.pineapple-mango upside-down cake.

I was watching Easy Entertaining on the Food Network the other day and the host was making this. I love pineapple upside down cake AND I love mango. I knew this was something I would have to make really soon. SO I decided to make this dessert for Jim's birthday the other night. I feel like I stepped back into the 70's with this one! The vinegar used in this recipe gives the cake and fruit a wonderful flavor. A hint of bitterness to balance all the sweetness from the fruit and syrup. If you're feeling extra indulgent, serve with a little whipped cream on top!


Dice half of one mango. I went ahead and diced the whole thing because I'm using the other half for the jerk chicken salad I'm making tonight for dinner.


Peel, slice, and core a fresh pineapple. You really only need about 4-6 rings. I diced the rest of the pineapple up for the salad I'm making tonight too. Man I can't wait! Anyway... you can used canned if you really don't want to use fresh. Fresh is *way* better though!


Chop up macadamia nuts. I went a little "nuts" and did the whole bottle. You only need 1/3 cup. I bagged the rest to use in cookies at a later time. :)


Butter a 9" round pan. Coat with sugar. This will keep the cake from sticking.


Now to make the sauce. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan.


When it's all melted and starts to turn a little brown, remove from the heat and add 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar. It will bubble and bubble when you add this.


Then add 1/2 cup packed brown sugar.


Whisk until the brown sugar has dissolved entirely. If you need to return it to the heat to make sure it's all melted, go ahead.


Pour half of the syrup into the cake pan. Tilt it to spread it around as best as possible.


Lay down your pineapple rings.


Sprinkle the diced mango on top.


Pour on the rest of the syrup and then sprinkle the macadamia nuts all over the top. Now to make the batter.


In a bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, 2 tsp baking powder, and a pinch of salt.


Using your mixer, cream 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter until there are no lumps.


Add 1/2 cup sugar and beat on high until it's nice and fluffy. Scrapping sides as necessary.

Separate two eggs.


Put the yolks in while the mixer is on high, one at a time. Beat well between each addition. The batter should continue getting airier.


Add a little of the flour mixture to the bowl.


Then add some of the milk (you're going to need 1 cup milk).

Alternate adding the dry and wet until it's all incorporated. Don't overbeat this mixture.


This is how nice and light the batter will be. Very reminiscent of a sponge cake. Very airy!


Whisk the two egg whites until soft peaks form.


Fold into the cake batter only until incorporated. Remember.. don't overmix!


Pour the batter on top of the fruit in the pan and put into a preheated 350* oven. Bake for 50 minutes.


The cake is ready when the top is beautifully golden and slightly cracking.

Let sit for 10 minutes.


Run a knife along the edge then put a deep dish plate or platter on top.


Flip it over to release the cake from the pan.

.apricot balsamic chicken.

Tonight I had planned to make lemon chicken, but remembered I used up my lemon the other day making blueberry crisp (recipe to come). So I had to think up Plan B and thought I would try out a new recipe. I have to say I was a little skeptical. I didn't think there would be a lot of flavor or that apricot and balsamic would go well together. I really couldn't have been more wrong. It was awesome!



The sweetness and slight tartness mixed with the bold acidic flavor of the balsamic matched very very well. Then throw in some crushed pepper flakes and rosemary? Oh momma. It wasn't hot and the kick was exactly what made this so delicious.



This chicken doesn't take horribly long to make either. The sauce is made in a matter of minutes. No marinating needed. Just grill up your chicken and when it's about done, start slathering with the sauce to caramelize.



Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a saucepan over medium heat.



Once melted, add 1/2 cup apricot preserves. I used Polaner because it doesn't contain corn syrup - which the recipe recommends.



Add 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar.



1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes



1/2 tsp rosemary leaves



And a generous pinch of sea salt.



Lower the heat to medium low and let this cook on the stovetop until it gets a little thick.



Remove from the pan and pour into a dish to let cool. Bring to room temperature. This can be made days in advance and held in the fridge. When you're ready to use it, just put it in the microwave for a minute to loosen it up a little.



Take your chicken pieces and season both sides with salt and pepper. I used thighs only because we like dark meat. You can use whatever you want.

Put the chicken on a heated bbq grill. Make sure the heat is on low so you don't burn the chicken on the outside and it still be raw on the inside.



When the chicken is cooked (touch the center and if it's still spongy it's not cooked! It needs to be a little firm.) brush on the glaze.

Turn and glaze the other side. Do this until you've used up all of your sauce and the chicken is nice and caramelized. Pull from the grill.
Serve with rice and veggies.


Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_80czkfc4c3

.grilled vegetable pasta salad.

This is a wonderfully light, springy/summery type pasta salad that isn't the traditional pasta salad.

I got the recipe out of a Pampered Chef cookbook. I adjusted it a little. The original recipe calls for grilled tofu, but I omitted that and added a couple new things.


First you want to start with some Rotini pasta. Boil in salt water according to the directions on the box. When it's done, drain in a colander and rinse well with COLD water. The cold water will keep the pasta from sticking together. Allow to set and drain off the water.



Dump into a bowl.

I cut thick pieces of zucchini and yellow squash. Cut asparagus stalks in half, and cut up some bell pepper. The recipe doesn't call for red onion, but I added it anyway because I like onion.. lots!



Make sure you cut the onion thick. You can use whatever mushroom you want. These are baby portabello. Aren't they so cute??? So go ahead and skewer the veggies.




Brush lightly on both sides with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.















Place on a hot BBQ grill and cook, turning often so as not to burn your veggies, until everything is nice and tender. Remove from the grill.

Cut your grilled veggies up into bite-sized pieces.



Add to the bowl of pasta.

Drizzle with Balsamic dressing and grate fresh parmesan cheese on top (about 1/2 cup). Season again with salt and pepper, and tarragon.


Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_47dpr4xcgm