Pineapple Upside Down Cake + Dinner's Balsamic BBQ Sauce

Ride-Side Up!!! Delish!

My wonderful Mother-in-Law, who never asks for anything, requested Pineapple Upside-Down Cake. I was so ecstatic I cannot tell you! As with all of my desserts, I made it from scratch, using this tried-but-true recipe from Betty Crocker: Betty Crocker Upside-Down Cake. 


I only changed a couple of small things... I used FRESH pineapple, which made the slices fresher, larger & have a "bite". An 8x8" Pan & I placed the maraschino cherries onto the cake AFTER it came out of the oven (for the nice coolness/cherry on top!). 


PLUS- butter was my starter of choice & I didn't measure out my brown sugar- I generously sprinkled it into the bottom of the pan so that there'd be that gorgeous, dark caramelization you see in the picture above! Yum, yum, yummmmmm. This cake is just sweet enough & perfect on a summer night. And it is so very easy to make- from scratch! Takes only a couple of minutes to put together, then finishes off in the oven...


& *Lishie tip? BBQ the leftover slices of pineapple.... THE.BEST.THING.EVER... The natural caramel of the pineapple when grilled is scrumptious!!!


 Speaking of Grilling...


With the days getting so warm, we'll be grilling a lot! Especially since we have a new grill- woohoo!!!! That means I'll be preparing the fixin's, sides, salads, sauces & dessert while my hubby grills... 


He grilled up some chicken today... & I made some yummy Balsamic BBQ sauce. Just go here for the recipe: Giada's Balsamic BBQ Sauce   


Ummm, have you entered my Melissa And Doug CONTEST yet? What are you waiting for?! Scoot, scoot... go do it! Thank you :)