Hawaiian Chicken & Coconut Rice
In addition to lending tropical flavor, pineapple helps tenderize meat, and coconut milk adds richness to the rice. Topping both with grilled pineapple makes this a delicious meal.
Grilled Brunch Skewers with Spicy Maple Glaze
The pandemic has driven all socializing outside this summer, but these brunch skewers of pineapple, bell pepper, sausage, and maple glaze prepared on the grill allowed us a Sunday morning with friends.
Pineapple Salsa
This is the perfect summer salsa thanks to diced fresh pineapple, which is much easier to slice into than I used to think. Red bell pepper and red onion add color, and cilantro, jalapeño, garlic, and lime juice add mouth-watering flavor.
Curried Chicken Salad
Chop chicken (grab a rotisserie chicken at the market), grapes, apples, and pineapple. Add shredded carrots, curry powder, and toasted almonds for a truly special chicken salad. Serve on wheat bread, with crackers, or in pita pockets.
Shrimp Diablos a la Joi
Pineapple chunks, jalapeño slices, and shrimp are rolled in sliced bacon and baked.
Terri’s Baked Ham
Terri made this ham for a dinner party one year. Long after we had each had seconds and thirds, we ended up just standing around in the kitchen eating it off of the roasting pan with our fingers. I tried to recreate it that year for Easter, but it fell just a tad short of Terri’s.
Carribean Rice
This recipe starts the rice in the microwave, but you can cook it however you’re used to. Then add mandarin oranges, crushed pineapple, almonds, coconut, and spices.
Glenda’s Blueberry-Nut Dessert
This method of filling a dish with crushed pineapple and frozen blueberries and topping with a cake mix is similar to dump cake.
Glenda’s Pineapple-Nut Cake
This simple cake is flavored with nutmeg, cinnamon, crushed pineapple, and chopped pecans.
Kelly’s Hummingbird Cake
One of my neighbors baked this cake in secret at my house for her husband’s birthday one year. The cinnamon, pineapple, banana, and pecan cake with cream cheese icing was one of his childhood favorites, and he was thrilled.