About Dole’s Make Me a Chef Contest:
Win the chance to cook alongside acclaimed chef, Ben Ford. Ben has created four signature recipes with DOLE Canned Fruit and wants to share his culinary tips with you and three of your friends at his latest hot restaurant in Los Angeles. Enter your short essay and you could win a beautiful weekend in Los Angeles in June cooking and sharing a feast with Ben Ford!

How to Submit Your Essay
Joining in is easy. Just register for free and submit a 200 word essay on how Dole canned fruit has become a staple in your pantry.
You could also win the weekly random drawing of one of eight DOLE Gift Bags with $100 in DOLE products, or one of two drawings for a $500 Visa gift card, if you login each day or tell your friends about this fun contest.
With 3 kids in the house and busy lifestyle, having fresh fruit isn’t always an option in our kitchen because it goes bad so quickly. This is why we always make sure to have plenty of canned fruit and individual fruit cups to help our kids get the nutrients they need without sacrificing time or our grocery budget. While I’m certainly not Chef Ben Ford, I do know how to cook up some great meals and desserts. I’d love to share with you one of the ways we incorporate Dole canned foods into kitchen.
Cat’s Tropical Fruity Upside Down Cake
- 1 box of yellow cake mix
- 1 can Dole Tropical Fruit mix
- 1 can Dole Pineapple rings in natural juice
- 1 cup of packed Dark Brown sugar
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Prepare yellow cake mix as directed on box and set aside.
- In a 9 in round cake pan, spray with non-stick spray and spread brown sugar evenly
- Top the brown sugar with your strained tropical fruit and pineapple rings. Get creative with your design!
- Pour cake batter over fruit and brown sugar.
- Bake for 28 – 32 minutes or until golden brown.
- A good tip is to use a tooth pick to check if you cake is baked all the way through. If your toothpick slides in and out clean, it’s done!
Win Big at 3 Kids and Us
How would you like to have your pantry stocked with Dole canned fruits, a $25 value? We’ve got a giveaway package that will do just that. See entry requirements below.
Giveaway Entry:
Visit the Dole Make Me a Chef Contest and browse the great recipes featured from Chef Ben Ford, come back and tell us which one was your favorite.
Big Bonus Entry:
10 Extra Entries: Head over to MakeMeaChef.com to submit your essay then come back here and paste your entry into our comments. Leave 10 extra comments (only 1 has to contain your essay) NOTE: If you are not comfortable posting the entire essay, just leave a small excerpt of it.
Giveaway Rules:
Winner will be selected by random.org on Thursday, April 30, 2009 11:59pm CST. Winner will be notified by email and must respond within 48 hours or a new winner will be selected. Open to U.S. residents.
FTC Compliant Review Policy: The product(s) featured in this review were provided free of cost to me by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. Opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation.














The fruity upside down cake looks delicious. I don’t bake anymore but I do make a fruit salad by using only one package of jello and one cup of boiling water and then adding my cans of fruit without even draining them. Sets up in very short time and is ready by the time I have fixed the rest of the meal.
I like the Asian Mandarin Salad
The “Easy Aloha Smoothie” sounds good but with regular yogurt instead of the lowfat.
Pineapple Mint Lemonade
The Easy Aloha Smoothie looks quick to make, and delicious.
The Asian Mandarin Salad looks good
LOVE DOLE PRODUCTS USE PINEAPPLES AND MANDRINE ORANGES IN ALOT OF RECIEPS
pineapple coffee cake sounds good
I love the Mandarin Salad!
The Angel Lush recipe sounds yummy.
The Pineapple-Mint Lemonade sounds refreshing
gkstratos@yahoo.com
I like pineapple coffee cake
Asian Mandarin Salad
Pineapple Mint Lemonade sounded very good. Thanks for having the wonderful giveaway
Aloha,
As a former resident of Hilo, Hawaii, I feel so joyful to find these ideas and recipes!
I am delighted with the Beef Fennel and Mandarin Orange Salad!
Love Dole, and the memories!
The Pineapple Salsa Chicken looks really good.
The Asian Mandarin Salad looks yummy to me!
Here’s my essay:
I use Dole canned fruit almost every day. One of my favorite breakfasts is Dole canned peaches or Mandarin oranges, topped with plain yogurt and sliced almonds. I know if my pantry is stocked with a variety of Dole canned fruits, I can prepare a nice meal, snack, or dessert anytime.
#2 entry for my essay
#3 entry for my essay