new digs

Well, we're finally moved in. Far from settled, though. We've refinished the floors (never again!), and we're almost finished painting the master bedroom. I've cut down more bamboo than I like to remember, and I've just barely made a dent in the overgrown backyard.

On the plus side, we're having a great time with our new hobby: buying furniture that needs to be reupholstered. So far, we've amassed a couch, a loveseat, a club chair, and a chair that we found on the curb in the new neighborhood. (Some reupholsterer is going to make a fortune.) Our most recent acquisition came from a nice family in Madison. We bought a sofa table they'd listed on Craigslist, and they threw in a wingback chair for free! People are so nice.

What better way to say, "Thanks!" than with a nice loaf of bread? Kaytie first made this lemon bread to welcome someone to our previous neighborhood. It's quite tasty. The best thing about this is that it's really more like cake - it just masquerades as bread. It's awesome with vanilla ice cream.

Because I can't leave well enough alone and with a nod to our readers at Hederman Brothers, I added some blueberries. Delicious!

Blueberry Lemon Bread

1 2/3 cup self-rising flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 stick butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
2 tsp (packed) lemon zest (or up to 2 Tbs)
½ cup milk
3 oz fresh blueberries (half a cup)

Glaze

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, strained

Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8 ½ by 4 ½ by 2 ½ loaf pan.

In one bowl, whisk together flour and salt.

In another bowl, using an electric mixer (or your stand-up mixer) beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and lemon zest.

Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture a little at a time, alternating with a little milk.

Gently fold in the blueberries.

Pour mixture into prepared loaf pan. Bake about 1 hour, or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven.

Make the glaze: Over low heat, combine the lemon juice and sugar, stirring until the sugar is dissolved and the glaze is clear.

Loosen the edges of the loaf by running a sharp knife between the bread and the pan. Top with glaze, let bread cool in pan, then remove.