Grateful Prayer | Thankful Heart

Welcome baby Joelle Elizabeth

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Big sister Chloe, welcomed the newest member of the family on her birthday.
Baby Joelle Elizabeth not only shares a birthday with her sister, but they are both little leaplings.
Both born February 29th, four years apart.

 Not due until March 17th, Joelle came a little early to join her seven brothers and sisters.
 It doesn’t look like she will be in want of love and hugs anytime soon.
 Joelle came into the world with very dark hair, at the same weight as her momma did (6 lbs. 7 oz.) and looking (in my opinion) much like her momma did at birth. She needed a little encouragement to let out a big cry after birth and still needs to see those bilirubin numbers drop but she is doing just fine. 
A local hospital and paper shared this special leap day birth noting that the delivery doctor is a leap day baby as well 🙂 
We celebrated Chloe’s birthday on the 28th and Caleb turned 8 on March 4th.  PopPop John got to watch Silas play in a soccer tournament and we even had a late winter snow that cleared up by afternoon. 
I wrapped up the week with a special outing to the Philadelphia Flower Show with dear friends.
The theme this year is National Parks and it was all so beautiful!
and… I even managed to get this post prepared!
Happy Sunday, sweet blogging friends!

Birthday time

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 My sweetheart just had a birthday and I made him a

cake to celebrate.

A dark chocolaty cake with peanut butter frosting, ganache drizzled on top and down the sides then sprinkled with chopped snickers bars.

This dear daughter totally surprised us by driving 5 hours with her youngest son to spend the weekend.
all four daughters together for their dads birthday
Happy Birthday, PopPop!
Chocolate Cake, Peanut Butter Frosting with Ganache

PRINT RECIPE

Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup baking cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup boiling water
Chopped Snickers, sprinkles or other candy for decorative garnish, if desired

Directions
Heat oven to 350°F.

Grease and flour two 9 inch round baking pans

In large mixer bowl, stir together dry ingredients.

Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.

Stir in boiling water on low (batter will be thin) Pour into prepared pan.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes (I needed to bake 45 minutes) or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to wire racks. Allow to cook completely before frosting.

Peanut Butter Frosting

1 cup peanut butter
2/3 cups butter
2 Tbs. cream or milk
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups 10X sugar

Beat butter and peanut butter with an electric mixer. Gradually mix in the sugar, adding cream a little at a time; add vanilla and beat until fluffy.

When cake is completely cooled, spread frosting between layers and frost the top and sides.

Refrigerate cake for an hour or so before topping with the ganache.

Ganache

Ingredients
16 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules

Directions
Heat the chocolate chips, heavy cream, and instant coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until melted and smooth, stirring occasionally.

Spread the ganache over the top of the frosted cake allowing some to drip over the edge. Arrange chopped candy bar or other sprinkles as desired.

Chicken Parmesan Birthday Dinner

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A few days after our daughter celebrated her birthday by skydiving, we celebrated in a more down-to-earth way with a quiet family dinner of Chicken Parmesan over pasta and birthday ice-cream cake.(how-to recipe at bottom of this post)
I tried something a little different when breading the chicken.  Instead of the usual flour/egg/breadcrumbs procedure, I skipped the eggs, soaked the chicken in buttermilk, then into the flour, back into the milk then into the breadcrumbs.  Extra messy but the chicken was moist and tender!
If you don’t want to bother with the buttermilk, the standard breading is always good.


Chicken Parmesan 
Ingredients
2 cups buttermilk
8 boneless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2-inch thick. If the chicken breasts are extra large, cut them in half before pounding.
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs (I  like to use 1/2 Italian breadcrumbs and 1/2 panko)
1/2+ grated Parmesan cheese (we like lots) 
vegetable oil for frying
Jar of your favorite marinara or sauce for topping the chicken and for serving over pasta
additional Parmesan cheese for topping and serving
Fresh basil
Directions
Preheat oven to 350
Add pounded chicken breasts to a bowl and cover with the buttermilk. Allow to marinate for several hours.
Place flour and breadcrumbs in separate shallow bowls.
Remove chicken from buttermilk and allow excess to drip off, coat with flour, shaking off excess. Dip back into the buttermilk and then into the breadcrumbs, pressing to get a good coating.
In a large cast-iron skillet or other heavy deep skillet, heat oil over medium to medium-high heat. 
Working in batches, add chicken to skillet; cook, gently shaking skillet occasionally, until chicken is browned, about 4 minutes. Turn; cook 2 to 3 minutes more (if browning too quickly, lower heat). Between batches, skim off brown crumbs from oil with a slotted spoon. Drain chicken in single layer on rack.
With chicken still on the baking rack, spoon marinara sauce onto each piece; top with grated Parmesan. Bake in oven just until chicken is warmed and the cheese is melted.
Serve with pasta, if desired.

