It's been a while since I've done a recipe post. I thought I had posted this one some time ago but a
Every family has some holiday food traditions. Some make sense. Some don't. It doesn't matter. If it makes your family happy then it's a good one. One weird food tradition we have is baked pineapple served at the 3 major holidays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. The recipe originated with my great Aunt Virginia about 20 years ago. When she died, my grandmother took over making it. When Nana died, I took over making it. When I croak someone else will have to take the job.
Now going back to Great Aunt Virginia and an interesting story, because what's a holiday without a weird family story to go with the weird food? She was very elderly and bedridden. Because her health was in massive, rapid decline she was moving from eastern Pennsylvania to western Ohio to be near her son. My grandmother, mother, and I were working hard to pack up her belongings for her. When I say working hard I'm not exaggerating. She literally could have fully furnished 3 houses with all the furniture, kitchen wares, and tchotchkes she had. It was astonishing the sheer volume of stuff she had amassed in her lifetime. After it was sorted through she told me I should pick a few items from the things she was getting rid of that I'd like to have to remember her by. I had admired a hand crocheted lace tablecloth and told her I was interested in that since she was offering. She beamed saying she thought I should have it because my great grandmother had made it and would be smiling down from heaven knowing it stayed in the family. I thanked her for the tablecloth and began folding it at which point GAV informed me it would cost me $40. My jaw dropped, I clapped my hand over my mouth to stop from bursting out laughing, and I looked at my mother, then my grandmother to silently ask them if I had heard correctly. They returned the shocked expression and my grandmother asked her sister-in-law to clarify. GAV repeated my price for the "family heirloom" would be $40. Ain't no polite way to back pedal off saying I was interested and I didn't want to argue with an inform old lady (which I'm pretty sure she was counting on anyway) so I ponied up. It still makes me laugh every time I look at the thing.
Anyway, back to the recipe...baked pineapple. You're going to need the following:
Baked Pineapple
1 can crushed pineapple in juice, drained
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 C. sugar
1/2 C. butter, melted
5 slices of bread, crusts removed and cubed. (I like potato bread)
It's a very yellow list of ingredients, especially if you use potato bread. Ok, now pay attention because this is the hard part. It's really technical here. You ready? Ok...throw it all in a big bowl together and mix it up. Once it's all stirred together it will look like it's something already partially eaten or digested or curdled at the very least. Mmmmmm, sounds yummy, huh?
Oh lighten up, Francis. If you've ever read one of my recipes before you know I'm not exactly formal recipe person. You want fancy shmancy and all measured and matchy matchy go talk to Martha Stewart. This ain't fancy food, it's folksy food. But it's darned yummy.
I have another odd great aunt (really, there's no shortage of them in my family and I don't mean that as a slam because they keep things lively and interesting). She is known for her tendency to complain and criticize. A couple years ago she took a big glob of baked pineapple because it's her favorite part of the meal. She took a bite and announced it was terrible and I had fouled it up completely. It was another jaw dropping moment until she smiled and I realized it was her ploy to get everyone else to back off the stuff so she could have more of it to herself.
I digress again....you have a bowl of vomit looking stuff that you don't know what to do with yet. Put it in a greased casserole and stick it in an oven preheated to 350F. Bake it for 45 minutes or until it gets brown around the edges and seems set.
It's good stuff. Feel free to set it on a table with a lace table cloth and wait for people to announce how awful it is....or just dig in an enjoy. I haven't found anyone who doesn't like it yet.
