I can’t believe that I have had this recipe in my files since 2008 and have just gotten around to trying it.   I thought it looked delicious when I saw it at Noble Pig  and printed it out, but it kind of worked its way to the bottom of my now huge box of recipes and I forgot about it.  A gigantic display of beautiful, fragrant pineapples at the local grocery store last week jogged my memory and I finally gave the recipe a try.

All I can say is that this is one of the most lusciously delicious desserts I’ve tried in a very long time.   This is going to be my go-to dessert this summer and I can’t wait to prepare it for  my family and friends.  It’s sweet and juicy and warm and crunchy and gooey…and just plain damn good.  This is the kind of dessert you leisurely enjoy after a good meal…one you can pick away at until there isn’t one speck of fruit or topping left in the shell.  Oh mercy, this is a winner.

 Noble Pig was one of the first blogs I discovered after I started my blog and I’m been a follower ever since.  Cathy is almost a neighbor of mine now here in Oregon wine country.  She and her husband own Noble Pig Vineyard and Winery and their wonderful wines are available through mail order and can be found in many local wine shops.   Check out her 2008 blog post about this fantastic dessert.  She used a lot more topping mixture than I did (I was afraid it would be too sweet) and I think I’ll pile on more the next time I make this. It’s so much fun to find something new that is a sure pleaser and I know you will like this dish as much as I do.

Pineapples ready to fill

 The preparation couldn’t be easier.  Mix together the topping and the sauce.  Remove the core so you have created a little trough for the condensed milk and crumb mixture.  Fill and bake.  That’s it!   The recipe calls for rum, which I didn’t have, and I used tequila instead. If you can find small pineapples you can make individual servings.  Otherwise a half serves two.  Delicious.

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This week I’m joining the festivities at

Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farm

Seasonal Sunday at The Tablescaper

On the Menu Monday at StoneGable

I hope to see you there

 What is it about cream cheese frosting that makes it irresistible?  Is it its luscious silky texture … the heavenly tang of  cream cheese … or the fact that it isn’t  overly sweet? It’s such a simple frosting of cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla but the taste is like nothing else. It compliments whatever flavors it is paired with from chocolate cake to zucchini bread.   I admit that I can eat it by the spoonful and have made graham cracker sandwiches out of it when the cookie jar was empty.  I have bought a cupcake just for the frosting when I’m in the mood for a special treat.  What can I say…I’m hooked on it.  

I made this cake for Mother’s Day dinner and judging by what’s left everybody enjoyed it.   If you do have leftovers the cake keeps well, and is even a little better the second day.  Wrap well in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

  My piping skills are so bad but I think  little squirts of frosting on the cake top dress it up.  I bought the little sugar carrots at the cake supply store earlier this spring  and they were a nice touch.  If I had more time I would have tried to put a little fancy finish at the bottom because I could have scraped it off if it was too awful.  But I ran out of time so this is what went to the table.

Carrot Cake Crumb Coat

 A crumb coat spread on the cake before it’s frosted prevents little crumbs from spoiling the look of the cream cheese frosting.  Just spread on a thin layer of frosting with an offset spatula and let it dry for an hour or two.  You will be amazed how much easier a cake is to frost if you do this one easy extra step.

 Aren’t these the cutest placemats?  I have had them for years and think they are the perfect table decoration when carrot cake is served.

KitchenAid Mixer

I recently won the most wonderful KitchenAid Mixer in a giveaway at Rattlebridge Farm.  I seldom win anything and was just overwhelmed when I heard that I was the lucky one.  This is an extraordinary piece of kitchen equipment that means business when it kneads several loaves of bread dough or a large batch of cookies.  Thank you ever so much, Michael Lee.  I know my family and I will get years of enjoyment from this great gift.  I splurged a little bit and bought the paddle attachment with the rubber edges that I’ve seen advertised in Bon Appetit and I can’t recommend it highly enough.  With it there is no need to stop and scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to incorporate all the ingredients.  You need this!!!! I paid $24.99 for mine at a big box store so this deal on Amazon is a steal.

