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Featured Posts
- St. Patrick’s Day Pineapple Punch
- Sheet Pan Perfect Pineapple Ham
- Can A Pineapple Really Live Under the Sea?
- Say Aloha to Our Hawaiian-style Ham and Pineapple Pasta Recipe
- Holiday Joy, Hanukkah, and Pineapple Kugel
- What are China’s Pineapple Science Awards?
- Fuel Up with Paleo Pineapple Fried Rice
- Best Gluten-Free Pineapple Upside Down Cake
- Piña Colada Pie in a Jar
- Slow Cooking Your Pineapple This Fall
Recipes
‘Tis the Season
Oh, Christmas!
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Jack Frost nipping at your nose. Yuletide carols being sung by a choir. And folks…clamoring for some traditional Christmas ham?
So it doesn’t rhyme. But it’s true! Christmas ham is an American tradition. Sure, every region does things a little differently, but a staple of an American Christmas – like the trees and the presents – is a sweet, glazed, succulent ham.
Mmm. Our mouth is starting to water just thinking about it! And everyone knows that the best hams, while recipes might vary from family to family, they all have one thing in common: pineapple.
If you’re looking to try out a new recipe or just shake it up a bit, this contest-winning submission from TasteofHome.com is pretty on point.
What you’ll need:
Ingredients
- 1 boneless fully cooked ham (about 6 pounds)
- 1 tablespoon whole cloves
- 1 can (20 ounces) sliced pineapple or a fresh Perfect Pineapple
- 1 cup apricot preserves
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- Maraschino cherries
TOTAL TIME: Prep: 20 min. Bake: 2 hours
MAKES: 16 servings
Enjoy,
Dr. Lloyd
Last Minute Thanksgiving Dish
As you’re reading this, today, Monday, November 23, I can bet that you are either one of two people:
“Person A”: You have EVERYTHING set for Thanksgiving. Whether you’re hosting the entire affair or you’re a generous family member bringing a dish, you’ve got it covered. Ingredients were bought a few days ago and you can’t wait to get in the kitchen and get to work. Or…
“Person B”: You came here looking for a miracle, because you haven’t even given a thought to what you’re supposed to bring to your mother’s house come Thursday.
If you’re Person A , we’re sure you whipped up something both delicious and ambitious like a….Pineapple Casserole for example.
If you’re Person B, don’t worry. We’ve got something just for you!
Baked in AZ swears this is the best cheese ball they’ve ever had. (Tasty? Check!) And it seems pretty easy to make. (A quick run to the store and 30 minutes at home? Check!) Plus, it’s a real tried and true homemade recipe that features PINEAPPLES. (Mom will love it and so do we. Double Check!).
Photo by BakedinAZ.com
Here’s what you’ll need:
PINEAPPLE & PECAN CHEESE BALL
INGREDIENTS
- 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
- 1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
- ½ cup bell pepper, chopped
- 2 Tablespoons green onions, chopped
- ⅓ cup chopped pecans
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- ¾ cup chopped pecans
- crackers
Check out Adel’s recipe page here for directions and more details.
Don’t stress. It will all work out. Plus, if you really don’t have time to make anything – a simple pineapple always does the trick. 🙂
Happy Holidays!
Dr. Lloyd
Posted in Featured, Recipes
Tagged appetizers, recipes, thanksgiving
Holiday Treats: Easy as Pie
What’s the best part about the upcoming holiday season? The answer is as easy as, well, pie, actually!
Pineapple Pie recipe, via Fork Vs Spoon.
Homemade, baked goods are one of the many wonderful traditions Thanksgiving and Christmas – literally – bring to the table. Today’s recipe shows us exactly why.
Hot out of the oven from Fork Vs Spoon is a Pineapple Pie recipe that is sure to add to the list of favorite pies on your holiday spread later this year.
Here’s what you’ll need:
PINEAPPLE PIE
INGREDIENTS
- 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 2 Tablespoons Granulated White Sugar
- 12 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, diced, and frozen.
- ¼ Cup Vegetable Shortening
- ½ Cup Ice Cold Water
- 1 – 20 ounce Can Crushed Pineapple with juice
- ½ Cup White Granulated Sugar
- 3 Tablespoons Corn Starch
- pinch of salt
- Milk
- Sugar
Check out Mal’s recipe page here for directions and more details.
Enjoy,
Dr. Lloyd
Boo! A Freakishly Healthy Halloween Snack
It’s the week of Halloween and you’ve just had a terrifying epiphany…there is absolutely no candy in the pantry! You can’t believe it. You’ll need to run out and grab a few bags for those ravenous trick-o-treaters before it’s too late.
