Coconut Chicken Curry

Ingredients:

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch chunks or strips

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon canola oil

2 tablespoons curry powder (or use 2 tablespoons spicy curry powder with half of the crushed red pepper and paprika (1/2 t. crushed red pepper and 1/4 t. paprika))

1 t. crushed red pepper and 1/2 t. paprika

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 red potatoes or 2 while potatoes, cut into chunks

1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk

1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

3 tablespoons sugar

Brown or white rice

Directions:

-Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper.

-Heat oil, curry powder, and paprika in a large skillet over medium-low heat for two minutes, until fragrant (but don't let it burn).

-Turn the heat up to medium and stir in onions and garlic and cook ten minutes more or until onions are very clear.

-Add chicken, tossing lightly to coat with curry oil and cook for 7-10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and is cooked through.

-Add potatoes, then add coconut milk, can of tomatoes (I cut up tomatoes first), tomato sauce, and sugar into the pan, and stir to combine.

-Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 30-40 minutes or until sauce thickens and potatoes are soft.

(adapted to my liking from http://whatsonmymenu.blogspot.com/2009/01/coconut-chicken-curry.html)

It was delicious! I found another great recipe that will become a regular for us. We served our curry with mixed vegetables covered in shredded cheese. Yummy!

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix together chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, paprika, cumin, salt and black pepper. Store in an airtight container.

(adapted to my liking from www.allrecipes.com, Taco Seasoning I)

I have been wanting to learn a great recipes to replace store bought seasoning packets. My husband and I have come to not care for pre-made seasoning packets. We feel they taste too salty and far from being healthy.

I found this tasty recipe for taco seasoning on allrecipes.com with a 5 star review of over 1,300 people. I knew I was in for a wonderful recipe. I used 1 1/2 teaspoons in our dinner last night and it was amazingly good! My husband and I did not want to stop eating. The tastes were so good. I plan to always double or triple the recipe, so I will always have it on hand for later meals.

Double-Cheese, Spinach and Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:

Pizza dough

Corn meal

1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese (4 oz)

2 cups washed fresh baby spinach leaves (from 10-oz bag)

1 cup of cooked chicken (about 8-oz)

1/4 cup chopped drained roasted red bell peppers (from 7-oz jar)

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Place pizza dough on a greased cookie sheet sprinkled with corn meal.

2. Top pizza dough with Mozzarella cheese, spinach, chicken, red bell peppers, garlic salt and Cheddar cheese.

3. Bake around 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted.

(adapted to my liking from the cook book, Betty Crocker Chicken Tonight 100 Recipes for the Way You Really Cook)

Our family loves homemade pizza and it was great to find another type of pizza we can enjoy. I used my 'The Best Pizza Dough on Earth' recipe with this pizza. Oh and yes, my husband and I really like sprinkling red pepper flakes on our pizza before we eat it.

Amazing White Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

Cooking spray

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (reduce to 1/4 tsp. to make not as spicy)

2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth (or 4 bouillon cubes with 4 cups of hot water)

3 cups chopped cooked chicken breast (I used one 12.5 ounce can of chicken breast in water)

2 (15 ounce) cans white beans

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I used Shredded Mexican Blend cheese sprinkled on top of our individual bowls of chili and did not mixed the cheese into the chili, you can do it which ever why you want)

Directions:

1. Heat frying pan with cooking spray over medium-low heat. Slowly cook and stir the onion until tender. Mix in the garlic, green chile peppers, cumin, oregano and cayenne. Continue to cook and stir the mixture until tender, about 3 minutes. Mix in the chicken broth, chicken and white beans. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Remove the mixture from heat. If desire, slowly stir in the cheese until melted or sprinkle on top of individual bowls of chili. Serve warm.

(adapted to my liking from www.allrecipes.com, Cha Cha's White Chicken Chili)

I found this amazing recipe that was rated as a 4 1/2 star by 850 people. I knew it had to be a very good recipe to try. And it was!!! My husband and I love it. We have not given any to our daughter because of the spicy favorite. If you did not want it to be spicy then don't add the cayenne pepper.

Harvest Apple Crisp

Filling:

5 apples cut into 1 inch pieces

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp. lemon juice

1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. salt

Topping:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup flour

1/3 cup oats

Combine filling ingredients and put in greased, 9 x 13 inch baking dish (I used a glass baking dish). Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt the butter. Mix brown sugar and butter, then add flour, salt and last the oats. Crumble topping over filling. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until top is golden brown and filling is bubbling.

Eat lots of it and enjoy!!!

(recipe from a good friend, Liz Dibble)

I tried this apple crisp recipe and I have never used another. It is delicious!

Apple Strudel Muffins

Apple Strudel Muffins

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups chopped apples

Topping:
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease two 12 cup muffin pans.
2. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and ground cinnamon.
3. In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar and eggs until smooth. Mix in vanilla. Stir in apples, and gradually blend in the flour mixture. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pans.
4. In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture is like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over tops of mixture in muffin pan.
5. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to sit 5 minutes before removing muffins from pan. Cool on a wire rack.

(recipe adapted from allrecipes.com)

Pictures of the apple muffin batter.

Delicious muffins! My daughter and I loved them. We went apple picking a week ago and have many apples to experiment with.

Pumpkin and Chocolate

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

Cream together:

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 1/3 cups sugar

Mix together:

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup water

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

Stir together:

1 2/3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Mix together:

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Add:

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional

1/4 cup chopped raisins, optional

Bake at 350 degrees F for 55-60 minutes. Makes a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf.

Or, bake at 350 degrees F for minutes or muffins.

Mrs. Fields Pumpkin Spice Cookies

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup white sugar

3/4 cup salted butter, softened

1 large egg

1 cup pumpkin (canned or freshly cooked)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup raisins (optional)

1/2 cup nuts, chopped (optional)

1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Yield: 3 dozen

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. In a medium bowl combine flour, soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Mix well with a wire whisk and set aside.

In a large bowl blend sugars with an electric mixer set at medium speed. Add the butter and beat to form a grainy paste. Scrape sides of bowl, then add egg, pumpkin and vanilla. Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the flour mixture, raisins, nuts, and chocolate chips. Blend at low speed just until combined. Do not over mix.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased or parchment lined cookie sheets, 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake 22-24 minutes until cookies are slightly brown along edges. Immediately transfer cookies to a cool surface.

(recipe from my great mother-in-law)

My Cheesy Pasta Bake

My Cheesy Pasta Bake

1 lb. box of pasta (any shape you like)

1 -29 oz can of tomato sauce or two 15 oz cans with added Italian seasonings (oregano, basil, and thyme)

1 -15 oz can of diced tomatoes with basil, oregano and garlic

1-6 oz can of tomato paste

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 medium yellow onion

1 1/2 cups of cottage cheese

1-2 cups mozzarella cheese

Parmesan cheese for the top

Cook the pasta until it is almost tender, ready to eat. Saute onion and garlic with a little bit of butter, canola oil or cooking spray in frying pan. Mix in tomato sauce with Italian seasonings, diced tomatoes and tomato paste into frying pan with onions and garlic. Bring the tomato sauce mixture to a boiling, then turn heat down to let sauce simmer for a few minutes. Place half of the pasta noodles in a sprayed 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Spread all the cottage cheese over the pasta. Pour half the tomato sauce mixture over the cottage cheese. Place all the mozzarella cheese over the sauce. Place the rest of the pasta over the mozzarella cheese. Pour the rest of the tomato sauce mixture over the pasta and then sprinkle desired amount of Parmesan cheese on top. Place baking pan in oven set at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until it is heated through and cheese is melted on top.

I was very impressed with how it turned out. I had made it up on my own after referring to another pasta bake on www.allrecipes.com. My husband, daughter and I loved it. I think it will become a new pasta favorite. I am trying to come up with more pasta dishes we can have for our dinners. It is easy and does not cost to much to make.

Oven-Baked Herb-Crusted Chicken

Oven-Baked Herb-Crusted Chicken

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon mustard powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

6 (5-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In 1 large zip-top bag, mix the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, mustard powder, oregano, thyme, salt and black pepper. Place the chicken breasts in bag. Seal bag and shake to coat. Remove chicken from bag, shaking off excess coating.

Transfer chicken to baking sheet and spray with olive oil cooking spray. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until chicken is golden brown and cooked through.

Serve chicken breast with rice, pasta or potatoes. Refrigerate remaining chicken until ready to use.

