Pineapple Pancake - Recipe Video

Sweet and tart, Pineapple is at the top of my favorite fruit list. Add chunks of pineapple to your pancake batter for a fresh take on a plain, syrupy breakfast. My Pineapple Pancake is a delicious addition to start your day 

Pineapple Pancakes can be made with fresh or canned fruit. I like canned Pineapple with fruit juice or lightly sweetened. Canned fruit can get very mushy when cooked, but Pineapple pieces hold up quite well when mixed into pancake batter and sautéed.

Canned Pineapple is still cheap enough for this Budget Epicurean. Whole pineapple costs more, but after you break it down, it's cheap enough.

No special tricks to this recipe; I just add drained Pineapple pieces to a lightly oiled heating pan and pour on pancake batter.

My recipe is basic; I use premixed pancakes from the box. Nothing special really. The average mix usually consists of just enriched flour, sugar, dried egg, and milk. Normally, you just add water. You can use your favorite mix, or even a homemade one.

I do like to finish my pancake with a pat of real butter and syrup. I don't make pancakes a lot, so I will indulge in expensive real maple syrup.

Check out my tasty Pineapple Pancakes breakfast. I like to start my day with sweet-and-tart fruit.

Pineapple Pancake Recipe - Video      Play it here, video runs 1 minute, 35 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Ingredients

• 1 cup pancake mix - any favorite.
• 3/4 cup water - okay to use milk for a richer pancake batter.
• Canned or Fresh Pineapple - okay to use any canned Pineapple; just drain. 
• Cooking Oil - 1 teaspoon to grease the skillet. Add more when needed, depending on how many pancakes you make.
• Butter - optional. I finish my cooked pancake with a pat of butter.
• Pancake Syrup - any favorite.

Directions

Prepare pancake batter according to package directions. My pancake mix calls for 1 cup of flour mix and 3/4 cup of water.

    

Mix pancake ingredients in a bowl. When mixed, it will be like thick country gravy.

   

Add a teaspoon of oil to the pan or griddle. Heat the pan over medium heat.

For canned Pineapple, just drain. Okay to use crushed or Pineapple rings.

 Arrange on a hot pan or griddle. Add as many as you like, depending on the size of each pancake. The pineapple pieces should be on the small size so they attach to the pancake batter. If they are too large, they will separate from the cooked pancake. Slice larger pineapple pieces in half if too large.

Pour pancake batter over pineapple pieces. I like the fruit to make contact with the hot pan so there is some caramelization on the pineapple pieces. It's okay to mix pineapple into the batter for less pineapple burning.

Brown pancakes for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, depending on the pan heat. When you see air pockets, then check the bottom of the pancake to see how it's browning.

The instant box of pancake directions mentions cooking time to brown each side as 1.5 minutes each....hmmm, they must be using a super hot pan! Best to just check the pancake for color as you go.

If you want a dark brown pancake presentation, then cook one side to get the right hue of brown, then cook the other side for a minute to finish. Serve browned side up on the plate.

Pineapple is extra sweet and may burn a bit, but that is just extra flavor.

Swiss Cheese Burger Recipe

Summer is Cheeseburger grilling time. Usually I like melted American or Cheddar cheese on my burgers, but lately it's Swiss Cheese. 

Swiss cheese is more pungent than American cheese. I get it cheaply from my local Latin grocer, Superior. With its distinctive holes, Swiss cheese is easy to spot. It takes a little longer to melt than American cheese.

Swiss Cheese originated in Emmental, Switzerland. It's said that the larger the holes, the more pungent the cheese. The cheese colors are pale yellow to almost white. Don't feel cheated by the holes since it's usually sold by weight.

I add Swiss cheese to my Pastrami and Corned Beef sandwiches. Try it in a Grilled Swiss Cheese Sandwich.

I've been getting discount ground beef from my local supermarket, Ralphs Grocer. These days anything around $5 per pound is a good deal. If the ground beef is red in color, I'll take a chance on discounted ground beef. I won't buy grey or browning beef. I have, on occasion, bought nice bright red ground meat at a doscount, only to find that it's brown in the middle...ugh. 

I like my burgers not too big, so I form the patties into 1/4 to 1/3 pounds - make your burgers as large as you like.

Try not to press on the meat too much, keep it a little loose. You can make the meat patties thick or thin. Of course, the thinner the patty, the quicker it will cook. I add salt and pepper to the raw hamburger patties before grilling. I tend to add more pepper than salt, but season the hamburger any way you like.

