Carrot and Pineapple Salad

This is one of those old-fashioned recipes that my grandmother used to make. It's very refreshing and looks gorgeous!

1 package of orange Jello

1 C water

11/2 C carrots, grated

1/2 C pineapple chunks, chopped

1/2 C pineapple juice

Dissolve the orange jello in 1 cup of water making sure that it's completely dissolved. Pour into a mold and put into the freezer for about 15 minutes until it begins to set. 

Stir in the carrots and pineapples into the jello mixture and chill until it's completely set. 

Turn the jello mold out in to a plate to serve. 

Just the perfect summer salad!

Pineapple Upside Cake

This recipe has that retro feeling that takes you back to childhood. My mother's pineapple upside cake was just the best, with a scrumptious caramelized brown sugar glaze that oozed over the top. Just perfect. This cake is lovely too, but not quite like my mum's!

Butter for greasing the pan

1/4 C brown sugar

7 slices of canned pineapple (in juice)

1/3 to 1/2 C glacé cherries 

2/3 C flour

1 stick (4oz) butter

1/2 C sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda 

2 Tbsp Malibu rum (optional)

1/2 C pineapple juice (divided)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. 

Lightly butter a Pyrex baking dish, and then sprinkle with the brown sugar. 

Layer the pineapple rings in the dish and place half a cherry in the middle of each pineapple slice and in between. 

Pulse the flour, butter, sugar, eggs, baking powder and baking soda in a food processor until the mixture is smooth. Then add 1/4 C of the pineapple juice and Malibu rum, and pulse briefly until the liquids are incorporated. 

Gently spoon the mixture over the pineapple rings, and then tap the baking dish on the counter a couple of times, to help the mixture fill the nooks and crannies. 

Bake for 30 minutes, then run a spatula around the outside to loosen the cake. Invert a serving dish or a larger dinner plate over the top, and flip the cake out. 

Carefully pour the remaining pineapple juice over the top to help make the cake nice and moist. 

This cake is particularly tasty served with a generous portion of whipped cream. 

 

Orange Jello Salad

1 package (3 oz) orange jello

1 cup boiling water
8 oz can crushed pineapple in juice
11 oz can mandarin oranges, drained
1 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup celery, chopped finely (optional)

Dissolve the jello in one cup of boiling water.
Drain the pineapple and set aside, and reserve the juice. Add a little water to the juice to make the amount to one cup, and then stir into the jello mixture. Chill in the fridge for about half an hour or so, and then stir in the mandarin pieces, carrots, pineapple and celery. Chill until the jello has set completely!

This is one of those retro salads my grandmother used to make when I was growing up, and for some reason no one seems to make them anymore. They add some freshness to a winter meal, plus the jello is so colorful it's sure to bring some sunshine to the table!