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Banana Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

By Lorraine

Exceptionally moist and flavorful, Banana Chocolate chip Bundt cake is a classic dessert. Ripe bananas and sour cream give it great flavor with or without the chocolate frosting.You might want to pick up some bananas now so they can begin ripening because you’re really going to want to make this exceptionally moist banana chocolate chip bundt cake.Continue Reading

Filed Under: Cakes & Cupcakes, Sweet Treats Tagged With: bananas, birthday, bundt cake, cake, chocolate

Cake Mix Chocolate Waffles

By Lorraine

Cake Mix Chocolate Waffles filled with ice cream and dipped in sprinkles are an easy to make dessert and a fun change from birthday cupcakes.

Looking for a change from birthday cupcakes or just a yummy and easy dessert? Pick up a box cake in chocolate (or your favorite flavor) and make Cake Mix Chocolate Waffles. Filled with ice cream and dipped in sprinkles, they are festive and fun!Continue Reading

Filed Under: Desserts, Recipes, Sweet Treats Tagged With: birthday, chocolate, waffles

Birthday Anniversary & Special Occasion Tracker

By Lorraine

Record special days of sweet family and friends on pretty Birthday, Anniversary & Special Occasion Tracker and Planner FREE printables.Does your family have a particular month when there are lots of birthdays? In our family, it is August. Keeping track of all those special days can become a little overwhelming. Now I have a cute way to remember, not just August but the entire year of days by recording the dates on a birthday, anniversary and special occasion tracker.Continue Reading

Filed Under: Printables Tagged With: birthday, printables

Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide for Teen Girls

By Lorraine

Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide for Teen girls chosen by 14 year old girls for Christmas or birthday presents. Here is their wish list!Do you find it hard to choose just the right gift for your sweet teen girl? Me too. So I went to the authorities. Three lovely, fun-loving young ladies that have been friends since birth. These girls recently came for a sleepover. They were more than happy to create their wish list of the Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide for Teen Girls.Continue Reading

Filed Under: Family, Grandchildren Tagged With: Annika, birthday, Christmas, Ella, gifts, Keri

Birthday Gifts from the Heart

By Lorraine

The sweetest gifts don’t come in fancy packages or cost a lot. Yet they have greater value and are cherished far more than expensive things. The best gifts are those that come from the heart. I was reminded about what is really important when I received birthday gifts from some really big hearts.

Continue Reading

Filed Under: Family, Grandchildren Tagged With: birthday

Chicken Parmesan Birthday Dinner

By Lorraine

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.

Filed Under: Chicken, Main Dishes, Recipes Tagged With: birthday, Birthday Family, Erin

catching up with family

By Lorraine

Spring days ~ busy days!
April was filled with lots a family activities and get together’s!

 The son of our cousin, Caroline, was married in a lovely wedding.
Caroline, with her family including the newlyweds, Dan & Abbey 
(photo taken from facebook. Tyler Boye Photography)

As is so popular now, they had a photo booth situated in an obscure corner. All I can say is that my sister, John and I got some of the funniest pics ever!  So silly, that Carol made me promise never to share on any social media! Just imagine, John in the center with a crazy hat and over-sized glasses with basically the same expression in every photo and my sister and I making every goofy face we could possibly think of. Oh, my! Each time I look at the photos, I crack up all over again!
(photo taken from Stephanie’s facebook page)
Then there was a christening for our cousin Karen’s grandson, baby Mark.
 Together again with Carol, her daughter, Christine, John and I. Later noticed the framed photo on Karen’s mantle. It is of our daughter, Erin when she was just three year old performing flower girl responsibilities in Karen’s wedding. Such sweet memories!
 There were random, every day moments too.  I caught this scene of, Erin, Jared and Abbey studying in the family room.  Erin is completing her master’s degree, Jared is a high school Junior and Abbey is studying digital animation.

Noah and I went to breakfast one morning and later we did some cooking together.

I even got a pic from Erin as she drove through center city the other day and saw the old Divine Lorraine Hotel. 

 We had a trip to The Pop Shoppe with the kids, celebrated our dear friend’s 91st birthday during Bible study and peeked in as the kids helped Aunt Abbey create a 5-little monkeys video for a class assignment.
Noah went to work with PopPop and learned about nuclear engineering. 
Jared was inducted into his schools Technology Society.
pics with his proud mom and PopPop
Each day that passes, each achievement obtained, each celebration shared, each difficulty acknowledged, each experience learned, each encouraging smile, each laughter and giggle, each conversation, each hug and embrace are all gifts.
“We pray for the big things and forget to give thanks for the ordinary,
small (and yet really not small) gifts.” 
Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Gratitude paints little smiley faces on everything it touches.” 
Richelle E. Goodrich
Smile Anyway: Quotes, Verse, & Grumblings for Every Day of the Year

Filed Under: Family, Grandchildren Tagged With: Abbey, birthday, Erin, Grandchildren, Jared, John, Karen, Lorrie, Noah, Quote, Sisters

Happy Birthday, Raider!

