Pineapple Upside Down Cake

We have tons of fruit in the house.  Grapes, cherries, mango, blackberries, strawberries, apples, banana, and a pineapple.  If you keep it cut up and available it will be easier to choose a healthy snack rather than cookies, chips, and candy.  For me and The Boy!

This is my first attempt at Pineapple Upside Down (PUD) Cake .  If you have an amazing  PUD cake recipe that you are famous for, please share!  I am willing to do a recipe exchange.  Inbox me on FB, share it here in the comments section or email me (either you have the email address or you don't.  sorry, not going to share it on this public forum.  I know, paranoid right??)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted


• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar


• 3 cups fresh pineapple - peeled, cored and cut into 1 inch chunks


• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose whole wheat flour


• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon


• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened


• 2/3 cup white sugar


• 2 eggs


• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract


• 3/4 cup milk

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).


2. Put 1/4 cup butter into 9-inch circle pan and place into oven until butter is melted. Then stir in brown sugar.


3. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.


4. In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter with the sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture in three parts alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat well after each addition. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.


5. Place the cake in the middle of the oven. Bake for 40 to 55 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edge, and invert the cake onto a plate. Serve the cake warm or at room temperature.

NOTE:  I gave away half and have eaten 1/2 of my remaining 1/2. So, not good for my diet.  I should have given the whole thing minus a slice for me.

It was not too sweet which I like.  While it was cooling and before inverting it on a plate, I poked holes into the cake with a skewer and poured some of the remaining pineapple juice.   I think I could have put it on a cookie tray and put it under the broiler to caramelize the top a bit.

I'm gonna LOSE IT!

1. I'm asking.


2. I'm just reminding you.


3. I'm gonna LOSE IT!

How many times do I have to ask before I am justified in 'losing it'?  Really.  How many times?  Now, if you finally do DO IT, then the next time it has to be done I'm jumping to Step 2.  I'll do another 'friendly' reminder, but after that BAM!  Get IT DONE!!

I've tried it your way.  I ask.  You say you'll get it done.  I bite my tongue day after day.  Well, it's been a week or a month or several months, and it's STILL not done.

You are turning me into a nag.  That's right.  YOU are making me a nag.  If you would just handle your business, than I wouldn't have to say anything.  Oh, wouldn't it be 'easier' if I'd just do it myself instead of getting all GRRR about it.  Well, I'm not your mother who will do all the b.s. tasks to make life easier for you.  This is a marriage and you are a grown adult.

I know procrastination has bitten you ten times over, but finding other things to do doesn't mean you are too busy to get these things done.   You have to shovel.  Touché.  But how do you explain the last TWO weeks for not getting it done?  There were days where you tired.  I get it.  You have kidney disease and do dialysis everyday.  But, how about when there are good days?  You will not use your illness as an excuse.  You are better than that.  and I love you too much to let you.

Buying club packs of socks and underwear does not mean you should skip doing laundry for eons.   But, what's worse is when you do DO IT, you try and say "Po' me.  I'm doing 6 loads of laundry."   You ain't getting no sympathy from me pal.  Maybe if you got it done on the regular you wouldn't have to spend the whole day doing it.  I'm  just saying.

We all have our assigned duties (post about the evolution man vs. woman coming soon).  This worked itself out years ago when we first lived together.  Remember, it started out as doing laundry together.  Then I just did my own and you did your own.  And it has evolved to where we are today.  You do it all.   It's fair and you know it! :)

Don't get me wrong.  I can be a lazy mofo too.  But, this post is my rant about me losing it on your oogly butt, not my cute behind. hehe

[polldaddy poll=4519647]

Is anything in life ever REALLY free?

The saying goes "the best things in life are free".  Really?

Love is NOT free.  It costs effort, patience, and unconditional understanding.  Sometimes more, i.e. money, but I'll leave that for my gold digger post.  Haven't we all been there?  lol

NOTHING in life is free.  Depending who you are getting this "Freebie" from, it can cost your soul and your pride.  Now, pride is one of the 7 evils, but sometimes I'd rather travel the rough road starving then ask for help.   Others are willing to ask without even trying to get it themselves.  Have they no shame?

Don't get me wrong.  I get lots of freebies from my family.  When The Husband was in the hospital due to a stroke and my little one was still a newborn, I needed help.  When he was transferred to a different hospital because the one in our neighborhood does not have dialysis capabilities, I needed help.  Free baby sitting so Franklin wouldn't be there by himself.  Free rides to pick up The Husband from the hospital because I couldn't drive down.  Free food because I would forgo food to sleep.

I pay the price of guilt.  I hate that I have to impose on my loved ones time and time again.  I can do it on my own and drag my children into the hospital and hope they will sit for a couple of hours so Daddy won't be alone.  I can do it on my own and not bath so I can fall asleep exhausted.  I can do it and stick my kids in daycare and pay their crazy fees with credit card.  I can do it.

Fortunately, I don't have to.  I am forever indebted to them all andwill pay for the rest of my life with guilt, gratitude, love, appreciation, loyalty, and honour for all their free help.

Super Easy Delicious Spinach Dip

I learned it from my dear friend from high school.  And it's so easy to remember that it's stuck with me all these years.  I get asked to bring this to every family function.  If you forget, I hear it's on the back of Knorr vegetable soup mix packages (although I've never seen it.  maybe only in the states?)  or Google "knorr spinach dip recipe" or the best option, book mark this post!

