Pineapple Cake for Son-In-Law!

For several months last year, my son-in-law dropped hints about a pineapple upside down cake! I go to their house for Christmas Dinner, and I took the ever popular cake. I promised him that 2016 would be the year of the pineapple ... because it seems that most of the desserts I made in 2015 were flavored with orange! So ... this yummy cake was the second installment!

The cake is very moist and the icing is similar to what goes on top of a German Chocolate Cake ... Served warm, this was a fantastic dessert on a cold wintry evening! SIL made the coffee!

Pineapple Cake with Coconut Topping

2 cup flour

2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

¼ tsp salt

1 – 20 oz can of crushed pineapple ... include juice

I throw all the ingredients in the food processor and blend it well. Bake in a 13x9 inch dish for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.  I baked mine in two rounds and used the NuWave oven … 325 degrees at 25 – 30 minutes.

The topping is so easy. In a heavy pan, mix 1 can of sweetened condensed milk (Eagle Brand) and 1 stick of butter. After this begins to bubble together … remove from the stove and stir in 1 ½ ups of coconut and 1 cup of pecans (use your favorite nuts). Pour the topping on the cake while it is still warm.

This is delicious served warm, so we just set the cake in a warm oven while we had dinner! It was fantastic.

I baked this lemon pound cake in the NuWave and learned that you have to place things right in the center of the rack ... notice how is rose a little taller on one side!

Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sour cream

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)

1/2 teaspoon pure lemon extract

1/3 cup vegetable oil

Blend the ingredients together in the food processor and bake in a 9 inch loaf pan at 350 degrees for 50 minutes in a standard oven … or for about 30 minutes at 325 degrees in the NuWave infrared oven.  I like to sprinkle mine with Poppy  Seed before I bake it.  You can also blend it into the batter!

This breakfast casserole was quickly done in the NuWave! I cut it into small sections and froze them for a quick microwaved breakfast.

Sausage Breakfast Casserole

1 pound sausage

6 slices bread, cubed

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

6 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups milk

1 teaspoon dry mustard

4 ounces mushroom pieces, drained

1/4 cup green bell pepper, diced

1/4 cup green onion, diced

Brown the sausage, bell pepper and onions. Mix all the ingredients together and pour into a 13x9 inch casserole. This can be immediately baked or refrigerated overnight and baked the following moning.

Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes. I made half this recipe and divided it into two small bread pans. I baked them in the NuWave at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes.

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Happy Birthday to Me!

Santa Claus gave my daughter a Nuwave infrared oven, and as soon as she started using it ... I coveted it! I treated myself to one for my birthday and I love it! This post is not a paid endorsement ... I don't do those ... but this is a great product, so I want to share!

If you cook for just a few and you want to follow a healthy diet, this might be for you! I try to conserve energy and time, too. This is a good tool to accomplish those goals!

I was sold, when I discovered you could cook from a frozen state in the same amount of time as a defrosted item. Often times, I buy a family pack of chicken breasts and freeze them individually in marinade or spice rubs. That way, they are oven ready ... so now they will go right into the Nuwave! I seldom fry anything, but who doesn't like that crunchy fried texture? This oven air fries and the result was wonderful!

This delicious venison burger and sweet potato fries meal was ready in 20 minutes! That isn't oil oozing from the fries ... that is the moist interior sweetness seeping through.

I peeled a sweet potato and cut it into strips; salted them; placed them on the bottom rack and cooked them for 12 minutes at 350 degrees. Then I added the top rack and placed two venison burgers (thawed meat) on it and baked for another 8 minutes. Wow!

I used the other half pound of ground venison to make some mini casseroles for the freezer!  This recipe is similar to the "John Wayne Casserole" of the 1960s! I browned the venison with a little chopped onion and green pepper. I added 3 Tablespoons of flour to the meat and created a roux. I added 2 cups of milk ... several grinds of fresh black pepper and a sprinkle of seasoning salt. I stirred the mixture until the sauce thickened; then added about a cup of shredded cheddar cheese and stirred it in so it melted smoothly. When I composed the casseroles, I added a cup of frozen green peas to the creamy meat mixture.

The base of the casserole is made of hash brown potatoes. I shredded 2 big potatoes and tossed them in a Tablespoon of olive oil ... added a little shredded carrot, minced onion and lots of ground black pepper ...  and pan fried them until they had crispy edges!

Stack the casserole with the potatoes on bottom and the creamy meat mixture on top ... with a final topping of crushed buttery crackers. Bake at 325 for 20 minutes in the Nuwave!

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No Snow Please

Southern Illinois has experienced horrible flooding for the past several days. Both the Mississippi River and the Ohio River are well out of their banks and on the Mississippi side, levees are breaking ... It is a terrible situation.

I really hope we don't have any snow this year. Could that be possible? I've decorated a little in the dining room ... but hope these snowflakes are the only ones I have to deal with.

A banner ... a glittery gold scarf ... some mercury glass candle holders ... gold snowflake ornaments ... and this pretty silhouette tree. I found the tree at 80% off this week at Hobby Lobby! So, the whole snowflake scape centered around the tree!

I still have a couple little Christmas trees up. The one at the corner of the fireplace may still be up in July ... decorated with patriotic things! For now, I've covered it with the gold snowflakes.

Hope your new year is filled with all the things that will make you happy and healthy! I'll be sharing this post with a couple of the parties listed on my sidebar, but please stick around my home page for awhile, so you can see my other posts!

Easiest Ever Orange Scones!

These delicious scones are so easy to make ... I just couldn't believe how good they were! I've made lots of scones, using several recipes ... but this is the one I will stick with. They are great with tea, coffee or a cold glass of milk!

The recipe is simple.  Gently mix together 2 cups of self rising flour, 1/4 cup of sugar (I used Splenda), 1/2 cup half and half, 1/2 cup of 7-Up and the zest of an orange. Don't over mix the dough ... and when it comes together ... pat it into a circle on your baking sheet and cut it into wedges. I barely separate the wedges. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes. I like to sprinkle mine with poppy seeds before baking ... and if you want more of an orange flavor, add a little orange extract. You can switch lemon zest and lemon extract for the orange.

I'll be sharing this post with a couple of the parties listed in my sidebar! Make sure you stick around my home page before you move on to the party, though! You might find something else you'll enjoy.

Favorites From 2015