Jiffy Pineapple Upside-down Cake

     It's winter in Michigan and it's cold. That's all I can say. We try to keep busy to keep the circulation going in attempt to stay warm and most weekends I choose to bake up something to help warm the house. Today was no different. We were up and moving early and while Shawn went and did a quick Kota clean-up in the yard, I hopped on the treadmill. About 40 minutes later, he was warming up, I was cooling down, and we met in the middle with oatmeal and an episode of Z-Nation on Netflix.
     I played on my tablet for about 20 minutes, took a shower and thought maybe a nap was in the near future. As it turned out, I did cuddle on the couch and we started watching The Lone Ranger with Johnny Depp. It didn't take long before I was hitting the pause button and headed to the kitchen to whip up a cake.
Jiffy Pineapple Upside-down Cake:

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 20oz can chunk pineapple drained  (reserving 1/2 cup of juice)
1box Jiffy yellow cake mix
1egg

     What's not to love about the way butter looks sitting in a well-cared-for cast iron skillet? (9 inch)

     Melt that baby up in the oven then top it with the brown sugar and pineapple. You can use crushed pineapple instead. I like little chunks so I actually take my chunks of pineapple and cut them in half again to make them more petite. Actually, Shawn did the chopping. He's a great chopper.

     Set that aside and beat the cake mix, reserved pineapple juice and egg for 4 minutes. Gently pour that on top of the mixture sitting happy in the cast iron.

     Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Today for me it was 40 minutes exactly. My oven varies since it's older than me so I have to watch when using it. The cooking time will fluctuate for me. I keep saying if I ever get a working oven, I'm not going to know how to cook.

     Let it cool 2 minutes then flip it over on to your serving dish.

     Ta-da!

     I usually opt out of the cherries on a pineapple upside-down cake. I love cherries. It's just a personal preference here. You can add them if you like at the same time you add the pineapple and brown sugar topping.
     This was the dessert on a night we made a great sweet and sour chicken stir fry, using canned zucchini pineapple. Boil chunked zucchini in pineapple juice and process. Get that fabulous recipe and stir fry dinner here: Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir Fry
     Incidentally, we did eventually finish watching The Lone Ranger. I loved it.
Chat soon!
Penni

When Life Gives You Zucchini

     We usually catch and annual sale at Kroger when they sell fresh pineapples for a dollar. That's an amazing price, at least for where I am. Well either I missed that sale in the beginning of the summer, or else they didn't have it. I'm guessing that even though I checked weekly, I missed it somehow. But what we did have, was a very abundant supply of local zucchini. You'd be surprised what you can do with zucchini and when it comes to canning we've attempted quite a few science projects that have led to great successes. Some not so much, but we won't mention that here.
     I work with 100 Horticulturalists and in harvest season the amount of free fresh picked garden vegetables that get offered at work can mean you don't have to use what little real estate you might have to grow some things. We grew 20 tomato plants, jalapenos and plenty of basil this year. All things we use the most. Last season, I shared mine and in return I gained a freezer full of fresh garden green beans and more zucchini than we knew what to do with.
     This year we dehydrated some for the first time. We do enjoy zucchini bread and sometimes it's difficult to come by in the middle of winter. Rehydrate and there you go. It can be used just like fresh in breads and sauces. We also made our annual batch of sweet relish and also bread and butter pickles. Yes, I said that. For the last 3 years our bread and butter pickles have been made from zucchini instead of cucumbers. The secret is out now to those of my son friends who come over requesting to take a jar home. It's a popular item here.
     The new discovery we tried this year made up for the missed pineapple sale, and we made pineapple chunks from zucchini instead. It's quite simple and can be used however you would normally use canned pineapple. Personally, the texture isn't spot on enough for me to top my cottage cheese with, but it is so close that when used mixed in a recipe I don't notice at all that it's an impostor.

     Get the recipe here: Pineapple Zucchini

     It's a very easy process. Boil in some pineapple juice and can it up.

