Benchmark birthdays come along faster than we expect. A mere blink and we are looking at numbers that kind of shock us. So rather than fret we decided to celebrate. With a super fun, Sock Hop Birthday Party.Continue Reading
Coffee Marbled Bundt Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache
Oh, I wish you were here with me for a slice of this Coffee Marbled Bundt Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache. Swirls of yellow and coffee infused cake with a decadent dark chocolate ganache.Continue ReadingBirthday time
It is birthday time. 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.Continue Reading
Chicken Parmesan Birthday Dinner
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
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
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 ReadingFrozen Princess Anna Hat Cape & Mitts
Cambrie Noelle celebrated a birthday! She just turned 5 years old! A couple of weeks ago, she sat with me as we searched on my phone for an Anna hat from the popular Disney movie, FROZEN. This hat is the one she chose. I surprised her with her own Frozen Princess Anna Hat Cape & Mitts.
Texas Sheet Cake
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 another Texas sheet cake.
Frozen Minty Mousse Pie
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!
Double Birthday Party Dinner
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.
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!
1913
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)
Basket of Felt toys
Our granddaughter, Chloe Shiloah, will soon celebrate her 1st birthday. Since she is a leap-year baby, her birthday will be celebrated March 1st. I made her a basket of felt toys full of brightly colored, softies for her little hands.Continue ReadingMustache Bash Birthday Party Ideas
My beloved had a birthday in January. Wanting to celebrate, get together with family and a few friends and looking for a time of laughter and fun, I decided to throw a party. A party with a Mustache theme. A Mustache Bash Birthday party. There is tons of inspiration and ideas packed into this post!
Happy 3rd Birthday, Cambrie Noelle
Cambrie LOVES Minnie Mouse!
So for her Birthday I made her a hat.
The pattern is from Repeat Crafter Me
this little 3-year old sweetie melts my heart
peeking in the window
It was a rainy, chilly afternoon when Jared and I met Jamie and the kids at the Pop Shop
to celebrate Cambrie’s birthday in the quaint town of Collingswood, New Jersey.
A few years ago, Bobby Flay arrived at the Pop Shop for a Grilled Cheese Throwdown.
big bowls of ice-cream made everyone happy
and there might have been some noisy children too…
even in the rain the streets were beautiful
~*~
When Ella stopped coming for childcare back in September, I told her I would take her to our church’s Living Nativity. So, that is what we did Saturday night. I told her afterward we could go to Friendly’s for dinner and ice-cream sundaes. Much to my surprise, she wanted to head back to my house where we spent a couple of hours playing together in the nursery, She made me lots of plates of play food, played dress-up and read an American Girl magazine to me.
Cheesy Chicken Roll-Ups Birthday Lunch
This is the entree I served for my friend’s birthday lunch last week.
As our birthdays pile up, she cleverly declared we would call our lunch a fall festival!
I gathered a few Thanksgiving decorations I had for the table and though the day was rainy and chilly, these dear friends filled the room with warmth and laughter!
Source: Southeast United Dairy Industry Association
PRINT RECIPE
Ingredients
1/4 cup butter
1 medium onion, diced
4 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-size pieces
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
6 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained, each cut lengthwise into halves
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened, cubed
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sour cream
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese, divided
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Muenster cheese, divided
3 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted
Chopped fresh parsley
*To toast almonds, spread in single layer on baking sheet. Bake in preheated 350°F oven 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently.
Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and mushrooms; cook and stir until tender. Add chicken, wine, tarragon, salt and pepper; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer very gently until chicken is cooked through, stirring occasionally.
Preheat oven to 325°F. Form each lasagna noodle half into a circle; place in greased 13×9-inch baking dish. Using a slotted spoon, fill center of lasagna rinds with chicken. To wine mixture remaining in skillet, add cream cheese, heavy cream, sour cream, 3/4 cup Swiss cheese and 1/2 cup Muenster cheese. Heat until cheese melt, stirring frequently. (Do not boil) Pour over lasagna rings. Sprinkle remaining cheeses and almonds.
Bake 35 minutes or until hot and bubbly; sprinkle with parsley. Garnish as desired.
Makes 6 servings
RECIPE NOTE: I haven’t tried it, but I am thinking I could use leftover turkey (or chicken) in place of the raw chicken. Maybe 2-3 cups of cooked turkey instead of the three chicken breasts. I would just add it after cooking the onion and mushrooms.
