Mary's Baked Fruit ~ 12.18.11

Mary's Baked Fruit is one of my favorite recipes from home. We have this at many a holiday celebration and it always makes me think of Christmas (well, and Easter, too). It contains a very unique ingredient that doesn't quite taste the way you expect it to taste: curry! Whenever I tell someone it's in there the response is quite often, "I don't really like curry and stay away from anything with it in it!" And then they try this recipe and are sold.

In our family, the peaches and pineapples are the first to go. Poor pears! So, we usually increase the amounts of those in the recipe. I've even increased the fruit in this recipes WITHOUT increasing the "sauce" ingredients.

I will give you one caveat before you proceed, the sauce in this stains. It's ruined a few shirts, but again, it's well worth it and I just give lots of warnings about that fact. My kids LOVE this recipe and it will be around for many years to come. I'm including some photos of my fruit draining process. My mom always used paper towels, but I was trying to be a bit more "green" ;)

Mary's Baked Fruit


Best made the day before or several... the flavors marry together and it gets better!
Increase/decrease fruit amts. per preference

1 lg can cling peach halves (the pics show slices as that was what I had on hand at the time)
1 lg can pineapple slices
1 lg can pear halves
1/3 cup butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2-4 tsp. curry powder (we use 2)

1. Drain fruit and dry on paper towels- or use towels (see photos above). Absorb as much moisture as possible.
2. Arrange fruit in casserole dish.
3. Melt butter, then add brown sugar and curry. Spoon over the fruit.
4. Bake 1 hour in 325-350 degree oven.

Serves 4-6--- of course you can double/ triple the recipe! you can also freeze the leftovers.

Birthday Cake for Jesus~ 12.12.10

When Max was in preschool, his teacher sent him home with directions for making a birthday cake for Jesus. It had been a longstanding tradition in her family and thankfully, she decided to share that with her students and their families! I loved the idea and quickly adopted it as well.

When I made it for our family, we made chocolate cupcakes using my favorite recipe: a doctored up box of cake mix!*** (see recipe below)

And then we simply followed the rules for decorating by placing the cupcakes on a large round platter.

1. Make it round: like the never ending circle, so is His love for all of us.
2. Make it chocolate- like the darkness our sins bring to us and others
3. Make it covered in white frosting- like his purity covering our weakness
4. Top it with a yellow star and put an angel---bearer of the first glad tidings. (we used the angel from our Fisher Price Nativity and a cut out star)
5. Put 12 red candles on top-- like the 12 months of the year that Christ is our light, add red for the blood He willingly shed for us.
6. Encircle this loving cake with evergreens-- the symbol of everlasting life.

Before enjoying your cake, you could sing Happy Birthday to Jesus or pray together as a family thanking God for the generous gift of His Son, Jesus and many gifts that He lavishes upon us.

****Super Moist Fudge Bundt Cake.
from Erin W. and Melanie C. & My Kitchen Cafe blog


1 devils food cake mix
1 4-serving instant chocolate pudding mix
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream (not low-fat or fat-free)
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips


Place all ingredients except chocolate chips in a large mixing bowl.
Blend with an electric mixer for 1 minute. Stir down sides.
Continue to mix on medium speed for 2-3 minutes.
Stir in chocolate chips.
Pour batter into prepared (i.e. greased and floured) bundt pan. (or cupcake liners or 2 9 in cake pans...)

Bake 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool 20 minutes.

Invert onto serving platter.

**if you're making this in 2 9-inch cake pans, you'll only bake it for somewhere between 22-28 minutes.keep checking with a toothpick to make sure it comes out clean and be careful not to stick it into a gooey chocolate chip! Also, if you make this into cupcakes, you'll need to check them sooner, say 17-18 minutes in... check with a toothpick and make sure you're not hitting a chocolate chip! ;)

Cranberry Jello Salad- a family fave

My Godmother, Deanna, made this recipe for years and its been a longstanding family tradition to have it at the Thanksgiving and Christmas tables. My kids love it and I've taken to making it throughout the year for picnics or as a fun side dish alongside pork or chicken. In fact, I'm so fond of making it that I always have the ingredients for this on hand for when I need a quick side dish- I keep them all together on the pantry shelf so that I know if I'm missing one of them or need to restock on whole cranberry sauce! Good tip.


I often leave out the walnuts when I bring it to a large group event as I'm fearful of nut allergies- so know that it tastes just as good without them as it does with them included.



Cranberry Jello Salad

1 large cherry jello (big package- or two small)
1 can Ocean Spray whole cranberry sauce
1 can crushed pineapple, drained, but not all the way
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
1/2- 1 cup walnut pieces

Boil 1/2 cup of water; Dissolve jello with water in large bowl.

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

Let sit overnight in fridge.



As I was typing this up, I noticed I taped an alternate version of this recipe to the back of my recipe card. I'm thinking I cut it out of a magazine or the coupon section of the paper. I'll post that here as it does sound interesting and the kids might really enjoy it! Let me know if you try it.