     Tonight this zucchini was going into sweet and sour chicken. I don't have measurements when I do any type of chicken stir fry. I don't even have a set ingredient list. It's a great time to open the refrigerator and dump whatever veggies you have on hand into the pan. Tonight was carrots, broccoli, onion, cauliflower and a little green bell pepper. Fry up some chicken that's been cut to bite size, add the veggies and keep stirring until everything is as cooked as you like.

     I've learned to move like a ninja in the kitchen, stealth and light on my feet. You have to when there is a beast that forever feels the need to lay right in the middle of the floor when I cook. He's not sleeping. Don't let him fool you. He's waiting in his own stealth mode for the moment chicken might hit the floor.

     Then for the sauce, which was amazing. I found the recipe on Allrecipes.com. I gave it 5 stars.

Wow! Sweet and Sour Sauce          

Recipe By:Nana Nat

"This is great sauce. Use for dipping or poured over rice and chicken."

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 (8 ounce) can pineapple tidbits, with juice (this is where I used our canned pineapple zucchini) 
• 2/3 cup distilled white vinegar

• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon steak sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper hot sauce
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions

1. Stir water, sugar, ketchup, pineapple, vinegar, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, steak sauce, and hot sauce together in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove 1/2 cup of the sauce to a small bowl; whisk cornstarch into the sauce in the bowl. Bring the sauce in the saucepan to a boil, stir the sauce with the cornstarch into the boiling sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before using.

     This little picture doesn't show you how amazing the recipe is. I cut the recipe in half, unsure if I'd like it, and this is what's left after covering my stir fry. We loved it so much that were going to break down the recipe and determine if it's safe to can and if it is, look out. There will be quite a few jars of this on the shelf if things go right. There is cornstarch in this recipe, but if I remove that and thicken after opening a jar, we might be good to go.

     See that chunk of zucchini in there? You'd never know it wasn't pineapple...

     If you like sweet and sour, you'll like this sauce. I give it 2 thumbs up.

Chat soon!

Penni

Good thing mom's home!

     Between having a teenage boy in the house, and just bad timing, it seems that the only time the toilet paper roll gets refilled is when I do it. I'm sure many of us feel this way. I can't blame Shawn. He's where the "bad timing" comes in to play. It's just the luck of the draw that he never ends up with an empty roll to change. But I will say, I don't necessarily feel that the 3 squares of tissue he leaves on the roll should qualify him for not changing it...
     Before I left for work this morning, I made a quick pit stop. As I was spinning the tissue off the roll, and I normally use pretty conservatively because I don't like to waste, I pulled off a little extra just to finish the roll. I grabbed a new roll from the shelf next to me and hesitated as I was getting ready to go through the usual motions of refilling. I giggled to myself, set it on the ledge just 2 inches above the holder, and smiled big as I finished and washed up and left, flicking off the light just leaving the toilet paper. I felt so rebellious. It just MUST be Friday. It's only 7:00 a.m. and now I'm feeling like the day is mine.
     It's a happy morning. The roads weren't covered in snow for the first time in a while, my heater worked, which seemed to give me fits and just stop yesterday, and I was looking forward to getting home and being with Shawn. The morning was smooth at work and I was productive and busy. People were chatty and happy and it's jeans day at work so morale is high. Friday's are great. And then it came...
     Text from Shawn:

     "Don't worry. I got it..."

     Me: "Hehehe" Imagine my surprise that I didn't come home to it still sitting, lonely, dangling and waving.

     Shawn: "You better hope I don't go viral with this."

     And that was the conception of tonight's blog.

Chat soon!

