May is definitely a month to celebrate. Days are getting longer, flowers are blooming, the farmers markets are opening and there’s a feeling of growth, change and new beginnings. Ruth Ann Templeton, the protagonist of my latest novel, Reinventing Ruthie, is caught at just such a crossroads in her life and how she grows and changes into a new person forms the core of that novel.
I saw the quaint swing and couldn’t resist!
And speaking of farmers markets, World Baking Day is May 21. Pick up some fresh berries to serve with this Lemon Yogurt Loaf.
Lemon Yogurt Loaf
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
3 extra-large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it’s all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.
Cool loaf in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove it and place on a baking rack. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool completely.
Serve as is, or drizzle with a simple glaze of 1 cup confectioners’ sugar mixed with 2 tablespoons lemon juice.
Jenny Hale’s latest book, The Magic of Sea Glass, is a perfect story for anyone who has lost someone they love—as I assume we all have. The book shows our loved ones are always with us. The characters are so easy to relate to. A lovely story and a great beach read.
After the loss of her fiancé a year ago, event planner Lauren Sutton can’t seem to go on with her choice of career or the life she’d built with her fiancé any longer. Floundering emotionally, she makes a snap decision to sell her half of the business and spend the summer among the sand dunes and changing tides of the Outer Banks, taking care of an old inn in Rodanthe, North Carolina with its elderly owner Mary Everett.
Perhaps the salty breezes of the Atlantic and the warmth of summer sun on her face will help her find her direction. What she doesn’t expect to find is a story hidden away in a string of sea glass that will change her life forever.
And complicating things is local fisherman Brody Harrison. All she’d wanted was to sink her toes in the sand and let the coastal breeze calm her aching heart. But Brody shakes up her plan in ways she’d never imagined.
When I walk with Piper each morning I am dazzled by the splendid blooms in the neighborhood. As a newlywed, my husband and I moved to our Seattle home thirty-seven years ago! The camelias, azaleas, and rhododendrons in our yard continue to return each year thanks to the previous owners. But it looks as though several of my favorite perennials that attract hummingbirds didn’t make it through our colder than usual winter.
An incredible array of hydrangeas made me stop to admire them.
In the Puget Sound the nighttime temperatures are finally getting warm enough for me to plant my many pots. I hope! I have planted too early often. According to a friend, nighttime temperatures must be above 40 degrees to plant thriving annuals. Looks as though I need to buy flowers. My kind of shopping spree!
I can’t wait to browse through my favorite nursery.
Please enter my Giveaway for a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card and one copy of Reinventing Ruthie. U.S. only. Winner will be announced Tuesday, May 23, and has three days to respond to my email.
Love spring time being disabled I can go out to my front porch and see all the beautiful flowers bloom
I enjoy seeing all the flowers bloom. Gardening is my therapy.
I love anything lemon so need to try Lemon Yogurt Loaf out! Yum! Thanks for the chance to win your latest! 🙂
Never heard of lemon loaf but sounds yummy. Thank you for a chance to win.
Love spring. Flowers blooming & nice weather…..warmer than winter and cooler than summer….usually
Lemon is delicious!
Thank You for sharing The Lemon Yogurt Loaf I will be trying this recipe! I Love Spring time have a Blessed Day!
I have read and enjoyed many of your books, and own some, too.
This recipe sounds so refreshing! Thanks for sharing it and your giveaway!!
I can’t wait to read Reinventing Ruthie! I’ve been reading your Amish books for years, and now my daughter is doing the same. 🙂 I’ll be trying the Lemon Yogurt Loaf, too… one of my passions is trying new recipes and I think this one will be a hit.
Will be trying the Lemon loaf for sure. Love anything lemon
I love spring and working in my flowers and vegetable gardens.
It’s always fun to enter a giveaway, hoping you might win, and just seeing a new book to read, even if i buy it.
Looks so yummy
Spring is a nice time of year In Massachusetts as well. Your flowers are vibrant and beautiful. Would love to win, thanks for the drawing.
the recipe is on my list to bake. Sounds yummy.
Kate Lloyd, your recipe sounds so delicious! Some of the flowers in our area just starting to come up.
Thanks for your drawings!
Thanks for the recipe, sounds delicious!
By the time spring gets here, I am so very ready! I love to see the flowers blooming!
lemon wow i love to ready your books