~ Happy Birthday, Erin Lee ~

Erin with her baby sister, Abbey, her son, Jared and John and I.

And, because this girl doesn’t like traditional birthday cake, I made her an ice-cream cake.

Ice ~ Cream Cake
1 package Oreo Cookies
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 container vanilla ice cream, softened
1 container ice cream flavor of your choice, softened
1 container Cool Whip, thawed
Make crumbs from cookies in blender or with rolling pin. Combine crumbs and melted butter, reserving 1 cup of crumbs.Firmly press remaining crumbs over bottom and up sides of a 9 or 10-inch springform pan. Freeze until firm (15 minutes).
Remove from freezer and spread vanilla ice cream in an even layer. Sprinkle with reserved crumbs. Return to freezer until ice cream is firm.  
Spread second container of ice~cream. Cover top with foil and freeze, at least 4 hours or overnight. 
Remove the springform side band and place ice-cream cake onto a serving plate/cake safe with a lid.
Frost as desired with the whipped topping. Cover and freeze.
If you want to personalize the cake top, place about 1/4 cup melting chocolate in the microwave at power 30 for 30 second intervals, stirring each time until melted. Pour in to piping bag and decorate.
Return the ice-cream cake to freezer until ready to serve, allowing 10-15 minutes thawing time to make cutting easier.  Cake can be made and frozen up to two weeks ahead but be sure to wrap well with plastic wrap and cover with foil or cover to keep air out.

Amish Peanut Butter Spread

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Easy to make recipe for Amish Peanut Butter Spread. Sweet, creamy and great on bread, toast, crackers and apple slices.  This delicious Amish Peanut Butter Spread was just a small part of a delightful day celebrating John’s birthday.  The day included a trip to Lancaster to see a play with precious friends and dinner in a lovely Amish home.  On the table was Amish Peanut Butter Spread.  What a delicious treat!Continue Reading

Texas Sheet Birthday Cake

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Someone celebrated a birthday yesterday.  Someone who loves chocolate.
When I realized I never posted a recipe for a cake I have been making since this 23 year old was just a wee one, I thought it a perfect time to make a Texas Sheet Cake.

Yes, our baby is another year older.  Abbey is the caboose child, prayed for and planned and the one who bridged the space between children and grandchildren and prevented the empty nest in our home. She is the one who got her daddy’s gorgeous blue eyes and the youngest of four sisters.
Happy Birthday, sweet Abbey!
~❤~
Here is the recipe given to me by my sister:
Texas Sheet Cake
PRINT RECIPE
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
grease and flour a 10-inch x 15-inch baking pan
2 cups flour
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
2 eggs
2 sticks butter
1 cup water
1/4 cup cocoa powder
6 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 stick butter
16-oz confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch x 15-inch baking pan.
CAKE
Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Beat in the sour cream and eggs. Set aside. Melt the butter in a saucepan; add the water and cocoa. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer 2 minutes. Stir cocoa mixture into the egg mixture, mixing until blended.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for about 35 minutes.
FROSTING
In a large saucepan, combine the milk, cocoa and 1 stick butter. Bring to a boil, simmer 1 minute. Stir in the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla, then fold in the nuts, mixing until blended. Spread frosting over warm cake.

Baked Sweet Potatoes and a Week with the Kids

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simple * delicious * nutritious
I can make a meal of a baked sweet potato.
Oh, when the sugars ooze from the cuts in the skin, I know they are just perfect.
Cut open and give a squeeze to fluff, then top with a little butter, salt and (lots of) pepper and sprinkle of brown sugar.  So delicious and satisfying.  I love the skins too!


Sweet potatoes are a Native American plant.  These tuberous roots rank very high in nutritional value. They are packed with calcium, potassium, and vitamins A and C, and have a high  fiber content,
 To dress up sweet potatoes I do just a little bit more.

