chocolate cherry cake

i made this CHOCOLATE CHERRY CAKE for COUPLES BUNCO and it was a big hit! one person commented to me that they thought it was too PRETTY to be a real cake. i will definitely be making this again! :)

INGREDIENTS
1 pkg 18.25-oz chocolate cake mix
2 cans 19-oz cherry pie filling
2 large eggs

DIRECTIONS
preheat oven to 350° F. in a large bowl, combine cake mix, 1 can of pie filling and eggs. beat on slow speed for 2-minutes. pour batter evenly into a greased bundt cake pan. bake 50-minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. cool 25-minutes before removing from pan. glaze with 2nd can of cherry pie filling. i used about half of the can.

Meatball Appetizers

Made this on New Year's Eve...sister-in-law had made it before, more than once, but it is a popular way to make meatball appetizers...

1 12 oz. jar of chili sauce (Heinz makes it, but there are generic store brands--it's by the ketchup)
1 18 oz. jar of grape jelly
bag of frozen meatballs (I used a bag of 80)

If you want more sauce you can double the chili sauce and jelly...

Now...in the crockpot add the jar of chili sauce and the jar of grape jelly...stir and heat-up until they are all mixed up...add the meatballs and cook for about 3 hours...

I started cooking it late on New Year's Eve; so, I just did it on the stove in a pot, and its pretty fast--about 20 minutes--then, I just added it to the crock-pot and kept on warm. Be sure to put a note/label on or near crock-pot--people kept forgetting they were there! :)

Tex Mex Black Bean Dip

15 ounces black beans (1 can) drained
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup diced tomato
1/3 cup mild picante sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 ounce shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese (1/4 cup)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Place beans in a bowl; partially mash until chunky. Set aside.

Heat oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; saute 4 minutes or until tender. Add beans, tomato, and next 3 ingredients; cook 5 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; add cheese and remaining ingredients, stirring until cheese melts.

Yield: 1-2/3 cups

From Weight Watchers.

black-eyed peas

For as long as I can remember our family has prepared black-eyed peas on New Years as a sign of good luck for the future.

• black-eyed peas, 2 cans
• bacon, 4 strips
• chopped onion, 1/2 cup
• chopped bell pepper, 1/2 cup

In a medium saucepan, chop four strips of bacon and cook until slightly brown. Add the onions and bell pepper. Sauté for 15 to 20 minutes or until onions are golden. Add the black-eyed peas to the mixture, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Yum!

sangria

My cousin Becky made sangria for Thanksgiving and gave us her recipe. So good and super easy! I made some for Christmas and New Year's Eve.

• Carlo Rossi Sangria wine (I bought the large 4 liter jug)
• Sprite soda
• Five Alive citrus frozen concentrate (I couldn't find Five Alive so I used a store brand fruit punch flavor)
• assorted fruit, cut up (I used lemons, strawberries and grapes)

Mix equal parts of Carlo Rossi and Sprite in a pitcher. Add frozen juice concentrate and cut fruit. Stir well to combine. Pour in a glass and enjoy!

five-minute fudge wreath

I found this recipe on Rachael Ray's website years ago. It's easy and a hit every time I've made it.

• 1 (12-ounce) bag semisweet chocolate morsels
• 9 ounces (3/4 of a 12-ounce bag) butterscotch morsels
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (save the can)
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (8-ounce) can walnut halves
• ½ cup raisins or dried currants (a couple of handfuls)
• 8-inch cake pan, lightly greased with softened butter
• Candied cherries, red and green, for garnish, optional

1. Grease an 8-inch round cake pan with softened butter. Pour the chocolate and butterscotch chips, condensed milk and vanilla into a medium saucepan. Put the pan on the stove and turn the heat to low.

2. Cover the empty condensed-milk can with plastic wrap and put it in the center of the round cake pan.

3. Stir the chips and milk until they melt together, about 3 minutes. Move the pan off the stove and place the pan on a pot holder so it does not burn the kitchen counter. Stir in the nuts and raisins.
   

4. Scoop the fudge into the cake pan all around the plastic-covered can in the center to form a wreath or ring shape. Let it be all bumpy and funky on top. Keep pushing the can back to the center if the fudge moves it away from there.
   

5. Cut the red cherries in half with scissors and the green cherries into quarters. Use the green pieces to make leaves and the red to make holly berries. Decorate the fudge with several groups of holly berry sprigs made from the cherries and garnish with walnuts between the sprigs.
   

The fudge looks good left plain, too! Leave out the red and green to create fudge for any occasion. Or you can substitute Heath bar pieces, peppermint pieces, dried fruit pieces, mini Reeses pieces... there are endless possibilities!

mai tai

This recipe came from my cousin Ann.

1 oz rum
1 oz cherry mix (Ann uses Grenadine)
2/3 cup pineapple juice
1/3 cup orange juice
ice