What do you like on a summertime grilled Hamburger? When I invite the neighbors over for a patio party, I have to remember to put out ketchup. I like typical mustard and mayo on mine. My local Dollar Tree has these condiments for the right price.

Lettuce, sliced tomato, and pickle are my other hamburger toppings. I also add sliced onion if I have it in the crisper. All these ingredients still come cheaply.

My method of grilling hamburger is to cook one side until it is charred, then flip it over and cook it to the desired doneness, usually in a reduced amount of time. Cooking time will vary depending on the heat of the grill. I use a gas grill set to medium heat - it usually takes about 7 to 10 minutes total for a medium-done hamburger, with a little pink in the middle. Increase time for a well-done hamburger.

I add cheese right when I flip the burger so it melts all the way. In my video recipe, I leave the barbecue grill top open for filming, but normally the top is down when I add the cheese so it melts quick enough. It's up to you how you grill a hamburger.

Anyway you grill it, try my tasty cheeseburger version with Swiss Cheese for a change of flavor.

Swiss Cheese Burger - Recipe Video            Play it here, video runs 2 minutes, 23 seconds.

Ingredients

• Ground Beef - I bought a one-pound package and divided it into 4 segments, about a 1/4 pound each. Make the hamburger patties any size and shape you like.
• Swiss Cheese - One slice per hamburger patty is enough for me. You can add more if you like.
• Salt & Pepper - to your taste. Add any favorite seasonings.
• Lettuce, Tomato, Pickle - add any combination, or all three. It's up to you; add what you like, or have on hand. I sometimes add sliced onion, too.
• Mustard, Mayonnaise - or any favorite condiment, like ketchup. 

Directions

Form hamburger patties any size you like. I make mine in the 1/4 pound range. Salt and pepper to taste.

Fire up the grill. I use a gas grill set to medium heat. Use any grilling method you like.

Let the grill heat up for a couple of minutes, then add the hamburger patty(s). You may want to spray the grill with cooking oil if your grilling grates are wide. With thin grates the hamburger patty is easy to flip without sticking.

While the hamburger grills, I will slice the tomato and pickle (if needed). Shred lettuce. Get out your favorite condiments, like mayo and mustard.

My grilling technique is to cook one side of the hamburger until it is darkly charred and brown, then flip it over for a shorter cooking time, until it is done the way I like it. Cooking time will vary, but usually 7 to 10 minutes total is enough time. Keep the grill closed during part of the cooking time for more smoky flavor.

If you try to char each side of the hamburger, it can easily dry out, unless that is the way you like it. If the patty is a fat one, then you can probably char each side. 

I like my hamburger patty with a pink middle, but not too raw.

Add the Swiss cheese when you flip the burger so it has time to melt. This is when I close the grill for a minute or so.

I have a water spray bottle handy for flare-ups. If your hamburger has a high fat content in the 70% to 80% lean meat range, the extra fire flare-ups may burn the patty.

The hamburger I purchased was extremely lean, almost too lean for my taste, but it was on sale.

When the hamburger is almost done, I will toast the hamburger buns. You can make your burgers with buns right out of the package.

When the hamburger is done, build your Swiss Burger the way you like it.

I make mine with mustard and mayo slathered on both sides of the bun. I add the hamburger with cheese, then pile on lettuce, tomato, and pickle.

You can't go wrong with a fat, loaded, and grilled  Swiss Cheese Burger.

National Potato Day - Recipes and a Reviews

The most humble and one cheap veggie is the tuber or potato. I can get Russet potatoes for way less than a dollar per pound. So there is every reason to celebrate National Potato Day. Be sure to click on any recipe name to see the tasty original blog post recipe.

I'll start my potato recipe roundup with the most soul-satisfying Mashed Potatoes. I make mine the easy way with just boiled potatoes, milk, butter, a lot of black pepper, and a touch of salt. I always serve them with my Thanksgiving Turkey.

Here's my video below (Click on the recipe name above to see my photos and recipe text.)

Carrying on the Mashed Potato theme, my next recipe is from across the pond (Great Britain,) Shepherd's Pie or Cottage Pie.  Potatoes are at their best when playing second fiddle to the main ingredient, often it's meat.

