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2009/07/20
Friendship poems and friendship quotes are a great way of letting your friends know how much you appreciate their loyal, supportive, never ending friendship. Include a friendship poem or friendship quote in an invitation to spend the day together visiting antique stores, getting pampered at a spa, play golf or tennis, taking in a movie together, or by just having a leisurely lunch or dinner at your house or a favorite restaurant. If you are fortunate to have many friends, plan a pot luck picnic to be held at a park where there are several fun things that you can do together or bring some along.
For younger friends, learn to make friendship bracelets together. This is a great summer activity. Many of the summer camps teach this craft.
National Friendship Day
“Celebrate the happiness that friends are always giving,
make every day a holiday and celebrate just living!”
~ Amanda Bradley ~
National Friendship Day, proclaimed by U.S. Congress in 1935, is celebrated on the first Sunday in August. The official international Ambassador of Friendship Day is none other than that lovable friend to all, Winnie the Pooh.
My granddaughter’s 8th birthday party with friends (family is the next week) is on August 1. Some of her closest friends will be sleeping over. When I told her Friendship Day is on that Sunday, she got very excited. We’re going to plan a special friendship breakfast for her dad to make on Friendship Day and then they’ll learn to make the friendship bracelets before they go home. (This year it is also Ice Cream Sandwich Day, too…dessert for her friends breakfast?)
Recipe for Friendship
2 cups of patience, 1 heart full of love, 2 handful of generosity, 2 cups of loyalty, 1 cup of understanding, A dash of laughter. Mix all ingredients well. Sprinkle generously over a lifetime and serve everyone you meet.
“A friend is one who knows us, but loves us anyway.”
~ Fr. Jerome Cummings ~ (more…)
2009/02/11
For an extra-special Valentine, holiday, shower, or birthday gift or favor, fill these easy-to-make edible chocolate gift boxes with all sorts of delicious chocolate treats. Wrap each treat filled chocolate gift box in clear or gold wrapping, add a name tag and give them to your guests at the end of a special occasion party or holiday dinner. You can use these as personalized edible chocolate place cards, too. Just write your guest’s initials on a chocolate mint wafer and add it to each mini chocolate gift box. The edible chocolate gift boxes will certainly add a festive element to any occasion.
What you need:
- 24 ounces milk or semisweet melting chocolate pieces, chopped
- pastry brush
- 4 (5 3/4 x 3 1/4 inch) mini foil loaf pans
What to do:
- Melt chocolate coating in top of double boiler over hot, not boiling, water.
- Brush melted chocolate with with pastry brush in thin layer inside each foil pan, covering bottom and sides. Refrigerate until chocolate is firm. (Keep pastry brush wrapped in plastic wrap while chocolate is chilling.)
- Brush another layer of chocolate over first; refrigerate. Repeat layers until chocolate is about 1/4 inch thick (you should use all the melted chocolate). Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate 1 hour to ensure that chocolate is firm throughout.
- Snip rims of foil pans at 1/2 inch intervals with scissors. Carefully peel off foil pans. Fill boxes with treats.
Makes 4 boxes
2008/11/20
 Last year, the buzz going around was that Santa needed to go on a diet. When we think of Santa, we think big, cuddly, and jolly. Santa wouldn’t be Santa if he were thin, but we do want him to be healthy so he can continue to spread his acts of kindness around the world. Healthy can be yummy.
I’ve been told by someone who knows that Santa’s favorite healthy cookies are chocolate chip cookies. It is possible to bake healthy chocolate chip cookies for Santa when you replace white flour with whole wheat and oat flours, egg with egg whites, milk chocolate chips with dark chocolate, limit the sugar, and use fat free milk. Whole wheat cookies can often taste like sawdust. Not these. These whole wheat cookies get their rich taste from the Ghirardelli chocolate chips.
For this healthy chocolate chip cookie recipe, the result is a batch of healthy cookies that are full of flavor. Dark Ghirardelli chocolate chips (60% cacao) are recommended because they’re richer-tasting and bigger chips, so you get more chocolate taste with fewer chips.
Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup oat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup I Can’t Believe Its Butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 egg whites
1/4 cup nonfat milk
5 oz. Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips (or your favorite bittersweet chocolate chips)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir together flours, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter substitute and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg whites, then the milk. Stir in the flour mixture. Stir in the Ghiradelli dark chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto cookie sheets. Bake 12-14 minutes or until browned around the edges.
Makes 36 cookies.
Leave these cookies for Santa and I’ll bet you might get an extra special gift this Christmas!
source: heart-healthy-cooking.suite101.com (The original recipe calls for 1/2 cup butter and 1 egg – I tweaked it to make even healthier cookies for Santa ~ compare butter and I Can’t Believe It’s Butter)
2008/10/30
Use this huge pumpkin cookie as a colorful Halloween party centerpiece. Then break or cut into pieces and serve for dessert. This Great Pumpkin Cookie recipe makes a 12-inch cookie large enough for 12 servings. It’s yummy and it’s a real treat! Make many for a party cookie decorating competition. Everyone’s a winner when they get to bring their cookies home…if they aren’t devoured first! (more…)
Use this basic holiday butter cookie recipe to all your Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, or other holiday cookie baking. For Halloween fun, make The Great Pumpkin Cookie recipe for a Halloween party centerpiece or party activity. This Holiday Butter Cookie recipe can be used to make the edible Thanksgiving cookie mobile found on Nana Finds. The cookies can also be used as Thanksgiving party favors. Use different cookie cutters for holidays throughout the year. (more…)
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