Why Pineapple Hill?

The pineapple has been a symbol of hospitality since the days of the early American colonies. According to legend, the symbol began with the sea captains of New England who would spear a pineapple on a fence post outside their home to let the community know of their safe return home and to invite friends to visit and share their hospitality.

Likewise, we hope Pineapple Hill Designs boutique will make you feel “Welcome”! We know how important it is to find something special for that certain someone or just the right accessory to complete a room. We believe everyday is a day to celebrate, and we have just the thing to help you create something special out of the ordinary.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Tuesday Tip - Trash Barrel Trick



Provide Drainage for Trash Barrels

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Tuesday Tip - Canning with Paula Deen


Home Canning 101
By The Paula Deen Test Kitchen
It is true that canning and preserving took a hiatus for a few decades.  With the advent of supermarkets and expanded varieties of jams, jellies, pickles, and canned produce, you could buy anything you wanted.  But, today we are experiencing a revival of eating minimally processed and organic foods. With home canning, we can capture fruits and vegetables at their height of flavor and peak of nutrient development.  Whether we purchase them at farmer’s markets or harvest them ourselves, we can preserve them as jelly or jam on the same day to retain that treasured fresh taste. We can pluck tomatoes off the vine at their developmental zenith and they will contain greater concentrations of nutrients. From farm-to-table, home canning is the optimum way to capture and preserve fresh taste and maximum nutrition of summer produce.
Doing it right is important, but if you have the equipment ready and break the process into steps, your first time will be a success.  You will have confidence that you have sealed the jars safely for long-term storage, and go forth on a quest to try a new canning project!
What You Need
Hot, Water-Bath or Pressure Canner? The canner itself is the most important piece of equipment. All high-acid foods go into a hot-water-bath canner.  That means fruit products such as jams, jellies, preserves, marmalades, chutneys, fruit butters, and anything pickled with vinegar like pickles and relishes. Tomatoes are high in acid and are canned in a hot-water-bath canner. (You can use a large stockpot with a lid, but you must have a rack in the bottom to keep the jars away from direct heat.)
Low acid foods, such as non-pickled vegetables (except tomatoes), dried beans, meats, and poultry, must be processed in a pressure canner.
Both methods heat the ingredients in the canning jar enough to create a vacuum and kill off any potentially harmful bacteria. 
Other Basic Equipment:
  • Canning jars, lids, and screw bands: Use only Mason jars, in sizes suitable for the product and your family’s needs; they come in half-pint-, pint-, and quart-sized.  Lids can be used only once; there is a chance they might not seal properly the second time around.  Screw bands can be reused; make sure they are clean and dry before storing.
  • Large spoons, slotted spoons, and soup ladles for mixing and filling jars
  • Sharp paring knives and a vegetable peeler for preparing the produce
  • Canning funnel for filling jars with hot liquid
  • Magnetic lid lifter or tongs for lifting sterilized lids from boiling water, keeping lids from being contaminated by fingers
  • “Jar lifter” for lifting hot filled jars from the hot water bath
  • Table knife or narrow plastic spatula for getting air bubbles out of jars
  • Kitchen timer
  • Kitchen towels for wiping the jars clean after filling and cooling hot processed jars.

Helpful Hints Before You Start
  • Use only peak produce; cut off and discard defects.
  • Fill jars with same-sized food pieces for even processing.
  • Keep workspace and equipment very clean to reduce the risk of contamination in your food jars.
  • Know how high you live above sea level. The higher you live, the lower the boiling point of water.  Hot-water-bath processing time has to be increased to offset the lower temperature.  For altitudes higher than 1,000 feet, increase processing time as follows: 5 minutes for 1,001 to 3,000 feet; 10 minutes for 3,001 to 6,000 feet; 15 minutes for 6,001 to 8,000 feet; 20 minutes for 8,001 to 10,000 feet.

