Sometimes it is hard to speak sweetly to my high school students.
Thanks for the reminder and the yummy recipe :)
My husband, also. :-(
Love the necklace! What a great reminder.
My sweet husband and it is so sad because he really is the sweetest person I know………
I want to speak more kindly to my sweet kiddos (especially when we are trying to get out the door to be somewhere ????). I wished my speech was seasoned with grace 100% of the time.
Sadly for me it is my husband. I tend to hold my words back but will roll my eyes at some of his comments. I most certainly do my share of muttering under my breath about things. I am ashamed to admit that and want to improve in this area this year.
My 10 year old daughter. We are so much alike and she knows how to push my buttons. I live her dearly but she often tests my patience.
As awful as this sounds, it’s my son. He is making some life decisions that I don’t agree with so even if we are not talking about those things I know I am so angry and disappointed that my tone is probably horrible. My problem, not his, but I see the bigger picture and he doesn’t. So hard…
unfortunately I too must say its my husband who gets the most unpleasant words from me. Looking forward to help from this study.
Definitely my husband and kids. They always seem to draw out the worst from my mouth!!
I have a hard time speaking kindly to my Mom. She likes to tell me what to do and what I am doing wrong and how to make it right. She never does that with my brother but I love her.
For me it is my husband of 32 years. I find myself speaking to everyone so sweetly and then I see him and I am snappy and rude! Why? I don’t know but he has the patience of Job just like my daddy! Never once has he snapped back at me because I am not speaking sweetly to him. He is so precious. Karen your book is fabulous! I ordered 2 copies! Got them yesterday! I have been reviewing it for you and I literally cannot put it down! I have highlighted, starred, circled, underlined and commented! Hoping this book will lead me to sweeter words towards him! Thank you so much for writing this if for no one else, you wrote it for me!
I find it hard sometimes to speak kindly to my sister. We are complete opposites.
I find it hardest to speak kindly to my husband and my son. I am harsher with my words toward them, than I am with anyone else!!!
Love the necklace!!! What a great reminder!!!