A Giveaway and Delicious Poppy Seed Bread!

Before I share with you my favorite Fall recipe, here are some giveaways I wanted to let you know about…

My sister is giving away one of my Gingerbread Family Ornaments on her blog!

It ends on Wednesday at midnight, so hope on over THERE and enter.

Next, be sure to enter my Red Letter Word Giveaway!  I posted about it yesterday and you can enter HERE.

Look what you have a chance to win…

A 12 x 12 Cafe Mount Print

and matching candle!

Click for more information

Now for my favorite Fall recipe.

I posted about this last year, and it was one of my readers’ favorites!

So I just had to share it again.  Enjoy!

Wednesdays with Wanda

October 28, 2009

Today I wanted to share with you one of my mom’s favorite recipes.

Poppy Seed Bread

IMG_3921

She used to make this a lot in the fall and give it away as little gifts to people. She taught me how to make it, and I have been making it every year since!

This recipe makes 5 to 6 mini-loafs, the perfect size for sharing with others.

So I decided to make 4 batches and share them with the precious ladies I work with. I teach music two days a week at a Mom’s Day Out Program at an area church. It is the most wonderful place to work!

The ladies I work with are amazing. I was flooded with love and prayers when Mom first became sick. Many of them helped take care of my boys, so I could help take care of Mom and go to her many doctor’s visits.

And when Mom passed away, I cannot tell you how much these ladies blessed me. Many of them came to Mom’s visitation and funeral, they took turns making my family dinner for two weeks, they collected money to give me a gift card, they gave me a beautiful decorative frame for my home, and they prayed and prayed for me.

I felt their love in every hug and every tear as they comforted me.

I wanted to do something for them to show them how much they meant to me, so I made them each a loaf of Mom’s poppy seed bread.

Here is the recipe:

Poppy Seed Bread

3 cups flour

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1 1/2 t. salt

2 1/4 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups oil

1 1/2 T. poppy seeds

2 t. butter flavoring

2 t. vanilla

Mix together the above ingredients and beat for two minutes.

IMG_3917

Fill 5 or 6 mini-loaf pans 2/3 to 3/4 full.

IMG_3919

Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.

IMG_3920

Glaze:

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup orange juice

1 1/2 t. vanilla

1/2 t. butter flavoring

Mix in a glass measuring cup. Pour over hot bread when removed from the oven. Let stand for 30 minutes.

IMG_3924

Now, when Mom would make these, she would remove them from the pan, wrap them in plastic wrap, and tie them up with jute string.

She would usually attach something cute to it, like a tag with a scripture on it that she had made on her computer, or a small type of flower or leaf. She was great at “embellishing” a gift.

My attempt wasn’t quite as cute as what she usually did, but I thought it turned out nicely.

IMG_3941

I just tied a fall leaf to each loaf with a card that said “Bless You”.

IMG_3940

And my prayer is that God would bless my sweet friends for all the ways they have blessed me!

Mom and I talked about this recipe a few weeks before she passed away. She said that one time she made some of these and took them to work. (She was a secretary at a church.) And when a needy person would come to the church for help, she would give them a loaf of poppy seed bread to take home with them.

She thought is was such a simple way to show someone you loved them.

Can you think of some people this week that you could show God’s love to?

A teacher?

An elderly person?

A friend at work?

A neighbor?

Your Mom?

One batch of poppy seed bread would cover all of these people!

Make some poppy seed bread and take it to them with your own little note attached.

I know you will be blessed as much as they will!

**************************************

Recipe for Living

I shall pass this way but once.

Any good thing that I can do,

Any kindness I can show,

Let me do it now.

Let me not defer it or neglect it.

For I shall not pass this way again.

(This is a poem that Mom kept on our refrigerator when I was growing up. She also cross-stitched it and hung it on the wall in a frame. I memorized it as a child, not knowing fully what it meant. But I do now! We only get one life on this earth…let’s make the most of each moment!)

Thank you, Mom, for always teaching me (and showing me) it is better to give than to receive.

God bless you all!

 

(This is a weekly post that I am doing to honor my wonderful mother, Wanda, who passed away on September 22, 2009. It is a place for me to share precious memories of her…for myself, for you, and
most importantly, for my children.)

9 Comments

  1. Thanks you for sharing your Poppy Seed recipe and more importantly, your memories of your lovely mother. I was lucky to have a “Godly” mother too. Unfortunately, I loss my mother to cancer when I was 31 years old. I learned many things from her. Sounds like God Blessed you with a Godly mother too and now you are caring on her thoughtfulness and sharing her memories.

    Have a Blessed Thanksgiving with you family.

  2. Traci, I made a batch of your poppy seed bread yesterday! I was going to email you to tell you I’d made it, but I’ll leave this comment instead. It really is yummy. I gave a loaf to my neighbor and it took her about half an hour to text me and ask for the recipe. :)

    Hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Love you!!

  3. Hi Traci :) I love the fact that your mom was such a giving women…and continues to give through you. I can tell she instilled a caring and giving spirit in you! I’m sorry you lossed your mom…I just can’t imagine, but it sounds like Heaven gained one amazing lady. :)
    I can’t believe we live so close to each other….probably 20-30 minutes max! How funny! I tried to send you a message back on twitter, but it wouldn’t go through cause you weren’t following me. lol Oh well, it’s still nice to know a fellow blogger is so close! ;-)
    I can’t wait to try your poppy bread…it looks so yummy and I’ll think of you with every bite! :0)
    Hope you have a great Thanksgiving!
    Hugs
    Missy
    PS..LOVE the gingerbread family!

  4. Dearest Traci, What a wonderful Mom you have . I love when you share about her. She is not gone just has changed forms she is with Heavenly Father and is looking down on you her beloved Daughter. I know you must miss her so much. Thank you so much for sharing her love and her kindness. God Bless you and yours this Chistmas and Thanksgiving Season. Christ is the reason for the season. Your mom is so beautiful i cant say enough she and you have filled my heart with warmth and the love of God. Thank you again Love and Blessings to you and yours Cheyenne of Henderson Nevada. Christ lives in everything

  5. Do you have any good recipes for Banana Bread or Pumpkin Bread or Chicken Casseroles that Rock. Please post some of them or if your readers have any good ones i need some please. I live in Henderson Nevada and its been real cold and i need good recipes for Soup and Casseroles made of Chicken and Beef or Turkey . Also if you have any Chilie recipes i would appreciate them so much . I love your blog as i have said before and love your moms memories that way she will live on forever for you and your children and grands when you have them. Also through others too . Love and much blessings to you and yours i am so greatful to have found your blog and such a loving woman of Christ. I dont know where i would be with out my Church boy howdy. God Bless you all and Happy Thanksgiving and of course Merry Christmas to all and Happiest of New Years to you all Love Cheyenne of Henderson Nv

  6. Traci, that bread looks delicious! I have a question…is butter flavoring at the regular grocery store? Or would I have to get it at a bakery supply place? And is that all-purpose flour? Questions, questions! : )

    I’m so thankful that you are doing this in honor of your mom…it’s helping me remember the little things my mom did, too.

  7. quick question: what is the size of your mini loaf tins, roughly in cm for length & width is fine? The poppy seed loaves look fab, want to have a go myself maybe as Christmas gifts (not really Christmas-sy I know but hey its the thought that counts!!) Thanks, TK

  8. Traci: I have just discovered your fab blog and I’m hooked! Thank you so much for sharing, can’t wait to make the bread. I have been looking for some time now for the Pumpkin Choc. Chip recipe that I had and lost! You’re a lifesaver!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *