Tuscany Soup and Dr Pepper Cake!

We celebrated Amber's 28 week goal of this Quad Squad Pregnancy on Saturday with a Texas favorite - Dr Pepper Cake!

Everyone loved it and Mike came home last night with the EMPTY dish!

The nurses and staff helped finish it off!

Dr Pepper Cake

Cake:

1 box German Chocolate Cake mix (I sometimes use devil's food or whatever)

1 box instant vanilla pudding

2/3 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 can Dr Pepper

Frosting:

1  (8 oz) pkg cream cheese

1 stick butter

1/4 cup cocoa

1 tsp vanilla

1 pound powdered sugar

1 cup pecans

Cake:

Combine first three ingredients, mix well. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Add Dr Pepper, mix well. Pour batter into greased and floured pan.

(I use a 9 X 13 inch pan)

Bake at 325 degrees for 35 minutes. Cool in pan before frosting.

Frosting:

Melt butter and beat together with first 5 ingredients until light and fluffy. Mix chopped pecans or you can sprinkle them on top.

Yesterday I made soup for Amber using one of HER favorite recipes.

This is 'Carmelized Onion, Tomato, and Cannellini Bean Soup.'

The recipe is from Sur la Table.......

The Art and Soul of Cooking.

My copy is pretty beat up looking!

It's a healthy soup and one Amber has made many times.

She actually made this the first time in a cooking class she took for her birthday last year.

Remember the kale I carried around in my purse that weekend?

Well, I didn't make the soup til yesterday so I had to get fresh!

Good thing I didn't get the pancetta that day! I am sure it would be rank by now!

These are homemade croutons made from a fresh loaf of French bread.

I KNOW the recipe calls for 'Italian Bread Cubes!'

I improvised!

Now Amber and I cook very differently.

She is a gourmet-ish Rachel Ray kind of gal.

Amber also LOVES to cook and often makes up her own recipes!

I, on the other hand, am a basic cook. Meat and potatoes. Simple.

And I do NOT 'love to cook.'  I cook because we eat. And we eat every bite I cook because if there are leftovers - then that counts as FOOD and I have a saying - 'No NEW food!' - til all the OLD is gone!

That being said, this recipe made a LOT of soup!!

I brought up a good sized container for their dinner tonight.

Meanwhile - back at the ranch - Louis Dean is whipping up some chicken fried steak.

I seldom fry anything except bacon or potatoes! LD is a great cook and loves to adventure. He is also baking his awesome cinnamon rolls!

Isn't it funny how different people are when it comes to the KITCHEN?

Louis Dean spent a good bit of time loving on Amber's cats yesterday!

Amber and Mike have trained them NOT to jump up unless there is a quilt down on our laps. I am surprised July CAN jump up! She is 20 years old!

Amber and I have spent a quiet day together. The contractions have backed off and she has napped a good bit. This is the very first MONDAY I have been up here. I usually arrive on a Tuesday. However, we are staying til the babies arrive now.

Mondays are one of my favorite days.......the new week is in front of me and who knows what wonders will happen?