Pineapple Upside down cake

Some of you had asked for this recipe from my Super bowl sunday spread. I will share the recipe for the cake but before that, time for some trivia on the cake

The term 'upside down cake' wasn't used very much before the middle of the 19th century, but the style of baking probably dates back much further, probably to the Middle Ages.

The early recipes for fruit upside down cakes were made in cast iron skillets on top of the stove.
The classic American 'Pineapple Upside Down Cake' dates to sometime after 1903, when Jim Dole invented canned pineapple. The Hawaiin Pineapple Co. (now Dole Pineapple) held a pineapple recipe contest in 1925, with judges from Fannie Farmer's School, Good Housekeeping and McCall's magazine on the judging panel.

The 100 winning recipes would be published in a cookbook the following year. Over 60,000 recipes were sent in, and 2,500 of them were for Pineapple Upside Down Cake. So it is obvious that between 1903 when canned pineapple was first available, and 1925 when the contest was held, Pineapple Upside Down Cake had become a very popular item.

The Hawaiin Pineapple Company ran an ad campaign in 1926 based on the fact that so many recipes for the cake had been submitted, naturally making the Pineapple Upside Down Cake even more popular.( www.foodreference.com)

You need
1/3 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup flour
1/3 tsp. salt
2 eggs, separated and beaten separately
2/3 cup water or milk3 tbsp
baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1 can sliced pineapples
maraschino cherries

This is how you make it
Cream butter, add sugar, beaten egg yolks and vanilla.
Add dry ingredients alternately with water or milk.
Lastly, add stiffly beaten egg whites.
In the pan you will bake the cake in (a large round cast iron skillet works well) melt 1/2 cup butter and 3/4 cup brown sugar.
When the butter and sugar becomes melted and syrupy, add slices of pineapple with maraschino cherries in the middle. Pour on batter.
Bake at 325°F for about 35 minutes or until the cake springs back when touched lightly near center.
Remove from oven, loosen cake gently from sides of pan and turn upside down onto a serving plate.
Serve with a sauce of your choice or whipped cream.

Fruit Tray and Devilled Eggs

Thankyou for the appreciation and leaving some wonderful comments on my last 2 entries .I was humbled and hugely flattered. Its now time to share the recipes .Let's start with recipes from the superbowl sunday entry .

How about we begin with the Fruit Tray with peanut butter-honey dip and Devilled Eggs ?

Fruit Tray with peanut butter -honey dip

You need :
1/2 cup smooth or chunky peanut butter (I chose chunky)
2 tbsp milk
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp water
1/8 tsp cinnamon powder
2 cups melonballs
1 banana peeled and thickly sliced
1 apple sliced
4 strawberries sliced
1 small bunch- green seedless grapes

This is how you make it
1. Place peanut butter in small bowl , gradually stir in milk and honey until blended .Stir in water and cinnamon until mixture is smooth
2. Served the dip with fruits which has been arranged on a serving dish .
You can use green salad leaves to cover the serving dish before you arrange the fruits on it .


Fruit tray with peanut butter-honey dip


Peanut butter -Honey Dip

Devilled (or Deviled) Eggs

I always wanted to how this dish got its name. Here's a bit of trivia for those are curious about the name .

"The devil in this particular dish is definitely in the details. In this context, "deviled" refers to the process of highly seasoning a food. Linda's culinary dictionary explains further:

deviled - (1) A term describing food that is dark, rich, chocolate, spicily piquant or stimulating it is "deviled." Means a highly seasoned, chopped, ground, or whole mixture that is served hot or cold. Many foods, including eggs and crab, are served "deviled."

Deviled can also refer to spiced, potted meats such as William Underwood's famous deviled hams and sardines.

Some say the name of the dish originated in Great Britain in 1786, while the oldest known recipe for stuffed eggs appeared in a 15th-century Italian cookbook. Another source claims that the dish originated in ancient Rome.

As for the name, one food historian believes the names for foods such as deviled eggs or Devil's food cake stem from the belief that "healthy foods such as eggs, ham, and cake have been modified to thus become unhealthy." Hence they came under the influence of the evil one and are "deviled." Deviled foods are usually hot with spices, and anything hot is associated with the devil. (Source http://ask.yahoo.com)

You need :
12 Eggs, hard boiled and shelled
8 tbsp Mayonnaise
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
Salt to taste
Freshly Ground Pepper to taste
Chopped fresh Parsley

This is how you make it
Slice the eggs in half lengthwise.
Remove the yolks and mash them with the mayonnaise, mustard, until smooth and velvety.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Place equal amounts into hollows of each egg half.
Garnish with chopped parsley.

Devilled Eggs

There you go , Two easy and delicious recipes ready in almost no time at all. Both recipes are great as appetizers or to bring to a pot-luck, and perfect for Atkins and low carb diets.

Enjoy .

Treat for two ...continued

So both Valentine's day and my anniversary came and went in a second. That may be so but I now have a new story to pass on to my grandkids...... That Grandpa (thats my husband) loved Grandma(that's me) so much that he beat her to buying her own car.Instead he went ahead and bought it for her as an anniversary present .One of the sweetest and grandest gesture of love.Do people, do that anymore? Well obviously, because Grandpa did :-)

Yes, freinds.I got a new car for my 4th wedding anniversary and that right now,is my new love.

