Posted on 03/16/2017 4:00:27 PM PDT by Jamestown1630
In recent years the pineapple has superseded peaches to become my favorite fruit perhaps partly because its so much easier to find very good pineapples in my area. But getting at the fruit inside a pineapple is a real project!
Ive often been tempted to buy one of those pineapple-coring gadgets, but I always turned it down I thought it would be hard for my small hands to use, and it seemed like the kind of unitasker (channeling Alton Brown, here) that would take up space and hardly be used.
A few weeks ago, I saw one of them on the half-price rack at the grocery store, in perfect condition except that the packaging had been damaged; so I gave in and scooped it up, still thinking that I'd probably have to enlist the Husband Unit's man-hands, to make it work.
But this thing is amazing! It isnt hard to use at all, even for my small and not very strong hands; and it does exactly what its supposed to do. There are a lot of them out there, but the one I purchased is from Farberware. When I think back to all my ugly, butchered pineapples, I wish I had gotten this gizmo sooner. (And when its all done, you have a nice hollow pineapple to use for a centerpiece "vase".)
Pineapple is especially nice as a snack when dehydrated it doesnt require pre-treatment, and the corer does a very good job of making uniform slices that will dry evenly (if you don't have a dehydrator, this link also includes directions for drying in the oven):
http://www.ehow.com/how_4792892_dehydrate-pineapple.html
And of course, theres the beloved of many, Pineapple Upside Down Cake:
Another use for pineapple that Ive always liked, is Carrot-Raisin-Pineapple Salad, which is usually made with mayonnaise; but I first made it while low-fat dieting many years ago, and still prefer it with yogurt, instead:
http://www.food.com/recipe/no-fat-carrot-raisin-salad-68514
-JT
Party size is ALWAYS GOOD.
O my gosh, I remember the Dole Whip from Disneyland!
I used to love a pineapple sundae too. I’m sure it would be sickly sweet to me today.
I’m makin’ this!!! Sounds so good.
You are doing it right. All the seed oils are very bad for the heart. We always get omega 6 oil (eating out, meats, etc) and we need to NOT cook with it at home. Coconut oil for cooking and olive oil for raw are the oils, though many recipes do need the Sesame seed oil, used sparingly as it always is. And of course butter, tallow, lard from healthy animals are great. Duck fat. French fries in duck fat. One day....
Everyone here loves pineapple. I should get one for this Sunday when mom returns. We haven’t purchased one in forever.
I love pineapple with cottage cheese and when I was in college I would buy a large container of cottage cheese and five small cans of the pineapple in its own juice and that was my lunch every day. I never got sick of it.
I'll try to remember to type up a wonderful recipe for Frosted Strawberry Salad that uses canned chopped pineapple along with strawberries, cream cheese and pecans using two flavors of Jello (strawberry and lemon). It is an in-demand dish for the holidays and it makes pretty layers.
We SHOULD do a kitchen problems thread one week! That would be a great way to learn some new tricks for common problems.
I put a slice of bread or part of one into my brown sugar jar. It helps to keep it soft. But sometimes I do buy a bag of brown sugar that already has those horrid little dried balls, and nothing seems to help.
I spent 10 years having to “make” brown sugar for American recipes. It isn’t a “thing” in Europe. There, the raw brownish sugar in health food stores tastes totally different, with a different consistency. I learned that our brown sugar is just refined white sugar with molasses mixed back in. So each time I came to the States I’d bring back a jar of blackstrap, and then for each recipe I’d measure the sugar, White for brown, and then stir in a drop or a teaspoon of molasses to get brown sugar, and it was perfect in recipes.
Mrs. B will never be forgotten. She was as sweet as her cakes.
Cherry dump cake? Saw this one on SFGate.com
Can’t find the link right now.
1 can cherry pie filling
1 can (medium, not the little ones) crushed pineapple
1 box cake mix (white was what they used)
1 1/2 sticks butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
In a 13” x 9” pan, dump the canned fruit, mix well.
Sprinkle with the dry cake mix.
Top with slices of the butter.
Sprinkle with the brown sugar.
Bake at 350F about 30 minutes.
Something like that.
Ingredients:
Bottom layer:
1 (3 oz.) pkg. strawberry Jello
1 1/2 c. boiling water
1 (10 oz.) frozen sliced strawberries
Top layer:
1 (3 oz.) pkg. lemon Jello
1 c. boiling water
1/3 c. cold pineapple juice
1 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
1/2 c. crushed pineapple
1 c. heavy cream, whipped
1/2 c. chopped pecans
Directions:
Bottom layer:
Dissolve strawberry Jello 1 1/2 c. water. In 13" x 9" pan add strawberry Jello and strawberries. Let set. (I use a fluted Tupperware container)
Top layer:
Dissolve lemon Jello in water. Add pineapple juice and let cool. In a separate bowl, blend together cream cheese and pineapple. Mix with lemon Jello. Place this into a bowl and the refrigerator and when it begins to congeal, fold in heavy whipped cream and chopped nuts. Place over bottom layer. Refrigerate at least four hours or overnight.
YUM!
OK, following up on my own post.
http://www.sfgate.com/food/
(”Basics Plus” recipe videos, can’t link directly to them)
DELICIOUS CHERRY DUMP CAKE
1 can (21 oz.) cherry pie filling
1 can (15 oz.) crushed pineapple
1 box cake mix (white was what they used)
1 1/2 sticks butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup slivered almonds
In a 13 x 9 pan, dump the canned fruit, mix well.
Sprinkle with the dry cake mix.
Top with slices of the butter.
Sprinkle with the brown sugar.
Sprinkle with the almonds.
Bake at 350F for 50 minutes.
Mrs. B. also brought them to church suppers. She shared her kindness and love everywhere she went in the form of a cake.
Pineapple? I was up at 4:45 am today and have already baked a loaf of soda bread for St. Pat’s. New recipe, so I hope it is good.
This is a family favorite. I serve it with coconut rice and a coleslaw with a type of sesame ginger dressing;
Rum and Chili Roasted Chicken Thighs With Pineapple
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
6 scallions, trimmed and chopped (can use one medium onion)
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 tbsp. canola oil
2 tbsp. rum, preferably dark or amber
1 tbsp. thyme leaves
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 Scotch bonnet or habanero chili pepper, seeded and chopped (Can use 1 tsp. chili powder if fresh not available)
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
6 chicken thighs, rinsed and patted very dry
3/4 pound pineapple pieces, diced into 1/4-inch chunks or very roughly chopped (can use canned pineapples in juice if fresh is not available)
In a blender or food processor, combine lemon juice and salt, and blend for 5 seconds to dissolve salt. Add onion, garlic, oil, rum, thyme, brown sugar and spices, and blend until mixture forms a paste.
Rub chili paste all over chicken pieces. If you have time, let marinate for up to 45 minutes at room temperature, or up to 24 hours in refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put chicken in a large baking pan and scatter pineapple around it in one layer. Roast until chicken is cooked through ( juices will run clear when pricked with a fork), about 30 minutes.
Serve chicken and pineapple coated with pan drippings, with lemon wedges.
ASIAN COLE SLAW WITH GINGER SESAME OIL DRESSING
Ingredients
1 head of cabbage cut very thinly ( I used red and green)
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro.
1 cup chopped peanuts
1/2 cup chopped green onions
Dressing:
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
Preparation
mix dressing and let flavors to meld while preparing the slaw. Mix the slaw together and add desired amount of salad dressing.
You’re welcome!
It’s yummy too - it’s my grandmother’s recipe.
“Speaking of brown sugar, I’ve got 3 or so bags, sealed up tight, haven’t used any for quite awhile, or very much. I have to measure it out, pack it in, then go through it with my fingers looking for hard little lumps that won’t break down when you pinch them hard, throw them in the sink. They might be ok to go ahead and use but might not in some things. Anybody else have this problem?”
Oh yes. Then sometimes they get so rock hard I can’t even use them without microwaving and scraping. it’s tedious.
I’ve bought those little discs you soak in water, then put in with brown sugar, raisins, etc. they work fine, but I don’t remember to change them until I use the product the next time.
so instead I make my own brown sugar in small batches. whatever is left, I use those discs with.
just mix one cup sugar with 2 T molasses for light brown sugar, and 4T for dark. It’s easier with a mixer or food processor but for less than 2 cups it takes me 3-4 minutes with a spoon. it might be a little cheaper too. and it’s nice not to run out of brown sugar or find my bag has solidified!
oh, and i love the idea of a problem thread! i’m sure I could learn a lot!
“My husband always picks them out, and tells me that the way to tell that theyre ripe is to try plucking a leaf from the center of the very top - if it comes out easily with gentle pressure, thats your pineapple.”
I didn’t know that! thanks
I do know they ripen as they sit on the counter, so I have to check them every few days.
I’ve been using sunflower oil for awhile now and really like it for high temps.
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