Penni

    

Finding inspiration

     We all have someone we look up to. An idol, a mentor, a motivator, etc. First an foremost, my number one inspiration is my husband, Shawn. At his largest point, Shawn was 389 pounds. The equivalent of two people. He didn't exercise. He worked too many hours, and he supplemented food for many things, such as sleep. That was six years ago, when I met him.
     Proudly enough, Shawn lost one of those people and now weighs in under 200 pounds, fluctuating from 190 to 195 depending on the meals I cooked that week. When he lists the things he used to eat and how much he ate, sometimes I'm speechless. "You ate all of that for lunch?" How does one person eat so much? And I giggle because today he can barely make it through a bologna sandwich, which is unfortunately what I made him for dinner tonight. Yes, I consider myself predominately a food blogger and I fed my husband a bologna sandwich for dinner...
     When Shawn and I met, I never seen the weight. He made me so happy, and still does, and his weight just didn't matter to me. It suddenly mattered to him. He was determined to be the best he could be and win my heart. Little he did know, he already had it, but I'm happy he took the steps it took to keep his own heart healthy.
     I had never in my life seen a man with such a drive. He wanted to be healthy and nothing was going to stop him. He didn't have any surgeries or pills or shakes. It was through sheer determination and will power that he shed his pounds. His determination is the biggest reason I feel in love with him. I was in awe with the "I want it and I'm taking it" attitude. When I look back at pictures of him before he lost the weight, now I can see it. I wonder myself how I didn't see it before. Maybe because I didn't know him to be any other way? I don't know. I honestly ask myself that. But it doesn't matter. I fell in love with him because he was the kindest man I had ever met and imagine how thrilled I was to see the evolution of his body and to know this handsome creature was now all mine. Score!
     My next inspiration is Ree Drummond. You've probably seen her on the Food Network, but if you've never checked out her blog, take the time to treat yourself. What a woman. She has a life I would dream of. And that's the nice part. I don't envy her in a "I wish I could have that" kind of way. It's more of a, "I can have that too if I work as hard as she does" kind of way. She pushes me within. To be a better cook, baker, wife, mother, friend, grandma and even pushes me to be better to myself.
     As it was 12 degrees last night and after work I sat on the couch under an afghan trying to warm up, I browsed her daily blog. It was a great post and I perked up even more when Shawn asked what I was reading and wanted me to share with him. I read him the blog and we both had a feel-good moment. Then I browsed some of her links and came across the "find your motivation" article. After reading it, I said, "Well crap..." And I didn't feel so great about sitting on the couch any longer.
     I got up and got on the treadmill. So many good things comes out of a brisk 20 minute walk. For one, it takes care of being cold. I warmed right up after about ten minutes and since I'm too cheap to turn up the heat, it was the best answer. Two, as I was walking, I planned this blog, which is something else I want to do for myself, but I neglect (sorry for that.) And 3, it motivated me to prepare a healthy lunch for today.
     Now don't get me wrong. I try to stay active and make good food choices, but I used to be much much better than I am today. The first half of 2015 was spent struggling with a debilitating back issue. But that's fixed now and I have no more excuse. It's time to get back on to the health wagon. I don't have weight goals or size issues. I just want to feel better. And I do already. So I got on the treadmill again tonight. And I plan to tomorrow. It's for me. And last night, Ree gave it to me. She gave me what I needed to decide to make a choice for myself and do something that makes me feel great. I'll get back to jogging. I miss it and I don't do it enough right now, but I will. One treadmill visit at a time.
     So this tied right in with my last post, which sadly was quite some time ago. On that last post I mentioned that my next post I would share with you the rolls I made for Thanksgiving. I made the rolls from Ree's blog. I could share the recipe and all of my pictures here, but since I'm pushing for you to see my inspiration, I'm simply posting the link to her rolls on her blog.  http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/pw_dinner_rolls_-_no_kneading_required/
     I have made these rolls twice now. Each time, they literally look exactly like her pictures every step along the way. It was the easiest roll recipe I've ever made and I don't feel the need to look any further. This is my go-to roll recipe from now on. I've added garlic butter to the top on some of them and it came out amazing. You must try them! Thanks Ree!
     I hope I spread a little inspiration your way tonight. <3
Chat soon!
Penni

Thanksgiving dinner

     Oh what fun Thanksgiving is. We host Thanksgiving every year and I always get so happy being able to spend so much time in the kitchen prepping to feed family. I'm not sure what the bigger compliment is, seeing the plates come out one by one so full that food is stacked on top of food, or the way everyone leans back when they're finished because their full belly prevents them from leaning forward for another second. Either way, I've always been a firm believer that good times happen around good food.
     This year, I took the home made stuffing up a notch and started with home made bread. We made a couple loaves, starting a few nights before Thanksgiving. The bread was nothing out of the ordinary, just simple white bread.

