What's Cookin!

So it has been a roller coaster ride of temps this week in NC.  We have run the heat and the air conditioning.  I love this time of year!  Monday night was a little chilly so I made a crock pot of soup.  My Grandmother was never one to be in the kitchen a lot.  When I did stay with her, I can remember two things...Trix cereal spread out on a cookie sheet and heated in the oven for snack (Sounds weird, but it is so tasty!) and chicken and stars soup.  So I finally made a homemade version!  Super Soup!  

1 pound of chicken breast
1 can cream of chicken soup
6 cups water
1 package of chicken flavor booster (I use Swanson brand)
Onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste

Mix ingredients in the crock pot and cook on low for 5-6 hours.  After 5-6 hours remove Chicken and cut into chunks and stir broth well.  Add the chicken back to the crock pot and turn the heat to high.  Add...

1 1/2 cups small star pasta
2 cups baby spinach
1 can cannellini beans (rinsed and drained)

Cook for an additional 15-20 minutes or until pasta is cooked and spinach has wilted in.  The longer it cooks the thicker the soup gets and the less broth there will be.  It is quite yummy and you can definitely add or take away.  My daughter loves cannellini beans and it goes well with spinach, but the soup would also be good with peas and carrots as well.  Add and take away to adjust to your family's likes and dislikes!  I hope your family enjoys!

Last week was all about cakes in our house.  I made four cakes and my mom made one for the Kindergarten Cake Walk at my daughter's school.  I made two of the snickerdoodle cake (We can't bake cakes in our house and not keep one for ourselves :)  I adapted this from the snickerdoodle bars recipe to make it with a more cake like texture.  I made a cream cheese type icing for the one we kept because it is better refrigerated  and I made one without the cream cheese for the one for the carnival.  I hope that one tasted as yummy as ours did!  I also made a blueberry pound cake.  It was hilarious because some high school boys picked it.  I couldn't believe they would want a pound cake verses something chocolate, but later that day they had already devoured it in the lunch room...something every baker loves to see!  

http://mansionmoms.blogspot.com/2012/08/whats-cooking-wednesdays-blueberries.html

Cake

2 3/4  cups all-purpose flour

3  teaspoons baking powder

1  teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2  teaspoon salt

     1/2 cup softened butter

     1 Tbsp canola oil

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

     3 eggs

2 1/2  teaspoons vanilla

1 1/4 cups milk

Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

Topping

2  teaspoons granulated sugar

1/2  teaspoon ground cinnamon

Heat oven to 350°F.  Grease and flour 13x9 pan

In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and the salt; set aside.

In large bowl, beat butter and oil with electric mixer on medium speed 30 seconds. Gradually add 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar and brown sugar, about 1/3 cup at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping bowl. Beat 2 minutes longer. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla. On low speed, alternately add flour mixture, about one-third at a time, and 1 1/4 cups milk, about half at a time, beating just until blended.

Spread batter evenly in pan.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

In large bowl, mix powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, butter and cream cheese with electric mixer on low speed. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla. If too thick you can add a Tbsp of milk.  You can frost cooled cake right in the pan. In small bowl, mix cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle over frosted cake.  Store in the fridge.

Today's Verse

"Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer."  Romans 12:12