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.

I'll be sharing this post with a couple blog parties listed in my sidebar ... so make sure you click through

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!

I'll be sharing this post with a couple blog parties that are listed in my sidebar. Click through and join the fun, but check out my home page first! You might find something else you'll enjoy.

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

Gifts of Food

Every year, I have some folks who receive friendship gifts from my kitchen! This year, gingerbread and cheeseballs were on the list! Add a box of crackers ...a bottle of wine ... some flavored coffee or a six-pack of winter ale ... and you have a nice gift.

This kind of gift giving was instilled in me when I was a child. My mother made the most beautiful fluffy divinity and we shared it with neighbors. If you make divinity, you know you have to work quickly! It was always my job to follow her movements and put the candied cherry or the pecan half on top of the beautiful mound of sugary goodness while it was still warm and soft!

I thought it was important to instill the importance of "giving" in my daughter ... and now Miss Phoebe helps us cook and she goes with us when we deliver! It was pouring rain the day we made our deliveries this year ... but she pulled her hoodie over her head ... and tightly held the bagged tray of gingerbread as she made her way to the front doors!

I saw this cute gingerbread pan early in the season and I immediately started planning to use it! I used the recipe that came with the Wilton pan ... and used sorghum molasses in it.

The little oval plastic trays came from the Dollar Tree and I order saran gift bags in bulk because I use them to enclose door prizes, auction baskets and lots of other things throughout the year.

I made two flavors of cheeseballs.  You can find my recipe for Pimento Cheese right here.  Add an extra cup of shredded cheese and you should have the consistency of a cheeseball ... versus a spread. I rolled both flavors in chopped pecans.

The Asiago ball recipe is easy, too.  I use the food processor to make the work easy.  Blend an 8-ounce block of cream cheese with 2 cups of shredded Asiago and a Tablespoon of butter. After that is smooth ... add 1/2 cup chopped nuts, 1/2 cup dried cherries and 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots.

I'll be sharing this post with a couple of the blog parties listed in my sidebar, but check out my other posts on my home page before you move on!  Merry Christmas!

Carol's Christmas Inspiration Mini Book

I am blessed with two older brothers who married women who are also my best friends!  Not every family can say that ... but we can!  This year, I decided I would make each of them a mini book ... filled with Christmas inspiration. I filled the books with sentiments about being a grandmother ... the job we all love most!  I'm showing the mini books in two separate posts ... You'll find the one for my "Cowgirl Sister-in-law" within this post ... and you'll find the one for my "Blue Bird Sister-in-law" by clicking right here.  

My horse-loving brother married a woman who probably loves horses more than he does! Carol's book also contains some cute quotes about being a cowgirl and even cuter vintage pictures of cowgirls!

I used the Cricut Elegant Edges die to cut the pages and some of the interior pieces. I used a set of pre-designed clip art pieces ... but designed the inserted pages using Publisher and lots of purchased clip art. I like dimension and depth in my mini books ... and always build layers on the front cover. Here I used vintage lace, burlap flower layers and round stones ... and ribbon,

I always tie ribbons on the wire binder ... just to make sure it stays in place at the top and bottom.

You'll notice that the page inserts have 'torn' edges! My husband would have asked if I had lost my paper cutter ... but I love the shabby torn look!





Look closely at the right edge of this front cover ... the pattern is "crown" and the centers of the edges are cut out so the color of the next page can be seen ... more dimension!

The Christmas patterned paper has some designs that I wanted to keep ... so I carefully placed the paper for cutting ... so I could keep Santa!

The graphics I used in this book are "watercolor Christmas elements" and I cut some of them out to use as single pieces. This little cowboy reminded me of "Cowgirl Grandma's" youngest grandson!

"You know you are a cowgirl when ... all of the carrots in your fridge are reserved for your horses!"  My brother has been a builder of horse drawn wagons and carts ... a skill he learned from our daddy. I used lots of carriages in the design of the pages ... and used a barn side background!

The old truck used in this page design resembles one my brother restored when he was a teenager!

