Tag Archives: christmas

Make Your Own Pineapple Cocktail Keg

Check Out This Easy DIY Showstopper


pineapple keg

Entertaining just became even more exciting now that Food Network has released a brilliant idea: the Pineapple Keg. 

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Your Tropical Christmas Party Guide

Image from Pineapple Supply Co.

Celebrate the Holiday Season with Pineapples

So this is Christmas, and depending on where you are, you may not be dreaming of a white one. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t celebrate the season like everyone else; with a party full of joy and Christmas cheer.

Everyone celebrates the holidays differently with different festivities and traditions, so why not shake up the happiness with a tropical Christmas party? Instead of a classic fruitcake, which most people don’t like anyway, make pineapple the star of your party this year.

Here’s your guide to a successful and fun tropical Christmas party at home this year.

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Feliz Navidad! How We Celebrate Christmas in Costa Rica

Festival de la Luz in San José | Photo via Festival de la Luz

Horse Parades, Pork Tamales, and Trips to the Beach Are Just Some of the Ways Costa Ricans Enjoy the Holiday Season

The month of December is marked with plenty of holiday celebrations in Costa Rica. From vibrant festivals to traditional Christmas Eve feasts, there are plenty of reasons to be in high spirits this time of year. If you can’t make it down to Costa Rica this December, don’t fret – we’re taking you with us on a virtual tour of some of the country’s biggest and best holiday festivities.

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Why Pineapple Should Be a Part of Any Holiday Party

This Tropical Fruit Has a Long History of Hospitality

If you’ve seen the television show Sanditon (based on Jane Austen’s unfinished novel of the same name), you may remember a scene in which a pineapple is sliced at a dinner party with great fanfare – and the horrible reaction when it’s revealed that it had rotted inside. The pineapple’s initial impressiveness and its rotten state were brought on by the same factor: that it took a really long time to bring the tropical fruit to England.

As with so many historical status symbols, rarity made the exotic pineapple a sign of luxury. In fact, for a while the fruit was so rare that most people wouldn’t eat it (which didn’t help with the rotting issue). Instead, they’d simply use it as a centerpiece, often rented for an event from the fruit’s owner. Whether used as a centerpiece or actually served, the pineapple became associated with hospitality and sparing no expense for your guests.

That association is still strong today, with the pineapple frequently appearing in (or on) hotels, buildings, restaurants and more. Charleston, South Carolina’s famous Pineapple Fountain is used as a symbol of the city’s notable southern hospitality, and gilded pineapples adorn the towers of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. Around the world, the queen of fruits is known as a sign of warmth and welcome.

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Easy & Elegant Holiday Table Decor

DIY Pineapple Table Decor

Whether you want to dress up your holiday table or get fancy for a fabulous event to remember, these easy-to-assemble gold pineapple candle holders are the perfect way to add pizazz to your table decor. Bonus – in this how-to we remove the fruit so it can be enjoyed as much as your candle masterpiece. This prevents wasted food, and helps complete a beautiful setting with delicious Perfect Pineapple that can be enjoyed immediately or in holiday recipes.

Check out the Youtube video to create your own in a visual how-to, or continue reading for step-by-step instructions. Happy creating!

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Holiday Party Skewers with Ham, Pineapple & Mozzarella

holiday recipe

Planning your holiday party? Try these easy to assemble and serve holiday skewers, and impress your guests with presentation, color, and a delicious healthy snack! Simply assemble ingredients and line up to enjoy.

Holiday Party Skewers with Ham, Pineapple & Mozzarella

Ingredients: 

  • Chestnut Hill Farms Pineapple
  • Blueberries
  • Sliced ham
  • Two cheeses of your choice (we like fresh mozzarella and pepper jack)
  • Long wooden party skewers

Recipe:

  • Simply assemble together on wooden skewers, and enjoy!

 

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Perfect Pineapple Holiday Ham

Hosting this holiday season? Try our juicy holiday ham with fresh pineapple and impress your guests.

ham

What’s better than the holidays? Food is a pivotal component to welcoming company, new and old, and they are guaranteed to be impressed with this easy to make version of traditional holiday ham. Grab your Chestnut Hill Farms Perfect Pineapple, a ham of your choice, and get ready to serve up a delicious meal this season.

Looking for drink ideas to complement your party? Try our Perfect Pineapple Holiday Punch here!

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Holiday Hospitality 101: Pineapple Decor + Spiced Pineapple

The holidays are quickly approaching, and with that the need to plan and prepare for guests and loved ones. For centuries pineapple has been know as the hospitality fruit, and what a better time to welcome family and friends than the holiday season?

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‘Tis the Season

Oh, Christmas!

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Jack Frost nipping at your nose. Yuletide carols being sung by a choir. And folks…clamoring for some traditional Christmas ham?

So it doesn’t rhyme. But it’s true! Christmas ham is an American tradition. Sure, every region does things a little differently, but a staple of an American Christmas – like the trees and the presents – is a sweet, glazed, succulent ham.

honeyham

Mmm. Our mouth is starting to water just thinking about it! And everyone knows that the best hams, while recipes might vary from family to family, they all have one thing in common: pineapple.

If you’re looking to try out a new recipe or just shake it up a bit, this contest-winning submission from TasteofHome.com is pretty on point.

What you’ll need:

Ingredients

  • 1 boneless fully cooked ham (about 6 pounds)
  • 1 tablespoon whole cloves
  • 1 can (20 ounces) sliced pineapple or a fresh Perfect Pineapple
  • 1 cup apricot preserves
  • 1 teaspoon ground mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • Maraschino cherries
TOTAL TIME: Prep: 20 min. Bake: 2 hours
MAKES: 16 servings

Enjoy,

Dr. Lloyd

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Christmas in 1840: What Tree?

ColonialWreath

Happy Saturday!

We stumbled across an interesting story today that we thought would be a neat post to share with our regular readers. Remember when ole’ Dr. Lloyd here told you about the history of the pineapple, or how pineapples were once a status symbol among Europeans?

Well, down in South Carolina, the Historic Columbia Foundation will be sharing similar anecdotes during candlelight tours of the capitol’s historic buildings later this month. The tours will showcase exactly what Christmas in the late 19th century was like for the buildings’ residents. Surprisingly, Christmas trees weren’t common as decoration until after the 1850s. But you know what was? You guessed it – pineapples!

This article by TheState.com gives great insight into what a Christmas celebration would have looked like during the American historical era – and give some reasons as to why the pineapple crazes seems to endure.

To read the full story, click here.

Enjoy!

Dr. Lloyd

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