     The night before, we cubed it so it could dry out just a little. I've made the same stuffing for years and mine actually calls for soft bread cubes, but I don't like them pillow soft, so cubing them and leaving them in a loosely covered bowl over night is usually perfect. When you're ready to stuff the turkey, melt 3/4 cup butter and soften 2 sliced celery stalks and a chopped medium onion. As soon as this starts cooking on the stove, Shawn already starts to inhale deeply. The smell is amazing. To the 9 cups of cubed bread, add approx 2 teaspoons of ground sage, mix it around real good, then toss in the butter, celery and onion mixture. Just stir it until it's all coated real good and start shoving inside that beautiful bird. This recipe can be used inside any bird, turkey, chicken or even Cornish hens. Because it's such a basic stuffing, no sausage or berries, etc., it's very versatile.

     This is before we tied up the legs, but I wanted you to be able to see the stuffing inside. This bird was so big that all the stuffing fit inside, but normally I have some left over. Anything that doesn't fit inside, just put in an oven safe casserole dish, cover it and place in the refrigerator. After the turkey comes out of the oven and is resting, I can usually bake the left over stuffing and rolls at the same time so everything is nice and hot for dinner.
     Unfortunately, since we were juggling so much with company coming in, turkey coming out and a hundred other fun kitchen things, I didn't get a picture of the finished bird. I didn't do anything special seasoning this years turkey. It was a simple butter and salt and pepper bird, but I've done quite a few variations from herbs to brine to pumpkin pie spice rubbed, which was amazing. We did expect a bigger crowd this year, hence the large bird, and since some of the family doesn't care too much for out-of-the-box ideas, I just stayed with simple. The flavor of the turkey and stuffing is going to be fantastic no matter what you do.

     This picture was actually taken the next day during our day of watching movies, cleaning up and pigging out on left overs. I don't do black Friday shopping. I do sweats, movies and enjoy my husband. My sister does the sweet potato casserole every year and if she were to ever decide not to bring it, I'd be lost. It's the sweet that cuts through the savory on the plate. It's almost a dessert in itself. So this was almost all of our meal. Not pictured is the cranberry sauce and the rolls. Why didn't I show the rolls? Because that's tomorrow's blog. The rolls were so amazing and so easy that I'm going to share that entire recipe with you.
     We also took the turkey carcass, some celery and a few other vegetable odds and ends, put it in a large stock pot, covered it with water and simmered it very slowly for hours. It was at least 3 hours, but I can't say for sure because I went more by eye than time. This yielded 5 quarts of amazing home made turkey stock. On Saturday, with 4 cups of that turkey stock, we made a mashed potato topped turkey pot pie. It's another one of my traditional after Thanksgiving meals, though normally with pie crust. This year I decided to try it with the mashed potatoes. It was good, but I think I missed the pie crust on top of this.

     It was still a great comfort food kind of evening and with the temperatures beginning to drop, I don't complain at all about the oven being on.
    Tune in tomorrow when I share the best roll recipe you've ever seen, and who I copied the recipe from!
Chat soon and I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving!
Penni

First snow of the winter

     I'm certainly not complaining.  It's near the end of November in Michigan and we've actually enjoyed temperatures near the 70s this month. But for our first snowfall of the season, it packed quite the punch. We were hammered with over ten inches of snow today. I'm thankful I didn't have to leave the house.
     Shawn and I couldn't wait to let Kota outside, who we found sleeping belly up on the couch. I gave him a few minutes to wake up and then opened the door. As soon as he could see outside his ears went up. Suddenly he was like a kid on Christmas morning. And he spent the majority of his day sleeping in the snow. He made a few random trips inside to pick out another of his many bones and went back outside. We watched through the window giggling as he buried them in the snow.