(recipe modified from Robin Miller on Food Network show "Quick Fix Meals")

I took a picture of the chicken breasts before placing them into the oven to bake. This chicken recipe is so EASY! I love how there are no oils used and the chicken turns out so moist and flavorful! Very delicious! This was my second time making it and I plan to make it over and over again. We are able to have three different meals out of the six chicken breast halves.

Groovy Ice Pops

I recently purchased some great ice pop molds from Bed, Bath & Beyond to make my own homemade ice pops. My husband and I have already made yogurt pops with fresh bananas and ice cream bars. They are very easy to make. First, we mixed together store bought yogurt (any flavor you desire) with diced banana (almost any fruit will work) in a small bowl, second, we poured the yogurt fruit mixture into the ice pop molds, third, we secured the ice pop lids back on top and, fourth, we placed them in the freezer. If you want to may ice cream bars, let the ice cream melt to a liquid consistency and then pour into the ice molds to re-freeze. You will want to let the yogurt pops or ice cream bars sit in the freezer for at least 4 hours before eating these tasty treats!

I also want to try making grape and orange juice pops. We love these pop molds so much that we are thinking of getting another set.

My summer has gotten busy with family vacations and other get aways, however, I am excited to get back to discovering new delicious recipes later this month once the summer fun starts to slow down.

Apple Carrot Muffins & Fruit Pizza

Delicious and healthy muffin recipe I found on allrecipes.com and freeze great if have extra.

Apple Carrot Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:

1 & 3/4 cups raisin bran cereal

1 & 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 & 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup canola oil

3/4 cup finely chopped peeled tart apple

3/4 cup grated carrots

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. In a bowl, combine the first six ingredients. In a small bowl, beat the egg, buttermilk and oil. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in apple, carrots and walnuts. Fill paper-lined muffin cups or cups coated with nonstick cooking spray three-fourths full. Bake at 4oo degrees F for 20-23 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm.

Nutition per muffin: 199 calories, 7 g fat

(I found this wonderful recipe on www.allrecipes.com submitted by Elaine Cooley)

Fruit Pizza

Recipes are from my amazing mother-in-law.

Sugar Cookies

3/4 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Cream butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until fluffy. Blend in flour, baking powder and salt. Cover, chill at least 1 hour. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Roll dough 1/8-1/4" thick on a greased cookie sheet into one large circle (to resemble a pizza). Cook for about 15-20 minutes or until just set and barely brown on the edges and bottom.

Fruit Pizza

1 recipe of sugar cookie dough

1 8 oz. package cream cheese

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. lemon juice

approx. 1 cup Cool Whip

raspberry filling or jam

kiwi, sliced

bananas, sliced (could toss in a small amount of cinnamon sugar)

strawberries, sliced

Press cookie dough into pizza pan. Bake according to directions. Beat the cream cheese to soften; add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth; beat in lemon juice and fold in Cool Whip. Spread evenly over top of cooled sugar cookie crust. On top of cream cheese mixture, spread raspberry filling or jam in a circle in the center of the pizza. Place kiwi, bananas, and strawberries in rows around the raspberry center. May use other fruit if desired.

I used bananas, strawberries, blueberries and kiwi. It was tasty! A great summer dessert.

Taco Salad

Taco Salad

This is the best taco salad I have ever tasted!

Makes: 6 main-dish servings

8 ounces lean ground beef or ground turkey

3 cloves of garlic

1-15 ounce can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1-15 ounce can of tomato sauce

1.25 ounce packet of taco seasoning

3/4 cup frozen whole kernel corn, thawed (or you could use canned corn) (optional)

6 cups shredded leaf

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 large green sweet pepper, chopped (1 cup)

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion (4)

6 purchased tortilla cups or a bag of tortilla chips

1 medium avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and chopped (1/2 cup)

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (3 ounces)

Dairy sour cream (optional)

1. In a medium sauce pan cook ground beef or ground turkey and garlic until beef or turkey is brown. Drain off fat. Stir in kidney beans, tomato sauce, taco seasoning, and, if desired, corn. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a extra-large bowl combine lettuce, tomatoes, sweet pepper, and green onion. To serve, divide lettuce mixture among the tortilla cups or chips. Top each serving with some of the meat mixture and avocado. Sprinkle with cheese. If desired, serve with sour cream.

