Chocolate Cherry Bars

You'd better believe this will be making an appearance in the coming month. In my family at least, June is THE month to be born. Heck, don't limit it to family and I swear I know of someone celebrating every other day.

My mom has been making this super easy chocolate cherry cake as long as I can remember. It was automatically on my dad's birthday menu year after year. I will often keep a can of cherry pie filling and chocolate cake mix in the pantry so it won't require a trip to the store and dessert can be thrown together quickly. Best part is that it won't taste like it.

HEAVEN comes in a 9x13 pan.

And if you are a chocolate frosting fan, you're in luck. It's super fudgy in a Texas Sheet Cake kind of way, and there are no cake decorating skills required.

I guarantee all your June babies will be pleased.

 

Chocolate Cherry Bars

 

Author: Erin (adapted from a Pillsbury recipe)

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 35 mins

Total time: 50 mins

Ingredients

• Cake


• 1 box of chocolate cake mix


• 1 can cherry pie filling (21 oz.)


• 1 tsp. vanilla extract


• 3 eggs, lightly beaten


• Frosting


• 1 c. sugar


• 1/3 c. milk


• 5 tsp. butter


• 1 c. semisweet chocolate chips (one 6 oz. package)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease or spray a 9x13 pan.


2. Mix together all cake ingredients until well blended, and pour into prepared pan.


3. Bake 25-35 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.


4. In a saucepan, combine sugar, milk and butter.


5. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.


6. Remove from pan from heat and stir in chocolate chips until smooth.


7. Pour frosting over warm bars, and spread to edges.


8. Allow to cool completely and cut into bars.

 

Notes

I have had good results with any kind of devil's food or fudge cake mix. You can definitely mix this cake by hand. A mixer works fine too but tends to crush the cherries, so they might not be as obvious in the finished product.

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One Skillet Balsamic Chicken and Pears

I love cooking with fruit. Maybe it's the sweet tooth I can't EVER seem to shake. But combining a little sweet with the savory is a personal favorite. My friends (ahem....Wendy and Leah!) joke that they always know exactly what I will order off a menu even before I open my mouth.  Let's just say they wouldn't be the least bit surprised (while chatting over the phone during the daily, dinner prep hour) to hear I'm making this recipe.

Another bonus here? It's a ONE SKILLET meal. Which means 3/4 of my kitchen isn't stacked around the sink when I'm done. It's adapted from a Good Housekeeping cookbook I reach for all the time. And stay tuned because I'm sure you'll see me refer to some of the other numerous winners I've pulled from it's pages.

I've used various combinations of apples, pears, dried cherries, dried cranberries, and raisins to make this. They are all good so feel free to use your favorite taste combo.

 

One Skillet Balsamic Chicken and Pears

Author: Erin (adapted from Good Housekeeping)

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2 t. vegetable oil


• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts


• 2 Bosc pears, cored and cut into thin wedges


• 1 c. chicken broth


• 3 T balsamic vinegar


• 2 t. cornstarch


• 1 1/2 t. sugar


• 1/4 c. dried cherries

Instructions

1. Heat 1 t. vegetable oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook through, turning once, until golden brown in color. Remove to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.


2. Heat remaining 1 t. of oil in same skillet, add pears, and cook till softened and golden brown.


3. In a liquid measuring cup, measure out 1 c. of chicken broth. Add vinegar, cornstarch, and sugar and mix well with a fork.


4. Add broth mixture and dried fruit to pears in skillet. Heat to boiling while stirring constantly, then boil 1 minute till thickened.


5. Return chicken to skillet, coat in sauce, and heat through. Serve.

Notes

I will often use a thin sliced chicken breast for this recipe if I happen to find them. It just makes the cooking that much faster. If your chicken breasts are on the thick side, I would recommend pounding them a little thinner to reduce cooking time.

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