My birthday cake of choice...Pineapple Upside Down Cake

My office was very expertly decorated for my birthday!

It was my birthday recently and I almost always have make myself a pineapple upside down cake.  It reminds me of home! I have made this recipe following this recipe through the cherry part and then using boxed cake mix for a quicker version.  I have made them into cupcakes.  But I find no need to try to make these into an updated/elevated version  I love the caramel that forms when its cooking.  It's so simple in it's old fashioned state. I love love love this cake!  

It ended up snowing buckets the night before my birthday so I woke up early and baked this cake and then let it cool while I shoveled the yard.  It smelled so yummy!

Must resist licking the cake.  MUST RESIST!

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Adapted from Better Homes and Garden's Cookbook

Ingredients:

2 tblsp. butter

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tblsp. water

1 8oz. can sliced pineapple, drained

1 jar drained maraschino cherries

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp. baking powder 

2/3 cup milk

1/4 cup butter (room temperature)

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Place the first listed butter in the bottom of the pan.  Place in the oven until melted. Add the brown sugar and water to the bottom of the pan.  Stir until incorporated.  Place the pineapple slices in the bottom of the pan.  Then place cherries in the holes of the pineapple and in the open spaces in the bottom of the pan.

2. In a mixer place the flour, sugar, and baking powder.  Mix until combined.  Add milk, butter, egg and vanilla.  Stir until combined.

3. Scoop batter onto the pineapple brown sugar mixture in the bottom of the pan.  

4. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick (wooden) comes out clean.  Once completely baked, remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.  Cool for at least 30 minutes.  This cake is great served warm or cold.  Cake will last 3 days in the refrigerator. But is best served the day it is baked.

© Kim Bohme and A Bohme Cooked Meal

Chocolate Orange Almond Cake

About 6 months ago I tried the whole 30 diet.  This diet is supposed to remove all processed food out of our diet and give your body a jumpstart.  Matt and I are not ones to try fad diets.  I wanted to try the diet to see if Matt and I had any allergies that we were unaware of.  Long story short, this diets wasn't sustainable for us long term but we have cut ALOT of gluten out of our diet.  Most of our dinners consist of meat and 2 vegetables.  The one thing I have struggled with this diet is how much time it takes to prepare food and the lack of yummy desserts.  However, this is a great recipe that most people would NEVER realize is dairy free and gluten free,  I have gotten this recipe from a family member.  Most of the prep work is done in a food processor!

I highly recommend this!  The cake has a refreshing orange taste to it and the chocolate is not overpowering. 

I brought this cake to work and everyone loved the cake so much!  This one is a real winner!

*Please note that there is some preparation with the oranges that can be done the night before.

Ingredients

1 large thin-skinned orange.  ( approx. 14 oz)
6 eggs
1 heaping tap baking powder
1/2 tap baking soda
2 c ground almonds
1 1/4 c sugar
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa
1/4 c oil

Directions

Put oranges in a pan with cold water, bring to a boil and cook 2 hours or until soft.  Drain and cool.  Half oranges and remove any big seeds.  Throw the entire orange into the food processor and run until it is smooth.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease an 8 inch spring form pan.  Add eggs, baking powder, baking soda, almonds, sugar, cocoa, and oil.  Run until you have a evenly blended cake mixture with little flecks of puréed orange.

Pour and scrape batter into cake pan and bake for 45 minutes- 1 hour.  A toothpick should come out clean.  Cool cake completely on a rack. 

Makes 12 or more servings.  

© Kim Bohme and A Bohme Cooked Meal

Spaghetti Pudgy Pies

 

One of my favorite summer activities is camping.  I love being outdoors with great company!  I have fond memories of camping with my sister and nephews.  My specific camping job as a kid used to be making toast in the morning.  I don't have a problem grabbing things that are hot.  I was really good at it. 

My sister used to have this contraption called a pudgy pie maker.  We used to make camping apple pies.  I have even made s'more pies and cherry pies!  NomNom!

 

Now I get a little more adventurous and make more savory pudgy pies.  This past summer I went camping with my friend and her daughter and I thought they would really enjoy these! 

 

What I love about these spaghetti pudgy pies is that you can make the garlic butter and the spaghetti in advance and then freeze them separately,  When you are ready to have them for dinner all you need to do is to pull out the spaghetti out to the top of your cooler in the morning so it can thaw and then when you are ready for dinner all you need to do is assemble these bad boys.

 

We devoured these bad boys.  They do take a while to cook so if you make these just buy more than one pie maker.  I have 3!  Walmart has these makers or you can Google pudgy pie makers!

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

1 cup Margarine

2 cloves fresh Garlic

1 tsp. oregano

 

1 loaf of bread

1 box spaghetti

1 lb ground beef- cooked

2 cups chopped cheddar

1 jar spaghetti sauce

 

Directions

1. Make the garlic butter- Put first three ingredients into a bowl and mix until incorporated.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

2. Cook spaghetti according to package. Drain and chop spaghetti into bite size pieces.  Add ground beef, cheddar, and spaghetti sauce.  You can freeze this mixture at this point or you can just place into an air tight container.

 

Assembly

1- Butter the bread like you would a grilled cheese sandwich,

2- Place butter side down on the pudgy pie maker and add a large heaping amount of the spaghetti mixture onto the bread and add another piece of buttered bread on top of the spaghetti and hook on the other metal piece of the pudgy pie maker.

3- At this point you can put the pudgy pie maker in the fire to toast.  It usually takes about 5 minutes on each side. (Depends on how hot the fire is!)

4-  It is ok to peak to see how it is cooking,  It will be done when you have nicely browned bread.

5- Wait a bit to bite into the "pie" or you will burn your hands.

© Kim Bohme and A Bohme Cooked Meal