Caroline Friday's Blog, page 874

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there! Enjoy your day relaxing, resting, and being catered to. I, personally, am thankful for my dad and that I have a wonderful husband/father for my children. Not everyone is blessed with a wonderful father, but my children certainly are! Have a great day!

More Art

My dear brother-in-law, Walt, and his lovely wife, Renee, are at the right, in a snapshot from Emerald Isle, NC--post engagement. To the left is my artistic rendition. They had a beautiful wedding in Charleston and are very happy. They found each other later in life but have proven that you're never too old to find true love!

Yummy Chicken Parmesan

For those of you bored with chicken breasts, this is a delicious recipe that everyone in my family loved - and it made a ton of food, meaning leftovers! I know most of you may have your own recipes, but this is my own and it's easy and yummy!

Recipe ingredients:
1 package of linguine
4 or 5 chicken breasts
1 small jar of spaghetti sauce
Italian breadcrumbs
mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
olive oil
garlic salt
black pepper
butter
chopped chives

Cook the linguine and drain, and then add a nob of butter, some Parmesan cheese, and a little garlic salt. Set aside.

Take the chicken breasts and cut in half. Pound them flat, then dip in olive oil and a mixture of half Italian breadcrumbs, half Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with garlic salt and black pepper and brown in a skillet of hot olive oil. Turn over and brown the other side and then place in a sprayed casserole dish.

Sprinkle a bit more salt and pepper if needed and then spoon spaghetti sauce over the chicken. Top with mozzarella cheese and another shake of Parmesan and cook in a 350 degree oven for 30 min. I then turned the oven off and let the dish sit in there a little longer until the meat was good and brown. You can see that I like my cheese crunchy!

Serve the buttery noodles on a platter and then arrange the meat on top, drizzling the sauce over. Of course, I shook more Parmesan over with a few chopped chives and serve!

Enjoy!

Magnolia Hill - Available FREE on Kindle!

Magnolia HillMy first novel, Magnolia Hill, is available FREE on Kindle through midnight June 12th! Go to the Amazon link and download now: http://www.amazon.com/Magnolia-Hill-ebook/dp/B00A1ID6JI/ref=la_B00A4461ZA_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1370646155&sr=1-3

Here is a summary:


The Help and Steel Magnolias come together in this sweeping, romantic tale of a beautiful farm girl in 1920’s North Carolina who discovers the power of true love.
It is 1925, and Cadie Hamilton, a poor white farm girl, falls for Robert Morgan (known as “Boy”), the heir to a wealthy plantation, thinking she has found her escape from the doldrums of a meager existence. But when he fails to return home from college as planned, her broken heart leads her into a loveless marriage with Norman McLain, where tragedy and despair await at every turn. Through the help of a young black girl and the pastor of a black gospel church, Cadie experiences the love of God and learns to love her husband, finally experiencing the peace that has long eluded her. Yet, what will she do when Boy returns home to reclaim the passion that was stolen from them years ago? Will she run away with him, or does her heart belong to Norman after all?

Here's what readers are saying:   ** Spoiler Alerts **
Caroline, I couldn't put it down. I actually printed off the last 100 or so pages so I could sit outside on this fall-like day and truly enjoy it. I don't know the last time I've enjoyed a book so much - honestly.The beauty of your surroundings - I'm very much a place person and love to feel like I’m there and you did that. The woods, Zena and Mattie's home and then Cadie's home, the scene in the river was very well done. I could feel the water. The scene's at the Goodwin's house just caused goosebumps and the reverend's story of the Prince and the Princess - oh my goodness! just beautiful and I could see him on the porch telling it. This is the best unpublished thing I've ever read and I know it will be published soon. I love so many little things - that I can't even remember them all. I was way too much into enjoying the story and desperate to know what happens next. I couldn't decide who to root for and felt the depth of every character - even Molly. I love the store and the new bakery shelf. I want a piece of that blueberry pie! I cried several times - baby Zoe and the burial. Oh my. And then with Zena standing up to Norman. and of course the end. I can't wait to see this in print you have put together a story that makes the gospel so attractive and wonderful. You're writing is touched by God - bless you for staying at it long enough to get it all down. Thank you for letting me read it. KS, Florida
Great book, great story, great characters. Couldn’t put it down and am telling all of my friends! AF, freshman at UGA
Was hooked after the first chapter! TH, Marietta
I just finished Magnolia Hill yesterday and really loved it! The style and voice throughout the book is wonderful and you’ve got some great similes. I especially enjoyed the ending where the bridge breaks, I liked that it’s symbolic and it was very believable that Cadie had been transformed. What I loved most about the story was all the racial undertones and the friendship between Cadie and Zena, the Christian elements and the preacher. That felt very authentic and made the story come alive. The story of the prince and princess was excellent. I also love all of the food descriptions, like the hotcakes with honey and melted butter and roasted pecans on top. I especially liked the description of the house and the sloping porch about to pull away from the foundation. I could really visualize that. Looking forward to seeing the success of this book! AW, Atlanta

Motherhood

My drawing of Mom
in her green feathers. Donna ReedOne of my most memorable images of my mother was the day she returned home from the beauty shop with a glamour shot of herself surrounded by a fluffy green boa. I was in elementary school, or perhaps junior high, but at the time, I thought she was the most beautiful lady in the world, just as lovely as the Hollywood movie stars. In fact, my sisters and I have said many times that she looked just like Donna Reed from It's a Wonderful Life. It's interesting how we as kids saw her in this light, but alas, every child grows up and quickly learns there is no such thing as a perfect parent!

The same is true for me, being a mom of three kids. I've never come home with a glamour shot from the beauty parlor (I don't even go to the beauty parlor!), but I can be assured my children have held some inflated view of me being the perfect mom at some point in their youth, and that I sorely disappointed them. I am human and aim to do my best, but all of us parents have been humbled at the revelation that our best isn't quite good enough. No, it was only when I got born again and gave my life over to Jesus that the change in me became evident. My kids laugh about it now, telling me how they remember me going from a Type A perfectionist to a parent who became more laid back about cleanliness and tidiness (an aside - when I was a kid, I had so carefully arranged my knick-knacks and doo-dads on the dresser, that I could tell if someone had been in my room!) It didn't happen overnight, but slowly over time, I did become more relaxed and at peace and the entire mood in the house changed! Everyone benefited--not just my husband and kids, but even the dog!

No parent can compete with Donna Reed (or in my case, Carol Brady, from The Brady Bunch), but if we give our lives over to the Lord and let Him be in control, we can be assured things will flow much smoother than if we are manning the helm. Our heavenly Father is the ultimate, loving parent, and sets the standard for all of us to live by. If I rest in Him and refuse to worry or get in fear about things that will never happen, then the Friday Family becomes one happy bunch!