Canning Steps
Step 1: Be Prepared
Read the entire recipe and familiarize yourself with the instructions.  Assemble equipment and ingredients.
Step 2: Check and Clean Equipment
Check jars for nicks, cracks, or uneven rims that will prevent sealing or cause breakage.  Lids should be unused and clear of scratches; sealing screw bands should fit on jars.  Then wash all in hot, soapy water and dry thoroughly.
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Step 3: Heat the Jars
Keep jars hot to prevent them from breaking when filling with hot food: Fill a large saucepan halfway with water; place the jars in the water and make sure they are completely submerged.  Bring the water to a simmer, and keep jars in the simmering water until you are ready to fill and seal them. Alternately, you can use a dishwasher to wash and heat the jars.

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Step 4: Heat the Lids and Screw bands
Keep lids and screw bands hot in a small saucepan of simmering water until ready to use.  Do NOT boil. 
Step 5: Prepare the Canner
Prepare the hot-water-bath canner by filling halfway with water; bring to a simmer and maintain simmer, covering the canner, until the jars are filled and added to canner.  Make sure the rack is properly positioned in the canner.
Prepare the pressure canner by filling with 2 to 3 inches of water.  Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat; bring to a simmer and maintain simmer, covering the canner, until the jars are filled and added to canner.  Follow manufacturer’s instructions for usage.
Step 6: Prep Ingredients
Prepare the recipe using quality ingredients.

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Step 7: Fill Jars
Fill one jar at a time: use a jar lifter to remove a hot jar from hot water, pouring out the water inside the jar. Fill it with the prepared food using a funnel, leaving the headspace recommended in the recipe. The rule of thumb is: 1/4 inch headspace for jams and jellies; 1/2 inch headspace for fruits (including tomatoes), pickles, salsa, and sauces; 1 inch headspace for low acid, pressure-canned fruits. If there is too much air space between the food and the lid, a discoloration in the top of the product may result.
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Step 8: Remove the Air Bubbles
Remove air bubbles that are trapped between pieces of food by sliding a table knife or plastic spatula between the food and the jar. Wipe the rim and threads of the jar with a damp cloth to remove any residue.  Lift a lid from the hot water; center the hot lid on the jar allowing the sealing compound to come in contact with the jar rim.  Apply the screw band, and screw onto the jar just until resistance is met.

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Step 9: Place the Filled Jars Into the Hot Water
Place the jars, as they are filled, in the canner until all jars are filled or the canner is full.  Check the water level in the canner: for the hot-water-bath canner, water should cover the jars by 1 or 2 inches. For the pressure canner, the water level should be 2 to 3 inches high or what is recommended in the manufacturer’s instructions.
Step 10: Process
Hot-water-bath canner: Place lid on canner.  Bring water to a full rolling boil and begin the processing time indicated in the recipe, adjusting for altitude.  When the processing time is finished, turn off the heat and remove the canner lid.  Allow the jars to stand in the canner for 5 minutes.
Pressure canner: Lock the canner lid in place, leaving the vent pipe open.  Turn up the heat to medium-high and allow the steam to escape.  When there is a steady stream of steam escaping, allow to vent for 10 minutes to make sure steam, not air, is left in the canner.  Close the vent and process using the method described in the manufacturer’s instructions and the recommended pounds of pressure and time indicated in the recipe.  When the processing time is finished, cool the canner by removing it from the heat.  Let the canner stand, undisturbed, until the pressure returns to zero all by itself.  Wait 2 minutes and remove the lid as instructed by manufacturer.
Step 11: Remove and Cool
Use the jar lifter to remove the jars from the canner.  Place them on a towel to prevent breakage when the hot jars come in contact with the countertop. Let them stand, undisturbed, 12 to 24 hours. Do not attempt to retighten screw bands.
Step 12: Check Seals
Make sure all jars have sealed by testing the seal: Remove the screw bands and press the middle of the lid.  It should not pop up or spring back when you remove your finger.  Also, the lids should not lift off with your fingertips.  If unsealed, immediately reprocess or refrigerate and eat right away. 
Store the processed jars in a clean, cool, dark, dry place for up to 1 year. The ideal temperature for storing canned food is between 40 degrees F. and 70 degrees F. 

Put up some of your own canned goodness today using Paula’s recipes:
Canned Tomatoes
Strawberry Balsamic Jam
Blackberry Jam
Raspberry Fig Preserves
Suzie’s Peach Pickles
Green Tomato Chutney
Strawberry-Apricot Preserves
Blueberry Lemon Preserves



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Friday, July 8, 2011

Hair Pretties

I've been having fun creating!
So excited to add these new clips
Here  and Here.

