I am Thankful

I started not to participate in this week's Thanksgiving Thursday.  I just didn't feel up to it.  Then, I thought better of it and figured the very time you're feeling the least thankful or the most down is the time counting your blessings may just uplift you from your blue funk.  So, I'm going to keep this short and sweet (I think).
(1) I am thankful for my friends, especially Francesca whose birthday is today.  Happy Birthday, girlfriend!  I know I owe you some cookies.  I haven't forgotten you (although for the life of me I can't remember which recipe you liked the most).
(2) I am thankful for the institution of marriage for the stability it offers much of society.  Congratulations to my sister and brother-in-law on their 11th anniversary tomorrow and my BIL's parents who celebrated 40 years earlier this week.
(3) Words alone cannot express how thankful and grateful I am for teachers everywhere who are working to prepare their classrooms and themselves for a new group of students arriving next week in my neck of the woods.  I baked an Almond Cream Cheese pound cake for the teachers' at my daughter's school "Welcome Back" luncheon tomorrow.  I need to go flip it out of the pan so it can finish cooling.  Okay, done!  I love, love, love my new Wilton Bundt pan (Thanks SIL!)
(4) I am so very thankful for my family who keep me afloat amidst life's storms.
(5) I am thankful for the small bonus check my Hubby brought home; unexpected income is always a blessing!  I believe this is God's way of telling me to quit sweating the financial difficulties.  He meant it when he said he would provide for us all that we need.
(6) Oh, and one more while I'm at it.  I am thankful for kind neighbors.  In particular my neighbor who edged my whole yard for me b/c Hubby has been working lots of hours and hasn't had a chance to do it.

And now, because I have mentioned Almond Cream Cheese Pound Cake in two different blogs, I thought I'd include the recipe. It's quick and easy and tastes divine.  Best of all, it starts with a mix!
Almond Cream Cheese Pound Cake

1 pkg (18.5 ounces) butter recipe golden cake mix

1(8-oz)  pkg cream cheese, softened (room temperature)

4 large eggs

½ cup water

½ cup sugar

½ cup vegetable oil

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp pure almond extract

Place rack in the center oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly mist a 10-inch tube pan with vegetable oil spray, then dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Set the pan aside.

Place the cake mix, cream cheese, eggs, water, sugar, oil, vanilla and almond extract in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter should look well-blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula. Place the pan in the oven.

Bake the cake until it is golden brown and springs back when lightly pressed with your finger, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. Run a long sharp knife around the edge of the cake, invert it onto a rack, then invert it onto a serving platter so that it is right side up.

Slice the cake while it is still a little warm.  It's great with fresh berries and whipped cream, too.

*Store this cake, covered in plastic wrap or under a glass cake dome at room temperature for up to one week. Or, freeze it wrapped in foil for up to six months. Thaw the cake overnight on the counter before serving.

Eastlyn’s tips:

I used 1/3 less fat cream cheese and it turned out fine; I also used “imitation” vanilla and almond extracts because that’s what I had on hand, and they worked well.
I used the nonstick Bundt pan and only sprayed it with plain cooking spray with no flour. I also reduced my cooking temp to 325 because my pan is dark. The cake fell right out of the pan. I think it did take the full 40 minutes for the cake to test done. I tried dusting with powdered sugar after the cake was completely cooled, but the powdered sugar just soaked into the cake within minutes.