Pear recipes

 A few years ago, my mom gave us a pear tree for our birthdays. My grandparents had a pear tree when I was growing up and there were always tons of pears. This tree has followed suit and we often have so many pears that I have no idea what to do with them all. Sometimes I'll pick them in batches, let them ripen, and then make pear bread or pear crisp. Sometimes someone will drop by and ask if they can pick pears, to which we always say, "Oh my gosh, YES, please have as many as you want!" Today at the farmer's market, I saw pears for sale and came home to make a sign advertising the pears and asking anyone who wants some to come pick them. I'm going to attach some plastic bags to the side of the sign so that people will have something to carry them in. Also, I thought I'd include my favorite pear recipes in case someone needs some inspiration! 

1. PEAR CRISP from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

For the Filling:

4 to 5 whole large pears (Bosc work well)

2/3 c. granulated sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

For the Topping:

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/3 c. granulated sugar

1/3 c. firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 c. pecans, very finely chopped

1/2 c. butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. For the filling: Peel, core, and dice the pears. Place them into a bowl and stir together with the granulated sugar and salt. Set aside.

3. For the topping: In a separate bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans. Stir together. Drizzle the melted butter, gradually, stirring with a fork as you go until all combined.

4. Pour the pears into a buttered baking dish; top with the crumb topping.

5. Transfer the baking dish to the middle oven rack and bake for 30 minutes.

6. Move the dish to the top rack of the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

2. PEAR BREAD from Allrecipes

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• ¼ teaspoon baking powder

• 2 cups white sugar

• 2 cups peeled shredded pears

• 1 cup chopped pecans

• 3 large eggs

• ¾ cup vegetable oil

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degree F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease and flour two 8x5-inch loaf pans. 

2. Combine flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl; make a well in the center.

3. Combine grated pears, sugar, pecans, eggs, oil, and vanilla in a separate bowl until well blended; pour into well of dry ingredients and stir until just moistened. Spoon batter into prepared loaf pans.

4. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack before removing from the loaf pans.

3. PEAR CRUMBLE from Taste of Home

Ingredients

3 medium pears, peeled and sliced

2 teaspoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons old-fashioned oats

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

Dash ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon cold butter

2 tablespoons chopped nuts

Directions

1. Place pear slices in a greased 1-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with lemon juice. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, oats, flour, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.

2. Cut in butter until crumbly; add nuts. Sprinkle over pears. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly.

4. PEAR BUTTER from Allrecipes

Ingredients

3 large chopped peeled pears

½ cup white sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Place pears in a food processor or blender; puree until smooth.

Measure 3 cups pureed pears into a saucepan. Add sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, until bubbling, about 15 minutes. Stir in cinnamon. Cook, stirring frequently, until thick, about 15 minutes more.

Immerse a 1-pint jar in simmering water for 5 minutes. Wash lid and ring in warm soapy water. Fill hot jar with pear mixture. Seal and store in the refrigerator.

**You can actually skip this last step if you're not going to try to save it for a long time. This tastes a lot like applesauce (except with pears) so you'll enjoy as long as you are not expecting something super smooth or like butter or jam consistency. 

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And if that is not enough, try these (from my favorite recipe websites): 

• https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/photos/in-season-pear-recipes
• https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/pear-recipes/
• https://www.allrecipes.com/recipes/1107/fruits-and-vegetables/fruits/pears/
• https://www.marthastewart.com/275372/pear-recipes

March meals (with a grocery list)

Week 1: March 4 - 7
Monday: taco salad
Tuesday: sausage Alfredo
Wednesday: baked chicken with (frozen) broccoli/cheese and (instant) rice
Thursday: spicy beef sandwiches and chips

Week 2: March 11-14
Monday: sloppy joes and chips
Tuesday: chicken pot pie
Wednesday: ravioli and pepperoni rolls
Thursday: chicken and broccoli casserole, with rice
St. Patrick’s Day: shepherd’s pie

Week 3: March 18-21 
Monday: meatloaf and twice baked potato casserole
Tuesday: spaghetti and meatballs
Wednesday: creamy chicken noodle casserole
Thursday: tomatillo chicken

Week 4: March 25-28
Monday: breakfast for dinner
Tuesday: chili
Wednesday: macaroni beef casserole
Thursday: white chicken chili

Grocery lists: 
Week 1: ground beef (2 lb), black beans, taco seasoning, Doritos, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, salsa, sausage (kielbasa), whipping cream, frozen peas, pasta (penne?), chicken breasts, frozen broccoli/cheese, rice packet, roast, pepperocini, beef broth

Week 2: ground beef (2 lb), onion, buns, tomato sauce (2 c), frozen pie crust, chicken breasts (3 meals worth), cream/celery soup, large can of veg-all or frozen veggies, ravioli, spaghetti sauce, string cheese, crescent rolls, pepperoni, rice packet, broccoli (frozen), Greek yogurt, sharp cheese, Parmesan

Week 3: beef (2 lb), potatoes (5), butter (stick), chicken Stove Top stuffing mix, BBQ sauce, cheddar cheese, sour cream (24 oz), green onions, spaghetti sauce, meatballs, spaghetti noodles, French bread, chicken breasts (for two meals), cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, egg noodles, cream/chicken soup, Ritz crackers, tomatillo sauce, black beans, hominy, frozen corn, tortillas

Week 4: pancake mix, eggs, sausage patties, ground beef(4 lb), chili mix, Fritos, tomato sauce (2 c), macaroni, velvety, onion, chicken breasts, great northern beans (2 cans), chicken broth, green chilis (8 oz), shoepeg corn, sour cream, whipping cream (1/2 c)

St. Patrick’s Day: ground beef (2 lb), mixed veggies, onion, beef broth, instant mashed potatoes

Another menu (with grocery lists!!)