Ingredients:

• 1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (If you can't find chopped, just chop it yourself after thawed and dry.  or use fresh by blanching it, then chop & use)


• 1 container (16 oz or 2 cups) sour cream


• 1 cup mayonnaise (Hellman's ONLY!)


• 1 package Knorr vegetable recipe soup mix


• 3 green onions, chopped (optional)


• 1 can (8 oz) water chestnuts, drained and chopped (optional, but recommended...gives that extra added crunch)

Directions:

• Combine all ingredients and chill about 2 hours.  (over night is better)

To Serve:

• 2 round loaf of pumpernickel bread (pumpernickel is dark rye bread)

• Hollow out one of the loaves of bread with a knife, cutting the bread you remove into 2 inch chunks for dipping. I have specified 2 loaves of the bread because if you just get 1 there always seems to be dip left over and no bread to use it up. Cut the second loaf of bread into cubes for dipping.

• Place the hollowed out loaf of bread on a serving plate and fill the hollow with the chilled dip. Arrange the cubes of bread around the loaf and use them to dip.

OR

• Serve with cut-up veggies like:


• carrots (I use baby carrots so I don't have to cut)


• celery


• peppers (green,red,orange, whatever!)


• cucumber


• broccoli


• cauliflower

OR

• Plain chips (i.e. Ruffles with ripples.  holds the dip better, but use whatever you want)

NOTE:

• I always put green onions. Lots of them (~5).

• I never put water chestnuts, just because it's not always easy to get.  Still delicious.  And when you serve it with veggies, you get a crunch there anyway.

[polldaddy poll=4509342]

What's YOUR take?

Well, I have 38 posts so far and am quite pleased with myself.

I love reading your comments and seeing if I'm crazy or are there 'others' out there.  Sounds like many have their weaknesses and spend money on things they want, but not necessarily need.  A lot are frustrated by whiners and complainers that should talk less and do more.  Deciding where to eat is in this vast multicultural city of ours is no easy feat.  And a few of us over think things so much, we end up standing still.

To share if YOU are a whiner, good partner for marriage, order diet coke, or live life, I've added some polls at the bottom of a few posts.   I've added a category called I'll Tell Ya to easily show which ones you can take part in.  I've only added 8 so far, but as time permits, I'll try to back track and add to old ones, and include in new posts also.

Thanks again for reading!  Now you TELL ME!

[polldaddy poll=4505390]

Down $5

Well, the weigh-in did not bring good news to my wallet.  When we started this Biggest Loser competition (read it here), I felt confident that I had an advantage.  But, the fact that he's a guy makes a HUGE difference.  This mofo has lost 9-lbs and he's only been trying for a couple of weeks.  I've tried for 5-weeks and am still at 6-lbs.   I lost  1-lb from last week.  but, it wasn't enough for his 5-lb loss.  FrACk!

He has more work meetings so hopefully The Vendors will be feeding their gratitude to him with fatty deliciousness.  mwhahaha...FTW!

I have decided to add rowing twice a week to my Zumba.  Hopefully, that will help.  I'm slacking on noting my food on myfitnesspal.com, am eating one too many cookies/slice of cake, and skipped Zumba last week since we took The Boy to the Science Centre.

My silver lining is even if I lose another $5, if it motivates me to lose a couple more pounds, then I AM winning.

Reality:  I don't feel like a winner.   I LOST dammit!  grrrrr

Score:

1. Me: +5  Him: -5


2. Me: 0     Him: 0


3. Me: -5    Him: +5

Rainbow Cupcakes

I couldn't be bothered with icing, but white piped would look really cute as clouds :D

recipe is the BEST ever cupcake recipe, from nigella's domestic goddess :>

1. 
   
   
   
   Preheat oven to 200 degrees C
   
   Round up your ingredients
   
   Beat the sugar and butter together, until fluffy and light coloured
   
   


2. 
   
   
   
   Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a little flour each time, until you've added it all.
   
   


3. 
   
   
   
   Ad the vanilla essence, mix
   
   one tbsp milk, mix
   
   one tbsp milk, mix
   
   one tbsp milk, mix
   
   


4. 
   
   
   
   Divide between 6 bowls
   
   Bowl 1- Add half a cap full of red colouring
   
   Bowl 2- Add half a cap full of red and half a cap full of yellow
   
   Bowl 3- Half a cap of yellow
   
   Bowl 4- Half a cap full of green
   
   Bowl 5- Half a cap full of Blue
   
   Bowl 6- Half a cap full of Blue, half a cap full of Red.
   
   Obviously, mix after you've added the colourings
   
   


5. 
   
   
   
   Divide the purple bowl between the 12 cases. smooth to form bottom layer.
   
   Repeat with the other bowls in this order:
   Blue
   Green
   Yellow
   Orange
   Red
   
   Put in the oven for 15-20 mins
   
   skewer to find out if it's ready, if it come out gunky, put it back in the oven! if clean, then pop on a cooling rack
   
   


6. 
   
   
   
   Decorate!!!
   
   go crazy!
   
   

NOTE:  Use a box of White cake mix instead of making the cake from scratch.  Then start from step 4.  Homemade is always tastier, but the reality is, not everyone is a baker, has all the ingredients, or prefers the convenience of just having to add oil and egg to a prepackaged mix.

I didn't follow the colour order as per the recipe.  I just put whatever colour The Boy wanted to put next.  Although, when I do it again, I won't finish with green on top.  Got feedback that it looked like my cupcakes had moldy fungus!  LOL