Of course ... it would be used to haul Christmas trees and anything else that would fit in the bed!

And now ... they don't own any vehicle unless it can pull the horse trailer - camper!

I want to be sure you can read this page ...

“A cowgirl is an attitude, really; a pioneer spirit, a special American brand of courage. The cowgirl faces life head on, lives by her own lights and makes no excuses. Cowgirls take stands. They speak up. They defend the things they hold dear.  A cowgirl might be a rancher, or a barrel racer, or a bull rider, or an actress. But she’s just as likely to be a checker at the  local Winn Dixie, a full-time mother, a banker, an attorney, or an astronaut!”

- Dale Evans

I love this page because of the pink background!  It is a vintage print ... I added the paper rose to make sure the cowgirl's rosey cheeks show up!

"When Grandma needs a hug ... she calls Grandpa"

My dad and my husband were really good Santas. They always showed concern for other folks. 

My brothers are the same way.

Cowboy Brother heard about a little girl who was really sick ... and who had a miniature horse.  She had asked Santa for a wagon for her horse to pull.  Brother built one for her ... and made a set of leather harness for the little horse ... and delivered it on Christmas Eve.  That is the true Santa!

The most important page in the book is the last one ...

"Sisters by marriage ... Friends by choice!"

I'll be sharing this post with some of the parties listed in my sidebar.  But before you move on ... make sure you take a look at my other mini book filled with Christmas inspiration right here ...

Judy's Christmas Inspiration Mini Book

I am blessed with two older brothers who married women who are also my best friends!  Not every family can say that ... but we can!  This year, I decided I would make each of them a mini book ... filled with Christmas inspiration. I filled the books with sentiments about being a grandmother ... the job we all love most!  I'm showing the mini books in two separate posts ... You'll find the one for my "Blue Bird Sister-in-law" within this post ... and you'll find the one for my other sister-in-law at this link ... "Cowgirl Sister-in-law"!

My sister-in-law Judy ... loves blue birds and has been successful in building houses that they come back to every year. I'm not good with birds ... other than to throw some food out for them when it snows! When I found a set of scrapbook pages that were blue prints of flowers and birds ... I knew it was for Judy!

I used a blue snow background for the pages I created in Publisher. The bells and bird are from a set of card making supplies and the vintage ribbon is in my collection.  The tiny plastic pine cones came from a candle ring that I picked up at a junk store!  Actually, I bought 9 of them!

I used the Cricut Elegant Edges die to cut these pages and cut several other elements with Cricut ... used several Christmas dies.  I designed the inserted pages using some clip art I purchased from Creative Market.

I don't care if my facing pages mirror each other ... but I try to make them match in some way. I added some cut fern fronds to this page (lower left) with layered burlap flowers.

Mother Teresa said, "I know God will not give me anything I can't handle.  I just wish that He didn't trust me so much!"  The window box is filled with pearl enhanced poinsettias ... and the leaves are added gems.

Several of the pages of scrapbook paper had beautiful full page designs that I didn't want to lose, so I started my cut carefully.  To this page ... I added the bird on the top branch ... and the ribbon, twine and gems to the bird nest. I have found many bird nests at the end of the season ... filled with things my critters have robbed from outdoor wreaths or floral arrangements on my deck! I love to find that the birds liked my creations as much as I did!

I love the layered look of the Christmas presents ... and the pearl sets them off!






The blue paper roses add so much depth to the page. Notice the vintage ribbon!









More birds in the following collage!  The ribbon and old lace make each page special.

I love the butterfly pages ... the raised bugs are from a Martha Stewart collection and I bought a batch of lace butterfies online ... I ran it through my Xyron sticker maker so it adheres to the page.

Notice the water dripping in the garden fountain in the following collage!

More birds ... more butterflies ... more paper roses and burlap flowers!

 "Sisters by Marriage ... Friends by Choice!"

I'll be sharing this post with some of the parties on my sidebar, but before you move on ... make sure you visit my other mini book post for my sister-in-law, Carol.  Click right here!