Cutest Cupcakes...Hello Cookie Monster!

I want cookies!!! Look at these cupcakes. I don't think they would be hard to make and they are adorable. You would have to love frosting (I do) and Oreos (Duh!!!) so I'm giving them a try:-) I found the picture at Spun Sugar. So cute!

Thrift Store Finds!

Check out this purse from a vintage store...is it awesome or what? It's old but in such great condition. I wish it were pink so I could carry it almost every day but I'll find a way to use it. Who needs Coach??? Not me!:-)










Okay...look at this watering can. It is
so cute. Think of the ways to use it, besides watering, although it would work for that, too. There were two of them...why didn't I buy both!

My Favorite Magazines

I can't believe it's been so long since I wrote. Maybe I'm spending too much time reading!:-) These two magazines are so awesome...you really need to have a quiet afternoon, a cup of tea or cocoa and a relaxing chair to just slowly look through these. Every page is beautiful and filled with decorating or cooking ideas. A few of my other favorites are Country Living and Mary Englebright Home Companion. I remember the days when the magazines of choice were Glamour, In Style and every other fashionista mag. No more...I look at those for my girls and to have a vague idea of what's going on in fashion but these are the ones that make me happy.

Taylor

Create Fake Magazine Covers with your own picture at MagMyPic.com

Okay, this is too much fun!

Create Fake Magazine Covers with your own picture at MagMyPic.com

Another Covergirl!

Create Fake Magazine Covers with your own picture at MagMyPic.com

Cool Magazine Covers!

Create Fake Magazine Covers with your own picture at MagMyPic.com

Play the Name Game!

Name Game

1)YOUR REAL NAME
Suzanne Dutcher

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (first 3 letters of real name plus izzle.)
Suzizzle

3.YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (fav color and fav animal)
Pink Giraffe

4.YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, and current street)
Elizabeth Brendan

5.YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name, first 3 letters of mom's maiden name)
Dutsupet

6.YOUR SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd favorite color, favorite drink)
Aqua Fuze

7.YOUR WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (Mother's middle name and father's middle name)
Ann Kenneth

8.YOUR GOTH NAME: (black, and the name of one your pets)
Black Freddy

Laugh today!

10 favorite foods to cook

I recently read an article that I had clipped from the newspaper a long time ago about cooking. It basically said that rather than trying to master every recipe you try (unless you cook better than I do), to try and master 10 dishes. They don't have to be some over complicated, gourmet-type dish...just some that you enjoy and maybe you could make for company. I remember my friend Deborah telling me that her mom had a special menu that she whipped up really quick if her husband called and said he was bringing someone home for dinner. It wasn't fussy...just some simple beef dish...but it was fool-proof! I haven't decided exactly what my "specialties" will be but living in Florida, they have to include seafood, at least for a few of them. I'm pretty sure I want to "perfect" my favorites of all time, crab cakes and coconut shrimp. I have a simple but tasty recipe for lemon butter tilapia so maybe that can go with seafood night. I'll probably also go with a great pasta dish but haven't narrowed it down yet. (Taylor makes the most awesome bruschetta so that appetizer is taken care of.) Maybe I'll do it in themes...seafood/italian/asian. Or maybe that complicates it. That leaves me with 7 dishes to learn to make perfectly. Having just turned 45, that's one of my goals. Probably the easiest so let's hope I accomplish it.

Some of our favorite chicken recipes...

These are some of our favorites. Notice they all have a bit of a kick to them. We love that, but you can always adjust it for your family. These are a "sure thing," I promise!

The first recipe is a family favorite that originally came from Southern Living. Believe it or not, I’ve lightened it up a bit as do most people but maybe you can do more. I never claimed to be the healthiest cook around...but these are soooo good! Even my girls love them and they still have their picky moments.


Chicken Cakes with Creole Sauce
Ingredients:
1/2 med. red pepper, diced
3 gr. onions, sliced thin
1 garlic clove, pressed and diced
3 cups cooked, chopped/shredded chicken breasts
1 cup soft breadcrumbs
1 lg. egg, lightly beaten
2 Tbs light mayo
1 Tbs creole mustard (last time I used chili mustard and it worked great)
1 tsp creole seasoning

Creole Sauce:
1 cup light mayo
2 Tbs, creole or spicy mustard
1 garlic clove, diced
1/2 tsp creole seasoning

Instructions:
Saute pepper, onions and garlic in skillet sprayed with veg. spray for 4 minutes or until tender. Wipe skillet clean.
Stir together vegetables, chicken and next 5 ingredients in a bowl. Shape chicken cakes into approx. 8 (3 1/2”) patties. (Sometimes we make smaller ones) Cover and chill 15 minutes.
Saute cakes in 2 batches in skillet coated with cooking spray over med. heat for 3 minutes on each side or until golden. Serve immed. with creole sauce.
*These are also good plain or as my girls say “great with ketchup”! (Hmmm...) They make wonderful sandwiches also. A keeper!!!




This is one awesome dish! My family loves this and it always turns out. We like spice so we really spice it up but you can make the same dish very mild. Enjoy!

Cajun Chicken Pasta
* 1/2 pound linguine pasta
* 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, sliced into thin strips
* 1 -2 TBS Cajun seasoning (to taste)
* 1/4 cup butter
* 1green bell pepper, chopped
* 1 red bell pepper, chopped
* 1 orange pepper (use any peppers you like. I like the color and added flavors)
* 8 fresh mushrooms, sliced
* 2 green onion, minced
* 3 cups light cream or 1/2 & 1/2
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS
This recipe's Ingredients were scaled to yield a new amount. The directions below still refer to the original recipe yield of 2 servings.

1. Cook pasta as directed.
2. Place chicken and Cajun seasoning in a bowl or lg. ziplock, and toss to coat.
3. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute chicken in butter until no longer pink and juices run clear, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add peppers, sliced mushrooms and green onions; cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat, and stir in cream. Season the sauce with salt, garlic powder and ground black pepper, and heat through.
4. In a large bowl, toss linguini with cajun chicken sauce. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.


Mango-Tango Chicken
(A family favorite recipe from Aunt Kathy...we just named it!:-)
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 16-32oz. Peach-Mango salsa...(I use 32 oz. since everyone want extra sauce. Costco sells a great salsa with huge chunks of peaches and mango in it)
Directions: Place chicken breasts and salsa in a slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hrs. Delicious served over rice. That’s it! I promise it will be a favorite of your family, too.

Hurricane...What hurricane?

I guess you could call this the "calm before the storm." Even though we are no longer in the direct line of Hurricane Ike, it will come near enough to give us some rainy, windy days...not exactly good beach days! Today was the perfect day to hit the beach. The water was so calm it looked like glass. There was not a cloud in the sky (not a good thing for Florida in the summer) and the beach was practically empty, which was also unusual. Maybe they were home getting ready for the storm. Anyway, it was a perfect day to look for shells, walk the beach and play with my camera. I even found a pair of jeans left along a wall. I'm sure there is a story there!:-)

Good Morning to you, too!

Sept. 2, 2008
Look what greeted me during our morning doggy walk. Isn't it beautiful? We've had so much rain and bad weather lately that it was almost like seeing the dove with the olive branch...maybe sunny skies are on the way. I usually don't mind the rain, it's just that it does make housebreaking a puppy really tough!:-) Happy September!