Easiest dang cake EVER (tasty, too)

Here's what you need:

1 20 oz. can crushed pineapple  (or if you are like me, and all the pineapple in the cellar was sliced, chunks, or tidbits, just throw one of those into your food processor and crush it yourself--- making this project significantly LESS easy)

1 box of angel food cake mix.

That's it.  Just two ingredients--- not even water or anything!!!

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease and flour a 13 x 9 cake pan (or spray if that is your thing---  I did not try it, but you don't grease a pan for angel food--- I figured you should not grease this either, but maybe the pineapples would stick?)

Dump can of pineapple (juice and all) into a large bowl.

Dump cake mix on top.

Whisk until it is mixed up.  (It will bubble)

Spread in pan and bake 30 to 35 minutes.  It will pull away from the sides.  You can also test it with a toothpick.

Serve with whipped cream  (or not)  Oh yeah-- throw a strawberry on the plate so your picture will have color...

Yummy light pineappley (yes even though the spell checker is protesting, that IS a word-- well...... it is now)
goodness.  You have NO excuse not to make dessert for supper tonight.  Now, go do it.

Chocolate Covered Bacon

I have not, nor will I EVER make this, but I am posting it for Dennis:

16 slices applewood smoked bacon, thick cut

12 ounces semisweet or milk chocolate, chopped

4 ounces white chocolate or almond bark, chopped

Directions: Cook bacon until crisp. You can either cook it in a pan on the stove until crisp or on a foil lined pan in the oven at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Place cooked bacon on paper towels to drain and cool. Cut each bacon strip in half.

Melt your semi-sweet/milk chocolate. You can either melt it in a double boiler or in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval. You can add about a teaspoon of shortening to thin out the chocolate even more if you want a thinner consistency. Whisk until completely smooth.

Lay the bacon on a fork and dunk the bacon into the semisweet chocolate and make sure it is completely coated. Gently tap the fork against the side of the bowl letting the excess drip off and lay on a parchment or waxed paper lined quarter sheet tray. Repeat with all the bacon slices.

No man....NO MAN, will complain that their chocolate covered bacon doesn't look pretty enough. But if they do, drizzle some white chocolate on it and then don't give him any anyway because he doesn't deserve it for complaining. :)

Melt the white chocolate/almond bark in the microwave in 30 second intervals until melted. Be careful not to heat it too much or it will seize. Drizzle over the chocolate covered bacon. Put the sheet tray in the refrigerator to set, about 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from the sheet tray to a serving dish and serve.

Pasta Primavera Alfredo

So I needed to use up the last of the vegies from my co-op basket, so I decided to make Pasta Primavera Alfredo.



Here is what you need:

3 cups carrots sliced really thinly
3 cups small broccoli florets (I also cut the small stems really thinly and added them)
1 lb. bag of spaghetti noodles (I did not have any without walking to the cellar, so being lazy, I used rotini)
1 cup milk (I also am down to just enough milk for  breakfast tomorrow, so I used Half and Half)
4 oz (1/2 brick) cream cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter
Salt and pepper

Cook the noodles according to package directions. Add the chopped vegetables to the boiling pasta for the last 5 minutes.  (If your carrots are not really thin, you will need to add them a few minutes earlier than that.  Or just boil the vegies by themselves and add after the pasta is done, but why dirty up a second pan?)

While that is cooking, dirty up a small pan by cooking and stirring the cream cheese, milk, butter, and Parmesan cheese over medium low heat until it is all hot, melted and smooth.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Drain noodles and vegies.  Stir everything together and serve.  yum.

Next time, I think I would use the whole brick of cream cheese to give it a bit more flavor (and oops--- calories)   Just a thought....

Can't wait for blueberry season?

So, I finally made something that Bob's readers might like (my usual organic, granola, tree-hugging stuff would probably not appeal to most) AND (this was the key), I actually remembered to take pictures.

So, here is the general idea behind the blueberry coffee cake I made this morning:

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, cubed
TOPPING:
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cold butter
Directions

For batter, in a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg. Combine 1 cup flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Toss blueberries with remaining flour. Stir blueberries and cream cheese into creamed mixture (batter will be thick). Transfer to a greased 8-in. square baking dish.
For topping, in a small bowl, combine flour and sugar. Cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over batter. Bake at 375 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
Footnotes

Editor's Note: If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw before adding to batter.

Okay - sounds easy enough. First, soften the butter - need it extra soft because the hand mixer that Bob's mother gave me a bzillion years ago spews stuff all over the kitchen. FAIL:



Start over...note: softening butter in the microwave only takes 20 seconds (BTW - I use real butter. It is better for you.) Next, I realized that I only had enough cow's milk for a glass to go with the cake. So, I substituted Almond Milk. It is chocked full of omega-3 fatty acids and low on calories.



I also substituted softened cream cheese left over from making single serve cheesecake last night for the cube cream cheese. It made it easier to mix in at the end.



Don't forget to coat the blueberries with flour. I used fresh blueberries, which may be difficult for others to get...remember to use frozen berries frozen.

Just a note - wild blueberries are great for your memory!



Blogging takes a long time, evidently. It is out of the oven already!



Evaluation: Very good. I am impressed, and very glad that I saved my cow's milk to drink. I can hardly wait to try it with NC blueberries. These were Chilean and unfortunately, they have to pick them before they are ripe so that they survive the trip to the US. This means that they are not as sweet as those that are left to ripen on the bush....I get those here in a few short months. Blueberries off the bush are the best, but if you can't get them, frozen are the next best thing!