Happiness is Pineapple…and a Book Birthday!

Only six more weeks until the release of House of the Hanging Jade! I’ve spent a lot of my time lately writing guest posts, doing interviews, and updating my social media sites in preparation for the new book. At the bottom of this post I’ll provide you with a list of all the places you can find me online. I hope you’ll visit!

One of the many things I love about writing is the research that I get to do. Sometimes it’s online, sometimes it’s in a library, sometimes it’s on a field trip. This time it was in one of my favorite places, the kitchen. I thought this week I would share with you one of the recipes I found while I was writing House of the Hanging Jade. It comes from Betty Shimabukuro, a managing editor and writer for the Honolulu newspaper, the “Star-Advertiser.” One of her most popular columns is called By Request, and it’s where she tries to find answers for cooks looking for old recipes, ingredients, and inspiration. I have two of Shimabukuro’s books- By Request and By Request 2, both featuring reprints of some of her most popular and requested recipes.

I haven’t even made it through the entirety of Book 2 yet, because the recipe for Pineapple Nut Bread stopped me in my tracks and I can’t seem to move past it. The best way I can think of to thank Betty for printing the recipe is to share it with as many people as I can. It’s got crunch, sweetness, and a moist cakey texture that is delicious.

Pineapple Nut Bread

1 and 3/4 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. baking soda

3/4 c. chopped macadamia nuts or walnuts

3/4 c. packed brown sugar

3 Tbsp. butter, softened

2 eggs

1 c. crushed pineapple, undrained

2 Tbsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9″ loaf pan. Sift together dry ingredients. Stir in nuts.

Cream brown sugar, butter, and eggs. Stir in dry ingredients (mixture will be dry); fold in pineapple. Pour into loaf pan.

Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over loaf. Bake 50-60 minutes.

You’re welcome.

Please note, I didn’t check my macadamia nuts for freshness and I made the loaf with rancid ones. Sooo gross. I had to spit out that first bite. It was actually my only bite.

I hope in these weeks leading up to the release of House of the Hanging Jade that I can provide you with a few more Hawaiian-style recipes that you’ll find delicious, too. In the meantime, here are those social media links I was telling you about:

Webiste: www.amymreade.com

Blog: www.amreade.wordpress.com

Amazon author page: www.amazon.com/Amy-M.-Reade/e/B00LX6ASF2/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Goodreads author page: www.goodreads.com/author/show/8189243.Amy_M_Reade

Facebook: www.facebook.com/amreadeauthor

Twitter: www.twitter.com/readeandwrite

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/amreade

Tumblr: www.amymreade.tumblr.com

And here’s one more thing I want to tell you about: it’s called Thunderclap, and it’s like an online flash mob. I’ve set one up for the release of the book. It’s easy to participate, and I hope you’ll consider supporting me. You just click on this link: http://thndr.me/RgNkzh and sign up to support House of the Hanging Jade through your Facebook, Twitter, or Tumblr account. It doesn’t cost you a cent and Thunderclap doesn’t share your information or do any other nasty thing. On April 26th, release day, a blurb hits your feed that says you support the House of the Hanging Jade Book Birthday.

Once you sign up, let me know in the comments below and I’ll enter you to win a paperback copy of House of the Hanging Jade. Even if you don’t win, you’ll still get my undying thanks.

Until next week,

Amy