Pine Apples

Let me share with you some more of my fast, easy, sugar-free and reduced sugar recipes. I've been experimenting for years to find good tasting recipes. Growing up, I remember my mom wishing for more sugar-free items to use when cooking and baking. Now we have many innovative (and good tasting) sugar-free and reduced sugar products. I just love being able to look at a recipe and in my mind recreate it sugar free or as close as possible to sugar-free. Diabetics need to remember that a certain amount of sugar or natural sweetener is OK.

Here's one to blow your mind. Reduced Sugar Pineapple Upside Down Cake.
Melt 1/4 cup butter and put in bottom of 9 X 13 baking dish.
Drain one can sliced pineapple in it's own juice.
Reserve juice and arrange pineapple slices in dish.
Place a pecan in each opening of the pineapples.
Mix one jar no sugar added apricot preserves and 1/4 cup reserved pineapple juice.
Spread mixture over pineapples in dish.

Next, using a reduced sugar yellow cake mix, make cake batter. My secret is to add in place of the water one small can mandarin oranges, undrained.
Mix the rest as directed.
Pour batter over glazed pineapples and bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.
When cake is out of oven and rested a few minutes, invert onto long serving dish or foil covered jellyroll pan.
Let cool slightly.
Serve warm with sugar-free whipped topping or sugar-free vanilla ice cream.

Another of my family's favorites is my Cherry Pie Cheesecake Dessert.
At your local bakery or supermarket buy a premake no sugar added cherry pie.
Open the package and mix the crust and the filling together and set aside.

Now I know you're thinking that I've totally lost my mind, but stay with me.

In a medium size bowl mix one 8 oz bar cream cheese, 3 T. milk, 1/2 cup sugar substitute and 1/4 t. almond extract until creamy.
In another medium size bowl place one half of the pie you mixed up.
Put one half the cream cheese mixture over that. You don't really need to be too careful about covering every inch of the pie, it all sort of settles together.
Repeat one more time, one half pie, next the rest of the cream cheese mixture.
Open one 8 oz tub sugar free whipped topping and spread it over the layers.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Your guests or family will love the taste and only you'll know how easy it was to make. I've also tried this recipe with no sugar added peach pie and no sugar added apple pie.

Just before serving the apple pie version, I drizzled with whipped topping with sugar free caramel ice cream topping. Delicious and easy! Don't be afraid to experiment yourself.

If you like more cream cheese flavor, use two 8 oz bars and adjust milk, extract, and sweetener accordingly. Remember, this is your dessert, you're in control of how much gets added or not. Someone else may just want a hint of cream cheese flavor and you may want more.

The main to remember is don't be afraid in the kitchen. Cooking should be a joy, both while you're doing it and while you're eating what you made.

Connie Sleasman
Freelance Writer, Recipe Expert, Cook

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