Elle's Mother's Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

This is another easy, delicious and elegant cake to have on hand. Perfect for breakfast with coffee, a mid-day snack or for dessert. Not only it is versatile but, it lasts well covered in saran wrap on the kitchen counter....unless you have folks around that nibble at it all day in which case, it disappears quickly lol!

Lemon Poppyseed Cake

Ingredients

1 pkg Duncan Hines Lemon Supreme Cake Mix
1 pkg lemon instant pudding
1/4 C poppy seeds
1 egg (extra in addition to the package directions)
 



Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
fresh lemon juice (optional)
water or milk, or as needed

Steps

Grease and flour a Bundt pan.
Prepare cake mix as directed but add 1 extra egg, pudding and poppy seeds.
Bake as directed on package.
Cool and dust with icing sugar.
ICING
Mix icing sugar with as much lemon/water/milk as needed to make a thick drizzle icing. Using lemon/water/mix based on desire for tart or sweetness - totally roughly 1 Tbsp or desired consistency.

Notes

If you only have vanilla instant pudding instead of the lemon pudding, grate 1 lemon into the cake mix for additional lemon flavor. 

Elle's Spice Cake

As always, easy is something I love. This is so convenient to throw together for when you have guests. It is great in the morning with coffee or for dessert. So nice to have it on the kitchen counter for anyone to help themselves to whenever they want. It also looks fancier for doing it up in a Bundt pan!

Ingredients

Box of moist spice cake (Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker)
15 oz can of pumpkin purée
2 eggs (optional)
1/2 C water
1 C walnuts

Steps

Combine eggs, pumpkin purée and cake mix with mixer.
Fold in the walnuts (optional).
Pour into greased loaf pan
Bake in 325F for 38- 43 minutes
Cool and then slice around with knife before inverting onto a plate
Dust with icing sugar

Parmesan Herb Foccacia Keto Bread

This is one of our favorite breads to make. It only takes a couple of minutes to mix the ingredients and then cook it in the air fryer for 10 minutes. So delicious! I throw this together last minute to go with grilled steak, chicken or any other number of dinners. So easy, versatile and delicious.  

Parmesan Herb Focaccia Keto Bread

Ingredients

1 C Shredded mozzarella cheese
1 oz full-fat cream cheese
1 C blanched finely ground almond flour
1/4 C ground golden flaxseed
1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/3 tsp dried rosemary
1 Tbsp salted butter, melted and divided

Steps

Place mozzarella, cream cheese and almond flour into a large microwave safe bowl and mic for 1 minute.
Add flaxseed, parmesan and baking soda and stir until smooth ball forms. If the mixture cools too much, it will be hard to mix so return to mic for 10 to 15 seconds to rewarm if necessary.
Stir in eggs. You may need to use your hands to get them fully mixed in. Keep stirring and they will absorb into the dough.
Sprinkle dough with garlic powder, basil, rosemary and knead into dough.
Press out onto greased foil and put into the airfryer
Set temp to 400F and timer to 10 minutes
At 7 minute mark, cover with foil if bread is getting too dark
Remove and let cool at least 30 minutes.
Drizzle with 1 Tbsp butter and serve.

Sunday Chat - Being Happy No Matter Your Circumstances

So go ahead. 

Eat your food with joy, 

and drink your wine 

with a happy heart, 

for God approves of this!

Wear fine clothes, 

with a splash of cologne!

Ecclesiastes 9:7-8 

Always be joyful.

1 Thessalonians 5:16 

Yet God has made everything 

beautiful for its own time. 

He has planted eternity 

in the human heart, 

but even so, 

people cannot see the 

whole scope of God's work 

from beginning to end. 

So I concluded there 

is nothing better 

than to be happy 

and enjoy ourselves 

as long as we can. 

And people should eat and drink and 

enjoy the fruits of their labor, 

for these are gifts from God.

Ecclesiastes 3:11-13 

And now, dear brothers and sisters, 

one final thing. 

