Easy Pineapple Upside Down Cake

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my hubby!  Another year older, another year wiser and another year better than ever!  I love you my George!  May God give us many more birthdays to celebrate!

Sometimes, traditions get a scramble and that is what happened this year.  My husband always wants an ice cream cake.  ALL vanilla, so I have to special order it.  I make it match his "theme" which we do every single year for each other.  Full decorations, everything!

ScRaMBlE

He asks for pineapple upside down cake this year.  How do I theme pineapple upside down cake?  Do a pineapple theme?  I am sure he will love that.....so instead for the first time in 20 years, I had no theme.  I think he was a little devastated.  Since he spring this on me last minute, I didn't have a white cake mix.  You might think to use yellow, but for my licking it is to dense.  So of course this mean a trip to Walmart because as I have said before, it is 3 blocks away!  You know, if Walmart doesn't have it, nobody does!

So here is what you will need for your pineapple upside down cake.  Read carefully because there will be a couple of substitutions and additions to the recipe!

You will need:
1 white cake mix
120 oz  can chunk pineapple (and its juice)
Smalll Jar Maraschino Cherries
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted.
vegetable oil
eggs

Preheat oven to temperature suggested on the box.  I made an 9x13 so I preheated mine to 350 degrees F.

Melt your butter and pour into baking dish.  Use a spatula and spread it around and coat the sides a little so it doesn't stick and for more flavor!  Now, sprinkle in your brown sugar.  It seems like a lot.  It is.  Go with it!

Now for the pineapple.  DRAIN AND KEEP the juice!  Every single time I yield 1 cup of juice from my pineapple.  You are going to use this juice in place of water.  Squeeze or smooth the pineapple to get all of the juice.  If you don't get enough, use water to make up the difference.

Now evenly sprinkle your pineapple over the brown sugar.  Now go in with your cherries!  Use as many or as few as you like.  Even leave them off if you like.  Set baking dish aside and get out a bowl for better!

Mix up the box recipe as instructed only use WHOLE EGGS (not just whites) and pineapple juice for water.  Mix until smooth and then pour over the brown sugary, pineapply goodness!  Smooth out and bake.  Mine took an extra 30 minutes in the oven.  Just keep an eye out, start with the suggested time and add whatever time you need

Let sit for 10 minutes and then flip out on to a platter or cake board!  I just used a cookie sheet!

I hope you enjoy this light, delicious cake and give it a try!  Happy Birthday my sweet George!

ENJOY!

Frog Eye Salad

Just as I was relaxing over the end of salad season, my mom strikes again.  We were chatting on the phone and she said, "I am so hungry for frog eye salad".   Oh man, it had been years since I thought about the infamous frog eye salad.  This salad has been a favorite of my siblings for many years.  I was never a huge fruit eater, but pineapple, I do love.  I pick out the oranges and the cherries and dig in.  Every holiday, EVERY holiday, my mom makes this. 

 

I think frog eye salad, originally is made with a cooked custard, but, my mom always did it this way.  I think it is the cheater way to be honest but, who messes with perfection?  Nobody with any sense!  Anyway, back to my phone conversation, she asked if I had ever posted it here and when I responded I had not she said, "OH you can come home and make it, and I can taste test it, and it will all be for the good of your website".  Yea, right ma.  When I ran this recipe by my husband he almost erped.  "Pasta in a sweet salad"?!?!  He agreed to give it a try but he was skeptical.  Now, he didn't actually SAY much, but the degree of devouring that went on over this sort of spoke for itself.  You know? 

Really he loved it and couldn't believe he had never heard of it.  So if you love it, have never had it, think it might be ridiculous, OR are brave.... give it a try!

1 1/2 cups acini de pepe (pasta, Uncooked)
2 cups mini marshmallows
2 - 4 serving size boxes of instant vanilla pudding
8 ounces cool whip
10 ounces maraschino cherries, halved and DRAINED
11 oz. can of mandarin oranges
20 oz. can of crushed pineapple
20 oz. can of chunk pineapple

Boil your pasta as per the package direction.  Drain well, and run some cold water of them.  In a very LARGE bowl, combine pudding and cool whip until well combined.  Add in oranges and both kinds of pineapple.  Make sure to DRAIN the cherries and add those as well.  Fold in the pasta and marshmallows and refrigerate for 1 hour.   This is a hit with our family as I said, and I am sure it will be a hit with yours too!

Enjoy!

PS.  If you don't prefer to use cool whip, please feel free to sweeten up some fresh heavy cream and substitute. 

Pineapple Upside Down Cake...Cocktails!

I am completely sure you have heard of these.  Maybe even made them.  This is not my original drink, it is the drink of anyone who loves pineapple upside down cake!

The first time I drank these, I was drinking one of these then a glass of wine, one of these.....glass of wine.  I had a complete high school experience, spinning room, etc.  Pathetic, and even more pathetic that I admitted it.  Anyway we all go down a road at some point that paints an embarrassing picture of us as parents.  This was mine!  He won't let me forget it. we wish we hadn't.  Please tell me, "we do Chris, we ALL do".  Please?

Anyway these are delicious and in case you get a hankerin' for a cake of the liquid kind here is how you get the best of it, in my opinion.  This will make 2 drinks.  Shaken........not stirred please!

1 cup pineapple juice
3 ounces Cake Vodka
Maraschino Cherries
White Sugar

Take your glass that you are serving your drink in and using water or pineapple juice wet the rim.  Pour some sugar on a plate and while the rim is still wet, dip it in the sugar so you have the rim completely covered.  Set aside.

Fill your shaker with ice.  Add in pineapple juice and vodka and shake.  Pour into serving glasses and plunk in a cherry!

Enjoy and don't let these little buggers get the best of you!  I certainly won't ever let it happen.......again.

Your "a cake in a glass is amazing"chefwannabe"