Whole Wheat Honey and Oatmeal Bread

This picture of the wonderful black forest ham, Vintage Tillamook Sharp White Cheddar Cheese and crisp Granny Smith apple sandwich I made yesterday with fresh slices of whole wheat oatmeal honey bread just doesn’t do it justice. This sandwich just didn’t want to be photographed.  The cheese and apples wanted to ooze out between the bread slices when I tried to handle it and the cheese coagulated faster than I could take pictures so here you have it…an uninspiring photo of one very delicious sandwich. You can see, however, how beautifully the bread browned when I sauteed the sammy in a little butter and the taste and texture of whole thing were delicious. I quickly gave up on the picture taking and ate the sandwich for lunch.

 I have found some great bread recipes on King Arthur Flour’s website.  I recently bought a bag of their white whole wheat flour and  wanted to make a good sandwich loaf so this is the recipe I chose.  I like the inclusion of rolled oats and honey and was impressed that it got a 5 star review from 69 of the 71  commenters.  I have never heard of maple sugar and read in the reviews that substituting brown sugar works just as well.

 Several weeks ago I made KA’s Cinnamon Swirl Bread (it made the best french toast)  and the loaves fell during the last 15 minutes of baking.  The help line person told me it was probably due to over rising so that is something I watch closely now.   The whole wheat dough rose quickly and reached this stage in about 45 minutes.

This bread smelled so wonderful while it was in the oven.  There is nothing like that aroma of baking bread.  My loaves would have come out the same size if I had taken a minute to weigh them on my little digital scale , but I’ll remember next time.  I brushed the hot loaves with a little melted butter. My bread baking skills are slowly coming along with the help of great products from King Arthur Flour and Bob’s Red Mill.  Both companies offer excellent customer service so if I do have problems there are always very knowledgeable people available to help me fix them. I recently visited the Red Mill Store and will take you on a little tour very soon.  This recipe is definitely a keeper.  I hope you will try it.

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Fresh Slices of Whole Wheat Oatmeal Bread

If you think you have seen this post before, you aren’t seeing things.  When I was working on it the middle of last week I hit the “publish” button instead of the “preview” button and it went flying off into cyberspace before I could stop it.  Unfortunately I did this late at night so the half finished post was on my blog until I saw it the next morning.  I even got a few comments from readers who must have thought I had lost my marbles. They were very kind and didn’t mention that my post had no text and no recipe.  I was able to delete the post but it still shows up on blogrolls.  I guess there is nothing that can be done about that other than me being more careful in the future.

Despite asparagus being available year around I still think of it as a Springtime vegetables.  When I was a child one of the highlights of our Easter dinner was the platter of fresh, first of the season,  asparagus that my mom always served with baked ham and creamed new potatoes and peas. Asparagus is one of my favorite veggies as long as it is cooked the way I like it – barely fork tender.  And I like the big fat spears that  don’t show up in the markets too often any more.  The wimpy little pencil sized spears just don’t do it for me because their flavor can be strong and they overcook if you take your eye off of them for a second.   I can often find the large spears at Costco  where, for some strange reason, shoppers don’t like the large stalks and throw the occasional bag of them to the back of the stack of boxes where I can quickly find them.  I know, it’s all a matter of taste.  An asparagus vendor will be in the booth next to me when the farmers’ market opens next week and he will be swamped by people buying those spindly little spears.

Asparagus Prep

 My favorite way of preparing the jumbo stalks is to pan roast them.  They cook quickly, brown beautifully, and retain their sweet, fresh texture and taste.  This technique only works on large spears, those at least the diameter of a dime.   When asparagus is steamed it can turn into a grey-green mush in a matter of a minute or two if it’s overcooked.   That won’t happen if you pan roast them (and keep a close eye on them as well).

