Pineapple Squares for Mama





Before I was born, my family moved from the city to a brand new house in the suburbs.  I lived there for 26 years until the day I got married.  My mother made my wedding cake.

When I think of my mother, I think of her in the kitchen.  I remember her standing at the sink and I'd come up behind her, put my arms around her, and give her a great big squeeeeeeze and make her groan. 

My mother always loved to bake. But when she discovered the Yankee Kitchen, she took baking to a whole new level.

Candies, cookies, pies and cakes.  Chocolate covered cherry cookies, Mrs. Fields' cookies, Italian cookies, and Apple Spice cake. These were some of the Yankee Kitchen recipes that she added to her Fannie Farmer Cookbook favorites of molasses taffy, divinity, and chocolate fudge. There was always an endless array of my mother's creations at the dining room table.  And I did my very best to eat them.

My mother had shoe boxes filled with recipes written on cards, edges of envelopes, anything that was handy when Gus's callers were giving their recipes. 

Pineapple Squares was one of my mother's favorites from the Yankee Kitchen. I don't know who contributed it, but whoever did, thank you.  She made this one religiously for her family and for the Women's Alliance meetings at our church.

Today was my mother's birthday. Happy Birthday, Mama. I'm thinking of you and the life we lived in the days of the Yankee Kitchen.



Pineapple Squares

For the crust:



4 cups flour

1 pound of margarine

1 cup sour cream

1 tsp. vanilla

Cut margarine into flour with pastry blender. Add sour cream and vanilla.  Mix well.  Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.

For the filling:

3 cups crushed pineapple - drained

1 cup sugar

3 TB cornstarch

Cook pineapple, sugar, and cornstarch until thick & clear. Let cool.

Roll out one half of the dough.  Place on the bottom of an ungreased jelly roll pan.  Spread with the cooled filling.  Roll out remaining dough and place on top of the filling. Press edges a bit to seal.  Bake at 325 F for 55 minutes.  When cooled, dust with confectioner's sugar and cut into squares.