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Cathy's Pineapple Cream Pie

Several years ago, my friend Cathy invited us over for dinner.  I can't tell you what dinner was, but I can definitely tell you what dessert was!  She made an INCREDIBLE Pineapple Cream Pie.  It was SO good, I just had to have the recipe.  I've made it several times, but then I lost the recipe.  Recently, when we had a graduation party for our sons, she promised to make it for the party.  Well, you know how life gets in the way...she was unable to make the pie and brought a different pie instead.  So she promised my sons that she would make the pie for them.  She made good on the promise when we were recently all invited over another friends house for a BBQ/potluck thing.   I was reminded once again how much I LOVED this pie and asked for the recipe again.  She is always being asked to bring it....and when you make it, you will understand why as well.  So, without any further Ado.....the recipe:

This is the pie Cathy made, we ate half of it already

Cathy's Pineapple Cream Pie

Ingredients:
8 oz. Sour cream
8 oz. Cream cheese, softened
1 pkg. instant vanilla pudding
1/2 C. milk
20 oz. can of crushed pineapple, drained
1 graham cracker crust

In a bowl, mix together Sour cream, cream cheese, pudding and milk.  Add half of the drained pineapple, mix will and then put into the graham cracker crust.  Then top with the remaining pineapple.  Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.
Yield: 1 pie

Cinnamon Sugar Swirl Quick Bread

I love quick breads.  Quick breads are like eating cake for breakfast, or for a snack.  However you choose to eat it.  I typically like to make quick breads that have healthy things added to them, like Zucchini or carrots, but when I saw this recipe on the Whisk & a Prayer blog, I knew I just had to try it.  I decided to make a double batch.  So here's the recipe:

Cinnamon Sugar Swirl Quick Bread

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

 

Ingredients

1/3 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup white sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 cup milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.  Mix the cinnamon with the 1/3 C. sugar. (Oops, when I made mine I used 2/3 C. sugar with the cinnamon for each bread.)

In large bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt and 1 cup sugar. Add egg, milk, and oil to flour mixture.  Stir until just moistened.  Pour half of the batter into pan.  Cover with remaining batter.  Top with more cinnamon/sugar if desired.  Bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center comes clean.  Let cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.  Wrap in foil and let sit overnight before slicing. ( I actually decided to slice one loaf and try some, and save the other loaf and wrap it up in foil.)  In the future, I think I would add some vanilla flavor or butter flavor to the batter to add a little more depth of flavor.  Yield: 1 loaf    Enjoy!

 

Mango Salsa

Several years ago, when I was working at an elementary school, a teacher I worked with made this fantastic salsa.  It's not the typical kind of salsa with the spicy peppers in it or anything, actually, it's kind of plain in a way, but the blend of flavors together was SO addicting, I couldn't get enough.  I knew I just had to have the recipe.  So Marcia F. thank you so much for the recipe!  I make this up several times a year and eat it with Tostito's Scoops tortilla chips.  No picture for this one, but trust me, it makes a really beautiful looking dish.  Next time I make it, I'll get a picture in a pretty bowl and post it. =) 

Mango Salsa

1 can black beans

1 mango

½ white onion (fresh)

½ bag of white corn (frozen)

bunch of cilantro ( season to taste)

2 tbs. olive oil

2 tsp. balsamic vinegar

Combine the black beans, bag of white corn, cilantro, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Peel and cut mango into small slices and then squeeze the core to get the extra juices out.  Cut onion into small pieces and add to the bowl.

*Diana’s Note:  I just use a bag of regular sweet corn, and I double the amount of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Beer Bread

I haven't posted much on this recipe blog, so I decided to add a couple of recipes.  This particular one is a Beer Bread recipe.  It's a really quick and easy beer bread and it's so yummy!  I wish I could remember where I got the recipe from.  I'm going to post the picture from the place I got it at, maybe someone will recognize it and can tell me so I can add a link to it.  So here it is:

Beer Bread Recipe

3½ cups all-purpose flour
3 Tbs. sugar
1 Tb. baking powder
1½ tsps. salt
12 ounces beer
1 egg, beaten

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add beer (no sips!) and stir with a fork until just combined. Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead quickly to form a ball. Place bread on a baking sheet and confidently slit an X on top with a serrated or very sharp knife. Brush loaf with egg wash. Bake until golden brown, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve.

YIELD: 12 servings

Per serving: 163 calories, 32 g carbohydrates, 4 g protein, 1 g fat (0 g saturated fat), 16 mg cholesterol, 1 g dietary fiber, 398 mg sodium

Mom's Four-Bean Salad

I've always loved all the salads that we make in the summer.  My mom used to always make a Four-Bean salad that was to die for!  I suppose it all depends on your taste bud's preference, but nobody could make a bean salad like my mom.  When I got married, I made sure to get that recipe from her, and now I make it when I feel like having some.  I hope you enjoy this recipe, if you try it, please feel free to let me know how you like it.

MOM'S FOUR-BEAN SALAD

Ingredients:

1 can wax beans
1 can green beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can garbonzo beans (or chick pea's)
1 red onion (sliced thin)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup salad oil
1/2 cup vinegar (wine, clear)
dash or salt & pepper


Directions:

Combine sugar,oil,vinegar,salt & pepper into a medium saucepan.   Bring to boil making sure the sugar is thoroughly dissolved, stirring occasionally.   Set aside to cool.  

Meanwhile, drain all vegetables.  Peel & slice onion.  Separate onion into ring's.  Put all vegetables into a large bowl or marinade container. ( The Tupperware square marinade container is excellent).  Mix well, carefully so as not to disturb the shape of the beans.  

Add cooled liquid to vegetables.  Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. The latter is better.  Lightly shake bowl or container to mix flavor's thoroughly. If using marinade container, just flip over 2 to 3 times.   Serve cold.

*Note*:  If you like mushrooms, sliced fresh ones make a nice be addition. Also, I've been known to cut down on the sugar as well, maybe 2/3 cup or so just because I don't want that much sugar.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

My Macaroni Salad

Summer is my favorite time of year, I love just about everything about it.  One of my most favorite things about summer is all the fresh foods you can cook with.  This macaroni salad is one of my family & friends favorite recipes that I make.  The inspiration for it actually came from a grocery chain in Rhode Island, we often stop at Belmont Market on our way to the beach to pick up food and drinks.  We all LOVED the macaroni salad they have there, so I was determined to re-create it.  Everybody says this is almost exactly like the one from the market. ;)

I actually used half a yellow pepper and half a red pepper in this particular salad

Diana's Belmont Market Macaroni Salad

1 (1lb.) box elbow macaroni cooked al dente, and immediately rinsed under cold water.

Red bell pepper (about half if it's really large, diced)

Red onion (about half, maybe a little less, depending on size), diced

For Dressing:

1 cup (approx) Mayo

2 TBS. rice wine vinegar

1 TBS. agave nectar

2 TBS. relish (approx.)

Handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients for dressing. Add bell pepper and onion Set aside it will seem a little too tangy, but once it soaks into the macaroni it will be a little more mellow tasting.

In large bowl, put in macaroni that has been rinsed until cool under cold water.  Add the dressing and mix well.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

You may want to make a little more of the dressing if you like your macaroni salad a little more on the wet side. 

If you don't like Cilantro, you can use flat leaf Parsley in it's place.