Yesterday I got productive and created two fabulous, must-share recipes … and then I feel asleep (fully dressed, on top of the covers) at 8:45pm.  I’m not going to recap blog but I will share those two important recipes; better late than never!

I was well-rested this morning, but it didn’t keep me from packing food for school that was sort of strange.  Like cooked zucchini.

I ate it, cold, at 8am and loved it.

I also packed a baggie of red grapes,

and two Oatmeal Cranberry Pecan Cookies.

Those were fabulous dish#1, but I’m actually not going to share the recipe until tomorrow (it’s been a busy day).  Adam says they are the best oatmeal cookies he’s ever had and I promise they are worth check back for tomorrow.

My packed food proved inadequate for getting me through 8:00 – 2:00, and I ended up eating these Cheez-Its.

I also ate two more cookies when I got home,

plus these candies from a birthday package Adam opened (he turns 26 on Sunday!).

He also opened some birthday $ and decided that we are going to dinner at Moe’s!  I’m not going to blog dinner because I’ve got to get some school work done, but I will share yesterday’s dinner, aka fabulous dish #2.

Pineapple Upside-down Chicken, serves 4

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, divided into 4 even pieces
• 20 oz can pineapple rings canned in pineapple juice, juice drained and reserved
• 4 slices 2% provolone cheese
• 4 maraschino cherries
• 2 tsp light brown sugar
• 2 pinches salt
• 1 tsp tamari soy sauce
• 2-3 dashes hot sauce (I used Sriracha)

1. Place chicken in a large, flat container and cover with pineapple juice. Cover and place in the fridge for 2-3 hours to marinate.
2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. Prepare a casserole dish with baking spray.
3. Remove chicken from juice (return the juice to the fridge) and place into the casserole dish. Bake 30 minutes.
4. Remove chicken from oven and top each piece with one slice of cheese and one pineapple ring. Place a cherry in the center of each ring. Sprinkle rings evenly with brown sugar and salt. Return to oven and continue to bake for 10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, pour juice into a small skillet over high-heat. Add tamari sauce and hot sauce.
6. Bring to a boil and cook until reduced by half. ***Because the juice was in contact with raw poultry it is essential that you keep it at a boil for at least 5 minutes!
7. Pour sauce evenly over cooked chicken.

I’ve never actually had pineapple upside-down cake (I know!) but the flavor profile has always sounded appealing to me. So why not apply it to dinner? We learned in food chemistry that pineapple contains Bromelain, a protease that is used commercially to tenderize meat.  As soon as I heard that I spent the rest of the class brainstorming ways to cook chicken with pineapple.  I’m glad I did too, because Adam and I both loved this recipe!  The chicken was very tender and there was a good balance of flavors.  The sauce was scrumptious, but be sure to remember to boil it for at least 5 minutes.

Are you a pineapple upside-down cake fan?