Dutch oven cooking is a favorite of many people in the West. I, for one, was raised eating delicious food from a Dutch oven. Both of my grandfathers were sheep-men, and the Dutch oven was the main pot they used for cooking in the sheep camp.
Versatility of the Dutch Oven
Today, many people think of cooking with a Dutch oven when they are on a camping trip but do not use it at home. A camping Dutch oven has three legs on the bottom, so it is hard to use for cooking in the home. There are some tricks to the trade. When using a camp Dutch oven in your home oven, I prepare the food in the Dutch oven and put the lid on the oven rack and then place the Dutch oven on top of the lid so the lid keeps the legs of the Dutch oven from falling into the rack.
The Perfect Birthday Treat: Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
For years, my favorite thing to do for someone’s birthday was to make a pineapple upside-down cake. I would first line the oven with 18-inch wide aluminum foil so that the cake was easy to get out. Then I placed about 2 tablespoons of oil on the foil. I would open a 14-oz. can of sliced pineapple and place them side by side covering the entire bottom of the Dutch oven. Next put a maraschino cherry in the center of each slice of pineapple and sprinkle the pineapples with 1/2 cup of brown sugar.
I would then mix up a yellow box cake mix and pour over the pineapple, maraschino cherries and brown sugar. I would put the lid on the rack and then put the Dutch oven on top of it and bake at 350 degrees for 30-3S minutes.
When the cake was done, I would take it out of the oven and then place the lid on top of the Dutch oven and let it cool for a few minutes. I would then take it and the roll of aluminum foil and head to my friend’s house to share my warm cake that was already frosted.
You may wonder about the frosting.
Well, I frosted the cake the easy way before I baked it. When I would arrive at the door of my friend’s home, they would open the door, greet me, and ask what was in my Dutch oven. When I would go into their kitchen, I would open the Dutch oven and lift out the foil with the cake inside. I would then tear a 14-inch strip of aluminum foil and place it over the top of the cake. I would crimp the top foil with the bottom foil.
Place a plate upside down over the foil top and then turn the entire package over and peal off the bottom foil that is around the cake, revealing a beautifully decorated cake. The project was fast, easy and would always win me rave reviews. Have fun making this birthday pineapple upside-down cake and sharing it with your friends.
