Happy Thursday!  Prayers to those that need them!  Oh, the weekend is so close, getting excited for fun time lol!  Loving the new fall temperatures too!  So today I'm looking towards the football weekend and these pretty munchies are making a comeback!  I had them once a while ago and they were so yummy and so filling!  Love it, hope your peeps do too!

Hawaiian Sweet Potato Skins

This tasty snack takes the best of two classic dishes – Hawaiian pizza and potato skins – and brings them together in a crispy-on-the-outside, gooey-on-the-inside guiltless treat for your entire family.

• 338
• 
• 0

Photo: Edward Pond

By Lisa Howard

Serves: 4
Hands-on time: 25 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 small sweet potatoes, scrubbed well and patted dry
• 1 lb kale, stemmed
• 7 oz low-sodium no-added-nitrate ham, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 6 oz shredded low-sodium mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1 cup cubed pineapple
• 4 green onions, trimmed and minced

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Pierce each potato several times with a fork and transfer directly to rack in center of oven. Bake until soft, about 45 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick skillet on medium. Rinse kale well; do not shake or pat dry. Chop coarsely and add to skillet. Cover and cook, turning occasionally with tongs, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Remove potatoes from oven and let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 375°F. Transfer potatoes to a cutting board, carefully halve lengthwise and scoop flesh into a large bowl, being careful not to scrape skins. (TIP: If potatoes are hot, use oven mitts to hold in place while cutting.) Use a potato masher to mash flesh well. Stir in ham, 4 oz mozzarella and pineapple. Spoon mixture into skins and top with remaining 2 oz mozzarella, dividing evenly. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, until mozzarella is golden brown. Remove from oven and top with onions, dividing evenly. Divide potatoes and kale among serving plates.

Nutrients per serving (2 potato halves and 1 cup kale): Calories: 365, Total Fat: 9 g, Sat. Fat: 5 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g, Carbs: 47 g, Fiber: 7 g, Sugars: 12 g, Protein: 27 g, Sodium: 537 mg, Cholesterol: 45 mg

Nutritional Bonus: Pineapple contains a unique enzyme called bromelain that aids in digesting protein and may also provide anti-inflammatory benefits. TRY THIS: You can use bromelain (available in powdered form) on its own in marinades to tenderize meat prior to cooking.

FULL PRICE
$13.16

COST PER SERVING
$3.29

NOTE FROM THE DEVELOPER:“In order to have soft-but-sturdy ‘crusts’ for your toppings, be careful not to tear through the skin when scraping out the flesh. And don’t skip eating the skins – they’re the best part!” – Lisa Howard

Bountiful Pineapple Sauce

A friend on a Facebook page, Marcie Givens, shared her creation with us and I got her permission to share with you! It sounds so yummy!!  She named it that because she got some of the ingredients from her Bountiful Basket

She didn't give exact amounts, like any great chef!

Bountiful Pineapple Sauce

Pineapple, cut up
Ripe banana for thickener
Little ginger
Coconut oil
A can of Coconut milk

Boil down to sauce consistancy. She poured over rice and added red pepper flakes. She's going to use the leftover to make a sherbet. How awesome is that? Makes my mouth water.

Got a recipe to share? Send it to ourasylum@outlook.com and we will make sure you get credit for it and share it on the blog!

Easy Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Hello All!  So it's Tuesday, it's been a rough week for me so far.  I can only hope things are better at your Asylum's.  I hadn't made a pineapple upside down cake ever and was craving one so we indulged.  Dad was grateful.  Apparently he's a fan, Hubbers was happy with it too.  It's just too simple and yummmmmmmmmm!  Credit for this easy gem goes to Betty Crocker!  She's been helping us out a lot lately LOL!

Easy Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Ingredients

1/4

cup butter or margarine

1

cup packed brown sugar

1

can (20 oz) pineapple slices in juice, drained, juice reserved

1

jar (6 oz) maraschino cherries without stems, drained

1

box Betty Crocker™ SuperMoist™ yellow cake mix

Vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box

• 1Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). In 13x9-inch pan, melt butter in oven. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter. Arrange pineapple slices on brown sugar. Place cherry in center of each pineapple slice, and arrange remaining cherries around slices; press gently into brown sugar.
• 2Add enough water to reserved pineapple juice to measure 1 cup. Make cake batter as directed on box, substituting pineapple juice mixture for the water. Pour batter over pineapple and cherries.
• 3Bake 42 to 48 minutes (44 to 53 minutes for dark or nonstick pan) or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately run knife around side of pan to loosen cake. Place heatproof serving plate upside down onto pan; turn plate and pan over. Leave pan over cake 5 minutes so brown sugar topping can drizzle over cake; remove pan. Cool 30 minutes. Serve warm or cool. Store covered in refrigerator.

