Pineapple Bars

1 tube of sugar cookie mix, room temp.
1 can crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 to 3/4 cup cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Press the cookie mix evenly into a 13 x 9 x 2 baking dish sprayed with non-stick.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until the cookie is lightly browned.  Remove from the oven and evenly spread the crushed pineapple over the cookie.  Top with cheese.  Turn the oven to broil and place the dish back into the oven.  Watch carefully while the cheese melts and has a very light brown coloring.  Cool and cut into squares.  Makes 2-3 dozen depending on their size.

Comments:  I love pineapple and cheese so decided to create something new that could be eaten like a cookie.  I took these to 3 of my food testers, one being my 100 year old neighbor.  They loved them and wanted more so I made another batch just for them making everyone happy.  I haven't tried this yet but I think this would be good with a little coconut and maybe even a few crushed nuts.  So simple yet so delicious!

Pineapple Cobbler

1 pineapple, peeled, cored, cut into chunks
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 stick butter
1 cup self rising flour
1/2 cup milk
extra butter and white sugar for top

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Using a large cast iron frying pan, melt the stick of butter.  Add the pineapple and brown sugar.  Cook on med-high heat until the pineapple starts to become limp.  In a bowl mix the flour and enough milk to make it the consistency of pancake batter.  Pour over hot pineapple.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until crust topping is done.  Dot extra butter over top of crust.  Sprinkle with white sugar.  Bake another 5 minutes or until lightly browned.

Comments:  This is a dish I simply made up as I went along.  The pineapple was nice and sweet allowing me to use only 1/2 cup of the sugar.  The pineapple also provided the liquid needed.  I took this to the nursing home and the nurses there raved over how delicious it is.  I'm sure you could use canned pineapple but I don't know if you would get the liquid nor the touch of tartness that a fresh pineapple provided.

Pineapple Coconut Cake

1 pineapple cake mix
1 can sliced pineapple (save juice)
1 can (or 1 cup) shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Make cake mix according to directions but use the pineapple juice in place of the water.  This can be made in loaf pans, round pans or 9 x 13 baking dish.  Spray the pan you plan to use with non-stick spray.  Lay out the pineapple.  Sprinkle with coconut.  Sprinkle with pecans.  Bake according to the directions on the package for the pan size you're using.

Comments:  This is one of the best cakes I've ever had the pleasure of eating and all of my food testers agree.  There is one ingredient I love to use but have a hard time finding.  It's a grated coconut in a can with coconut milk.  When I do find this it's usually in the Mexican food section but I seldom run across it.  If you use this grated coconut with milk, spoon it over the pineapple, picking up some of the milk as you go.  Use about 1/2 the can over the pineapple and include the remaining into the cake mix.  Just make sure you take the amount of coconut milk into consideration when adding liquids to your cake mix.  I measured my remaining milk and then added the pineapple juice to come up with the amount of liquid the cake mix called for.

Strawberry Pineapple Cobbler

25-30 whole strawberries
1 can (20 oz.) chunk pineapple
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 stick butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a 9 x 13 x 2 baking dish with non-stick spray.  Slice strawberries in half and place on bottom of dish.  Evenly pour pineapple with juice over strawberries.  Top evenly with coconut and walnuts.   Sprinkle dry cake mix over everything.  Sprinkle with brown sugar and pour on melted butter.  Bake 45 minutes.

Pineapple Coffee Cake - from 1961 Ukrainian Cookbook

1 1/2 cups sifted flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 egg, beaten
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup drained, crushed pineapple
1/2 cup brown sugar

Topping:

1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup shredded coconut

Sift together sifted flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Combine egg, sour cream, pineapple and brown sugar; add to dry ingredients, stirring only until flour is moistened.  Brush bottom of a buttered 8" square pan with corn syrup.  Sprinkle nuts and coconut over syrup.  Spread batter over topping.  Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.  Cut into squares.  Serves 9

Comment:  This was one of the best 'cakes' I've eaten.  It's actually low in sugar but high in flavor.  The corn syrup topping with the walnuts and coconut came out a little gooey which was perfect.  I want to try this one with other toppings like cranberries, other nuts, and maybe even some well drained pineapple.

Comment from Carol:  What sets this cake off is the cinnamon-nutmeg spice mixed with pineapple, coconut and pecans.  The spices are light and not over bearing and the cake is moist and it's one that we will be proud to serve to friends (and also at church lunches).  My mother says that she remembers those flavors and we can't remember how we let a recipe like this slide into history.  No More!  This is for Modern Times - not too much sugar and super packed with flavor!  Martha, this was a great discovery!!!

