Chocolate Cherry Cake

This weekend I made one of our families favorite desserts.  It is an old standby that is so easy to prepare since it starts with boxed cake mix and a can of cherry pie filling. It reminds me of a very moist black forest cake.    I wanted to post a better picture of this cake, and had planned on taking another photo once it had been sliced.  Unfortunately, once it had been sliced, it was devoured by a house full of hungry teenage boys and was gone as quick as it was made.  I promise that this is one of the easiest and best tasting cakes and your family and friends will think you are a culinary genius.

Chocolate Cherry Cake

Cake:

1 box Devils Food Cake

1 can cherry pie filling ( I have used both the larger and medium sized cans and it did not seem to make a difference in the texture.)

2 eggs

1t. almond flavoring

Frosting:

1 c. granulated sugar

5 T. butter

1/3 c. milk

6 oz package of semisweet chocolate chips

Mix cake mix, cherry pie filling, eggs and extract by hand.  Pour the batter into a sprayed 9x13 baking dis and bake at 350* for about 30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.  

For the frosting, place the sugar, butter and milk in a saucepan and bring to a boil stirring constantly.  Boil for one minute.  Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate chips until smooth.  Pour the frosting over the warm cake.  

Plan Ahead Meals- Chicken 3 Ways

This weekend I decided to try planning ahead a little and make chicken 3 ways. Here's what I did. Cooked 7-8 chicken breasts in the crock pot covered in canned enchilada sauce and a little cumin, and a can of chopped green chiles. Cooked on low for 5- 6 hours and  when it was done I shredded the meat and used some of it for chicken tacos/burritos for that night's dinner. With the remainder I made a Tortilla chicken casserole and a Brunswick stew.

Tortilla Chicken Casserole
This can be made ahead.  Serve with sour cream, salsa, guacamole or fresh avocado diced.  


3 T. veg. oil
1 c. minced bell pepper(red or green) whatever you have
1 1/2 c. chopped onion
2 T. minced garlic
1/2 t. salt
2 1/2 t. cumin
1/4 c. all purpose flour
1 1/2 c. chicken broth
1 c. sour cream(or you could use the garlic flavored Philadelphia cooking creme)
5 c. cooked chicken
12 corn tortillas
3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese




Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot and then add the bell pepper, onion,garlic and salt. Cook 5 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.  Stir in the cumin and cook for 1 minute.  Add the flour and cook for 3 minutes.  Then add the broth and sour cream and simmer for 5 minutes stirring often.  Add chicken, and stir to blend. 


Soften the tortillas in the microwave by layering them between damp paper towels and heat in batches for 30 seconds.  


Arrange 4 tortillas in a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish.  Top with 1/3 of the chicken mixture and sprinkle with 1 c. cheese.   Cover with 4 more tortillas.  Repeat the layers with another 1/3 of chicken and 1 cup of cheese.  Add the last 4 tortillas, chicken mixture and cheese.  Can cover with foil and refrigerate for up to 2 days at this point.  


Bake uncovered at 350 for 35-45 minutes until it is bubbling and slightly browned.  If you did not refrigerate it and are baking right after assembling it will not take as long to cook, and I would check it after about 25 minutes.  


You can also freeze this casserole.  Follow the directions but freeze after preparing it.  When ready to cook, bake the foil covered  frozen casserole at 350 for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated.  I remove the foil for the last 10-15 minutes of baking.  






Brunswick Stew

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds ground pork(or can use Kielbasa type sausage cut into bite size pieces, or leftover BBQ)
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 (3 pound) whole cooked chicken, deboned and shredded
• 3 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with liquid
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup hickory flavored barbeque sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
• hot sauce to taste (optional)
• 1 green bell pepper diced
• 2(14.75 ounce) cans cream style corn
• 1 can of lima beans

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, and saute the onions and celery until soft. Mix in the pork and beef, and cook until evenly browned. Do not drain.
2. Transfer the pork and beef mixture to a large stock pot over low heat.  Could also add it to the crock pot at this point. Stir in the shredded chicken, tomatoes and their liquid, ketchup, and barbeque sauce. Season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Place the green pepper into the mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 hours, or until thickened.
3. Stir the cream style corn into the stew mixture. Continue cooking 1 hour, or to desired consistency. 
4. If you decide to use the crock pot I just cook it on low all day.  I usually assemble the night before and then plug it in the next day.