This cake is fabulous! However, there were several glitches in the recipe. The instructions didn't tell when to add the milk and vanilla. The 2nd amount of brown sugar (1/2 cup) isn't in the ingredient list. And the cranberry instrux are confusing. It says to use fresh OR frozen crans, and if using frozen ones, not to defrost before adding to recipe. I used fresh AND frozen crans, so wasn't sure whether to defrost. I partially defrosted them, and that seemed to work fine. So, lots of wondering, but it was finally worth it!

Homemade orange/cranberry relish has been on my family's Thanksgiving table for the past 45 yrs. My mom's widowed father remarried at age 75 and my new stepgrandmother introduced it - and lots of other "exotic" foods - to our family. Some branches of the family tree resisted it, but mine embraced it immediately. When DH & I were first married it was on our list of things to bring to the meal. We laugh every year when we remember trying to chase the berries around the cutting board with a too-dull knife in an effort to finely chop them. The year we finally got a mini food processor it was crazy easy to make! DH's family only eats the canned jelly.

Ci-lantro, that was my favorite cake for many, many years. I used to teach 1st grade and the kids ate lunch in the classroom with me until recess time. One day the sweetest little girl gave me a piece of cake that her mother baked. I thanked her and took one bite. Then I yelled out that it was the best cake I had ever tasted. I must have been really loud and forceful, because she froze with a worried look on her face. When I finally came to my senses, I assured her that I was just so happy eating that delicious piece of cake. I begged her to ask her mother for the recipe. The next day, she came with another piece of cake for my lunch and a beautifully hand written recipe card. I always referred to the cake as "Kimberly Dickey's Chocolate Cake."

Reporting back--I decided to use a melon baller instead of cutting the jelly into cubes, then sprinkled the fruit with chia seeds and skipped the walnuts. The mint leaves were all frozen, so I used celery leaves: I used the leftovers of the cranberry jelly, mixed with pineapple juice, to glaze the ham. It was delicious! My impressions of canned cranberry jelly: It was very bland, compared to my homemade relish, but the tart and sweet fruit gave the salad enough punch. It was very refreshing with the baked ham. I wouldn't eat the jelly alone, but the texture is perfect if you want to spread it on a sandwich, which I don't. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Here is my Cranberry Relish Recipe For A Crowd, for lovemrmewey: 4 12oz packages fresh cranberries, rinsed 1 tsp minced candied ginger or 1/2 tsp ground ginger 3 cups sugar (I short each cup by a couple of tablespoons) 4 6oz packages of gelatin--any red or orange--I use red raspberry 2 20oz cans crushed pineapple, drained (reserve liquid) 4 11oz-15oz cans mandarin oranges, drained (reserve liquid) 2 tart apples, finely chopped zest of one orange, or 2Tbs OJ concentrate Make gelatin using the reserved liquid from the pineapple and mandarin oranges, with enough water added to complete the instructions. Chill until almost set--thick but not solid. While gelatin is chilling, cook 3 packages of the cranberries with 3 cups water and sugar. Cool. Grind the cooked cranberries with the remaining uncooked cranberries. I use a blender for this step. Cranberries can be cooked the night before and allowed to cool overnight in fridge. Mix the almost set gelatin, cranberry mixture, drained fruit, and orange zest. Chill until set. Keeps well for several days, and can be frozen. OT, here's a pic of my Christmas Eve cheese fish, requested by my grandson. Brother and SIL brought shrimp, so 10yr old GS had fun telling everyone 'Merry Fishmas'. Diabetic cherry Christmas pie for my father: