with Pineapple Upside Down Cake!!!

My parents were in Maui for a month! (lucky…..)  While they were away, I talked to my mom on the phone and she told me about the most wonderful Pineapple Upside Down Cake her friend made her.   I had to try it!

The recipe comes from one of our favorite restaurants in Maui- The Hali’imaile General Store.

I made this cake for the second-to-last Project Runway night at my house.  It was pretty simple to whip up and sooo scrumptious!  I had to give  away leftovers because I was too afraid to have that caramel beauty resting innocently on my kitchen counter.  You’ll see what I mean if you make it….

Pineapple Upside Down Cake (Beverly Gannon’s Recipe)

For the Cake:

• 2 cups cake flour
• 1 1/4 cup sugar  (original recipe called for 2 cups which made it way too sweet my mom said)
• 5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8 egg yolks
• 1 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature

Caramel Pineapple Topping:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 2 cups brown sugar
•  1 fresh pineapple cored and sliced (or 12 slices of canned pineapple rings)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

To prepare cake batter: Sift all dry ingredients together.  Combine milk, egg yolks and vanilla.  Soften butter to room temperature.  In a mixer, add butter to dry ingredients and mix slightly.  Scrap the sides of the bowl and continue to mix.  Gradually add the egg yolk mixture.  Mix until smooth.

To prepare the caramel:  Melt butter to boiling.  Add sugar.  Mix until smooth and mixture is a light brown color.

Cut 12 slices of pineapple (or use canned slices like I did).  Pour the caramel mixture in an ungreased 12″x3″ round metal pan.  Layer the slices of pineapple on top of the caramel.  Next, pour the cake batter on top of the caramel and pineapple slices.  Leave about 1″ of room at the top of the pan to allow the cake to rise.  Bake for 35 minutes. Rotate and continue to bake for an additional 15 minutes or until center is cooked.  Let rest in the pan for 15 minutes.  Invert slowly on the plate you intend to serve in on.  DIG IN!

This recipe makes one cake.  I didn’t have a 12″x 3″ pan, so I used a 9″x 3.”  I used about 3/4 of the caramel and 3/4 of the cake batter and it seemed to work fine.  You will also notice that I only used 7 of the pineapple slices.  I think the next time I make this (which is soon) I will try using a rectangular pan or a square pan.  The slices might look even better if they are perfect little squares.

I topped each slice with a little dose of Häagen-Dazs vanilla bean ice cream.  Joyous!

The cake is a perfect combo of dense and fluffy!  It’s the baking powder that does it!  Hope you love it too…and I hope that you get to channel some summer in your home.

Turkey meatloaf, smashed fingerling potatoes & a green salad with balsamic dressing

Turkey Meatloaf (adapted from a Barefoot Contessa recipe)

The recipe was for 8-10 people so I halved it accordingly for a 4 person dinner (with leftovers).

• 2 1/2 lbs. ground turkey meat
• 1 large yellow onion chopped
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/3 cup chicken stock
• 2 tsp. tomato paste
• 3/4 cup of dry bread crumbs
• 2 large eggs (beaten)
• 3/4 cup ketchup

Preheat Oven to 325 degrees F.

In a medium saute pan, over medium-low heat, cook the onions, olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme until mixture is translucent (but not browned). This should take about 10-15 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste and mix well. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.

Combine the ground turkey, bread crumbs, eggs and onion mixture in a large bowl. Mix well with hands and shape the meat mixture into a rectangle on an ungreased sheet pan. Spread the ketchup evenly on top of the loaf. Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until the internal temperature is 160 degrees F & the meatloaf is cooked through.

Ina recommends a pan of hot water to be under the loaf in the oven to prevent cracking. I took a walk on the wild side…and did not obey! There were no cracks in my loaf.

***We each had a thick slice…husband had two. There were about 5 pieces leftover. So this is an excellent dish to make on a Sunday/Monday night and eat for a few days as leftovers. ***

And for dessert…

Lemon Vanilla Cake with Blueberry Topping

-buy some of the Trader Joe’s vanilla cake mix. Follow the instructions on the bag and when you are mixing it all up add a heaping teaspoon of Lemon Extract in the mix. If you don’t have lemon extract but have a few lemons hanging around your house, finely grate some lemon peel in the batter.

After the cake has finished baking, pour a few cups of frozen blueberries in a sauce pan. Cook over medium heat for about 7 minutes. The juices will start releasing from the blueberries. I added a tablespoon of Trader Joe’s ginger jelly spread and dumped that into the mix. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes and you will see that the berries have released most of their juice. I stirred for a bit and then added a few teaspoons of cornstarch to thicken up the sauce. The longer you keep it on the heat, the thicker your sauce becomes.
Let the cake cool for a bit and then load the blueberries on top.

I think it looks nice when there’s blueberry sauce dripping down the sides. Enticing? YES!

I topped them with Double Rainbow Vanilla Bean Ice Cream from TJs. It was delish!

And then when you have leftovers….pour yourself some coffee or tea the next morning and have yourself a slice. It will start your day off right!

And then weep…because Kit is no longer on Project Runway…..sigh.

Blueberry Scones (recipe adapted from a Joy of Baking recipe)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour (or regular if you feel the need)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons chilled, unsalted butter (cut into pieces) —I used salted cuz that’s all I had….
• 1 cup blueberries (i used frozen ones from Trader Joe’s)
• 1 large egg (lightly beaten)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup milk or cream

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and place rack in middle of oven. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. To prevent the bottom of the scones from over browning, place the prepared cookie sheet inside another cookie sheet.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Gently fold in the blueberries. In a small measuring cup combine the cream, beaten egg and vanilla. Add this mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix the dough or the scones will be tough.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead the dough gently four or five times and then pat the dough into a circle that is about 7 inches round and about 1 1/2 inches thick. Cut this circle in half, then cut each half into four pie-shaped wedges (triangles). Place the scones on the baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with a little cream or milk. Top each scone with a heaping spoonful of cinnamon sugar for a nice crispy sugary crust.

Bake the scones until nicely browned, about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a scone comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly. These are best eaten the day they are made.

***These are great if you pop them open and spread butter on top. Extra points if you sprinkle more cinnamon sugar on the buttery parts. MMMM. ***

I’m pleased to announce that Trader Joe’s Truffle Brownie Mix is kickass. There’s bits of chocolate chips in every bite!

I made a batch last night for our weekly Project Runway girls night and  they were a hit!  I ate two brownies before I even left my house.  *slaps wrist*  That’s why I brought a *plate* of them to my friend’s house…. No evidence of the ugly gouged corners.

Just follow the instructions (add 2 eggs and a stick of butter).  And then be a rebel like me and add an Andre-the-Giant sized handful of chopped pecans/walnuts/what-have you.   Do it. Do it.

And then save yourself a little corner piece to have with your morning coffee….because it was such a wonderful way to start a gloomy rainy today.  Imagine living in a world where brownies for breakfast was the norm…

 

“How To” Blueberry Muffins

Recipe from Donna Hay Modern Classics 2

(Makes 12)

Ingredients

2 cups plain (all-purpose) flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1-1/4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add the sugar and stir to combine.

Place the sour cream, eggs, lemon rind and oil in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Stir the sour cream mixture through the flour and sugar mixture until just combined.

Sprinkle over the blueberries and stir once. Spoon the mixture into 12 x 1/2 cup (4 fl oz) capacity nonstick muffin tins until two-thirds full. Bake for 16 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.

For tender muffins that rise well, stir the mixture evenly and only until just combined. Do not overwork the mixture.

***husband approved.  will be making these again.  next time i will be putting some sugar on top for a nice crispy crust***

Favorite Trader Joe’s Item #25:  Puff Pastry

I spent the first half hour after I woke up staring at this post from Ugly Green Chair.  If only I could have reached right into my computer and taken a bite!  While the husband was sleeping, I decided to wake him up with the perfumey smells of apple turnovers being baked in our kitchen.  Thanks for the inspiration Whitney!

I chopped up three apples into little bits:

  

I sauteed them in a tablespoon of butter, a few dashes of cinnamon, a bit fresh squeezed orange juice and a little bit of sugar:

I took the puff pastry sheets out of the freezer, and  let them sit on the counter for about 10 minutes so I could pull apart 1 sheet to make 4 turnovers.  After the chill was gone, I cut one sheet into 4 little squares and spread some egg wash (just 1 egg beaten) on top of each little square.

I put a little dollop of the apples in the center:

I folded over the sides and scrunched it over with my fingers.

I added some more egg wash on top & cut a little hole at the top so it wouldn’t explode in the oven.

I put them in the oven on a cookie sheet line with parchment and baked them for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.

Here they are after those 15 minutes.  I was so anxious to try one- it felt like half a lifetime.

There’s nothing better than the promise of some delicious pastry.  Don’t you agree?

Look at that filling seep out!

Notice the buttery layers?  I added a little sprinkling of sugar on top:

And here we have my breakfast this morning:

I’m so glad that Trader Joe’s sells Puff Pastry!  It was so easy to make a wonderful breakfast this morning out of things that I already had in the kitchen!

Favorite Trader Joe’s Item #22: Vanilla Cake Mix

So, last weekend I decided to make a coffee cake out of this mix. It was a Sunday, and I was aching to bake the second I woke up. The sun was out and I wanted something warm and nutty to go with my coffee.  This cake mix is extremely versatile by the way!

I followed the directions on the box (add an egg, some milk & a melted stick of butter). Here’s an extreme closeup. Notice the vanilla beans?

To make the topping, I combined a heaping 1/2 cup of brown sugar with a teaspoon of cinnamon. Then I added some Trader Joe’s chopped pecans to that & mixed it all up in a small bowl. I poured the cake into a greased (9×9) brownie pan. Then I topped the cake with the brown sugar/pecan mixture. I baked it in the oven for the required time- checked with a toothpick to make sure it was done. Watched out for burning bits!

I noticed that even though I spread the topping on the entire cake, the edges came up while baking and brought some of the topping towards the center. Don’t fear, the edges were still pretty darn good!

Here’s the little baby fresh outta the oven:

Extreme closeup of my favorite crunchy/sugary combo:

Witness my first piece:

And yes, I did save some for my husband :

If you make this, you will have a deliciously moist cake with a nice crunchy topping.  I’m pleased to tell you that it gets better on the second day!  It’s not as moist, but it’s easier to dunk into your cup of coffee.  That’s why it’s coffee cake!

I hope that this cake fills your house with a warm cinnamon vanilla aura. I’m dreaming of a piece right now……

p.s.  HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!! XOXOXO