*Party*

We had a birthday party for my mother-in-law today.  It was a beautiful warm day.  The little girls played in the pool and enjoyed time outdoors.  I've included a couple of items from the party.  I have wanted to make fresh-squeezed lemonade ever since I read this recipe here.  It's my favorite thing to get in the summertime at an art festival or wherever.  Also, M.E. has a lemonade stand planned for our upcoming garage sale, and I thought this recipe would be perfect (even if it's a little more work than buying frozen).

Also, I made a Pineapple-Upside Down Cake for the first time.  Once I started looking up different recipes I was educated on the popularity of this cake.  This classic cake gained it's popularity in the 1920s when canned pineapple became widely available and inexpensive.  Here is the recipe I used given to me by my sister-in-law.

PINEAPPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

7 slices canned unsweetened pineapple (one 20-ounce can)

6 T. unsalted butter
1 c. packed brown sugar

19 maraschino cherries

Drain pineapple slices and layer on paper towels to absorb excess juice.

Melt butter in 9-inch cast iron skillet* over medium heat, tilting to coat sides.

Sprinkle brown sugar evenly into melted butter. Stir until mixture is foamy, 3-4 minutes.

Remove from heat. Place one pineapple ring in center of pan with six others around it.

Place one maraschino cherry in center of each ring. (Optional: fill in any other "empty" spaces with pecan halves.)  Set aside.

*I didn't have a 9-inch cast iron skillet so I used a 9-inch cake pan.

2 large eggs

2 T. buttermilk

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 c. flour

3/4 c. sugar

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

6 T. unsalted butter, softened

6 T. buttermilk

Whisk together eggs, 2 T. buttermilk, and vanilla.

In large bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Add softened butter and 6 T. buttermilk, beating on low until flour is just moistened. Increase speed to medium (stand mixer) or high (hand-held mixer) and beat for exactly 1 1/2 minutes. Batter will be stiff.

Add one-third of egg mixture at a time, beating for exactly 20 seconds and scraping bowl after each addition.

Pour batter over fruit in pan and spread evenly, gently so as not to disturb fruit.

Bake at 350 until top is golden and toothpick comes out clean, 35-40 minutes.

Remove pan from oven and tilt in all directions to detach cake from sides of pan.

Let cool 2-3 minutes. Carefully slide knife around edge of pan. Invert serving platter over top of pan and flip to unmold, using oven mitts. Lift off pan and straighten any fruit gone askew. Scrape pan and spoon leftover brown sugar onto cake.

Serve warm or cool, plain or with whipped cream.

Hope you had a lovely weekend as well!