By Lorraine

 
Do you have a sweet dog that fills your heart to overflowing? Heartfelt quotes as we celebrate the years with our schnauzer. Happy Birthday, Raider!Anyone who has a pet knows the joy and love they bring to life. Truly a family member for as long as they fill our home with their loyalty, personality and antics. Celebrating another year with our miniature schnauzer.  Happy Birthday, Raider!
Continue Reading

Filed Under: Family, Family & Friends Tagged With: birthday, dogs, Quote, Raider, Schnauzer

Basket of Bean Bags

By Lorraine

Two grandchildren are celebrating birthdays.  Chloe, a leapling, just turned 3 and her brother, Caleb will be 7 in a few days. A basket of bean bags for Chloe and a toy combining two of Caleb’s favorite things should bring smiles.Continue Reading

Filed Under: Crafts Tagged With: birthday, Chloe, Crafts, gifts, Grandchildren

French Onion Soup

By Lorraine

Another recipe served at our French-Inspired Birthday Lunch

French Onion Soup
source: epicurious 

PRINT RECIPE

INGREDIENTS
2 lb medium onions, halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced lengthwise
3 sprigs fresh thyme (rosemary is good too)
2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour (I used 2 Tablespoons)
3/4 cup dry white wine (I used a pinot grigio)
4 cups reduced-sodium beef broth (32 fl oz)
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
6 (1/2-inch-thick) diagonal slices of baguette
1 (1/2-lb) piece Gruyère, Comte, or Emmental (or cheese of choice in quantity desired)
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

6 (8- to 10-oz) flameproof soup crocks or ramekins (Since my menu included many items, I served the soup in small ramekins)

DIRECTIONS

Cook onions, thyme, bay leaves, and salt in butter in a 4- to 5-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, uncovered, stirring frequently, until onions are very soft and deep golden brown, about 45 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in wine and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Stir in broth, water, and pepper and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes.

While soup simmers, put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.

Arrange bread in 1 layer on a large baking sheet and toast, turning over once, until completely dry, about 15 minutes. (I sliced baguette, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper and toasted in a toaster oven)

Remove croûtes from oven and preheat broiler. Put crocks in a shallow baking pan.

Discard bay leaves and thyme from soup and divide soup among crocks, then float a croûte in each. Slice enough Gruyère (about 6 ounces total) with cheese plane to cover tops of crocks, allowing ends of cheese to hang over rims of crocks, then sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Broil 4 to 5 inches from heat until cheese is melted and bubbly, 1 to 2 minutes.

Other Recipes included on our French-Inspired Birthday Lunch Menu
(two more to follow)
Ratatouille
Herbed Baked Eggs

Filed Under: Recipes, Soups & Stews Tagged With: birthday, Friends

lilacs

By Lorraine

 The sweet fragrance of lilac fills the air and it reminds me of the joy and blessing of friendship!
 It’s been a perfect couple of days after some very heavy rain this week.
The grass is green, the trees are blooming and it is really spring!
 It is also Raider’s birthday
 I think he is feeling his 11 years
 a quick selfie before heading out for another full day of yard work
my boy
❤

Filed Under: Flowers Plants & Herbs, Home and Garden Tagged With: birthday, flowers, Garden, John, Lorrie, Raider

The Birthday Guy

By Lorraine

Yesterday was my guys birthday.
He took the day off and we spent it in a relaxed way doing some of his favorite things.
as he planned…
Not up at 5:15 this morning
a hearty, at-home breakfast.
off to the movies to see Frozen 
a late-afternoon pastrami sandwich at a nearby delicatessen  (yes, he has been hankering for a pastrami sandwich)
then to a second movie… Saving Mr. Banks
(we liked both movies)
and finally birthday cake with some of his huggable & snuggly grandkids
This morning, he is still talking about how much he enjoyed the day
🙂
John’s life verse:
being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:6

Filed Under: Family, Grandchildren Tagged With: Bible, birthday, Caleb, Cambrie, Chloe, Jamie, Jethro, John, Josh, Keri, Noah, Silas

counting my blessings

By Lorraine

 Since we don’t see these precious grands as often as our others, photos from Jill are greatly appreciated!
These were taken just as the kids were heading back to school.
Perfect weather, and a very dear friend visiting from Texas made for an extra special outside brunch to celebrate birthdays.
An Autumn Carnival was the theme for Grandparents Day at Keri and Noah’s school.
The weather was perfect for a full morning of activities with both sets of grandparents loving these two kiddos.
and a reminder why I really blog…
John called my attention recently to the kids at the computer.  I was so surprised to see them having fun perusing my blog and laughing at posts that include them. When they scroll to the bottom of each page they see the list of labels I add to each post making it easy for them to click and and go every post that is about them.
It truly warmed my heart to see this.
❤
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows
James 1:17

Filed Under: Family, Grandchildren Tagged With: Bible, birthday, Brenna, Cambrie, Friends, Grandchildren, Keri, Noah, Ryan, shaela, Think On These Things

Crochet Wash Cloths & Scrubbies

By Lorraine

Work up a lovely set of crocheted cotton washcloths and scrubbies to pamper yourself or as mush appreciated gifts. The handmade, spa quality cloths are durable and soft. Best of all, the patterns are quick and easy!Getting a gift for our oldest daughter is kind of hard. Gift cards are always welcomed but I like to include something personal. I worked up a set of crochet cotton wash cloths & scrubbies. I tied them up with a pretty plate and a bar of homemade soap to display in the bathroom. She love it!Continue Reading

Filed Under: Crafts, Crochet Tagged With: birthday, Christmas, Crafts, Crochet, Erin, gifts, Mother's Day

Fluffy Chocolate Frosting

By Lorraine

Easy recipe for the best fluffy chocolate frosting. Rich, dark and creamy, it is the perfect birthday cake and cupcake icing.
Fluffy Chocolate Frosting is incredibly light, creamy and delicious! If you are from the Philadelphia area where Tastykake bakery items are sold, this frosting might remind you of a Chocolate Junior cake. Only better!

Continue Reading

Filed Under: Cakes & Cupcakes, Recipes, Sweet Treats Tagged With: birthday, chocolate, frosting

Hi! I'm Lorraine. Welcome to Grateful Prayer Thankful Heart. A place to find food for your tummy, projects for your hands, and encouragement for your heart.

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