Calling All Dads! Quick & Easy Chicken & Noodles You Can Make For Mother’s Day!

Yep, it’s almost Mother’s Day again! Moms love to have a day off with no cooking! Are you a dad that tries to cook lunch for your wife or even for your mom? Kudos to you and a pat on the back for being awesome! This chicken and noodles recipe is super easy and you can impress your wife with your cooking abilities! (If you are a mom reading this, maybe casually send your husband a link to this blog page!) 😉

Here are all the ingredients you’ll need: 1 – 32 oz. carton of chicken broth, 1 – 28 oz. can of cooked chicken, 1 – 12.5 oz. can of cooked chicken (only needed if you like lots of chicken in your chicken and noodles), 1 – 16 oz. bag of medium noodles (they can be whatever thickness you prefer), and 1 – 10.5 oz can of Cream of Chicken soup. I suggest checking the noodles bag for the time needed to cook them…this brand only needs cooked for 10 minutes.

Using a large nonstick cooking pan (mine is a 5 quart pan), pour in the broth and both cans of chicken. Include the broth that’s in the cans of chicken. Break the chicken into bite-sized pieces.

Bring to a boil over a high heat but keep a close eye on it so it doesn’t boil over. (You will lose brownie points if you make a big mess on the stove.) 😉

When the broth and chicken mixture is boiling, add the noodles and stir so they are all down in the broth.

Reduce the heat to medium and cook for the time printed on the noodle bag. Set a timer…don’t try to remember what time you started the noodles cooking. 😉 You may need to add some water as the noodles cook. You should always see some liquid in the pan. Stir occasionally to keep the noodles from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

After the noodles have cooked for the time on the bag, carefully remove one noodle with a fork and see if the noodle is soft enough. Eat it and see what you think. (See? There are benefits to being the chef!) Some people like noodles a little chewy while others want them softer. You can cook it a little longer if you like them softer. When the noodles have reached the desired tenderness, add the Cream of Chicken soup.

Stir the soup in and allow the mixture to cook for just a couple minutes more so the soup is heated completely. The soup helps the noodles to be creamy and adds more flavor.

That’s all there is to it! You did it!! You can serve the chicken and noodles with a heated veggie, bread and butter, fruit, salad, applesauce, etc. Some people like mashed potatoes with chicken and noodles. HINT: Bob Evans sells already made mashed potatoes that you simply heat in the microwave. They are available in most grocery stores. 🙂 Heat them in a bowl and she’ll never know you didn’t make them from scratch! LOL

This recipe of chicken and noodles is, of course, good for a quick meal anytime! Hope you enjoy making them! 🙂

Wacky Cake for Wacky Wednesday

Today I have another fun and easy cake recipe that’s great for kids to make. Yes, believe it or not, the name of this cake is actually Wacky Cake! It’s been a favorite in my family as far back as when I was a child. I know…all those eons ago… 😉 My older sister, Susie, is the one I remember making it most often. I think they call it Wacky Cake because you mix it up and bake it all in the same pan.

Oooo! Doesn’t that chocolate cake look amazing?! Let’s get on with making it so you can soon be EATING it! Here’s what you’ll need: 1 C. white sugar, 1 1/2 C. flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 C. cocoa, 1 teaspoon soda, 1 Tablespoon of vinegar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, 1/3 C. oil and 1 C. cold water.

If you have a flour sifter, it will make the next part extra fun. I’ve never met a kid that didn’t like using a sifter. 😉 If you don’t have a sifter, it’s fine without one.

Grab an 8″ x 8″ pan and your sifter, if you have one, and measure all the dry ingredients into the sifter. No need to grease the pan.

If using a sifter, let the kids take turns turning the handle and making the dry ingredients sift down into the 8″ x 8″ pan.

If you’re not using a sifter, just add all the dry ingredients to your pan.

Mix GENTLY with a spoon. Try to curb the enthusiasm level of the stirring or you will do what I did and end up with dry ingredients outside of the pan. Oops! Haha!

After you finish mixing the dry ingredients, make 3 holes in the mixture. (Maybe that’s another part of the “Wacky”.)

Put the vanilla in the first hole, the vinegar in the second hole and the oil in the third hole.

The vinegar will probably fizz up when it comes in contact with the baking soda and kids usually think that’s pretty cool. Pour the water in next.

Time for more GENTLE stirring. 😉 Stir until the ingredients are mixed together and fairly smooth.

I like to take a paper towel and wipe off the upper inside edges of the pan, just to make it look nicer after it’s baked.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Your house will smell lovely! Stick a toothpick into the center of the cake to test and see if the cake has cooked all the way through. Your toothpick should come out clean when the cake is done.

Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting with your favorite frosting. I “cheated” and used a can of frosting. 😉

I suggest spreading the frosting in one direction rather than back and forth or the top of the cake might lift off.

If you have some sprinkles on hand, you can add them on top while the frosting is still wet. (Sprinkles make everything better, right?)

Don’t you just want to eat some right now?? Wacky cake goes great with vanilla ice cream!

I hope you and your kids will have fun making Wacky Cake together! And I hope you will enjoy eating one of our favorite family recipes. Thanks for stopping by!

Kids Making Easy Cornbread

Are you looking for simple recipes that kids can help make? Or for older kids, even make on their own? This is a great recipe for yummy cornbread that comes from the Quaker yellow cornmeal canister. It’s been a favorite in our family for a long time. This recipe works great if you want to make it dairy free by just using water instead of milk.

Gather up your ingredients…flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, milk OR water, oil and an egg. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease an 8 or 9″ baking pan.

Put all the dry ingredients together in a bowl.

Mix together.

Break the egg into a cup and beat it with a fork.

Add the milk or water, oil and the beaten egg to the dry ingredients.

Stir together with a spoon and pour into the greased pan.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

We like to eat cornbread with butter and maple syrup or molasses. It goes great with soup! If you need more cornbread, this recipe works well when doubled and baked in a 9″ x 13″ pan. Just extend the baking time…start checking to see if it’s done at 30 minutes.

Baking with kids is a great learning experience for kids and a way to spend some quality time together. And the cornbread tastes great too! 😉 Enjoy!