1 Pineapple Supreme Cake Mix
1 1/3 cup pineapple juice or water
3 large brown eggs
1/3 cup oil
20 ounce can pineapple slices
Maraschino cherries
Pecans
5 tablespoons butter
½ cup maple sugar
Combine the maple sugar and the butter in a saucepan. Place the pan on the stove. Turn the dial to medium. Stir continually until the butter and sugar melts. There may be a few small lumps left at this point, but that is ok, just make sure there are no large lumps. Whisk the mixture so it is well combined.
Pour the maple sugar and butter mixture into the bottom of a well greased cake pan.
Drain the pineapple juice off and set it aside. Place pineapple slices on top of the maple sugar and butter mixture. Place maraschino cherries in the pineapple holes. Place pecans in the open areas between the pineapple slices.
Set the pan aside while the cake batter is being prepared.
To prepare the cake batter, combine the pineapple supreme cake mix with the 3 eggs, 1/3 cup of oil and 1 1/3 cup pineapple juice. If there is not enough pineapple juice, add enough water to make 1 1/3 cup of liquid.
Stir by hand or with a mixture until the cake batter is smooth. Then pour the cake batter into the pan on top of the fruit and nuts.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 28 to 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Be sure to read the baking instructions on the back of the cake mix box and to adjust for pan size and altitude.
Filed under Baked Desserts, Cakes, Easy Homemade Desserts by on Jan 25th, 2011. Comment. 
Once you have your solar cooker ready to use, you may want to try out solar cooked desserts. This is a great way to have baked items in the summer and not heat your kitchen up.
Try your favorite brownie recipe made in a solar cooker. Most brownies take about an hour to bake.
Use the cooker to melt butters, lards or other hard ingredients that need pre-melted.
Here are some other recipes for solar baked desserts.
Solar Baked Apples
These are not only delicious but a healthy alternative to sweets.
Mix together one cup white sugar and one cup brown sugar in a bowl and set aside.
Core the whole apples. There is no need to peel them. Fill the cavity of each apple with sugar, then sprinkle the entire apple with cinnamon. Place in a dark pan, cover and bake for one and a half to two and a half hours. The apples should be soft when done.
Cookies baked in a solar oven can be put onto a cookie sheet or baked in muffin pans. Some ingredients such as raisins can become crunchy if baked too long.
Cinnamon rolls are a delicious snack or breakfast food that does great cooked in a solar oven. They will need to be cooked for a little over an hour. Remember to test your food and experiment. If the food is not done to your liking, you can always return it to the solar oven or finish it using a conventional method of cooking.
This is just a sampling of what you can do with a solar cooker. Go ahead and try cakes or other favorite desserts. Remember the oven thermometer that lays in the bottom of the solar cooker will tell you how hot it is inside the cooker. Learn how to control the temperature of your cooker and you will be able to cook just about anything you wish.
Don’t get discouraged if your meals don’t turn out perfect the first few times you try. Remember to have a back-up meal plan just in case and also remember that pratice makes perfect!
Filed under Desserts, Solar Oven Recipes by on Jan 3rd, 2010. Comment.
Many people think gourmet cooking requires lot of expensive special ingredients. This is a myth that simply must be busted! Gourmet cooking, in my opinion, is all about the presentation of the meal. Add in one or two richly exotic spices, such as nutmeg, cinnamon or cardamom, which you may already have in your cabinets, and you have a meal fit for a king on a homesteader’s budget!
Chances are if you grow your own herbs, you already know how to make a variety of spice mixes. You also know using your own herbs gives you a much better flavor than anything you can buy. Here’s a tip – when drying your herbs, keep them whole. Do not grind them until you are ready to use them. If there are spices you must buy, such as cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, buy them whole too! Most small spices can be ground in a cheap electric coffee grinder, or better yet, a mortar and pestle. For larger seeds such as nutmeg, it is best to invest in a special grinder just for that spice. Once you smell the difference between pre-ground and freshly ground spices, you simply will not go back to re-ground spices. The fragrance of fresh ground herbs and spices permeate the air while adding an unmistakable burst of flavor to the foods you add them to.
Now let me give you an example of gourmet cooking on a budget. The picture at the top was made right here in our kitchen using ingredients I had on hand. It is a Pear Cardamom Sorbet in a delectable dark chocolate dessert dish.
I had the mold for the dessert dish. These clear plastic molds can be found at cooking shops, craft sections of discount merchants and sometimes even at thrift stores or garage sales! Make sure the molds are straight and clean with no holes in them if you choose to purchase used molds.
I found a bag of dark chocolate molding candy at a local discount grocer for $1. I prefer dark chocolate because the taste is smooth, rich and quite chocolaty unlike milk chocolate. I bought it, brought it home and melted it in my double boiler. If you do not have one, a small sauce pan sit inside a larger sauce pan filled with water will work. Bring the water to a boil while constantly stirring the chocolate. Once the chocolate has melted, carefully spoon it into the mold. Dessert molds have two parts, a top and bottom. Fill the bottom mold about 1/3 of the way up, then sit the top mold in place. This will help you determine if you have added enough chocolate. If so, snap the top mold on and sit in the refrigerator. If not, remove it and add more. If you make your chocolate before starting dinner, by the time you are ready for dessert, the chocolate will be molded. It should stay in the mold in the refrigerator until the mold begins to look frosty. As this time, put the mold into the freezer for two minutes. When the two minutes are up, remove the top of the mold and the chocolate dessert cup will slip right out.
The pear cardamom sorbet takes a little longer to make. If you do not have an ice cream maker, you can still make this, however using an electric ice cream maker helps the process speed up just a bit.
Pear Cardamom Sorbet Recipe
4 ripe pears – fresh picked are best
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground cardamom
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons brandy
2 ounces Maraschino cherry juice
Bring sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Once the mixture begins to boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about five minutes or until the mixture begins to reduce and thicken. Remove the pan from the heat source and chill for thirty minutes.
Peel and core the ripe pears. Put them in a blender with the lemon juice, fresh ground cardamom, brandy and maraschino cherry juice.
Whip until you have a mixture that is smooth. Add the cooled water and sugar mixture. Whip again until well mixed.
If you have an ice cream maker, pour the mixture into it and follow the manufacturer’s directions. If not, simply put into a bowl with a lid and freeze.
Serve by dipping out scoops and putting them in the chocolate dessert cups. The maraschino cherry juice will make the sorbet a luscious pink color that will blend perfectly with the smooth dark chocolate dessert shell. Top with a piece of molded chocolate candy, whipped cream or your favorite topping.
You can substitute the ingredients here. For example, try mint or cinnamon instead of cardamom. Gourmet cooking really is simple. Once you learn how to use what is in your cabinets, plus how to add a few extra special touches to make your meals stand out, you will be cooking up gourmet feats that you simply will not be able to buy in any restaurant!
Filed under Easy Homemade Desserts, Frozen Desserts, Sorbets by on Oct 26th, 2009. Comment.