You could peel and cut the sweet potatoes and boil in water, but I think it is easier to bake them.

Lightly Candied Sweet Potatoes
  • Begin by scrubbing and drying the sweet potatoes.
  • Arrange on a silicone or foil covered shallow baking pan.
  • Apply a light mist of baking spray or rub each potato with shortening or olive oil.
  • Using a sharp pairing knife, poke through the skins on the top of the potatoes.
  • Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for about 30 minutes (depending of the size) until just barely tender.
  • Remove from oven and allow to cool until easy to handle.
  • Make a small slit in the skin; remove and discard.
  • Cut each potato into uniform slices.
  • Heat a large frying pan (or two if making a large amount as I did) over medium heat.
  • Melt a teaspoon of butter; add the potato slices and cook until the the edges get a nice browned edge and are tender but not mushy.
  • Reduce heat; season with salt and pepper, grated nutmeg and sprinkle with brown sugar.
  • Add a splash of orange juice and gently turn until brown sugar is melted and potatoes have a thin glaze.
  • Transfer to a serving dish and top with snipped parsley.

If you like a thicker glaze with more juice coating your sweet potatoes, you can add additional butter and brown sugar.

 Last week flew by!  Jill and family were here and left for home on Friday.  I did managed to gather a few photos from the week.

 Jamie & Josh with their children
No, it was not warm enough for a sleeveless top but this summer/beach-loving mom cannot wait for hot weather ~ She soon put her sweater back on.

 AJ and Erin went to Longwood Gardens for the day

 Abbey went with Keri on a school trip this week

 Brad and Jill relaxing a moment

 Ryan’s birthday is earlier in April but we always celebrate here during his Easter visit

Shaela, Ryan and Brenna just being silly

St. Patrick’s Day Frozen Minty Mousse Pie & Giveaway

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NOTE: This giveaway has ended but please enjoy the recipe and see if you can find the lucky four-leaf clover.

It’s that time of year when green becomes the most popular color and little Leprechauns get excited about St. Patrick’s Day. Frozen Minty Mousse Pie in a chocolate graham cracker crust and layered with ice cream, chocolaty mousse and topped with whipped cream makes dessert magical!

Continue Reading

Double Birthday Party Dinner

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Wrapping up a whirlwind Christmas holiday with our extended family last night was the perfect ending to Jill and Brad’s visit.
Since many of our family members don’t get to see them very often and since two really awesome guys are having birthdays, we got together to celebrate.

Happy Birthday Joe (our nephew) and Brad (our son-in-law)!

These two little girls became instant best friends forever.
Does anyone know the genealogical relationship between children that share the same great-grandparents (their grandparents are sisters) ?
Cambrie is my grandchild and Olivia is my sisters grandchild ~ I think that makes them second cousins?

Our handsome, Joe married to … 

 our niece, Toni (with her cousin, Jamie’s baby Jethro) (1st cousin once removed?)

my sister, Carol, Toni, totally enjoying baby Jet and my niece, Eva 

 my brother, Frank and our son-in-law, Brad

 my sister-in-law, Arlene and our daughter Jill

 Carol, me, Carol’s daughter Chris and Chris’ daughter Alexis

Sweet Chloe
Abbey with her boyfriend, Ryan, a very nice mutual friend and our grandson, Jared

 Little one enjoying a movie in Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop’s room

Many years ago, our sister-in-law began a tradition of snapping Christmas photos of my brother (her husband) my sister and I.

 They have become cherished memories for each of us.

shivering kiddos giving their good-byes before cousins head home to upstate NY
~ regretfully, I did not get photos with Jamie, Josh, John, or niece Caitee ~

{happy sigh}… next comes January. A welcome time for me after the (enjoyable) hustle and bustle.
I love the newness of January and the whiteness of snow (hopefully) and a time to refresh.
Wishing you all the best in the New Year!

Happy Birthday Little Cammie Lou Who!

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Look who’s turning 4!
It’s
 Cambrie Noelle
or rather, Little Cammie Lou Who
 mama decorated with bingle balls and whofoo fluff
 Cammie gave a great big puff
 pantookas hung on the ceilings high
 there was feasting on Roast Beast and who-hash pie
 Every sibling-Who down in Whoville, the tall and the small
had lots of fun and the best time of all!
 Jamie, her dad and newest family member
 pop-pop and the wee one

 a stare-down
 that turned to
 giggles
and a surprise snow storm from the forecast calling for a covering to an inch… we got NINE inches!
After an almost two hour drive (on very slippery roads) that normally takes 35 minutes, this is what it looked like when we got home.
Since I didn’t yet officially introduce out newest grandchild born October 23rd
may I present
Jethro Ross
Jethro joins siblings
Keri, Noah, Silas, Caleb, Cambrie and Chloe

Switcheroo and Birthday Fun

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After a two week visit in New Jersey, our daughter, Jill and family headed back to their New York home.
They took Jared with them and left their youngest daughter, Shaela here with us!
Not permanently or course, just for a week. 
Keri came by to keep her cousin company and the two of them made a cake
gave me hugs
made
* a card * a heart * a star * finger puppets *
(representing my four daughters)

included Raider in the celebration
and delighted me with an adorable birthday skit!
a totally perfect birthday!

1913

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100 years ago.

The average life expectancy in the United States was forty-seven.

Only 14 percent of the homes in the United States had a bathtub.

Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone. A three minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars. Unbelievable expensive given that the average wage in the U.S. was twenty-two cents an hour. The average U.S. worker made between $200 and $400 per year.

There were only 8,000 cars in the US and only 144 miles of paved roads.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was ten mph.

The Eiffel Tower was taller than any building in the United States.

A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2500 per year, a veterinarian between $1500 and $4000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5000 per year.

More than 95 percent of all births in the United States took place at home.Sugar cost four cents a pound.

Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.

Coffee cost fifteen cents a pound.The five leading causes of death in the U.S. were: 1. Pneumonia and influenza 2. Tuberculosis 3. Diarrhea 4. Heart disease 5. Stroke 

The American flag had 45 stars. Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii and Alaska hadn’t been admitted to the Union yet.

Drive-by-shootings, in which teenage boys galloped down the street on horses and started randomly shooting at houses, carriages, or anything else that caught their fancy, were an ongoing problem in Denver and other cities in the West.

The population of Las Vegas, Nevada was thirty. The remote desert community was inhabited by only a handful of ranchers and their families.

Plutonium, insulin, and antibiotics hadn’t been discovered yet. Scotch tape, crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn’t been invented.

There was no Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.

One in ten U.S. adults couldn’t read or write. Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.

Coca-Cola contained cocaine instead of caffeine.

Punch card data processing had recently been developed, and early predecessors of the modern computer were used for the first time by the government to help compile the 1900 census. source

And, on May 20th, 100 years ago, John’s Great-Aunt Kathryn was born.
Family and friends gathered together yesterday to celebrate her birthday.

(above photo from sister-in-law Carole, fb page)

 Aunt Kathryn was born before woman won the right to vote in 1920.
Penicillin was discovered in 1928 when she was just 15 years old.
 Kathryn and her husband (top left) were married in 1936
Surviving The Great Depression, WWI & WWII, life in the 30’s and 40’s was not easy but family was always close and caring.
 Kathryn (far right) with her parents at their 50th wedding anniversary, June 1950
 Aunt Kathryn and son, Peter
 Family and friends gathered to celebrate this special occasion.
 cousins
 Aunt Kathryn and John
 Aunt Kathryn with me and John
Peter and Aunt Kathryn
~working on 101~

Ryan’s Birthday

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Last night we celebrated Ryan’s 10th birthday at his Aunt Jamie’s
 all ten of our grandchildren around the table
then cake and presents
 It was a very warm summer-like evening (after snow and chilly weather a couple weeks ago) and the kids were playing out on the front lawn.
Shaela called to me to come outside and see this little one, obviously wanting to be part of the fun, peeking out the window from her crib.
 Usually we take just the birthday child on a special outing but wanting to spend time with Jill and her family while they are visiting, we all went to Valley Forge today.
 The weather was perfect and the kids had a great time
 Brad and Jill
 Brad Jill Shaela Brenna and Ryan
a fun shot
one more day of above average temps then it’s back to seasonal weather

Caleb’s Birthday

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This handsome young chap just celebrated his 5th birthday!

PopPop and I made him a set of wooden chalkboard city buildings for playing with his cars
Project found on Hellobee
simple angles cut from 2×4’s
a good sanding and several coats of chalkboard paint applied with a roller
windows and doors drawn on with chalk
and ready for imaginative playtime

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