Pineapple Whip

Happy Thursday all, hope you making it through ok :).  Ugh Thank the heavens that tomorrow is Friday.  So this is a snack recipe.  Maybe not the best for this time of the year, but when crazy hits and you have responsibilities, you do the best you can.  So I am sharing this awesome dessert.  It doesn't get any easier than this either.  Look they want fresh pineapple and believe me it's amazingly good BUT time saver just as wonderful flavors comes with the frozen pineapple!  My grandchildren couldn't get enough of this.  Oh who am I kidding, neither could I!  I hope you enjoy!

Pineapple Whip

makes 4-6 servings

Adapted from ice-cream-freaks.com by the Detoxinista

Ingredients:

1 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and chopped
1 cup almond milk, or non-dairy milk of choice
1 tablespoon honey (optional, for authentic sweetness)

Directions:

First off, you’ll want to freeze the pineapple chunks. I chopped mine a day ahead of time, and froze the chunks overnight. You could also purchase frozen pineapple, if you prefer.

This recipe works best in a high-speed blender, like the Vitamix, because you’ll need to be able to pulverize the pineapple into an ice-cream-like consistency. A normal blender will most likely not work, but a food processor might.

Combine the frozen pineapple with the almond milk and honey, then blend until a frozen sorbet texture is achieved. For an authentic Dole Whip presentation, transfer the frozen dessert to a large plastic bag, and cut off the tip to create a piping bag. Pipe the pineapple whip into 4-6 dishes, and serve immediately!

Enjoy!
—

Grilled Pineapple

So if you follow us, you know my Asylum likes grilled pineapple.  A reader sent me this recipe from All You. Thank you Reader who doesn't want to be named!  This just went to the top of the OMG gotta eat that list...

Lemon - Sugar grilled Pineapple

1 pineapple (about 4 lb.)
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
1/2 cup sugar

Preparation Cook Time: 7 Minutes
Prep Time: 5 Minutes

Trim and peel pineapple. Cut lengthwise into quarters and remove the tough core. Cut each quarter in half crosswise, making 8 sections. Combine lemon zest and sugar in a ziplock bag. Rub vigorously to blend flavors. Prepare a charcoal fire, let burn to a gray ash and set grill about 6 inches from heat source. (Alternatively, set a stove-top grill pan over medium-low heat.) Working with one or two sections at a time, place pineapple in bag with sugar mixture and turn carefully to coat. Transfer to grill and cook, flipping often, until caramelized and slightly softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Cool slightly before serving. All You July 2008

Grilled Ham and Pineapple

Well just like every week Monday shows up again!  In the summer I don't dread them nearly as much as the school year! Having said that though they do still require extra coffee! For me any way, I don't know how Saucy manages without it! Crazy Lady!

Well today I was going to share one of those "suggestions" or "ideas" you may not have thought of.

We love to grill ham slices at our Asylum. My hubs had the idea years ago to throw pineapple slices on the grill as well. Over the years he has perfected his grilling techniques and now puts the pineapple on the rack above the ham so it drips down on to the ham. 

If you have canned pineapple chunks in your cupboard, why not make kabobs? Just slice your ham into chunks that are about the same size as the pineapple and place on a kabob stick. You can find the wooden ones in bulk almost anywhere! Or, if you are red-neck like we are you'll make your own! 

Hope you had a forehead slap moment, if you'd never thought of this! Or maybe you've done it before and forgot! Either way I hope your week has just the right amount of crazy! Your white jackets will be gathered on Friday so you can have a weekend pass!

Well, we always gotta eat.....

Ok, so life......................rough.  But we all gotta eat.  This recipe is from my mom.  It's one of the family favorites.  Mostly made during the holidays but we had it this weekend so we could reminisce.  We all really enjoyed it as always.  I hope your family enjoys it too! Straighten out those jackets, trust me crazy is on the loose! Oh and FYI I have no earthly idea where this recipe came from.  I am 98% positive mom found it somewhere and has passed it down to us, but not created it.  We lovingly refer to it as Green Stuff.

Cottage Cheese Salad

Large tub of Cool Whip

1 small box lime jello

12 oz small curd cottage cheese

1/2 cup coconut

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

1/2 cup marachino cherries, quartered

16 oz crushed pineapple, drained

Mix jello and cottage cheese till well combined.  Then add the pecans, coconut, pineapple and cherries; mix well.  Fold in whipped cream until completely mixed.  Refrigerate at least an hour. (You can switch up the jello that is used, say strawberry for red stuff at christmas also)

A Pineapple and Pork kind of Saturday!