Fix your thoughts on 

what is true, and 

honorable, and right, and pure, 

and lovely, and admirable. 

Think about things that are excellent and 

worthy of praise. 

Keep putting into practice 

all you learned and 

received from me 

everything you heard from 

me and saw me doing. 

Then the God of peace will be with you. 

Philippians 4:8-9 

Always be full of joy in the Lord. 

I say it again rejoice! 

Let everyone see that you are 

considerate in all you do. 

Remember, the Lord is coming soon. 

Philippians 4:4-5

Be thankful in all circumstances, 

for this is God's will for you 

who belong to Christ Jesus.

 1 Thesselonians 5:18 

Give thanks to the Lord 

and proclaim his greatness. 

Let the whole world 

know what he has done.

Psalm 105:1 

Don't worry about anything; 

instead, pray about everything. 

Tell God what you need, 

and thank him 

for all he has done. 

Then you will 

experience God's peace, 

which exceeds anything 

we can understand. 

His peace will guard 

your hearts and minds 

as you live in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

Don't let your hearts be troubled. 

Trust in God, and trust also in me. 

There is more than enough room 

in my Father's home. 

If this were not so, 

would I have told you 

that I am going to prepare 

a place for you? 

When everything is ready, 

I will come and get you, 

so that you will always 

be with me where I am. 

And you know the way 

to where I am going. 

John 14: 1-4

Always be full of joy in the Lord. 

I say it again rejoice! 

Let everyone see that you are 

considerate in all you do. 

Remember, the Lord is coming soon. 

Philippians 4:4-5

You will keep in perfect peace 

 all who trust in you, 

 all whose thoughts are fixed on you! 

Trust in the Lord always, 

 for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.

Isaiah 26:3

Happy are those who hear 

the joyful call to worship, 

 for they will walk in the light 

of your presence, Lord. 

They rejoice all day long 

in your wonderful reputation. 

 They exult in your righteousness.

Psalm 89:15-16 

A glad heart makes a happy face; 

 a broken heart crushes the spirit.

Proverbs 15:13-14 

For the Scriptures say, 

"If you want to enjoy life 

 and see many happy days, 

keep your tongue from speaking evil 

 and your lips from telling lies. 

Turn away from evil and do good. 

 Search for peace, and work to maintain it.

1 Peter 3:10-11 

For the despondent, 

every day brings trouble; 

 for the happy heart, 

life is a continual feast.

Proverbs 15:15 

Those who look to him for help 

will be radiant with joy; 

no shadow of shame will darken their faces

Psalm 34:5 

But let the godly rejoice. 

Let them be glad in God's presence. 

Let them be filled with joy.

Psalm 68:3 

I will shout for joy and sing your praises, 

for you have ransomed me.

Psalm 71:23 

Joyful are those who obey his laws 

and search for him with all their hearts.

Psalm 119:2 

You have shown me the way of life, 

and you will fill me with 

the joy of your presence.

Acts 2:28 

You love him even though 

you have never seen him. 

Though you do not see him now, 

you trust him; 

and you rejoice with a glorious, 

inexpressible joy.

1 Peter 1:8 

Therefore, since we are 

surrounded by such a 

huge crowd of witnesses 

to the life of faith, 

let us strip off every weight 

that slows us down,

 especially the sin 

that so easily trips us up. 

And let us run with endurance 

the race God has set before us. 

We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus,

 the champion who initiates 

and perfects our faith.

Because of the joy awaiting him, 

he endured the cross, 

disregarding its shame. 

Now he is seated in the 

place of honor beside God's throne. 

Think of all the hostility he 

endured from sinful people;

then you won't become 

weary and give up. 

After all, you have not yet 

given your lives 

in your struggle against sin.

Hebrews 12:1-4 

Instead, be very glad for these trials 

make you partners with 

Christ in his suffering, 

so that you will have 

the wonderful joy 

of seeing his glory when it is 

revealed to all the world.

1 Peter 4:13