Sassy & Sweet Notes

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Alright girls... it's time for a tasty treat! I made this recipe yesterday.

It's soooo divine, I must share it with you.

I started out using a recipe from my Aunt Patty, but altered it a bit to use what I had on hand.

Here's my version!

SweetMissDaisy's Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Aunt Patty says it's important to use a glass pan - pineapple can react with metal and make your cake taste metallic! I used an 8x8 square glass baking pan. You could also use a 9x9 glass pie dish.

Topping (cooked in pan):
4 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
3 small cans CHUNKED pineapple

Melt 4 Tablespoons of butter in the bottom of the glass baking pan. Spread 1 cup brown sugar on top of the melted butter. Drain 3 small cans (or 1 large can + 1 small can) CHUNKED pineapple, and place pineapple chunks on top of the brown sugar. You don't need the pineapple juice for this recipe, so mix it with some OJ and enjoy a fruity drink while you wait for your cake to bake!

Cake:
1/2 cup butter room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cup flour

Mix together the cake ingredients and spread over top of the pineapple chunks (it'll be thick!). Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

Let it sit for 5 minutes, then turn it over onto a plate and serve, or leave it all in the pan and serve like a cobbler.

Yummy! Deeee-lish!

PS: Yum-Girl digital illustration by me: February 25, 2008.

Happy 7th Birthday, Miss Daisy!

I adopted Daisy when she was almost 4 years old from a family who couldn't keep her any longer. She'd been moved between several homes before she came to live with me. The family that had her just before I adopted her didn't feel like their home was the best home she could have. Apparently, they didn't trust their neighbors not to harm Daisy if she went to their barn, so the family decided it would be best to find a safer place for her to live. It was a happy day when she came to live with me. We lived very happily together, until one day (Valentines day the following year) we met Mister Farley who was looking for a forever-home. Daisy and I knew immediately that Mister Farley needed to come live with us. And it's been ULTRA happy dog days for us ever since!

I decided to make Daisy some special treats for her birthday. Something she can share with all her dog friends here on the farm (not that she WANTS to share, but we make her). I asked for recipe's earlier this week, and thanks to everyone who left me a note or referred me to sites online. I read them all and they all sound delish! I found a recipe in a book I have by the folks at Three Dog Bakery that I altered just a bit ... thought I'd share my version of the recipe with you. The ingredients are simple, and they were quick and easy to make.

Sweet Miss Daisy Hearts
2 cups Whole Wheat flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
2 TBS Honey
1 Egg
1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
1/2 cup Milk (soy, rice, or fat free cow)

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, baking powder and garlic powder together in a mixing bowl. Stir in honey, egg, oil and milk. (I just used a fork for all the mixing and it worked great!) The dough will be somewhat dry, but it will stick together. On a wheat floured surface, knead the dough 10-15 times. Pat into nicely shaped ball and roll out onto cutting surface 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Use cookie cutters to cut shapes, or cut into 1.5" squares. Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 15 minutes. Let cool on the sheet. Serve one cookie to all dogs, and store remaining cookies in an airtight container. All the dogs on the farm give these cookies TWO PAWS UP!

Happy Birthday, Miss Daisy!
You're my favorite chocolate chunk!

Mmmm...Strawberries!

Mmm...I love strawberries! I bought a big container of them on Sunday when I was at Costco, and they are just delicious!

I made a creamy fruit dip to go on top...mmm-mmm-MM!

Creamy Fruit Dip
1 8oz Package of Cream Cheese
1 2/3 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4 to 1/2 Cup Sugar (to your taste)
2 tsp Vanilla

Beat the Cream Cheese until it's creamy. Add in the remaining ingredients and beat until fluffy, soft peaks form. Eat on all kinds of fruit... strawberries, apples, melons, (yes, even watermelon!)

Your lips will thank you now, your hips will thank you later! =)

The Cake...

Oh my goodness... what a project I took on today! It shouldn't have been quite as much work as it ended up being, but sometimes things just don't go as planned.

I'm not a very good baker, so it makes projects like this even more of a challenge.

I set out to make Alan a simple chocolate cake for his birthday. Just a couple of layers and some yummy homemade frosting. Nothing fancy.

I whipped up the first cake batter, popped it in the oven and baked it as the directions stated. Maybe it's because of the humidity here lately (HUGE storm going right now!) but the cake didn't really rise all that much, although it was really "cakey" and looked beautiful! I thought maybe it was just a bad mix and since I had another mix in the cupboard, I decided to make a second cake and see if maybe it would bake up better and I would be able to make his cake out of the second baked cake.

