Lemon Poppy Seed Bread (Magnolia Table Cookbook)

I associate the flavor of lemons with my mom; growing up there was always some sort of lemon baked good in the house. It's been a number of years since I've come home from school and paired a slice (or two) of lemon loaf with a cup of tea, and this Lemon Poppy Seed Bread from the Magnolia Cookbook does not disappoint. It isn't an overly sweet dessert, making it perfect for just about any time of day. 

JOANNA GAINES' LEMON POPPY SEED BREAD 

Prep: 15 minutes | Cook: about 1 hour | Cool: 1 hour | Makes 8 servings 

INGREDIENTS

• Vegetable oil spray
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I substituted with Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour)
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 2/3 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (you can also use olive oil or grape seed oil)
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

LEMON DRIZZLE

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest 
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or as needed

DIRECTIONS

       1. Preheat oven to 350℉. Spray a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with vegetable oil; bottom and sides should be coated thoroughly.

       2. In a medium bowl, whisk dry ingredients together; flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

       3. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, milk, oil, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. Whisk until blended.

       4. Add the dry ingredients to the liquid, a little at a time. Do not overmix. 

       5. Scrape the batter into the loaf pan. Bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour*.

       6. Let cool for 10-15 minutes in the pan. Remove and set on plate or cooling rack until cooled completely. 

FOR THE LEMON DRIZZLE

Combine sugar and lemon zest in a medium bowl and stir. Add 1 tablespoon water and lemon juice.**

Pour lemon drizzle over warm or room-temperature bread.

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*May need less time depending on your oven. I recommend checking on the loaf at around the 45-minute mark to see how much more time it needs, if any. 

**Adjust the amount of lemon juice until you have a pourable icing; it should be an almost honey-like consistency and not overly runny.  

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This recipe is taken from The Magnolia Cookbook. 

DISCLAIMER: This is not a sponsored post. 

MY TOP 5 DRUGSTORE BRANDS | BEAUTY

Holy smokes, it's been too long since I last posted! I'm back, so I'm just going to jump right into things:

If you're like me, the drugstore is where your search for makeup began. I greatly appreciate high-end makeup, but it's a rarity for me to buy it regularly because it's expensive. In no particular rank, I'll be talking about my top 5 drugstore brands, why I love them, and what my favorite products are.

1. MAYBELLINE

Maybelline is iconic – it's hard not to picture the lime green and bubblegum pink packaging of their Great Lash mascara that hit the market almost 50 years ago. They're pretty consistent with the quality of their products, and are generally affordable, considering that drugstore brands have hiked up their prices in the past couple years. Maybelline's Fit Me! line has a faithful following, and their lipsticks are the reason I seldom purchase high-end alternatives.

Here are some of my favorites from Maybelline:

- COLOR SENSATIONAL LIPSTICK (MATTE + SATIN FINISHES)

- FIT ME! LOOSE POWDER 

- FIT ME! FOUNDATION (MATTE + PORELESS)

- SUPERSTAY FULL COVERAGE FOUNDATION

- GREAT LASH MASCARA

- LASH SENSATIONAL MASCARA

- FACESTUDIO MASTER CHROME METALLIC HIGHLIGHTER

2. WET N WILD

Before the rise of the Beauty Guru era, not many people talked about Wet N Wild; I think this brand was pushed to the side because people were skeptical. Their products were cheap, and sometimes cheap can leave people wondering whether a product is mediocre. In the past couple years, however, WNW has proven that low cost doesn't need to sacrifice quality. They've put out some incredible products, and still managed to keep their items extremely affordable. 

Here are some of my favorites from Wet N Wild:

- PHOTO FOCUS FACE PRIMER

- COLOR ICON EYESHADOW PALETTE (10 PAN PALETTE)

- MEGAGLO CONTOURING PALETTE 

3. NYX COSMETICS

NYX is one of the bolder, more modern-feeling brands at the drugstore. They've always delivered affordable, on-trend products to beauty enthusiasts, and they truly value their fanbase. They're innovative, too – I have yet to hear about a monotonous release from NYX. Even their most basic products, such as their butter glosses, feel contemporary. 

Here are some of my (many!) favorites from NYX:

- WARM NEUTRALS EYESHADOW PALETTE

- PRISMATIC EYESHADOW

- BUTTER GLOSS

- TURNT UP! LIPSTICK

- SOFT MATTE LIP CREAM

- SLIM LIP PENCIL

- HD BLUSH

- BAKED BLUSH

- HD EYESHADOW BASE

4. MAKEUP REVOLUTION

Makeup Revolution has gained much of its following for being penned a "dupe brand", but who's complaining? While I''d love to see more original ideas from this brand, I do appreciate that their products are super affordable alternatives for high-end makeup. Makeup Revolution is a solid brand to experiment with if you're new to makeup, because the quality of the stuff I've tried is very promising. 

Here are some of my favorites from Makeup Revolution:

- LIQUID HIGHLIGHTER

- CONCEAL & DEFINE FULL COVERAGE CONCEAL & CONTOUR

- RELOADED EYESHADOW PALETTE

- ICONIC ELEMENTS EYESHADOW PALETTE

5. L'OREAL

L'Oreal is another classic drugstore brand that has been developing tried-and-true products for decades (the company is only a few years older than Maybelline). While L'Oreal does make skincare and haircare, I think where they shine the most is in their cosmetics. Their collections seem to be well thought out and their formulas feel luxe. 

Here are some of my favorites from L'Oreal:

- INFALLIBLE PRO-MATTE 24HR FOUNDATION

- TRUE MATCH SUPER BLENDABLE FOUNDATION

- TRUE MATCH LUMI GLOTION 

- TRUE MATCH SUPER BLENDABLE BLUSH

- COLOUR RICHE LIPCOLOUR 

- COLOUR RICHE COLLECTION EXCLUSIVE RED LIPCOLOUR

- COLOUR RICHE MATTE LIPCOLOUR 

- VOLUMINOUS LASH PARADISE MASCARA 

- TELESCOPIC MASCARA   

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DISCLAIMER: This post is not sponsored by any brands mentioned above. I bought all products mentioned with my own money.