(adapted recipe to my liking from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book 14th Edition)

Peanut Butter Cookies

I found this great peanut butter cookie recipe on 'On my Menu', http://whatsonmymenu.blogspot.com/search/label/cookies , which also has many other great recipes.  One of my hobbies is searching out for new recipes to try.  I followed this cookies recipe (Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies) exactly how she has it, except I didn't put Hershey kisses on top of my cookies because I didn't have any on hand.  When you pull up the page the Peanut Butter Kiss Cookie recipe is on, you may have to scroll down the page a recipe or two to find it.

Cheeseburger Bread

My bread split open on top because I had rolled out my dough to thin and most of the cheeseburger mixture had collected up at the end of the rolling up of the loaf.  Make sure to not roll out your dough thinner than a 1/2 inch thick.

We had Cheeseburger Bread for dinner this past Friday night after swimming in the pool.  It tasted so good!  A great easy summer cheesebuger meal.  We dipped our slices in ketcup, mustard with tomatoes and lettuce.  I first saw this Cheeseburger Bread made on Rachel Rays TV show.  So I found the recipe at:

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/cheeseburger-bread/

I made a few modifications such as I used beef broth instead of beef stock and ground turkey instead of ground beef/sirloin, and I didn't use any olive oil for cooking the ground turkey in.  I would have used sesame seeds on top of the bread but I didn't have any at the time.

A Modification On My Honey & Oat Granola Recipe

My husband and I have wanted to have more clusters of oats in my homemade granola recipe so I tried adding an extra 1/4 cup of canola oil, increasing the amount of honey to 1/2 cup and added an extra teaspoon of vanilla extract to the orignial recipe.  It was fabulous!!  So many more clusters and tastier!  I have already added the new modifications to the recipe.  You will have to try the new improved granola.

The Best Pizza Dough On Earth

2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
5-6 cups flour
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 batch of tasty pizza sauce
3-4 cups of grated cheese of your choice (mozzarella, etc.)
desired toppings

Mix water, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add 2 cups of flour and mix well. Add another 2 cups of flour and mix well. Add most of the fifth cup and knead on a floured surface, adding a little more flour at a time until dough no longer sticks to the counter and springs back when poked with your finger (or knead in electric mixer until dough no loner sticks to the inside of the bowl and springs back when poked with your finger). Brush the left over flour out of the bowl and spread the oil on the bottom and sides of the bowl. Place dough in oiled bowl and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled. Once dough has doubled in size, divide dough into three equal balls. Roll out each ball of dough into desired size of pizza dough (usually about a half inch thick). Place each pizza dough onto prepared (prepared = sprinkle cornmeal out onto area where pizza dough will be placed or if you don't have cornmeal on hand, spray baking sheet or stoneware with non-stick cooking spray) baking sheet or pizza stoneware. Spread desired pizza sauce, cheese and toppings onto pizza dough and cook each pizza at 425 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes or until pizza is fully cooked and golden brown around the edge.

(adapted recipe to my liking from Recipes to Remember by Elizabeth Jewkes)

Tasty Pizza Sauce

15 oz. tomato sauce
1 tbsp. Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. seasoned salt (I have used regular salt)
1/2 tsp. dry onion or 2 tsp. finely chopped onion
1/4 tsp. sugar

Combine all ingredients together and mix well. Pour and spread on pizza crust. This makes enough for 2-3 pizzas.

(I found this recipe on www.cooks.com)

So here are a couple more recipes I have posted on my blog for friends and family who are craving mouth-watering pizza!

Famous Cream Cheese Chicken

4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing (or 1/2 of a small bottle)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
4 oz. cream cheese
small amount of milk (I use the soup can 3/4 full of milk)

In skillet, brown chicken breasts in Italian salad dressing. Place chicken breasts into crock pot, including the drippings. In blender, combine cream of mushroom soup, cream cheese, and enough milk to make smooth consistency. Beat until smooth. Pour over chicken in crock pot. Cook all day on low. Serve over rice or noodles. (5-6 servings)

(recipe adapted to our family's liking from my fabulous mother-in-law)

I have posted this yummy recipe for any friends and family that would like to try it out. The preparation is fast and easy and you will not be disappointed with the results!

Fabulous Oven Baked Chicken Nuggets

Fabulous Oven Baked Chicken Nuggets

Makes around 25 nuggets.

