Pineapple Nut Quick Bread

We lived in Hawaii for 3 years where I learned to appreciate pineapple in all it’s forms and macadamia nuts.  It kills me to buy macadamias nowadays since they are so expensive.  Back in Hawaii they were so cheap.  Love them.

This is a nice quick bread and easy to make.   I would have liked a little more pineapple-y flavor but other than that we loved it.

Pineapple Nut Quick Bread

1 3/4 cups flour
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup macadamia nuts, chopped
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
3 tbsps butter, softened
2 eggs
1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple, undrained
2 tbsps sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350º.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Stir in the macadamias and set aside.

Cream brown sugar, butter, and eggs until fluffy. Stir the flour/nut mixture into the egg mixture. Stir in pineapple with juice.

Spoon dough into a greased 9×5 loaf pan. Combine 2 tbsps sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon and sprinkle over the top. Sprinkle a few macadamia nuts over the sugar and cinnamon if desired.

Bake at 350º for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Makes 1 loaf.

Source: The Tastes and Tales of Moiliili

Happy Cooking!

 

Lemon-Sugar Grilled Pineapple

When we lived in Hawaii, we could get pineapples practically off the vine.  They were so sweet and delicious (and cheap!).  We ate so many of them that I’m surprised we still like them!  This recipe is perfect if you get a not-so-sweet pineapple like I did recently.  A super easy grilled dessert that only uses 3 ingredients. The hardest part is peeling and cutting the pineapple ~ although it’s not really hard, just time-consuming.

We grill the pineapple after we finish eating dinner so it’s still warm when we eat it. This would also be great with some vanilla ice cream.

I found the recipe in an old All You magazine.

Lemon-Sugar Grilled Pineapple

1 fresh pineapple
2 tbsps grated lemon zest
1/2 cup sugar

Trim off the top and bottom of the pineapple. Peel the rind off being sure to get as many of the eyes off as possible as they are hard to eat. When peeled, cut the pineapple in half lengthwise and then into sections, making sure to cut the rind off each section.

Mix the sugar and zest in a ziplock bag.

Put a couple of the pineapple sticks into the bag at a time and shake until coated. Transfer to the grill and cook for 5-7 minutes or until you have grill marks and pineapple is softening up.

Cool slightly before eating so you don’t burn your mouth.

Makes 8 servings.

Happy Cooking!

Grilled Pound Cake and Tipsy Pineapple

I mishmashed two recipes together for our dessert on the Fourth of July.  I’ve made the pineapple before and when I saw Paula Deen grill pound cake the light bulb went off in my head.  The cake and the pineapple are fabulous together.  They are also super easy to do and will definitely impress.

I love cooking with bourbon and marinating the pineapple in a simple syrup/bourbon mixture really makes the pineapple taste outstanding.   To make sure you buy a ripe pineapple, simply smell the bottom of it.  If it smells nice and pineapply,  it’s ripe. The pineapple needs to marinate in the fridge for several hours. I make it in the morning and put together dessert at dinnertime.

As for the pound cake, I saw Paula Deen grill it but I couldn’t remember how she did it exactly so I just sort of played it by ear and it worked great.

Grilled Pound Cake and Tipsy Pineapple

Pound Cake:

1 frozen Sara Lee pound cake, thawed
Butter, softened
Brown Sugar

Slice pound cake into 1/2 inch or so slices. Brush each side with softened butter and sprinkle with brown sugar. Grill each side for about 2 minutes or until it is browned and toasty.

Tipsy Pineapple:

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup bourbon
2 fresh pineapples, cut into cubes

Bring the water and sugar to a boil and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add the bourbon. Pour mixture over the pineapple and let it marinate in the refrigerator for several hours.

Assembling the shortcakes:

After grilling the pound cake, place a slice on a dessert plate, spoon some pineapple over the pound cake, top with whipped cream and a few blueberries or whatever berry you like.

Happy Cooking!