Happy Saturday Crazies!  I have my hands full today.  After I hang out with you crazy peeps I will be packing to take a road trip!  Awesomeness about to be a Grandma once again.  :D.  Very excited! Ok this story is leading somewhere I promise LOL.  After leaving my daughters next week I'm blessed with some time to spend at my parents house.  A place where Mom always had a great meal on the table and now finds it harder to do everyday.  But that's ok because it makes me happy to be able to come in and help and cook for them and have them enjoy!!  All because she passed on her love of being in the kitchen!  Thanx Mom!  I love you.

Ok, so to the grub! My hubby and I have always fought the battle of weight issues.  Early in our relationship hubby bought me a cookbook for cooking lighter.  At first I was a little put off!  How dare you?  LOL  Thinking back now, he meant nothing and I'm super glad to have the cookbook.  It has some great recipes in it.  But yeah we still fight the battle :D.  So here I found a recipe for Pork Loin Roast. Great Pork especially for not marinating over night.  So the cookbook in my story is the "Better Homes and Gardens Dieter's Cookbook".  Tighten up your straight jackets were having pork for dinner............LOL!  Nuts I know.  Ok, back on track this is a definite favorite of ours.  I hope it will be for you too. 

Pineapple Pork Roast

Prep:  20 minutes

Oven:  325 

Roast:  1 1/4 hours

Stand:  15 minutes

Makes:  8 to 10 Servings

1  2-2/5 pound boneless pork top loin roast (single loin)

    Salt

    Black Pepper

1/3 cup pineapple preserves

2 tablespoons coarse-grain mustard

1/4 teaspoon dried mint or basil, crushed

1  15 1/4 oz can pineapple chunks, (juice pack), drained

1.  Trim fat from roast.  Place roast in a shallow roasting pan.  Season with salt and pepper.  Insert an oven going meat thermometer into center of roast.  Roast, uncovered, in a 325 oven for 1 hour.

2.  Meanwhile, for glaze, in a small bowl combine preserves, mustard and mint/basil.

3.  Spoon about half of the glaze onto the meat; add pineapple chunks to roasting pan.  Roast for 15 to 45 minutes more or until thermometer registers 155F, spooning remaining glaze over once.

4.  Remove from oven.  cover with foil and let stand for 15 minutes before carving.  (The temperature of the meat will rise 5 degrees during standing.)  Transfer roast to serving platter.  Stir together pineapple and pan drippins; serve with meat.!

I'm telling you it's great and we had mashed potatoes and a small salad on the side!  We hope you all enjoy.  Have a wonderful weekend!  And hopefully we will see you back on Monday!

Finally some sweetness!

Wow, the Asylum is creepishly quiet today.  With tomorrow being Friday, it's like the calm before the storm.  So I don't have a lot to say today, I'm sorry.  Life kind of gets in the way of things you enjoy sometimes and I'm just not feeling myself.  But you know what always makes a girl feel better? Cake!  Always!  Lots would say chocolate and I would totally agree with that also, but then comes the feeling of oh crap did I really eat all that?  LOL.  Well, that's my personal experience anyway lol.  So the recipe I have chosen for today doesn't leave me feeling that way.  I get the whole "cake" experience but not the guilt that normally follows.  And OMG Easy doesn't even describe this one!  I'm sure the Spicy German will be all over this recipe LOL.

I hope the week finishes off well for all of you.  Much love and happiness in you life, your family and let's not forget in your kitchen!  Enjoy and happy Thursday!

This recipe comes to us from a website I really enjoy, eatbetteramerica.com!  I have been with them for a few years now and they take recipes we all know and love and make small changes so that it is easier to "eat better america"! They, boosted the recipe from Prevention Healthy Cooking, don't let that fool you about the taste and yumminess of this cake!

Pina Colada Cake

Prep time:  10 minutes

Start to finish:  30 minutes

Makes:  16 servings

1 package (14.5 oz) Angel Food Cake Mix

1 can (8 oz) unsweetened crushed pineapple (I have been known to add more depending on my mood)

8 oz fat free frozen whipped topping, thawed

1/2 cup (2 oz) toasted coconut

1.  Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 13x9" baking dish with cooking spray.

2.  In large bowl, stir together cake mix and pineapple.  Pour into prepared baking dish.

3.  Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out almost clean.  Cool completely on a rack.

4.  Spread whipped topping over cake.  Sprinkle with coconut.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

(***Don't let the whole toasted coconut thing bother you.  When the cake comes out and is cooling spread coconut on a flat baking sheet.  Put it in the 350 oven to toast it.  Keep an eye on it, but normally when you can smell it, it's done.  Just stir it around and viola you have beautiful different stages of toasted coconut!  It's an important step, don't leave it out! :D)

P.S.  I have nutritional information if anyone needs it!