Vintage Eats Recipe: 1956 Two-Ingredient Bacon Pineapple Appetizer

I confess, I normally skip Appetizer sections of cookbooks. The vintage ones especially are filled with recipes for cheeseballs, many of which sound similar, and, in my opinion, are seasonal (Christmas).

But in continuing with my ‘When Cooking Hurts’ types of recipes, I looked at this cookbook’s appetizer section for a quick and easy dish – and was thrilled to find a nugget of pure gold!

Simply entitled ‘Bacon Pineapple’, this recipe has only two ingredients! At less than 30 minutes of prep, it is super simple—and most delicious!

This dish –also listed in the cookbook as “Pineapples on Muleback” (I don’t know where that moniker comes from but it is interesting) — is economical and only requires a cookie sheet for clean-up.

All of this makes a great dish for beginning cooks or people with problems in standing on two feet like me.

This recipe was found in ‘Look and Cook Cook Book’ by Lillian Langseth-Christensen and Tatiana McKenna, published by Brown and Begelow, St. Paul, MN 1956.

The cookbook is a big, three-ring binder with rings fully enclosed, much like school binders from my school days.

Although the cookbook is more than 70 years old, it is in great condition. Tabs along the right side list food types, making it easy to find certain types of recipes. As is true with most cookbooks, appetizers are featured first, either because they are alphabetical or the first part of a meal.

These bacon-pineapple bites are delicious to eat straight from the oven or chilled. They keep well overnight covered in the refrigerator and can be eaten as a snack or at a special dinner.

With my injured foot I appreciated the ease and pleasure of prepping these protein-filled bites. I sat on a bar stool while rolling the bacon slices in pineapple chunks before spearing them with toothpicks. Those tropical jewels added a touch of sweetness that combined well with the meaty bacon.

Note: Before using the toothpicks, I soaked them in a small bowl of water for 30 minutes, as I had done in preparing wooden skewers for kebabs on the grill.

Give these little beauties a try this weekend. You probably already have the ingredients and my guess is your family will ask for a repeat performance of this fabulous vintage recipe!

Happy weekend!

**

1956 Bacon Pineapple Appetizer OR

“Pineapples on Muleback”

1 20-ounce can unsweetened pineapple chunks, drained

1 pound bacon, uncooked

Toothpicks – enough for each pineapple chunk, approximately 2 dozen

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

(The process of making these appetizers is so quick, you may have completed it before the oven gets to temp!)

• Halve each slice of bacon (stack slices on top of each other for one smooth, quick cut).
• Roll each half slice around a pineapple chunk. Secure with a toothpick and place on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Repeat until bacon and pineapple pieces are gone.
• Bake at 375 degrees until bacon is crisp, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly. Use a cookie sheet with edges to prevent appetizers rolling off.

Yield: 30