Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Here's a fantastic, homemade chocolate frosting! This makes about 2 cups of frosting; just enough for a sheet cake. If you want more {and you know you will} just double the recipe. Then you'll have plenty for a two layer, 9" round cake.

6 Tbs butter, softened
2 ⅔ c powdered sugar
1/2 c Hershey's cocoa
1/3 c milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Beat butter in mixing bowl. Add powdered sugar and cocoa alternately with milk. Beat to a smooth, spreading consistency. Mix in vanilla. If your frosting seems a little loose {because you have a warm kitchen and hey, you're working with real butter here}, just pop it into the 'fridge for 10-15 minutes to firm it up a bit. Then frost away!!

Chocolate Cherry Fudge Cake

This is, by far, my favorite cake!  The base of the cake was taken in part from Hershey's, but it's mainly my mom's creation.  This was just one of her repertoire of cakes she used to make for my dad, sisters, and me.  Now that I have the recipe, I've been making it at least once a year for someone's birthday in my own family.  Hope you like it!


Ingredients:
1 3/4 c.  sugar                 1 1/3 c. buttermilk
2/3  c.  butter                 1/2 c. Hershey's cocoa
2 eggs                             1/2 c. boiling water                      
1 tsp. vanilla                    1 bottle maraschino cherries
2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour {unbleached}
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt {sea salt}

Preheat oven to 350 degrees; grease and flour 2-9 inch layer cake pans.  Drain cherries. Chop with a knife or food processor.  Set aside with 2 Tbs. flour. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy; add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.  Add vanilla.  Sift together flour, soda, and salt and add alternately with buttermilk.  Make a heavy, smoothe paste with the boiling water and cocoa; cool slightly, add to batter and blend well.  In a small bowl dust cherries with the flour, then stir into batter.  Pour into the 2 pans and bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until done.  Let cool in pans, on a wire rack, for about 30 minutes.  Frost and serve.  Yuummmm!!!

Psst! For an awesome, delectable frosting go here!

Ranch Chicken

This recipe is so yummy, easy, and delicious! The main ingredients are as follows:

* 3/4 c. fine corn flake crumbs

* 3/4 c. grated parmesan cheese

* 1 pkg. ranch dressing mix

* 2 sticks butter, melted

* 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

1. In a medium size bowl, mix together the first three ingredients.

2. With the melted butter in a large cereal bowl, dip one chicken breast in the butter, completely immersing it.

3. Next, drag the chicken in the dry mixture making sure it is completely coated.

4. Lay the chicken in a 13" x 9" baking dish.

5. Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces. For any chicken that will not fit in the dish, just place in a second baking dish. I usually put 4-5 pieces in the large dish and put the rest in a smaller dish.

6. Sprinkle the remaining dry mixture around the chicken and pour the butter over the sprinkles. This will create a wonderful sauce to pour on rice or noodles, or to pour on the cooked chicken itself. We call this sauce "ranchlin's."

7. With oven rack in the middle of the oven, bake the large pan of chicken for 20-25 minutes. After it's done you can bake the remaining 1-2 pieces. We are very big on leftovers so the first batch easily feeds this family of four. The second batch is for either hubby's lunch (he's a leftover-aholic) or leftover night.

8. Serve with rice or noodles and a veg -- love steamed broccoli with this! Enjoy!