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

This is a great dessert but one that really needs to be eaten on the same day it’s baked ~ and it’s best when served still warm.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

2 tbsps butter
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tbsp water
1 (8 ounce) can pineapple slices, drained and halved
4 maraschino cherries, halved
1 1/3 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsps baking powder
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Melt the 2 tbsps butter in a 9×1 round baking pan (put the butter in the pan and put pan in oven while it’s heating). Stir brown sugar and water into melted buttter in pan, Arrange pineapple and cherries in the pan and set aside ~ I put a whole slice in the center and the half slices around it.

In a medium mixing bowl stir together flour, sugar, and baking powder. Add milk, the 1/4 cup butter, egg, and vanilla. Beat with a mixer on low speed until combined then beat for 1 minute. Spoon batter into the prepared pan, covering the fruit ~ some of the brown sugar may sepp up around the sides.

Bake at 350º for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Loosen the side and invert on a plate. Serve warm

Makes 8 servings.

Happy Cooking!

Out with the Old, In with the New…

Too much New Year's fun?

I hope everyone had a safe and happy new year’s eve!

I thought today would be good day to post two recipes for favorite drinks of ours.  One is  a pineapple wine cooler and the other is summer sangria.  I found both recipes on Recipezaar and they quickly became favorites.  We’ve served both at parties to rave reviews.  I take really lousy photos of drinks so I apologize for them.

Here is the link:  Pineapple Wine Cooler

Here is the link:  White Sangria

Both recipes are really delicious and simple to make ~ I hope you try them!

Happy Cooking!

Glazed Spiral Ham

I’m not that big a fan of spiral hams ~ I think they have a tendency to be dry but this recipe worked out really well.  It also has one of my very favorite ingredients ~ horseradish.  I could eat horseradish right out of the jar ~ YUM!

Glazed Spiral Ham

1 fully cooked sprial-sliced ham (8 to 10 pounds)
1 8 ounce can crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 cup apricot jam
1 tbsp. spicy brown mustard
2 tsps. prepared horseradish

Place ham on a rack in a large roasting pan. Cover and bake at 325º for 1 1/2 hours.

Combine the pineapple, jam, mustard, and horseradish and spread over ham. Bake, uncovered, for 30-45 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 140º.

Makes 16-29 servings.

Happy Cooking!

Ambrosia

Well, I am in the throes of Pick-A-Chef over on Recipezaar .  I haven’t made ambrosia in years and years ~ and I really like it.  This recipe is a little different than I have made in the past.  I didn’t add the almonds or the coconut and I did add some maraschino cherries just because I like them.  The recipe I used can be found here ~ Ambrosia .  You can always change up the fruit to use those that you like.

Happy Cooking!

Grilled Pineapple with Vanilla Cinnamon Ice Cream

We lived in Hawaii for a few years and the pineapples were out of this world ~ and very inexpensive, too. They made ice cream out of pineapples (Dole whip for those of you who have had it) that I still think about (the Dole whips at Disney World do not do the whips in Hawaii justice). Anyway, every time I have pineapple, I think about Hawaii. I use lots of pineapple in my kitchen and am always looking for new ways to use it.

This dessert is really good after a heavy barbecue meal. Grilling the pineapple really seems to bring out the sweetness to me. Since the ice cream starts with storebought, it’s easy as well which everyone knows I love. The original recipe came from Coastal Living. This is an old picture and I’ll add a new one when I make it again.

Grilled Pineapple with Vanilla Cinnamon Ice Cream

Pineapple:
1 fresh pineapple
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

Vanilla Cinnamon Ice Cream:
1 quart vanilla ice cream
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Pineapple:
Peel pineapple, remove and discard pineapple core. Cut pineapple into halves lengthwise. Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and ginger and rub evenly over pineapple. Heat grill to medium-high. Place pineapple on grill. Grill, covered with lid, 5 to 7 minutes on each side. Remove from grill, cut into 1/4 inch slices. Serve with vanilla cinnamon ice cream.

Ice cream:
Stir together all ingredients. Freeze 1 hour.

Happy Cooking!