~The Table~
The rich and dark hues of purple, red and green against the bright white and chartreuse accents created a modern contrast.
Wooden Pilgrims and Indians made their annual November appearance
A tiny ceramic turkey that I painted when I was 15 years old and found in my moms belongings fit right in. Small, take-home Shasta daisy bouquets were made from the last blossoms from my garden bed. The place card holders were picked up recently from a garage sale.
Maple leaf shaped dishes from Michael’s were used for dessert.
I will be sharing the delicious recipe for peach crisp from another blogger soon!
Italian Wedding Soup filled the bowls as a first course and the girls brought a salad and an Artisan bread to round out the menu.
The green bowl, napkins and place mats were also from my mom.
I used a matelassé coverlet as a tablecloth for texture and interest.
And a pair of old Hallmark salt and pepper shakers, with their sweet little faces, peeked out from below the bowl of flowers.
linking to: Let’s Dish @Cuisine Kathleen
What’s Been Happening
Our baby celebrated her 21st birthday with a little help from some of her nieces and nephews.
Flowers from my garden decorated a yellow cake with her favorite Fluffy Chocolate Frosting
Raider creatively arranged the pillow for his snooze on the sofa.
In the spring we contacted our township about a tree at the curb that was in decline. They arrived today to remove it.
The township planted trees in our neighborhood many years ago and sadly some of them are now in need of removal.
I saw what is probably one of the last hummers of the season at the feeder.
And something that makes me very happy…
I got my new-to-me car in the garage!
The past few weeks I have been working diligently downsizing and disposing of things we don’t need.
I have gone through every closet, nook and cranny.
It feels much better already and reminds me of a song from a while back that I loved by Sara Groves and Joel Hanson called Traveling Light.
Well I was doubling over the load on my shoulders
Was a weight I carried with me everyday
Crossing miles of frustrations and rivers a raging
Picking up stones I found along the way
I staggered and I stumbled down
Pathways of trouble
I was hauling those souvenirs of misery
And with each step taken my back was breaking
‘Til I found the One who took it all from me
Down by the riverside
(Down by the riverside)
I laid my burdens down,
Now I’m traveling light
My spirit lifted high
(I found my freedom now)
I found my freedom now
And I’m traveling light
Through the darkest alleys and loneliest valleys
I was dragging those heavy chains of doubt and fear
Then with the one word spoken the locks were broken
Now He’s leading me to places
Where there are no tears
Down by the riverside
(Down by the riverside)
I laid my burdens down,
Now I’m traveling light
My spirit lifted high
(I found my freedom now)
I found my freedom now
And I’m traveling light
Down by the riverside
I laid my burdens down,
Now I’m traveling light
My spirit lifted high
I found my freedom now
And I’m traveling light
Down by the riverside
(Down by the riverside)
I laid my burdens down,
Now I’m traveling light
My spirit lifted high
(I found my freedom now)
I found my freedom now
And I’m traveling light
Was a weight I carried with me everyday
Crossing miles of frustrations and rivers a raging
Picking up stones I found along the way
I staggered and I stumbled down
Pathways of trouble
I was hauling those souvenirs of misery
And with each step taken my back was breaking
‘Til I found the One who took it all from me
Down by the riverside
(Down by the riverside)
I laid my burdens down,
Now I’m traveling light
My spirit lifted high
(I found my freedom now)
I found my freedom now
And I’m traveling light
Through the darkest alleys and loneliest valleys
I was dragging those heavy chains of doubt and fear
Then with the one word spoken the locks were broken
Now He’s leading me to places
Where there are no tears
Down by the riverside
(Down by the riverside)
I laid my burdens down,
Now I’m traveling light
My spirit lifted high
(I found my freedom now)
I found my freedom now
And I’m traveling light
Down by the riverside
I laid my burdens down,
Now I’m traveling light
My spirit lifted high
I found my freedom now
And I’m traveling light
Down by the riverside
(Down by the riverside)
I laid my burdens down,
Now I’m traveling light
My spirit lifted high
(I found my freedom now)
I found my freedom now
And I’m traveling light
With the GrandKids this Week
So much to do during a weekend with grandkids. No more training wheels for Caleb. We found a bike at a yard sale this weekend so this little guy could ride at our house too.