My Mom's Lemon Cupcakes

My Mom's Lemon Cupcakes

1 Yello Cake Mix

4 eggs

3/4 c. water

1 (3 oz.) package of Lemon Jello

3/4 c. vegetable oil

Mix all ingredients together.  Follow directions on cake mix box for oven temperature and bake time.  I threw out my box accidentally.  I set my oven for 350 degrees and baked my cupcakes for about 18 minutes.

Frosting (make while cupcakes are baking)

1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

2 tbs. melted butter

juice from 2 lemons to thin frosting down

Mix butter and sugar together first.  Add lemon juice a little at a time to thin down mixture.  It should have a nice pouring consistency and be on the tart side.  Make sure your frosting is nice and smooth or you will end up with powdered sugar lumps on top of your cupcakes.  Just look at my picture above.  It doesn't taste bad but might look a little prettier without the white lumps.  :)

When cupcakes are removed from the oven and still hot, take a fork and poke holes into cupcakes.  You will pour the frosting into these holes.  I poked and poured at the same time so I could use the fork to hold open my holes a bit.  If you have icing left over, feel free to pour directly on top.  

Panera's Cream Cheese Potato Soup

Panera's Cream Cheese Potato Soup

Ingredients

4 c. chicken broth

4 c. potatoes, peeled and cubed

1/4 c. onion, minced

1/2 tsp. seasoning salt

1/4 tsp. white pepper

1/4 tsp. ground red pepper

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, cut into chunks

Directions

Combine broth, potatoes, onion, and spices.  Boil on medium heat until potatoes are tender.  Smash a few of the potatoes to release their starch for thickening.  Reduce to low heat.  Add cream cheese.  Heat, stirring frequently, until cheese melts.

Thank you Kathi for this yummy recipe!!!

My tidbits:

I don't think I smashed enough potatoes because my soup didn't thicken up.  To solve this, I could up more potato cubes in the microwave, added some of the soup juice, and then mashed the potatoes.  I added that mixture into my soup and it thicken up nicely.  Be sure to give the cream cheese time to melt.  Don't worry if it looks chunky.  Just keep stirring and make sure you have the heat up just right.  We served it with bread and bacon bits.  You could also top it with cheese, chives, or just about anything you like.  

I fed three adults and had enough leftover to feed four adults again the next day.  That's what I love about soups-the gift that keeps on giving.  I'm going to try freezing my leftovers.