Cherry Cheese Pie

2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 cans (15 oz. approx. each) cherry pie filling
1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 oz. cream cheese, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix graham crackers and butter together.  Press into 9 x 13 x 2 baking dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  Mix sweetened condensed milk and cream cheese together until well blended.  Spread evenly over graham cracker crust.  Gently spread cherry pie filling over milk mixture.  Bake 30 minutes.  Cool completely before cutting.

Comment:  The original recipe for this was didn't call for the cream cheese but I decided to add it and see how it worked out.  It worked out great!  You get just a hint of a cheese cake taste making it perfect.  Before I added the cream cheese I put it in a bowl and into the microwave for about 20 minutes to soften.  When I added it to the milk all I needed was a whisk to blend the two together.  This dish can be made with just about any pie filling... strawberry, blueberry, apple, etc.  It's a simple dish that takes no time to make. The original recipe also called for sugar in the crust which I omitted.  I also bought pie filling with no added sugar.  By doing this my dish was sweet but not over-sweet.  And for an added uniqueness I used spoon rest dishes to serve.

Cherry Nut Cake

1 yellow cake mix
2 eggs
1 can (21 oz.) cherry pie filling
1/4 cup finely chopped nuts

Peheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix cake mix, eggs and pie filling with an electric mixer until completely blended. Stir in nuts. Pour into a bundt pan sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake 55-60 minutes or until tooth pick inserted in the thickest part comes out clean.

The changes for this cake are many. You can start by changing the cake mix and using a pie filling that compliments the flavor of the cake. Example... Lemon cake mix with lemon pie filling. Spice cake mix with apple pie filling. You can change the nuts by using almonds, pecans or walnuts. I used pecans when I made the cherry nut but walnuts would have been just as good. You can leave the cake plain or make a drizzle by using 1/4 cup of powdered sugar and about a tablespoon of milk or evaporated milk. I use the evaporated milk for richness and flavor. I also drizzle the cake while it's still hot. This cake comes out moist and has plenty of flavor, plus it's pretty.