Yet, on your way to the store you’ve started to think about it. “Do I really want my kids to eat THAT much candy in one sitting?”
We hear you! For any parent out there looking to give their kids a bit more of a healthy dose of Halloween, we have the recipe just for you!
Created by Family Fresh Meals.com this Candy Corn Fruit Bowl has all the perfect Halloween trimmings without the scary ingredients.
What you’ll need?
– The Perfect Pineapple, cut into bite sized chunks
– oranges, cut into bite sized chunks
– whipped cream
– candy corn
{I’m sure you know what to do from here, but just in case, check out the full recipe via Family Fresh Meals.com for more details.}
Happy Halloween!
Dr. Lloyd
Posted in Featured, Recipes, Tips & Tall Tales
Tagged halloween, recipe
Recipe: Baked Plantains with Cheese
In America, we love our cheese. It is true that the French lead the world’s average per person cheese consumption (a whopping 57 pounds per year!), but it’s also true that Americans like to put cheese on everything. Not shy about our own dairy desires, Americans consume an average of 23 pounds of cheese per year. And who can blame us? Cheese is delicious!
In celebrating American Cheese Month this October – yes, it’s a real thing – we’ve decided to give the people what they want: something cheesy!
Photo credit: Laylita.com.
This recipe, featuring our very own plantains and yummy mozzarella, is actually common in many places outside of the United States. Traditionally eaten at breakfast or brunch, Laylita.com has made our hearts melt with this delectable baked take on a fried staple of Latin America.
A simple dish that doesn’t take much, here’s a (short) list of ingredients:
Ingredients
6 ripe plantains, whole
1-2 tbs melted butter or oil, use as little as you want
6 thick slices of mozzarella
Optional garnish:
Aji criollo or cilantro hot sauce
For a complete recipe and detailed instructions, check out the full recipe here.
Mmm. Now smile and say…cheese!
Enjoy,
Dr. Lloyd
The Plantain’s Past
In addition to recipes and prep tips, we at Chestnut Hill Farms like to educate our readers about every aspect of the fruit they purchase from us. It’s part of our company culture. We want our customers to be as passionate about the products we sell as we are! We’re even crazy enough to give those visitors to Lloyd’s Corner a science tutorial on El Niño. (We know…it was a tough one).
Much like our previous post on pineapples, the history of the plantain is fascinating. It’s had its very own world tour. Yet, in this instance, the origins of the plantain can be found on the other side of the globe.
As AfricanFoods.co reports:
“Around 327 B.C, Alexander the Great came in contact with this fruit during his world conquest and introduced it into Europe. The plantain eventually found its way from Malaysia and India to Madagascar through trading Asian and Arab merchants during the Trans-Saharan trade boom… [It] became a very important factor in the wealth, prosperity and rapid expansion of the Bantu Kingdom of central and southern Africa around 1500 AD. To date, the plantain is still a major and popular staple meal across Uganda and the rest of the former Bantu region. The history of the banana and plantain in the Caribbean has also been traced to the activities of the Portuguese Franciscan Monk who is credited for introducing it to the Dominican Republic in 1516, having himself come in contact with this fruit in the Canary Islands, brought there by his compatriots about a hundred years earlier.”
Since then, the plantain has become a staple product in many countries across several continents. From Asia to Africa, to many parts of Latin America, and even among communities in the United States, the plantain is widely eaten year-round.
And now you know!
Dr. Lloyd
Posted in Featured, Recipes, Tips & Tall Tales
Tagged fun facts, history
Recipe: Hula Pork Fajitas & Pineapple Slaw
Alright, we know – it’s officially fall. Autumn is among us. In a relentless cycle that never fails year after year, we can expect: the Halloween decorations to go up soon, turkeys and cornucopia-themed wreathes to trail shortly behind and finally Christmas lights and inflatable snowmen to be everywhere before you can say “Happy Holidays!”
Where did the lazy days of summer go?! They might be gone, but we technically don’t have to start all of that just yet. We have a few more days until October. And to celebrate we’ve decided to throw ourselves just one more laid-back luau.
With the help of HalfBakedHarvest.com, we’ll be cooking up Hawaiian Hula Pork Fajitas with Pineapple Slaw + Coconut Rice. A tasty mix of sweet and savory, this interesting approach to fajita fillings takes chunks of The Perfect Pineapple™ in the slaw – a colorful and fruity alternative to the regular cabbage crowd.