Ingredients:

3 cups Corn Chex cereal

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (orginial recipe called for 1/2 cup of Parmesan Cheese)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt (I didn't have this on hand so I googled what was in it)

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1 tablespoon milk

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 x 1-inch pieces

Preparation Directions:

1.  Heat oven to 400 degrees F.  Line cookie sheet with foil.  Crush cereal.  (To easily crush cereal, place in plastic bag or between sheets of waxed paper, and crush with rolling pin.)

2.  In medium bowl, stir together crushed cereal, cheese, salt, seasoned salt, paprika and garlic powder.  In a small bowl, stir together melted butter and milk.  Dip chicken into butter mixture, then roll in cereal mixture to coat evenly.  Place on cookie sheet.

3.  Bake 9 minutes; turn nuggets over.  Bake about 8 minutes longer or until coating is light golden brown and chicken is no longer pink in center.

Recipe Tips:

Coating the chunks is a snap when you work quickly with one fork in each hand.  Drop the chunks in the butter; turn to coat, then lift into crumbs with one fork.  Use the other hand (and fork) to turn and coat in the crumbs - voila, neatly coated chicken chunks!

Serve With:

 

We dipped our chicken nuggets in honey-mustard barbecue sauce and it was delicious!  Other sauces you can serve the nuggets with are: original barbecue sauce, sweet-and-sour sauce, or even ketcup.

We were surprised out tasty these chicken nuggets were being made with chex cereal.  My husband pleaded that we make them again soon.

(adapted to my liking from www.chex.com)

Bread Bowls

Mixing the dough.

Bread Bowls

2 T. yeast

4 c. warm water

1/4 c. sugar

1 1/2 t. salt

1/4 c. vegetable oil (I used canola oil)

7-9 c. bread flour

Dissolve yeast in water.  Add sugar, salt, vegetable oil, and 4 c. flour.  Beat well with electric mixer.  Add additional flour to make a soft dough.  Knead well.  Cover and let rise about 1 hour.  Form into balls approximately the size of baseballs.  Place on greased baking sheet.  Let rise until double, about 45 minutes.  Bake at 400 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool on rack.  To serve, cut small slice off the top of each bread bowl.  Scoop out the soft bread from the inside, leaving and 1/2 inch thick shell.  Fill with thick soup and serve with the bread that was removed from the inside of the bowl.  

Yield: 10-14 bowls

(altered by me but from my BYU Cooking Class Cook Book)

Second time rising and ready to go into the oven.

Yummy!

Best Homemade Cream Soup Base

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter (original recipe called for 1/2 cup butter)

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour 

2 cups milk (I used 1% milk)

2 cubes chicken bouillon

ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1.  Melt butter in a saucepan.  Add flour and make a paste.  Add milk and bouillon cubes.  Cook over low heat until thickened.  Add pepper to taste.  Add more milk when adding the other soup ingrdients, depending on the thickness you desire (I ended up adding an additional cup of milk and also a cup of water to the soup base).

2.  I added boiled chunks of potatoes and carrots with chopped onions and a can of chicken.  Here are some suggestions from the original recipe: to this base you may add steamed broccoli and cheddar cheese; or chunks of baked potato (peel and all) with cheddar cheese, bacon pieces, and chives; or pureed, stewed tomatoes for a bisque; or leeks that have been cleaned well, steamed, and chopped; or cooked asparagus cut in pieces (if canned asparagus is used, add some of the liquid as well), topped with grated cheese and bacon pieces.

(from www.allrecipes.com adapted to my liking)

Happy Horton Day!

Horton Clover Cupcakes

Prepare cupcakes from a cake mix of your choice. I used a yellow cake mix for these cupcakes.

Butter Frosting

1/3 cup butter, softened
3 & 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. In a bowl beat butter until fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, beating well.
2. Slowly beat in the milk and vanilla extract. Slowly beat in remaining powdered sugar. Beat in additional milk, if needed, to make of spreading consistency. Tint with food coloring, if desired.

(adapted from www.allrecipes.com)

I sprinkled pink coconut on top of the cupcakes which I colored using a few drops of red food coloring and a little bit of water.

We are big fans of 'Horton Hears A Who' and Dr. Seuss's books! On Friday, May 15th it was a famous day for Dr. Seuss's book 'Horton Hears A Who'.
"On the fifteenth of May, in the Jungle of Nool, In the heat of the day, in the cool of the pool,...".