Many of the clips are "one of a kind" designs
that I made from my stash of unique things that are not available in bulk.
These clips will only available in the  Etsy Shop.

The others will be added at Pineapple Hill Designs









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Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Tuesday Tip

Kitchen Cleaning To-Do List

 When cleaning the kitchen always start with the sink. "Keep it empty and shining," says Marla Cilley, author of Sink Reflections (Bantam, $15, amazon.com) and creator of FlyLady.net, a housekeeping website.

A sparkling sink becomes your kitchen's benchmark for hygiene and tidiness, inspiring you to load the dishwasher immediately and keep counters, refrigerator doors, and the stove top spick-and-span, too.
 

Every Day

  • Wipe down the sink after doing the dishes or loading the dishwasher (30 seconds).
  • Wipe down the stove top (one minute).
  • Wipe down the counters (one minute).
  • Sweep, Swiffer, or vacuum the floor (two minutes).
     

Every Week

  • Mop the floor (five minutes).
  • Wipe the cabinets, backsplashes, and appliances (10 minutes).
  • Wash the dish rack (four minutes).
  • Wipe the switch plates and phone (one minute).
  • Wipe the inside of the garbage can (one minute).
     

Every Season

  • Empty and scrub down the inside of the refrigerator (30 minutes).
  • Empty and clean the insides of the utensil drawers (15 minutes).
  • Scrub down the cupboard exteriors (30 minutes).
  • Clean the stove-hood filter (10 minutes).
  • Perform "Shiny Sink 101"

Shiny Sink 101

Tips adapted from FlyLady.net.

1. Fill sink to the rim with very hot water; add one cup regular bleach. Soak for one hour.
2. Drain and rinse thoroughly.
3. Scrub with Ajax, Bon Ami, or baking soda.
4. Be sure to rinse thoroughly.
5. Shine with Windex or another glass-cleaning spray. Dry thoroughly.
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Monday, July 4, 2011

                                      Happy Birthday America!


To celebrate the  
4th of July
Pineapple Hill 
is having a
"Star Spangled Sale"
15% off entire purchase
for the next

4 Days.


Use Coupon Code:
liberty
 valid: 4/4 - 4/8
                                                                                                                  
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Sunday, July 3, 2011

A Patriotic Breakfast

 Happy 4th of July!
Need an idea for breakfast ........ 

Berry Streusel Pankcakes

via Family Kitchen


Wake up your breakfast routine with a plate of pancakes packed with fresh berries, topped with a sweet, butter streusel crumble. This recipe begins with a basic Bisquick pancake mix, but is quickly transformed into pure heaven with the addition of a few basic ingredients. The streusel adds a soft crunch and great texture, and since it contains a bit of butter, it also stands in for the heap of butter you might otherwise douse your pancakes in. If you’re looking for something new and out of the ordinary, this is one plate of pancakes you simply must try.



Berry Streusel Pancakes
2 1/2 cups Bisquick
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 cup each fresh blackberries and/or raspberries
1/2 cup powdered sugar
4 tablespoons melted butter
In a large bowl, mix together 2 cups of the Bisquick, milk, eggs, and 1 cup of the berries. Heat a cast-iron skillet to medium heat and cook the pancakes until golden brown on both sides. In a small bowl, use a fork to combine the last 1/2 cup of Bisquick, the powdered sugar, and the melted butter together until a crumbly streusel results.
Serve pancakes with topped with streusel and whole berries and real maple syrup.


and for next year how about......

Red Velvet Pancakes 
 w/Whipped Cream &  
Blueberries
via Family Kitchen


What you’ll need:
1 box of red velvet pancake mix {+ ingredients}
found HERE
whipped cream
fresh blueberries
maple syrup – optional
What to do:
1. Mix pancake mix according to package directions.
2. Spray a griddle with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Place approximately 2-3 tablespoons of batter onto center of pan and cook until pancake edges start to bubble. Using a spatula, carefully flip pancake and cook approximately 1-2 minutes until pancake is cooked through. Continue until you have desired amount of pancakes.
3. Top with whipped cream, fresh blueberries and maple syrup if desired.