Wash the spears by letting a strong stream of water hit them from above so any bits of grit will be dislodged.  Trim off 2 to 3 inches of the woody stem.  Snapping off the bottom section is way too wasteful and isn’t necessary. Peel the bottom 3-4 inches with a potato peeler.  Dry the spears well. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a medium skillet and heat to medium-high heat.   Add the asparagus and cook for about 7-10 minutes (uncovered) depending on the thickness of the spears, turning them constantly so they don’t burn.  They are done when barely fork tender.  If you want them to brown more turn up the heat a bit – don’t cook them longer.

When the spears are cooked to your liking remove  from the heat and place on a serving platter.  Drizzle a mixture of 2 tablespoons melted butter and 1 tablespoon lemon juice over the spears and season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Garnish with parmesan cheese shavings and serve.  For a scrumptious appetizer wrap the warm spears in a paper thin slice of proscuitto and serve with a small lemon wedge.

Asparagus with Lemon Butter and Parmesan Cheese

 Pan roasting asparagus is so quick and easy and you won’t believe how much better it tastes when it’s cooked this way.   I had some leftover spears for lunch today that I dunked into homemade blue cheese dressing.  Sinful…but so good.

This post is linked to

Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farm

Seasonal Sunday at The Tablescaper

On the Menu Monday at StoneGable

Tender baby back ribs glazed with a honey-sherry sauce.

I can’t believe that in over four years of blogging I have never shared this recipe.  I posted so many of my best recipes in the first six months of blogging (back when very few readers ever saw them) and I was sure this was posted in that time period.  I would have bet money on it but when my daughter mentioned that she couldn’t find it on my blog I was sure she was wrong and I went on a search.  Result…no recipe!  Thanks, Sweetie Pie, for bringing this to my attention. This is definitely a recipe that I want to share.  The rib sauce is a bit tangy and the celery seed and honey-sherry mixture give the most wonderful flavor to the pork ribs.  If you are stuck in the rut of preparing ribs the same way over and over I hope you will try this amazingly easy and delicious recipe.  It’s been our favorite for almost 40 years.

I don’t remember my family ever grilling or barbecuing anything when I was growing up, but we did love ribs and my mom always baked them in the oven.  I’m sure these ribs would be fantastic prepared on a grill as well.  I found this recipe in Family Circle Magazine in the early 1970′s and the little clipping is close to falling apart.   You can serve 2 people or 20 by adjusting the amount of sauce you prepare, an important feature for me since I often cook for myself.  Larger cuts of meat don’t work for me unless I’m having a family gathering so I get all that barbecue goodness in a small rack of ribs.  If you have any leftovers just wrap them in foil and reheat.

Honey Glazed Baby Back Ribs

One of my favorite back yard meals in the summer is honey glazed ribs, roasted potatoes, corn bread drizzled with a bit of honey, a crisp green salad… and a glass of a nice Oregon wine, of course.

Happy May Day everyone! If I could I would leave a little bouquet of posies at your front door  to celebrate the first day of May. I hope your day is a happy one. Thanks for visiting.

 It’s hard to top  homemade quiche for a quick and easy, inexpensive and delicious meal.  A hearty slice and a small arugula salad are a satisfying lunch or dinner any day of the week.  I have no problem using a purchased pie crust (Marie Callender’s are my favorite), and I can stretch a small piece of leftover ham or a few slices of bacon in this dish to generously serve 4 or 5 people.  My quiches are never the same twice because I use up whatever bits of veggies are in the fridge and odds and ends of cheeses that have been used for other recipes.  Three eggs and a generous cup of cream are the glue that holds the meats, veggies and cheeses together. Don’t worry if you don’t add meat to this recipe, the vegetarian version is just as tasty.  I had a small piece of ham left over from Easter dinner and a piece of goat cheese that needed using so into the pie shell they went.  I usually use Swiss cheese but the goat cheese gave a slight tang and a creaminess to the filling that I loved, so its my new favorite.  It’s possible to put together a fantastic meal in a hurry if you have a few convenience foods in the fridge or freezer.  Pie shells and puff pastry are two of my favorites.  What are yours?

