Orange - Pineapple Bundt Cake

I was looking at some cookbooks this lazy, rainy, gloomy day when I came across Mrs. Miller's Family Favorite Recipes.  She has many wonderful recipes in this book.  One of the recipes that caught my eye was one for Pineapple Bundt Cake.  Mm mm, it sounded really good but as usual I sat and thought how to make it mine.  Here is the  recipe.  Forgive me but there are no pictures as the cake stuck when I flipped it and turned into an orange-pineapple crummy bundt cake.

It still was eaten and whipped topping covered up the traces of the bundt Cake murder!

Here is my adaptation of Orange - Pineapple Bundt Cake.

Put in to the bowl of an electric mixer:  Mix well

2 sticks of butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3 eggs
zest of one orange and then juiced ( I used a naval orange)
2 teaspoons orange extract
1 teaspoon baking soda

then add and mix with the above:

3 cups flour
1- 20oz. can crushed pineapple

Pour into a greased 10 inch bundt pan  bake 350 degrees for 55 minutes or when a toothpick comes out clean.

Make a glaze by mixing:
1 cup icing sugar
2 tablespoons milk 1 teaspoon orange extract

(I get lemon and orange oil and extract from Penzey's)

Pot Pie Purses

Many years ago in the land of  OMG, I have to cook and I do not know how, I had two cookbooks, one was a Betty Crocker (1960's edition) and a  McCall's blue cookbook.  Out of the two, Betty Crocker was my go to.  I used that cookbook for everything.  It became a file cook book because I would file away recipes that I wanted to keep.  That book saw six moves but on the seventh move it vanished.  I do not know where I went but maybe it just disintegrated from use.

One day, not long ago, my daughter called and said she was at a yard sale and wanted to know if I was interested in some cookbooks that were there and they also had two Betty Crocker cookbooks for sale at a different price.  I told her to go ahead and get them and I would be more than happy to reimburse her.  When she gave them to me, you could not believe how excited I was to find that this was a copy of my long lost one. 

 

 



I made the Chicken Dinner Pie recipe ( p. 307)  .  It is made with a white sauce with light cream and chicken broth.   flavored with salt, pepper, dried onion  and thyme.  Then cooked chicken and a canned of mixed vegetable are added. You could used cooked frozen mixed veggies.  It is hard to believe that this is so good.

After I made the filling, I had to decide how to present it since my grandson is picky about what his food looks like.  I finally decided on crescent rolls.  I unrolled them, made square using two triangle to do so.  Then I brought up the corners twisting the tops and pinching the sides to make the purses.

  

I used two tubes of crescent rolls and had some filling left.  Baked them for 15 minutes.  Everyone loved them.

Follow this to get the book.

Quick Pear Tarts

I took a break from some late yard work and turned on Sunny Anderson.  She was making a quick pear dessert that her mother use to make.  She used phyllo dough, topped the dessert with cheese.

I was not excited about fruit and cheese so I took another road.  Here is my adaptation of her Quick Pear Tart recipe. 

1 package of premade, two crust pie dough          

1/4 cup of sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 cup melted butter
2 cans of pears in own juice
1/2 cup white chocolate morsels
1/2 cup chocolate morsels
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided

First , I did not have any phyllo so I enlisted a package of pie crust dough from my ice box.  I then rolled it out and cut it into squares (re-rolling the scraps).and place them on two parchment lined cookie sheets.  Brush each piece with the melted butter.  Sprinkle them with about half the sugar mixture.  Slice each pear into sections, leaving the small end attached.  Fan one pear half out on each piece of dough.  Sprinkle each pear with more cinnamon and sugar.  Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes.  keep an eye on them and when the dough turns tan remove.  Let cool.

While the tarts are cooling, put the morsels in separate bowls and mix in 1 tablespoon of oil with each
bowl of morsels.  Microwave on medium power in 30 second intervals until the chocolate has melted. Let chocolate cool slightly then put in a sandwich bag and use as a piping bag, drizzling the two different chocolates over the tarts.

 

I ran out of pears but had some dough left and used canned apricots.  Very good.  I would think you could vary the fruit and use spices that go with that fruit.  Quick, easy and yummy.  I also think I will give the phyllo a try next time.

The next day a family member came over and finished the tarts off.  That says it all!

Click here to see
Sunny's recipe--http://www.foodnetwork.com/search/delegate.do?fnSearchString=quick+pear+tart&fnSearchType=context&fnType=talent&fnId=119&gosearch=

I am back. It is trick or treat tonight and I promise you that this is a treat.  If you like twice backed potatoes you will love this casserole.  It comes from a Circleville ,Ohio Church of Christ Ladies in a book entitled, Hidden Treasures- Casseroles and Cobblers.  There are many delicious recipes in this book.  The first one that I tried was one called twice baked potatoes.  Yes, if you liked twice baked potatoes, you are going to love, love, love this.  This recipe was submitted by Debbie Murphy and Dianne Malone.

Here is my adaptation of  Twice Baked Potatoes Casserole.

6 medium unpeeled potatoes, baked
1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper
3/4 pound of bacon, cut into lardens and cooked
1 carton of sour cream
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
2 cups shredded cheddar
1/2 cup Asiago cheese
2 green onions, chopped

Cut baked potatoes into 1 inch cubes.  In a greased 12x9 casserole dish, put half of the potatoes.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper and bacon.  Top with half the sour cream and cheeses.  Repeat layers.  Baked uncovered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Sprinkle with onions.  Serves 6-8  Everyone ate with gusto and had very little left.

Really any cheese you have that you enjoy would work.  Also lardens are pieces of bacon that are cut into small pieces and fried.