These are sooooo easy to put together. Serve warm from the oven and you’ll have the family waiting in line for the sweet goodness of these perfect sweet rolls.

Apricot Sweet Rolls

8 servings
160 calories per serving

1 can low fat refrigerated dinner rolls or biscuits
1/3 c apricot – pineapple preserves (or any flavor preserves that you like)
2 t sugar
¼ t cinnamon
¼ c sliced almonds
Pam

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9 inch round cake pan or a deep dish pie plate with Pam. Separate dough into individual rolls and place in pan – I do a circle around the edge with 8 rolls and 2 in the center. Starting ¼ inch in from the edges cut a deep X into the top of each roll then open slightly by pulling the dough toward the edges. Fill each with 2 t of the preserves. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon then sprinkle with almonds and bake ½ hour or until golden. Serve warm.

This is a great cake that can be left rather plain or you can dress it up with a drizzle of heated apricot jam or some whipped cream. The apricot flavor is so sweet and the brown sugar is so homey – this is a perfect way to jazz up a box cake mix !

Apricot Cake

12 servings
285 calories per serving

1 moist white cake mix (240 calories per serving prepared as directed)
2 16 oz. cans apricot halves, drained
½ c Splenda brown sugar substitute
Pam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix cake mix with water, oil and eggs and prepare as directed. Pour into 2 8×8 squared or 8 inch round baking pans sprayed with Pam. Drop apricots on top rounded side up (they will sink). Sprinkle with Splenda and bake 35-40 minutes. Optionally, squirt with some canned whipped cream.

Sangria is a great festive drink – adding the fruit to the wine makes it so much more special. You can set up pitchers well ahead of time so that the fruit really soaks up the wine. This one does away with the usual apples and oranges and adds some really flavorful tropical fruits. Don’t forget to serve some fruit in each glass !

Tropical Sangria

8 servings
172 calories per serving

6 c cubed fruit (mangoes, pineapple, apricot, cantaloupe, honeydew, apples, etc.)
¼ c thinly sliced and peeled ginger
1 c fresh mint or basil leaves
½ c orange liquer or orange juice
1 bottle Pinot Grigio for white or 1 bottle Beaujolais for red
2 T lemon juice

Bruise basil or mint leaves and combine all in a pitcher and refrigerate at least one hour.

[FA_Lite id="9343"]