     I do love seeing him in the snow. It's definitely one of his favorite times of year and I was pretty happy for him today. As for me? Meh, maybe another day or two of this and then I'll be ready for beach weather again. 

Chat soon!

Penni

Squeaky clean...

     I'm a Pinterest lover just like many of you out there. We like to believe all the innovative ideas that we're seeing actually work. Most of them probably do. I don't know because I've only tried a few handful of projects or recipes and out of the millions of ideas, my few don't leave me any authority to judge. But I do know many of those so called short cut life savers aren't worth squat and turn out to be complete failures.
     I've ended up with a few of those failures, but in time, I've realized many of the recipes just needed a few tweaks and I could improve it to be the scrumptious dish it was meant to be. We once tried apple pie empanadas. I was so excited as I was making them because they looked amazing. I was using our home made apple pie filling and making, what I thought was, caramel for the first time. Lots of butter. In fact, a crazy amount of butter. But I followed the recipe. As it baked, the house smelled amazing and our mouths watered when I pulled them out of the oven. It was so hard to wait that 20 minutes or so to let it cool.
     One bite and I was so disappointed. The tortilla wrap and filling were amazing, but the caramel sauce was pretty much a pool of butter. Way too much. So much butter that it ruined all of it. Go figure. Too much butter. It really turned me off and I could feel my veins harden just taste testing it. Use about a quarter of the butter called for, bump up the sugar and viola. No more wasted apple pie filling. I assume as people copy and paste each others recipes and share them on Pinterest, there are probably unintentional typos or someone's misjudgment. One wrong word can be the difference between a success and a flop. Try it your self and see what happens. Learn from it. Better it if you can and make it your own.
     And then you run across the recipes and mixes that bring back a childhood memory of your grandmother or great aunt or some such who used to do it that way. And they'd always say, "I've done it like this for 50 years." But what if somewhere in your memory, you remember how well it turned out for them? We gave one of those old wives tales a shot.
     We followed the old 3, 2, 1 glass cleaner recipe. Even as a young teen I can remember being at a friends house while she was doing chores. They used a home made cleaner, I remember she said vinegar, and she used newspapers, and the mirrors all came out so spotless. I was amazed. How could anything but expensive cleaner and paper towels get such a streak free shine? Then I came across this recipe on Pinterest, which was only one of 100's that I came across.

Easy 3-2-1 Formula for Washing Windows

It's simply three drops of blue Dawn, two-thirds cup of water, and one-third cup of white vinegar.  (Did I mention this only costs pennies per cup?)

     Just pour it into a spray bottle and spray away. That's it. You can see the rest of the post here:

     http://lessthanperfectlifeofbliss.blogspot.com/2014/03/easy-3-2-1-formula-for-washing-windows.html
     So I take this mixture and head to the bathroom. The dirtiest mirrors in the house. I sprayed it all over and already I wasn't impressed. It started dripping right away and looked like nothing more than straight up water. However the vinegar smell was a tad douche related. Yes... I said it. I grabbed a wad of paper towel, (next time I'll save the Sunday paper) and started wiping, not having much hope.

   I wiped as fast as I could and changed the paper towel around to make sure I kept drying with a dry spot, but it just seemed to move the fluid around and I thought for sure my mirrors were going to look disgusting. When I gave up trying to dry them and stood back, instantly the moisture started to clear up and I was left with streak free, spotless mirrors... with a little vinegar smell. I couldn't believe it. I stood there with my mouth open wondering, "How much money have I spent on Windex over the years?" No offense against Windex.
     I moved to the bedroom and did that mirror and wiped every other glass or mirror surface I had. I picked up a little momentum even because I felt pretty accomplished and smitten with myself. Just like grandma used to do it. Two thumbs up is my review on this one. I'll never buy mirror cleaner again. No kidding. And I'll try more of the home made home cleaners now that this one has proven to be a success.
Chat soon!
Penni