Week 1	JAN 28 Cowboy soup	JAN 29 Chicken sandwiches and chips	JAN 30 Cheesy chicken noodle casserole	JAN 31 Breakfast for dinner
Week 2	FEB 4 Chicken tacos	FEB 5 Spaghetti and meatballs	FEB 6 Green enchiladas, using the leftover chicken taco meat instead of beef	FEB 7 Grilled chicken Caesar salads
Week 3	FEB 11 Pasta Faggioli	FEB 12 Breakfast tacos	FEB 13 Crock pot cube steaks, twice baked potato casserole	FEB 14 Make your own pizzas
Week 4	FEB 18 Packet Roast	FEB 19 Fiesta chicken over jasmine rice	FEB 20 Spinach fettuccini alfredo	FEB 21 Hawaiian ham sandwiches and chips
Week 5	FEB 25 Baked Ziti	FEB 26 Chicken tortilla soup from a mix	FEB 27 Baked Ziti leftovers	FEB 28 Frito pie

Grocery lists:

Week 1 : Ground beef – 1 lb Chicken breasts Breakfast sausage patties Chicken patties Onion Celery Garlic Yellow pepper Red pepper Green pepper Carrots Red potatoes (5) Egg noodles Sour cream (24 oz) Cheddar (8 oz) Mozzarella (8 oz) Eggs Ritz crackers Syrup Bisquick Buns Chips Whole tomatoes (14.5 oz. can) Beef broth (4c) Cream/chicken soup (2)

Week 2: Flour tortillas Corn tortillas Chicken breasts (2 packages) Salsa verde Hominy Corn Pimentos Green onion dip mix Canned milk (sm) Velveta Spaghetti Spaghetti sauce Meatballs Garlic bread Romaine lettuce Shaved parmesan Caesar dressing

Week 3: Ground beef (1 lb) Ground turkey (1 lb) Sausage Cube steaks Bacon Onion (2) Carrots Celery Green onions Potatoes Fresh mushrooms Diced tomatoes (2 28 oz) Kidney beans Cannellini beans Tabasco sauce Beef broth (30 oz) Cream/celery Cream/chicken Onion dip mix Spaghetti sauce (2-20 oz) Pizza crusts Mozzarella cheese Parmesan cheese Sour cream Cheddar jack cheese (2) Flour tortillas Egg

Week 4: Roast Chicken breasts (2 pks) Ham slices Ranch dressing mix Italian dressing mix Brown gravy mix Carrots Potatoes Green onions Alfredo sauce Parmesan cheese (1/2 c) Fettuccini Frozen spinach (10 oz) Rotel Black beans Corn Cream cheese Chips Butter Swiss or provolone slices Hawaiian rolls

Week 5: Garlic Onion Italian sausage (1 lb) Ground beef (3 lb) Chicken breasts Tomato sauce (16 oz) Whole tomatoes (28 oz) Rotel tomatoes Marinara (28 oz) Ziti (16 oz) Ricotta (15 oz) Mozzarella (1.5 lb) Cheddar cheese Parmesan (1/2 c) Egg Chili mix Fritos

Five tips for accommodating vegetarians

For a while both of my children were vegetarians, and many times I like to avoid meat for a season just to give my body a break from it. Here are some tips that can be used to adapt many meals to be vegetarian.

1. Instead of beef or chicken broth, use veggie broth. You can even buy veggie broth cubes, and use them like bouillon cubes. We swapped it out many times, and did not notice.

2. The fake ground meat is really wonderful now. There is "meat" made from chopped up mushrooms, and some from soybeans. You can hide it in things like chili and enchiladas, or just eat it straight up like tacos. You will probably not even realize the difference.

3. Anything that uses bacon can  usually be made with the bacon left out, or served on the side for those who want to add it. Same is true for chicken or sausage links.

4. If your recipe needs the meat, leave it in giant chunks. This will offend a strict vegetarian, but many will happily pick out the big chunks and eat the rest of the soup or stew.

5. Breakfast for dinner is a great way to accommodate a vegetarian - with eggs, pancakes, hash browns, muffins, scones, and breakfast burritos.

fiesta chicken over rice

4 chicken breasts
1 packet of Fiesta Ranch mix
1 can black beans
1 can of Rotel
1 can of corn
1 block of cream cheese

Mix all in the crock pot and cook for 6 hours on low (longer if your chicken breasts are frozen, which mine will be). Make some jasmine rice and serve this over the rice.

Twice baked potato casserole

The Pioneer Woman has a great recipe for this, but after following it a few times, and ending up with enough potatoes to feed a small army, we have adapted it.

6 potatoes, scrubbed and baked
12 oz. Sour cream
1 1/2 sticks of butter
16 oz. cheddar jack cheese
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
1/2 lb. bacon, cooked until crispy (can be left out)

Mix the insides of all the potatoes, plus a little bit of potato skin, in a bowl with all of the rest of the ingredients, except for the cheese. Mix half of the cheese in with the mix, but leave the other half out. Put the mixture into a corning ware bowl, and top with remaining cheese. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes.

This works best if you make this right after you have cooked the potatoes, so they are still warm.

Creamy crock pot cube steaks

6 cube steaks

1 medium onion sliced in rings

1 can cream/chicken soup

1 can cream/celery soup

1 packet Lipton Onion Soup Mix

1/2 can of water 

Salt and pepper each cube steak. Place a layer of steaks in the bottom of the crock pot. Top with onions. Continue to layer. Pour the soup mix over it all and cook on high all day.