Family Favorite: Pineapple upside-down cake

Pineapple upside-down cake has been a favorite in my family for as long as I can remember. My mom made it for us when we were just kids and at almost 93 still enjoys baking one from time to time. And like my mom, I too have enjoyed baking them for my family. A favorite of the men in the family, I often make one on birthdays and holidays.
We recently celebrated our 5 and 2-year-old grandsons birthdays. Their birthdays are within a few months apart so we had a small celebration for them both, they live out-of-state. We had a nice gathering with some family at a friends house. I picked up a cake on the way and had it decorated with Kung Fu Panda - a favorite of the boys as well as Papa and I.
The gathering was very nice - visiting, swimming and grilling and then cake time! Nope,  I never got past the kitchen counter with the cake. As I was heading outside with the cake and presents I proceeded to lose total control of the cake and flipped it totally upside-down!
My sweet grandson however, was very sincere after seeing the cake and politely asked after one look, "Can I have a candy bar grandma?"
It's now a week later and time for papa's birthday - and what does papa request? A pineapple upside-down cake! No problem, I'm a pro at upside-down cakes!
My grandsons were very excited when I told them they could make papas upside-down cake and very curious about how you would bake a cake upside down. This cake may not be the prettiest pineapple upside-down cake out there, but according to papa - the main ingredient was the best - LOVE - from his boys.
The recipe I make starts with the basics, a Duncan Hines box cake mix. My favorite part is the topping so I really indulge. You'll notice in the photos that I also used blueberries where traditionally people use cherries (my boys request). And the Wall-e birthday candle was also picked out by my grandson who explained that we had to use a Wall-e candle for Papa (Wally). I couldn't of agreed more.
I hope you enjoy this recipe and would love to post your Pineapple upside-down cake recipe or any other favorite recipe you may have. Enjoy!
Pineapple upside-down cake
1 Box Duncan Hines Pineapple Supreme cake mix (mix according to direction but I like to replace at least half of the water with the juice from the pineapples.
1 20 ounce can sliced pineapples
1 20 ounce can crushed pineapples (well drained)
1 1/2 stick butter or margarine
1 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 small can maraschino cherries or replace with fresh blueberries
Optional chopped walnuts is also good

Directions
Melt butter and pour into bottom of 13 x 9 baking pan. Add brown sugar and mix well.
Spoon well-drained crushed pineapple over entire bottom of pan over sugar and butter mixture (do not mix)
Arrange pineapple slices on bottom of pan and place either cherries or blueberries in centers of pineapple slices.
Mix cake mix according to directions and pour over pineapple topping in pan.
Place on center rack at 325 degrees for at least 45 minutes or until top springs up when pushed or well browned.
After removing from oven, place flat platter or sheet cake pan on top of cake and flip upside-down. (The boys really liked this part).

Slowly remove 9 x 13 pan (careful, will be hot).
Allow to cool completely.
Beautiful!
Now enjoy as we did.
Hope to hear from you soon - VA

Family Events

If you're looking for some fun to beat the hot weather, look no further than Waterford Oaks. From the Tropical -theme wave pool,  Dual-flume Slidewinder Waterslide and wave-action pool to the Big Bucket Ragin' Rapids, there's plenty to do. Take the family and enjoy any day until 7 p.m. through the end of August. Check out their website at DestinationOakland.com for detailed information and photos. 

Back-to-school information

Here's a few articles that may help with getting prepared to go back to school. Check out this link for student organizational tips and some of the best back-to-school online shopping stores. Are you thinking about a cell phone for your kids? Check out this link.

Today's Gadget: Swivel Peeler

This is one of my favorite kitchen gadgets. The swivel feature allows it to glide over your fruits or vegetables with ease. The sharp stainless steel blades and comfortable handle make it the perfect gadget. Our garden is coming in nicely right now and for $7.99 this little jewel is great for one of my favorites - cucumbers. You can check out this on OXO's website and a lot of other great products.

Do you have a favorite gadget or product you would like to share, I would love to hear from you.

Welcome to Family: A Recipe for Life

I love my family! I'm a wife, mother and grandmother and I've been an Oakland County resident for 20 plus years. I have worked in the newsroom at The Oakland Press for more than 16 years.

I've been blessed with a wonderful husband and friend - my soul mate. Together we have 3 grown children and 2 grandsons that, without a doubt, are gifts from God. We are so blessed to have our children and thank our son and daughter-in-law each day for the joy they brought us when they made us grandparents. It was actually these little guys that inspired me to do this blog.

My hope is that together we can build a highway of information for parents, grandparents and everyone that enjoys life and living it to the fullest.  Favorite family memories, recipes, photos, videos, upcoming events and news information can be shared with us all - send me yours!

I am number 11 of 12 siblings and it seems a lotl of my favorite memories in some way involve food. Each week I will post one of my favorite family recipes along with a random recipe from my library of cookbooks. I would love to post your favorite recipe also - perhaps you have a family memory that makes it special.

And who isn't looking for that special gadget around the home that has somehow made your life easier. Maybe there's a story behind it. Share it with me - I would love to review it and post it for all our families.

Your feedback is important - I would like my blog to be your resource for information that's important to you and can be shared with families everywhere. VA...