What did I do for him...Lots of presents and ofcourse made a mushy , romantic ,(some would even call it corny but who cares) valentines day meal for him replete with candles,chocolates and roses.That, because I am a die hard romantic .

Witness for yourself as I firmly uphold the old adage "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach "

Sphagetti with Meatballs, Garlic Bread, Shrimp Scampi and Tira Misu cake ,anyone ? I promise to come back with the recipes from this and the superbowl entry.Meanwhile enjoy the pictures .


The set up (sounds almost sinister) :-)


Sphagetti with meatballs


Tiramisu cake


Cards, chocolates and wine seal the deal


Hmm , he likes it , he likes it not? Worry not girl , he loved it :)

Treat for two ..Happy valentines day

Happy valentines day everyone ...More pictures coming up as I go through the day.This is the breakfast .Tomorrow is our Anniversary so its a two day long celebration

What did you folks do today?


Breakfast on a lovey-dovey day



And an especially Happy Valentines day to the Man in my life

My Super Bowl Sunday Spread

Hey everyone , Now that Iam back in the game .I want to tell about last sunday, called the super bowl sunday .Super bowl is considered really important in America. It was especially important for the state I live in ..Washington state ..Our team , the SEAHAWKS made it to the super bowl for the first time and everyone was realy excited .We were pitted against the the STEELERS from Pittsburgh . Unfortunately SEAHAWKS lost .What a shame ??

But my theory is ..Its better to make it to superbowl and have lost then to have never made it . GO..SEAHAWKS :)

We had a small gathering of freinds to watch the game and I prepared a spread . There was a bunch of food - fruit and veggie trays, devilled eggs, seekh kebabs, aloo tikkis, pita bread with Mushroom ratatouille, oatmeal cookies and my favorite ...pineapple upside down cake .

Everybody enjoyed the grub and here are the pictures .I will discuss recipes post by post except for some which I have already talked about before..

Here you go , Feast your eyes:)


The Spread



The fruit tray with my peanut butter -honey dip


the Veggie tray with the Ranch Dip


Seekh Kebabs


Aloo Tikki ..a hit with the crowd


Devilled Eggs


Mushroom Ratatouille


Pineapple Upside Down Cake


Not a recipe ..thats me and my niece :)

Let me know how you found the pics .

Upma

Sorry folks ..No post for almost 2 weeks . I was busy and then I was sick .Now Iam feeling much better and raring to go . For those of you , who cared to ask , thanks a ton :)

The recipe I post today was something I was hoping to enter into Meenakshi's " From my rasoi - breakfast series" but could not because I was sick last week and couldnt make the deadline on time . Meenakshi of "Hooked on Heat" fame has been doing a great job and I hope to enter her feb series .

Today's recipe is Upma .Like all dishes upma, has a history behind it .It originated in the South of India and is mighty popular there .Called "Upma" in tamil ,"Uppindi" in Telugu and "Uppittu" in Kannada , its basically a wholesome indian dish made of Wheat Rava or sooji(also called semolina) .There are so many different ways to prepare Upma.

Indeed, every south Indian woman will impart a small difference in flavour when making her Upma. This variation is obtained by varying or emphasising some particular spice, thereby making for variation. Apart from rava,upma is widely made with vermicelli and cous-cous also. These dishes are sometimes not regarded as being Upma, and are known in many regions by other names.

Upma used to be one of the many sunday breakfast items my ma used to make when I was back in India .Sunday breakfasts were always special and elaborate.recently I made upma and my mind jsut went back to those good ole times when I used to watch my ma fiddling with her pots and pans , spices ...........a bit of this , a bit of that ..some stirr and whoosh ....recipe upon delicious recipe appeared in front of me.She made it effortless , as simple as brushing your teeth and unknowingly instilled a love of cooking in me . Let me start with the recipe before I go mushy on you guys and start uttering gibberish :-)

You need
Sooji - upma Rava 1 Cup
Ginger 1 " inch piece chopped
finelyChilies red or Green 2 Nos
Onion medium size 1 chopped
Boiled peas- 1/2 cup
Chopped carrots -1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Oil 4 tbsp.
Water 2 Cups

For Seasoning
Mustard Seeds 1 tsp
Urad dal 1 tsp
Channa dal 1 tsp
Hing 1 pinch
dry red chillies 2
Curry leaves few.

This is how you cook it
Dry roast sooji in 2 tablespoon oil for few minutes & keep aside.Take care not to brown it .
Heat oil in the same pan & add the seasoning.
Add chilies, ginger & Onion ,fry till translucent.Then add chopped carrots and boiled peas .Cover the pan with a lid for atleast 5-10 minutes while the carrots soften and cook
Add salt,water & let it come to boil at whichpoint add the sooji gradually.
Keep stirring& take care as not to form lumps.
Simmer the stove,cover & let it cook for 5 minutes.
Switch off the stove. Your upma is ready .& Serve hot with a steaming cup of tea or coffee.

What a delicious beginning to a day .Try it .