Pineapple Upside-Down (Delicious) Disaster

I wish I had a prettier picture of this cake because I'd hate for everyone to let my lack of coordination at the critical upside-down moment and poor choice of pan steer them away from this recipe. Not only does this cake have NO added fat, but it only takes about 5 minutes to prepare and is so moist it's almost stretching to call it a solid material (hence the falling apart :) I didn't end up caring too much about the appearance once I tasted it!

Recipe

1 can pineapple rings in juice

maraschino cherries

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1 box yellow cake mix

3 eggs

1 can crushed pineapple in juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the bottom and sides of a Bundt pan with cooking spray. Place the pineapple rings along the bottom of the pan, reserving the juice. Place a cherry inside each pineapple ring. Sprinkle brown sugar over the top of the pineapple and cherries, and sprinkle coconut on top of the sugar. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, crushed pineapple in juice, and reserved juice from pineapple rings. Beat 2 minutes on medium speed with mixer. Pour cake batter over coconut in the cake pan. Bake 40-50 minutes. When cake is completely cool, invert on a plate so pineapple rings and cherries are facing up.

Garlic Grilled Brussels Sprouts

Most peoples' first experience with Brussels sprouts is unpleasant. In the past they were often steamed or cooked in the microwave with little to no flavor and were soggy when served. I always thought they were gross until I learned a few different ways to cook them, like roasted and sauteed. I had never tried grilling them until today- it was perfect grilling weather and I didn't really have anything else in the house to grill. They came out perfect... crispy and full of flavor. Not your mom's Brussels sprouts! This recipe would work well with broccoli too.

Recipe

1 lb Brussels sprouts, stemmed and cut into bite-sized pieces

2 T olive oil

2 T minced garlic

1/2 T coarse-ground sea salt

Place all ingredients in a plastic zip-top bag and toss to coat sprouts evenly with oil and seasonings. Place in a grill-safe basket and place basket directly over flame in charcoal grill (or a gas grill on med-high heat). Grill for about 15 minutes, stirring a few times during cooking, or until sprouts begin to char.