The Dole way to cut up a pineapple

I personally am afraid of pineapples because they will either bit me or make me sick, but for those of you who like them or just have to cut them up yourself, here is what Dole has declared the best way to get one into pieces. I'd take their word for it; those guys know their pineapples.

1) Hold the body of the pineapple in one hand and the leaves in the other and twist your hands in opposite directions to remove the top.
2) Cut the pineapple in half the long way, then in half again to make quarters.
3) Place a quarter cut-side down and cut out the core. Do this but making a diagonal cut to remove the core as a wedge.
4) Turn the pineapple so it is parallel to you. Place the knife and cut down and around the flesh, essentially scooping it out of the rind.
5) Remove the flesh from the skin and cut into smaller pieces as you see fit.
6) Repeat with the other sections.

Some people take the skin off first, but that ends up being very messy. Doing it this way makes less of a mess and makes the pieces you're dealing with more structurally sound for the longest amount of time so you are less likely to send slippery pineapple chunks shooting off in all directions.

Eat a nice, juicy chunk for me, okay?

Leftover Bread?

Don't throw out whatever bread you have left just because you don't know what to do with it. You paid for it and you can still use it. With the economy the way it is, you might not be able to afford to toss it out.

You can "recycle" the bread into something else. It's good for thickening soups, and can be turned into crutons or bread crumbs if you toast it first. Cut the bread into cubes and put the bread in a low-heat oven until it's crisp. For breadcrumbs, pop the cubes into a food processor and Pulse until they are the consistency that you want.

Maybe you've never cooked with breadcrumbs or crutons because you didn't have any. Since they're so easy to make and a good way to get the most fromo the money you already spent, maybe now you will try something new.

Cleaning out the Fridge Pasta

We had 2 bags of opened pasta in the cupboard so I decided we needed noodles for dinner.

1/2 bag rotini
1/2 bag wide noodles
3/4 (what was left of a whole jar) jar alfredo sauce
2 cups of corn
1 can diced tomatoes
1 package mango chicken sausages.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add a teaspoon of salt and the pasta and boil for approximately 8 minutes.

Drain in a collander and return to the pot. Return pot to the stove.

Add the sauce and stir to lubricate the pasta, then add the remaining ingredients. Stir well to combine.