Pear Gorgonzola Salad Dressing - Makes a Killer Arugula Salad

I usually make my own salad dressing but occasionally it’s nice to reach into the fridge and have a good dressing that’s ready to use.  This caught my eye at the grocery store the other day and I admit I have used it on my bowl of greens every night since.  I tossed it with arugula and added some blue cheese crumbles and a few chopped pecans and I was one happy girl.

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Asparagus Ham and Goat Cheese Quiche

Today’s post is linked to three of my favorite blogs.  I hope you will stop by and visit.

Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farm
Seasonal Sunday at The Tablescaper
On the Menu Monday at StoneGable

Chocolate Coconut Hazelnut Cookies

If it is Secret Recipe Club reveal day it means that the month is almost over.  I’m in Group C, led by Angie at Big Bear’s Wife,  and our reveal day is the third Monday of each month.  SRC is a large group of bloggers who get together every month to explore each other’s blogs, try recipes, and then write about them.  ”Secret” comes into play because we keep our assigned blog a secret until the day when we publish our post.  My April’s assignment is Deli-Cute-Essen, a fun play on words, written by Devon, a recently married working gal who lives in Montreal. Devon’s blog is all about vegan cooking, is written in a very enjoyable and friendly style, and shows off Devon’s considerable camera skills. I have never been too interested in vegan recipes and usually shy away from any recipe that has “vegan” in the title, but as I started to read through Devon’s recipes I was very impressed by how delicious and appetizing her recipes look. If you are into vegan cooking I urge you to visit Devon’s blog for some tantalizing recipes and lots of information about vegan dishes.

I spent last week in the high desert country of Central Oregon and wanted to make a batch of cookies for the trip so the recipe I selected from Deli-Cute-Essen was Chocolate Coconut Cookies.   I substituted ingredients I had in my kitchen for the egg replacer and vegan margarine and added some chopped, toasted hazelnuts to the recipe.  I ran out of time before I could bake the cookies so added a little bit of extra flour,  formed the dough into a log, rolled it in waxed paper and refrigerated it overnight.  I baked the cookies the next morning so we had freshly baked, warm chocolate chip cookies to munch on with our coffee as we headed out for Bend.  I had a chunk of good quality chocolate in the cupboard so I chopped it into pieces rather than using chocolate chips.

Three Sisters Mountains in Bend, Oregon

Two of the Three Sisters Mountains in Bend, Oregon.

 Deer usually come visiting in the early evening.  They are so tame they would probably walk right into the condo if the door was left open.

Cauliflower Salad with Fresh Peas

Cauliflower salad was the first recipe I posted  on my blog back in August of 2008. I was so excited about blogging that I posted some of my favorite recipes right off the bat along with some pretty awful photographs that I took with my old point and shoot. I was so thrilled that I figured out how to assemble a photo and a recipe that it didn’t matter that the only comment I received was from my sweet daughter who was helping me figure out the whole comment thing.  When I moved from Blogger to self-hosted WordPress last year my first half dozen posts somehow disappeared so it is a good excuse to remake and rephotograph a few of my old favorites.  I love this salad for its flavor and crunch factor and the fresh peas and scallions of early spring make it oh so good.

I’m taking a short break for my annual trip to Central Oregon and am leaving you with a few of my favorite Springtime recipes. The farmers’ market opens Mother’s Day weekend and many of the ingredients will be available fresh from the farm.  I miss my many vendor friends and customers and it will be wonderful to see them all again.  This season is the 25th Anniversary of the Beaverton Farmer’s Market. If you live close by or are planning a visit to Portland this summer you can find a list of vendors and schedule of events here.  If you do come to the market but sure to stop by The Bavarian Nut Company’s booth and say hello.

Strawberry Orange Avocado Salad

Strawberry Orange Avocado Salad

Smoked Salmon and Asparagus Salad

Smoked Salmon and Asparagus Salad

Spring Pea, Radish and Green Onion Salad

Spring Pea, Radish and Green Onion Salad

Asparagus and Hollandaise Sauce

Asparagus and Hollandaise Sauce

Rhubarb Almond Tart

Rhubarb Almond Tart

Rhubarb Pudding Cakes

Rhubarb Pudding Cakes