It's a hearty one-pot meal that has it all. Ground meat, green peas, carrots, onions in a bath of au jus gravy, and topped with mashed potatoes...it's so good. Once assembled, you finish the Shepherd's Pie off in the oven to get a browned topping. The prep work is straightforward, just some veggie chopping and pre-cooking the meat, veggies, and mashing potatoes. See how I do it below.

You can't get more red, white, and blue than a picnic-style chilled Potato Salad. I still make it quite often, too. My version is a Classic Potato Salad. 

Again, the ingredients are cheap, simple, and easy to get. I like the added crunch of finely chopped raw onion and chunks of celery. I make mine extra decadent with the addition of chopped boiled eggs. 

For your next picnic or backyard BBQ, make a cool batch of my Classic Potato Salad. 

This is one of my most controversial recipes, and it's called Mom's Cajun Potato Salad. Mom came to visit me in Los Angeles and I got her to make it. My Mom lives in Louisiana, and she knows her Cajun cooking.

When I saw what she was doing, I had to point out to her that she was making Mashed Potatoes, not Potato Salad!

Well, we had it out and she won, of course, I should have known better butting heads with her. I'll let you make the call if it's mashed or salad-style after watching the recipe video below.

Originating in Central and South America, the potato comes in many varieties and colors. I like red potatoes, but orange sweet potatoes are especially delish. Lately, I've been grilling them more than typically baking in the oven. 

You can grill them just like you would a regular Russet potato. They soften and char quickly and easily. So next time you're at the grill, throw on sliced sweet potato and make Grilled Russet and Sweet Potatoes.

My Cajun nephew Zak works as a cook and learned a great Sweet Potato Hash to go with his classic Blackened Fish recipe. It's a 2'fer you can check out below.

You'll find these Breakfast Potatoes at truck stops and diners just off the interstate almost everywhere. This potato recipe sautes chunky potatoes with a veggie mix of bell pepper, onion, and garlic. They're also called Skillet Potatoes and Home Fries.  Make a big batch, and they reheat fine the next day, too.

I like spuds fried, boiled, and grilled, in the morning, noon, and night. For breakfast, I'll grate a potato to make Old School Hash Browns. 

You may think I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel for this Cheap$kate Deal of the Day review of canned Corned Beef Hash from years ago - you know, I kinda liked it, really.

I can't argue with you here; I guess you get what you pay for. But, you know, this canned potato and meat breakfast side is not too bad...really. You can read my review/taste test by clicking right here - reading is believing!

Speaking of Corned Beef, here is a classic St. Patrick's Day dish of Corned Beef and Cabbage - with potatoes, of course.

I make mine with cabbage, carrot, and red potatoes. Normally expensive corned beef drops to half price or less during the holiday. I cook the corned beef first and finish up the dish by boiling the veggies in the broth until tender.

It's actually a very easy recipe to make, just watch it below to see for yourself.

Ribeye Steak and Red Potatoes may be my favorite oven-broiled combination. I usually start the potatoes first because I slice them thick. 

After one side of the potatoes are browned, I throw on the Ribeye. When it's cold outside the oven does double duty by warming up the kitchen, too!

A most unusual tuber is a Yuca. It looks foreboding, but when boiled, it is super tender and very mild in flavor. I first had them at L.A.'s premier Cuban Restaurant, Versailles, served with white rice, black beans, and roast pork.

I buy Yuca from local Latin groceries and even at 99c Only Stores in the frozen deli cases, all peeled and ready to reheat.

I have a most delicious and tangy recipe called Yuca and Mojo Sauce with Onion. 

I had a neighborhood restaurant I would frequent on Sunday mornings for an espresso and a Spanish Omelet to go with my Sunday L.A. Times newspaper. 

A Spanish Omelet is simply scrambled eggs with sliced potatoes. You should sauté the potatoes first, as the eggs only take a couple of minutes to cook.

I have a great Fritatta to start your day. Again, it has sliced potato, but with a Latin pepper called a pasilla or poblano. But don't worry as they are not spicy. They are more like a sweet red or yellow bell pepper.

It's basically an omelet as well, that's finished with a layer of cheese and baked in the oven under the broiler to get a nice cheese-charred topping.

And let's not forget the French Fry, or Chips, as they call them in England. 

The trick to a crispy Fry with a soft center is to fry them twice. Check out my video below of Fish and Chips, and at the end of the video, I show you the frying technique.

I'm always coming up with recipes that include the common potato. So do check back for more eats that feature the most versatile spud.