A little at a time

I suppose that is my mantra in life.  Can Christians have mantras?

Anyhoo... I've been preaching that to both myself and my daughter this week.  Especially as she is trying to pack the belongings for a family of six while going into her 9th month of pregnancy.  Having packed while pregnant and a few times when sick, I remembered how much could be accomplished by packing just a couple of the difficult boxes and many of the easier ones each day... until it became necessary to bring others in when the move was close.

Thankfully, that cold never became as bad as Christopher's, most likely because I could rest a lot and he couldn't.  I still have the annoying cough, which started with the plague and continues due to the cold and seasonal allergies.  I don't have them nearly as bad as the guys, just the normal watery eyes and sniffles... and cough.  Compared to the illnesses of winter, I'm downright healthy!  All that to say... I'm back to a regular household maintenance schedule.

Saturday is a work day for me, most likely a carry over from my former life when I worked outside the home all week.  Just as Sunday is a slow day for pondering He Who Created Me, Saturday morning is met with a to do list.  Today I've been getting caught up on laundry and I hope to organize my shelves in the tall pantry and another kitchen shelf.  They all became cluttered over the winter and I haven't a clue what is behind some of those jumbled up packages and cans.

I'm hoping to get back to a schedule of baking soon, to have healthy snacks for the guys here at home and for Christopher to take with him to campus.  I am still getting fatigued easily and with a mountain of laundry (which has been reproducing on its' own), I didn't want to spend a lot of time baking today.  So, I made this...

Chocolate Cherry Cake

No, it isn't healthy but it is easy and delicious and a favorite around here.  It is also one of my pantry dishes, meaning all or most of the ingredients can be kept in the pantry for when that moment when one craves chocolate.  I believe the cake in the picture above used a devil's food cake mix.  I now almost always use a german chocolate cake mix, which is a little lighter (use devils food if you like a rich, dark chocolate).

I make most of my cakes and icing but there are a few recipes which start with a cake mix that the family considers just as good as "from scratch".  This is one of them.  Since I can't eat sugar very often, I have become very picky about what I make for those rare times I can give in.  Most of the time it involves chocolate.

I must admit to cutting a slice while it was still slightly warm, putting it on a plate, and letting it sit in the freezer about fifteen minutes.  My excuse was that I wanted to have a piece for lunch after taking my insulin... the truth was I just couldn't wait.  I like this cake cold (never warm!) so it is usually stored in the frig but it's just fine at room temperature. 

It's a good potluck and picnic cake, I just bake it in a 9 x 13 stainless steel baking pan that has a lid you can slide on when transporting it.  Just be certain to bring napkins for a picnic.  :)

The recipe can be found... here.