1 pound sweet potato or yam
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon spiced rum
1/2 cup water

1. Boil sweet potatoes in their skins until tender.
2. Let cool, then peel and cut into slices 1" thick.
3. In a large skillet melt butter and stir in brown sugar and water.
4. Cook mixture on medium heat until it forms a syrup.
5. Reduce heat and add sweet potatoes, turning until covered with glaze.
6. Spoon over remaining glaze if desired.

Makes 4 servings

2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1/2 cup cucumber, thinly sliced
1 medium green banana, thinly sliced
1/4 cup dried papaya
1/2 cup walnut halves
1/4 cup toasted coconut
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice

1. Combine sour cream, sugar and lemon juice in a bowl.
2. Add celery, cucumber, papaya and banana, mixing until coated.
3. Garnish with walnuts and toasted coconut.

Makes 4 servings

8 ounce can chunk pineapple
1 pound lean ground beef
1 egg
1 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon chopped onion
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
12 cloves, ground

1. Mix together the beef, egg, crumbs, onion and seasoning.
2. Form mixture around individual chunks of pineapple to form balls.
3. Brown in a skillet over medium heat.
4. Finish in 400 degree oven, depending on size of meatballs.
5. Spoon desired amount of leftover pineapple juice over meatballs.

Makes 4 servings

2/3 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups frozen corn
1/2 cup fresh coconut
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Mix butter and coconut milk in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add corn and coconut and cook until tender.
3. Season with salt.

Makes 4 servings

I was browsing through the Fourth Creek Ladies Club 25th Anniversary Cookbook today. It must've ended up in my possession by accident, because I don't know where it came from. It's a collection of recipes from housewives in what I assume is a rural community somewhere in North America. While skimming I did find a recipe that piqued my curiosity — a Pineapple Meatball.

Using my usual random internet browsing I came up with some side dishes that I would've never considered before. Coconut and corn? A salad based on banana and sour cream? I was skeptical — Shannon was down right afraid — but I still went through with it.

The result: cursing the no repetition rule. Shannon begs me to prepare it more often (in 2007, honey!) She helps herself to seconds and calls her parents to brag about how much better her dinner was than theirs afterwards. It's good enough that it leaves me feeling like I'm… braving the cold Canadian winters with a good Hawaiian meal in my belly. It's not quite taking me into the mental realm of the tropics, perhaps I should've had the ginger ale and spiced rum before dinner to achieve that effect, but it is quite tasty.

These recipes might seem a tad strange, but get past the initial apprehension and you'll thank me later. The meatball is juicy and bursts in your mouth with a pineapple flavor that makes you question whether someone snuck sauce onto your tastebuds. The Aloha Sweet Potatoes are similar to candied yams, but the spiced rum definitely gave it a little something extra. I didn't care much for the Hawaiian Corn because of the texture of the coconut. Shannon loved it, but I think using fresh coconut would have made a big difference to me. The Creamy Banana Walnut Salad eats like a dessert (and could suitably be served as one) very much like the whipped cream gelatin monstrosities you see at buffets, but actually deliciously edible.