Joy Joy
Song by Neil Enloe
Behind every dark cloud, there’s a silver lining. After each rain storm, there’s a bright new sky.
If troubles grieve you and friends deceive you, oh, don’t worry; will pass over in the morning.
When trials pull your heart string; don’t be discouraged. And even though, pain and misery,
fill your eyes with tears, these trials will soon pass. And they will depart, oh Hallelujah, they will pass over by and by.
But just remember, weeping may endure for a time, but joy, joy will come.
JOY WILL COME!
Joy, Joy!
Last year at this time, we began a long, hard journey. Things went wrong. We cried out to God, over and over, looking for answers. It seemed like it was never ending and that nothing would change or ever go back to normal. During this time, we turned on a CD by the Couriers and heard a song that stuck us hard. It became our theme song. I grew up listening to this group and had introduced their music to my daughter and she loves them as much as I do. The song by Neil Enloe, is called Joy Joy. We listened to this song again and again, trying to find joy in our current circumstances. And, considering that Joy is my personal theme, if you will, it was a way for God to remind me that joy would indeed come. And since there was time for very few extras, I had to take a break from the blog. Now, a year later, we are able to leave the past in the past, and, move forward. We made changes and relocated back to Pittsburgh, where we are surrounded by family and friends.
And the joy has come!
These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. John 15:11
God is good, all the time!
Priscilla
Last weekend, we had a family dinner and ended the meal by enjoying the Best Carrot Cake Ever!
So from my family to yours, enjoy this recipe for the Best Carrot Cake Ever!
Best Carrot Cake Ever!
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar (I use dark brown sugar)
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 dashes of nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups veggie oil
3 cups grated carrots
1 to 1 1/2 cup raisins
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
Preparation:
Moisten the raisins
In a small saucepan, add the raisins and cover them with water. Turn the heat to medium high. When the water just begins to boil, turn off the heat. The warm water will take those dry, raisins and plump them up. When the raisin water is cool to the touch, drain the raisins and squeeze out the excess moisture.
Grate or grind the carrots
Place the carrots in the food processor and grind them fairly small, until there are 3 cups.
Chop the walnuts
Place the walnuts in the food processor and pulse until the nuts are the size that you prefer. I like them chopped but not ground.
Prepare the pans
Using butter, rub the inside of two 9 inch cake pans. Sprinkle flour over the buttered pans. This will assist these very moist cakes to pop out of the pans easily. Lining the bottom of the pans with parchment will also help.
Preheat the oven to 350.
In a mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add the eggs and oil. Blend all of the ingredients together by hand or by using a mixer (I use a mixer!). Stir in the carrots, walnuts and raisins. Divide and pour the batter evenly into the two prepared pans. The pans should be 3/4 full.
Bake the cake layers for 45 to 50 minutes. Remove the cakes and allow them to cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Pop the cakes from the pan onto parchment or wax paper. Be aware that these layers are very delicate because they are so moist. For the best results, place the layers into the fridge for an hour or more to cool them down and firm them up.
Frosting the cakes
Preparation
I like a four layer cake. Why?
One, it’s very pretty.
Two, I love cream cheese frosting, so four layers equals more cream cheese frosting!
As I am not sure how to explain this process, I added a link for wikiHow to walk you through the task!
Cream Cheese Frosting (for four layers)
3 8 oz packages of cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 sticks of butter, room temperature
6 to 9 cups confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla.
Using a mixer, blend all ingredients together until smooth. If, the frosting is too runny, add more confectioners sugar, 1/4 cup at a time. If it’s too thick, add milk, 1 teaspoon at a time.
Place the first layer onto a lovely cake pan. Frost the first layer, then top it with the next layer. Repeat until all four layers have frosting on top. Then, frost the sides until the cake is covered with the rich and delicious frosting. Refrigerate the cake for an hour plus. Serve cold.
Yum!