Well..... the second cake didn't rise much more than the first one, but it looked beautiful too! So. What should be done with 4 beautiful, but FLAT, cake layers?

I stacked them up!

This photo does really show the size of this cake ... four 9" cake rounds... and it's 8" high at the center of the cake. I can't believe I actually got it to stack straight! And it didn't topple over! I served three pieces out of this cake tonight, and barely made a dent. SHEESH!  I think we're going to be eating cake for a good long while.

Maybe the gal that works at the post office will like some cake tomorrow... and maybe the mail man too... Hmmm....

Mister's Cookies...

You've GOT to try these cookies!

I made these for Alan for Valentine's Day, and the recipe is so fabulous that I've just got to share it with you!

Try them out ... if you like chocolate and peanut butter, you'll love them!!

Mister's Cookies
2 cups Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt (I use Kosher)
1 cup Butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups Sugar
1 cup Creamy Peanut Butter (I use Jif!)
1 egg
1 tsp Vanilla
2 cups (or a smidgen more!) Chocolate Chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Once combined, add peanut butter. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Slowly add in the combined dry ingredients. Once all are combined, fold in chocolate chips.

Spoon dough into gently formed 2-inch balls and place evenly on a clean cookie sheet (I cover my cookie sheet with baking parchment - works great, and easy clean up!) Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until lightly browned. After you remove the cookies from the oven, let them sit on the cookie sheet for about 1 minute before moving them to a cooling rack. This will let them set up a bit before you move them.

Finally, eat LOTS of them!!

Edited to add: Please be aware of the current Peanut Butter Salmonella issue - read more.

Who Likes Toffee? I do! I do!!

Ok girls! I want you all to make something delicious this weekend. I've started making some Christmas candies, and thought I'd share a recipe with you.

Toffee ... Mmm mmm, Delicious!
    2 cups butter
    2 cups white sugar
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
    3/4 cup finely chopped almonds

In a large heavy bottomed pot (I use an enamel-coated cast iron soup pot - it makes the best candies!), combine the butter, sugar and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the butter is melted. Allow to come to a boil, and cook until the mixture becomes a dark amber color, and the temperature reaches 285 degrees F (137 degrees C) on your candy thermometer. Stir occasionally to keep it from burning.

While the toffee is cooking, cover a large flat baking sheet with parchment paper. As soon as the toffee reaches the proper temperature, quickly pour it out onto the prepared baking sheet. But you've got to make sure it reaches temperature! If it's not cooked long enough, your toffee will be a bit gritty from sugar that didn't get melted all the way. Let the toffee spead itself to a nice even layer - tapping the sheet on the counter will help level out the candy.

While the toffee is still hot, sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top, and let them set for a minute or two to soften. Once the chocolate chips have softened, use a spatula to spread the chocolate into a thin even layer over the toffee. Sprinkle the chopped almonds over the chocolate. Place the toffee in the refrigerator to chill until set (10-15 minutes should be plenty of time!). Break into pieces, and store in an airtight container. Or just serve it up! Yummmy!!

Zesty Oyster Crackers

If you've been a frequent visitor to my blog, you'll know that I only share things I really love (spiders were the exception).

Here's another favorite recipe I thought I'd share!

This recipe was made by my Grandma during the holidays - and I think it's delicious!

Zesty Oyster Crackers

2 packages oyster crackers (get the brand that are rounded, like shown - they're the best!)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 package dry Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
1 tsp lemon pepper
1 TBS dried dill weed
1 tsp garlic powder

Directions:
In a large bowl mix together spices, dressing mix, and oil. Once mixed, gently fold in the crackers until coated evenly. I use a rubber spatula and that pulls the spice mixture off the bottom of the bowl, and doesn't break up the crackers. Store in a zip lock bag or other air tight container. They're the best when made a day before serving to allow spices to really flavor the crackers.

YUMMMMY!

Anna Banana Bread

Banana Bread is one of my favorite things, and today I made two loafs! Yumm! I've been tinkering with a few different recipes, and finally found what I think is worth repeating.

Anna Banana Bread
1/2 cup butter or margarine softened
8 oz cream cheese softened
1 1/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
3 ripe mashed bananas
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 TBS brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter/margarine and the cream cheese together. Gradually add the white sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one egg at a time, beating well after each egg. Stir in the mashed bananas and vanilla. Slowly add the brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, baking powder and baking soda. Mix until the batter is just moist. (careful not to mix too long after you've added the flour.) Fold in your choice of chopped nuts.

Pour the batter into two greased/floured 8x4" loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes on middle rack, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Once baked, let loafs rest in pans for 5 minutes, then carefully turn out of pan onto a cooling rack.

Mmm-mmm Good!