Pineapple Banana Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 p. salt
1/2 tsp ground cloves
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups mashed ripe bananas (5-6)
1 8 oz. can crushed pineapple, undrained
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  In a medium bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, nutmeg, salt and cloves.  In a large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 30 seconds.  Add bananas, undrained pineapple, eggs and vanilla.  Beat until combined.  Add flour mixture 1 cup at a time beating on low speed until all has been added and combined. Turn up to medium speed for 1 minute.  Fold in pecans.  Pour into a tube pan sprayed with non-stick spray.  Bake 70-75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cook in pan for 10 minutes.  Transfer to a plate.

Comments:  I found this recipe in one of my old cookbooks and since I had bananas that were ripe and I didn't want to toss them so I decided to give it a try.   I did add a glaze to mine due to not having an 8 oz. can of crushed pineapple.   I'll explain. .. I had a large can of sliced pineapple.  I put about half of the juice and pineapple in my food processor and created my own crushed pineapple.  Now, what to do with the left over pineapple and juice.  I poured the rest of the juice, about 1/2 cup into a pot, brought it to a boil, removed it from the heat and added about 1 cup of powdered sugar.  Then I cut up the rest of the pineapple and added it to my glaze.  When finished I poked holes in my cake and drizzled this over my still hot cake.    Yummy!

Fruit Salad

1 can (20 oz.) unsweetened pineapple tidbits, drained
1 can (15 oz.) mandarin oranges, drained
1 carton (8 oz.) whipped topping
1 cup mini marshmallows
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup pecan halves, toasted
crushed nuts and cherries for garnish

Mix all but garnish in a large bowl.  When serving, sprinkle with crushed nuts and a cherry.  Serves 8.

 

 

Comment:  This is a mixture that you can use your imagination with.  If you don't like pineapple, use a cup of grapes that you've sliced in half.  If you don't like orange, you might add chopped apples.  If you don't like cranberries, use raisins.  You can use walnuts instead of pecans.  Or you can eliminate the pineapple and oranges and use 2 cans of drained fruit cocktail instead.  Think with your taste buds on this one and when you do and maybe decide to add cherries in the salad remember they carry a strong taste and will overpower other tastes, that's why I only use them for garnish.  And don't forget kiwi and strawberries as possible ingredients.

Butter Pecan, Pineapple, Banana Cake

1 Butter Pecan cake mix
1 pkg (3.4 oz.) Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix
4 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple, drained and juice saved (1 cup)
2 med. bananas, mashed
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl combine cake mix, pudding, saved pineapple juice eggs, oil and cinnamon.  Mix with electric mixer on med. 2 minutes.  Stir in pineapple, bananas and nuts.  Pour into 2 loaf pans sprayed with non-stick spray.  Bake 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Comments:  The original recipe called for a yellow cake mix but I decided to Think With My Taste Buds and use a Butter Pecan for the added flavor.  It was a great choice!  This cake actually allows you to taste each ingredient as well as their blend.  It came out delicious and no way did taste nor texture give you any clue that I had used a cake mix.  I did mix up a light icing consisting of about 3 Tbsp. softened cream cheese and enough powdered sugar to allow it to spread easily and smoothly over the hot cake.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 can (8 oz.) crushed pineapple, drained
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a 9" cast iron frying pan melt butter in oven.  Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over melted butter.  Evenly distribute pineapple.  Sprinkle with pecans.  In a large bowl beat remaining ingredients on medium speed for 4 minutes.  Pour batter over pineapple.  Bake 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Turn onto a platter.  Cool at lest 10 minutes before serving. 

Comments:  The original recipe for this came from Betty Crocker Kitchens.  I made 3 changes.  The original recipe called for pineapple rings with cherries in the center, I omitted the cherries and used crushed pineapple.  My mother used to make her Pineapple cakes in a well cured cast iron frying pan. so in hopes of coming up with the same taste I remember from my childhood,  I decided to use the cast iron frying pan instead of the 9" round pan called for in the recipe.  I didn't accomplish the taste from the past but I have to admit that this is one of the best Pineapple Upside Down Cakes I've ever eaten.  The butter and the nuts combined with the pineapple are unbeatable.  Additions?  How about a little coconut!  Yum.