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Honey-Lemon Poppy Seed Bread {& a Rusted Chain necklace giveaway!}

Keep It ShutThanks 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

rusted chain necklaceThe 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! From karenehman.com

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.”

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108 Comments

  1. Like many others, it’s family. Or the guy who cuts me off in traffic, but he can’t hear me anyway. (Don’t worry, I don’t say anything bad).

    Lovely necklace. : )

    1. “or the guy that cuts me off in traffic” … haha! I’m DEFINITELY guilty of this one too! I get a easily irritated in rush hour traffic :/

  2. I need to have better patience with my kids when they all come at me at once needing help. I also have to remember not to gossip.

  3. For me it’s my son. It seems I’m always trying to get him to do something, stop doing something, hurry up, slow down, etc. It’s easy to let my tone be harsh.

  4. I have to say it is my husband. Hate to admit that, but it is true.
    I need the book and study! Would also love to win the necklace – beautiful!

  5. oh my… My immediate family. More so the hubby…. I really need to learn about my mouth. Your recipe looks yummy. Perfect to go with a cup of hot tea! Praying you feel better soon.

  6. I have a couple of people who just drive me bonkers. They’ll say something and I’m like…”Really? Did you use your brain first?” Thankfully, I rarely open my mouth and say something I’ll regret, but I have no doubt that the look on my face and attitude says it all!! On a good day, I’ll say a little prayer asking for His patience and not my own. On a bad day…well…let’s not go there.

    Love,
    Heather

    PS. I’d LOVE for you to guest over at Transformed and share your new book if you’re interested :). We’ll give one away while we’re at it. Just let me know!

  7. i have several folks I can lose it with. I think the problem comes back to me….how do I respond to difficult people? There is always going to be difficult people in my life…do I respond like Jesus or by my flesh?

  8. I have the hardest time with my mother. She always has the ‘victim’ mentality, and it’s always someone else’s fault with her, and it just gets SO OLD! She truly needs God in her life more than anyone I know, and she’s the furthest from Him! I am hoping to find a way to help her get to Him, but it is not easy….

  9. Mine would probably be my husband, too, though it seems like it hasn’t been happening very often lately. :) That’s an improvement, for sure!

  10. It would be my husband. It’s too bad that those who are closest to us often get the worst of us. Looking forward to doing this study.
    (Cute necklace!)

  11. I can be snippy with my hubby sometimes but the person I have the most trouble being sweet with is one of my sister in laws. I really have no clue why she doesn’t like me and she makes it very difficult for me to keep trying to like her. We have been related 20 years and we are no closer now to being friendly than we were when she married my brother. There have been many instances over the years where I have tried to make progress and have thought it was happening and then the next time we interact……..bam…….it’s right back to square one. Over the years I have been worn down to the point that I just don’t try anymore…………I know this is not the way I should be.

  12. With my melancholic personality, it seems I can generally speak well to others but I am very difficult on myself. I praise God for the ways in which I’ve been able to respond to most situations with my husband and our four children. By no means to I have it completely together with them – trust me, this mouth brings forth both fresh and salty water – but I speak MOST harshly to myself. I have a good mentor and friend who will say to me, “Stop speaking that way to my friend!” She reminds me that I would never speak to someone else the way I do to myself. Working on it!

  13. I believe that would be my sweet husband. He is the only one that I have in my life so he gets the good bad and ugly of me. I’m so thankful and blessed to have him in my life,

  14. Sadly I also had no pause when recognizing it’s my husband I’m most unkind to with my words. After many ( almost 40) years, it has grown just too easy to be brutally honest and not keep my thoughts and words in check. I’ve known for years I need to work on my tongue, wishing for some Christian education on the matter since secular hasn’t helped. Your book sounds like and answer to prayer, so I’m going to jump in too! Thank you!

  15. I’d have to say with head low, my husband. I’m so thankful that he loves me and forgives me…
    Thanks for the recipe! Can’t wait to try it out!

  16. I think I would have to say it’s my husband. After 25 years, it’s not the problem it used to be, but there are still times….. Looking forward to reading the book!

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