Happy Monday and welcome to a new week!  I was unsure what to share with you today because I have so much in the hopper and ready to go and there is so much going on in the coming weeks.  As you know from last week, September 1st marks the start of HELP THE STUDENTS event and I cannot wait.  It will be a one month series, featuring simple, quick meals that anyone can prepare with simple everyday ingredients.  They will also focus on being cost effective as well as packing lots o’ flavor.

Before we get into today’s recipe which I pretty much love – I want to share some feedback I have heard over the blog in the last few months both positive and negative.  The positive feedback just reassures me that I am doing something I love and will continue to do.  The negative feedback is what I really love.  Sound bizarre?  Not really.  I find the negative information drives me to deliver a better blog, add more value for you the reader and an enhanced experience for all to enjoy.

Positive Feedback

• Amazing Photography
• Tasty recipes that I can actually make
• Love the Zesty Tips
• Fun to read

Negative Feedback

• Not enough Vegetarian recipes
• Want more posts each week
• More pictures of zesty and his family
• Would love to see more E-books of recipes

On to the Food

Ever need an idea oh how to use up a fresh summer pineapple in a different way?  I know myself I have the hamsters moving in my head all the time to come up with innovative ideas to use fruit in the summer to impress both my palette and yours.

Most recently I had a gorgeous fresh pineapple from the farmers market and I knew I wanted to grill it.  By grilling fruit, the sugars inside caramelize so well and give you that sweet warm texture as you bite into them.  For this quick recipe all you need are a few ingredients and about 10 minutes to whip it up.  I have tried this twice now, so far and it has been a hit each time.

Ingredients

• 1 Whole Pineapple ( sliced and cored)
• Vanilla Ice cream
• Pink Peppercorns (optional)
• 1 Tbsp. Butter
• 1 Tbsp. Brown sugar
• Orange zest

Method

1. In a bowl add butter and brown sugar and microwave for 30 seconds.
2. Preheat grill to medium heat
3. Coat the pineapple in the borwn sugar butter glaze and place on grill.  Stay close as it will cook quickly and you do not want it to burn
4. Once golden brown, remove from heat and top with Vanilla ice cream, a few pink peppercorns for a bite and some fresh orange zest.
5. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: For a little crunch, try adding some toasted walnuts, peanuts or even pecans to elevate the flavor and texture combination even more.

I hope you enjoyed this quick spin on fresh fruit.  See you on Wednesday for the Help the Students event kick-off.

Take care
zesty

Hollar! How goes your Wednesday? Mine seems to be trucking along as well as it could for a work week hump day. As I thought last night what I could share with you today – it took me all of 30 seconds as I knew I wanted to share this fabulous frosting recipe. Super easy, very quick and oh my god – so good!

Ideally this is meant for cakes, cupcakes or dessert like recipes but I am pretty sure you could rub this on your old car bumper and it would be just fine!  You have to try this for your next baking expedition.  It is an old classic and very similar to my “famous” ( in my own mind) How to make boiled icing post but with a slight variation.

Ingredients

• 1 Cup White Sugar
• 1/3 Cup Water
• 1/4 Tsp. Cream of tarter
• 1/8 Tsp. Salt
• 2 Unbeaten egg whites
• 1 Tsp. Vanilla

Method

1. Combine the first 4 ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil, stirring until sugar dissolves.
2. Very slowly add the above sugar mixture to the unbeaten egg whites in a mixing bowl, beating constantly with an electric mixer until peaks form.
3. Beat in vanilla during the peak forming process.
4. Once stiff set aside and prepare to ice whatever you like.
5. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: You want to beat it long enough to form the peaks and create the stiff texture to ensure it “STICKS” to the cake.  You may want to use a timer if this is your first time and or nervous of making a mistake.

Help Zesty…. Help The Students

Remember back to my Turkey and Blueberry post from Monday, I mentioned that I had a fun announcement and idea that you could participate in and share.

For the month of September, I want to create a series of posts that share “fun, simple, healthy and cost saving meal ideas”.  A slight variation on the idea is that if I have enough participation I will post every day of the month or at least the weekdays.  So here is where the fun comes in – I am asking all the readers whether you have a blog or not to send me a recipe with a picture that fits the topic and I will post it and link back to your blog or give credit however you would like.

Sound fun?  I think so.  I committed to my niece that I would “Get Zesty” and share some simple ideas to get them through the dinner time on their own.  To join in and help students all over the world – just pop me an email and submit your recipe/idea and I will take it from there.  I would like to thank everyone in advance for taking the time to help.

Have a super Wednesday and I will touch base with you on Friday with something else yummy to eat and an update on the “Help the Students” idea.

Take care

zesty