Photo credit: HalfBakedHarvest.com
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Hula Pork
- 3 pounds pork shoulder roast (or butt)
- 2 1/2 cups pineapple juice
- 2 teaspoons ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- 2/3 cup soy sauce
- 2/3 cup ketchup, preferably organic
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2-3 tablespoons sriracha (depending on your taste, I used 2)
- 8-12 flour tortillas, warmed
- 6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 avocado, diced
- Pineapple Slaw
- 3 tablespoons greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoon fresh pineapple juice
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- 2 cups shredded cabbage
- 1/3 cup green onions, chopped
- 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 cup fresh pineapple, diced
- 1 jalapeno, seeded + chopped
- Coconut Rice
- 1 cup uncooked jasmine or basmati rice
- 1 cup light, canned coconut milk
- 3/4 cup coconut water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened, flaked coconut
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
For a complete recipe and detailed instructions, check out the full recipe here.
It will have you saying, “fall, schmall!”
Enjoy,
Dr. Lloyd
Pineapple: Now that’s my jam!
Pineapple is as versatile as the day is long. There are so many different ways to prep a piña! You can find a variety of pineapple-based recipes for any meal or occasion right here, here and here.
But what if you just want to add a dash of pineapple to a last minute dish? Have no fear! At The Corner, we have found just the solution for your “any-day-craving.”
From the DIY prowess of Dana at MADE, this very simple and easy to follow Fresh Pineapple Jam + Sauce recipe can add flavor to plain toast or your favorite vanilla ice cream. And the best part? You can keep it in the fridge for about three weeks, or preserve it in the freezer for up to one year!
Here’s what you’ll need:
FRESH PINEAPPLE Jam + Sauce
Makes about 6 cups of jam
3 cups mashed pineapple – I used one ripe pineapple or you can use canned pineapple
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
5 cups sugar
1 packet of Sure Jell Premium Fruit Pectin *
* It’s important when making jam that you follow the recipe listed on the pectin packet you’re using. Recipes may vary from brand to brand. This recipe is for the yellow Sure Jell box (linked above).
Check out Dana’s recipe page here for directions and more details.
Enjoy,
Dr. Lloyd
Soft as Pineapple? Yes!
Here on the Corner we’ve spoken plenty of times about the benefits of adding pineapple to your daily diet. Mixing it in a smoothie, letting it soak in your water bottle or simply just chowing down on some juicy chunks are all great ways to take in its magical, medicinal powers. But, what if you wanted to take on a slightly different approach to healthy pineapple recipes? Adding a softer touch to our regular health series, we’re doing just that – featuring reasons why pineapple directly on the skin might just be the next beauty craze.
Applying freshly prepared pineapple juice or crushed pineapple wedges on the face can work wonders as a natural exfoliating agent, eliminating dead skin and accentuating blood flow. The fruit gives the collagen synthesis in your body a boost and the higher the collagen synthesis is, the firmer and flexible your skin will be, safeguarding your skin from looking dull.
As we’ve mentioned before, pineapple is also loaded with Vitamin C. Coupled with bromelain, together these anti-inflammatory vitamin and enzyme found in this fruit can internally, as well as externally, be used as a cure for acne and other inflammatory skin condition. The presence of these amino acids, ensure that the damaged cells and tissues are repaired quickly.
You can also mix about 3 tablespoon of freshly crushed pineapples with an egg yolk and a little milk to give your skin an ultimate hydration effect. Apply it topically on the dry skin and leave it for few minutes. Wash off with tepid water for moisturized, radiant skin.
Enjoy,
Dr. Lloyd
Posted in Featured, Recipes, Tips & Tall Tales
RECIPE: From Plantains to Patacones
Last month we introduced Lloyd’s Corner readers to the wonderful world of plantains. This green, fibrous fruit has long been a staple of Latin American, Caribbean and African cuisine. And now, according to recently published research, plantains can also assist those suffering from Crohn’s Disease with proper digestion.
Versatile and delicious, cooked plantains have inspired a variety of preparation methods and recipes. As the first of many plantain recipes to be published on “the Corner,” we figured we would start off with an easy one – patacones.
Patacones, as they are called in Central and South America, are also known as tostones in the Caribbean, or plataninas in Central and West Africa. Thinly cut and double fried, any newcomer to plantains will find the following recipe courtesy of Food.com easy enough to follow.
All you’ll need is four green plantains, vegetable oil, salt and this recipe.
Enjoy,
Dr. Lloyd