Ann’s spiced Caramelised Pineapple

based on https://www.delicious.com.au/recipes/almond-parfait-caramelised-pineapple/3a922430-33fb-4f8d-9ad9-8d7ae81b98c0

Instead of the almond parfait in the original "Delicious" recipe Ann served her dessert with coconut ice cream, yum!

½ cup sugar; 1 pineapple, quartered and cored; 1 cinnamon quill; 3 whole star anise; 2 tsp coriander seeds; 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns

Place the sugar and ¼ cup water in a frying pan, stir to dissolve the sugar and cook until golden.  Add the spices and pineapple and cook another 6-8 minutes until a dark caramel.  Transfer to a plate, cool and slice.

And Ann also recommends this spicy sauce but not with dessert of course !

The World's Best Pineapple Cheesecake

The Australian Women’s Weekly presents . . . The World’s 50 Best Cheesecakes from our Leila Howard Test Kitchen, 1967

“Cheesecake is one of the world’s most popular desserts . . . certainly the most fashionable” Leila Howard.

Unbaked cheesecakes: Pineapple Cheesecake

Crumb Crust: 2/3 cup biscuit crumbs; 2 tblspn melted butter; 1 tblspn sugar; ¼ cup chopped nuts; ¼ tspn cinnamon; ¼ tspn nutmeg

Filling: ¾ cup sugar; 2 tblspn gelatine; ¼ tspn salt; 2 eggs; ½ cup evaporated milk; 1 tspn grated lemon rind; 25og cream cheese; 1 tblspn lemon juice; 1 ½ tspn vanilla; ¼ cup sugar (extra); 150ml cream; 1 cup drained canned crushed pineapple

Mix together all the crumb-crust ingredients, line base of 20cm springform pan with the mixture.

Filling: Separate eggs. Combine in top of double saucepan the sugar, gelatine, salt, beaten egg-yolks, evaporated milk. Cook over simmering water, stirring constantly until gelatine is dissolved and mixture thickens slightly (approx.10 minutes). Add grated lemon rind; cool. Press cheese through a strainer, stir in lemon juice and vanilla, blend with first mixture. Chill, stirring occasionally, until mixture is partially set. Beat egg-whites until peaks form; gradually add extra ¼ cup sugar, beating until sugar is dissolved and egg-whites are stiff. Fold into gelatine mixture. Beat cream until thick, fold in cream, then drained crushed pineapple. Pour mixture over pie crust. Chill until filling is firm.

Decorate if desired, with halved pineapple rings and glacé cherries.

Pineapple rice salad

Marching Koalas Celebrity Cook Book, Hunter Region High Schools Band 1991 Newcastle NSW

Hawaiian Rice Salad contributed by Adrian Page

2 cups brown rice; 1 tin pineapple pieces; 2 small onions (I used 2 spring onions); ¾ cup raisins; ¾ cup nuts (cashews, pecan nuts, almonds etc)

Sauce: ¼ cup vinegar; 1 tsp curry powder; 1 tsp mustard; 1 tsp salt; ¼ cup oil; ¼ cup sugar; 1 clove garlic

Cook rice until tender. Drain pineapple. Add diced capsicum, chopped onion and the remaining ingredients which can be left whole. Blend sauce ingredients and pour over salad.

Bunya pineapple (and other fruit) milkshake

The Bunya Cookbook: Australian Cuisine, Elisabeth Stuart-Fox,

The Aboriginal and Islander Community Health Service, Brisbane, 2001

Biram (Milk shake)

Serves 5

Ingredients: 1/3 skim milk powder; 1 ½ ripe bananas; 1 ½ large ripe navel oranges (they have no pips); 1 slice rockmelon; 1 slice pineapple; 6 tblsp low-fat fruit yoghurt; 2 tsp vanilla essence; 1 cup water; 2 cups ice cubes

Method: Put al ingredients in a blender powerful enough to crush ice. Blend thoroughly and serve immediately

Sage ham steaks with pineapple

Thanks for showing me this recipe Rose

Woolworths Fresh magazine March 2017

Sage ham steaks with pineapple

Serves 8

¼ cup oil; ½ cup sage leaves; 8 ham steaks; 8 thin slices fresh pineapple, core removed; 2/3 cup maple syrup; salad of mixed leaves, avocado, mango, red onion and roasted macadamias (or cashews) to serve

1 Heat half oil in a small frying pan on medium. Cook sage leaves, in 2 batches, for 1minute, until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.

2 Wipe out pan and brush with remaining oil. Heat on high. Cook steaks for 2 – 3 minutes each side. Transfer to a plate.

3 add pineapple to pan. Cook for 1 – 2 minutes each side. Return steaks to pan.

4 Drizzle syrup over. Simmer for 1 – 2 minutes, until thickened slightly. Serve topped with sage leaves and accompanied with salad.

Cool pineapples!

I never expected a pineapple flavoured packet of Kool-Aid for Christmas! 

Thanks Ky and Krystal! 

I took your advice and watched a couple of how-to-youtubes which encouraged a greater addition of sugar to the packet instructions hmmmmm.

1. Tip the Kool-Aid from the packet into a jug.

2. Add sugar, packet says 1 cup.

3. Add 2 quarts/1.89 litres cold water and ice and stir.

Thanks for the straws Les.

And if you really, really like Kool-Aid you could make it in a giant container 

like this one spotted by Krystal.

Krystal pretending to drink from a plastic pineapple!

Ann spotted this interesting container in an Op Shop - not sure what it's for. 

Lotion dispenser???

Decorated bottles spotted in a cheap shop somewhere.

A tea infuser, thanks Sal. 

Some biscuits and preserved pineapple products from India, found in a grocery.

A cute cushion Jane found on the net.

Love the baggage tag Donna, now I just need the tickets, Anne.

Pineapple flavoured snowballs

Thanks for the recipe Leila, Merry Christmas!