Lemon-Blueberry Bread

Time for a throwback recipe blog!  I made some lemon-blueberry bread for small group last night. It was wonderful.  Each bite was full of bright, summery flavors and just the right amount of citrus-y tang.  I made some white chocolate-cranberry oatmeal cookies as well, but that recipe stays between me and mom.  Here's the recipe for the bread:

Lemon-Blueberry Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cu AP flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 6 tbsp butter, softened
• 3/4 cu sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cu evaporated milk
• 1 tbsp grated lemon zest ( 2-3 medium lemons)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Cu fresh blueberries
• Lemon Glaze
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cu sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Weigh out 1 1/2 cups flour (6.75 oz) and sift into a small bowl with salt and baking powder. In an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, allowing each egg mix completely before adding the next. Add lemon zest and vanilla extract and mix well. Add flour mixture and milk alternatively, starting and ending with flour. Toss blueberries in flour, dust off, and fold into batter.  Butter and flour an 8.5x 4.5 in. loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees until internal temperature reaches 195 degrees, about 50 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean. Set bread, still in pan, on a cooling rack to cool. Combine ingredients for lemon glaze in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved.  Poke multiple holes in the top of the bread with a toothpick or skewer and pour warm lemon glaze over bread. Allow to cool for 20 minutes, turn out bread onto cooling rack, and allow to cool completely. Serve as is, or topped with warm blueberry syrup.

Not to change the mood or anything, but I honestly wonder about this world sometimes. Last night at small group, we talked a bit about a girl who was attacked and nearly kidnapped at random. A man knocked on her door, claiming to have found a dog and asking if she could identify it. She opened the door and he attacked her, breaking her jaw and causing various other injuries. He handcuffed and, after rummaging through her apartment, dragged her to his car, threatening to kill her if she screamed. She did anyways, alerting the neighbors.  Her attacker dropped her and fled. Fortunately, this creep was apprehended and is in police custody.  I really can't fathom the kind of evil that must exist in a man's head to make him want to carry out this kind of attack. I wrote a couple of weeks ago that the enemy is strong in this world. Events like this remind me how strong the enemy really is. And honestly, I have trouble understanding why God allows these kinds of things to happen. There has to be a line somewhere, right?  This man was caught, but how many escape to harm again?  Our world honestly seems to be degrading to a historic moral low, and I wonder how long God's justice will be contained for this kind of evil. This is a tough subject for me. Am I the only one?