Got Pears? ~ Pear Week Recap

Thank you for stopping by during Pear Week last week - I hope you found some new ideas!  I wanted to put all the links right here in one place so you know right where to go when you get a crazy urge to buy 50 lbs of pears!  :)

Maple Pecan Pear Muffins

Slow Cooker Pear Sauce

Pear Cake

Pear Custard Pie

How to check pears to see if they're ripe

And I have one more pear recipe that you haven't seen yet - I posted it over at Pennies and Blessings.

It's a quick and easy Microwave Pear Dessert - stop on by and check it out (and say hi)!

In case that's not enough, I do have one more yummy pear recipe already on my blog:

Pear Dessert

Thanks again for coming by!  What's your favorite pear recipe?


Have a marvelous day friends!

Pear Week ~ When is a Bartlett Ripe?

Ah - the end of Pear Week.  No recipe today.  Instead I wanted to share some tips I learned on how to tell when a Bartlett pear is ripe.  Methods are a little different for other types of pears.  I'll only address the Bartletts today since that's what I used for all my recipes!

I always thought that Barlett pears should be fully yellow and slightly soft to the touch when ripe.  Not quite.  When Bartlett pears are ripe, they start changing from green to yellow (so you could have both colors at the same time), but if they are soft to the touch in the center, then they are overripe and will go bad very fast.

You are supposed to "check the neck" to tell if they are ripe and at the peak of sweetness.  Grab the pear around the center and use your thumb to gently press in just under the stem.  If it presses in easily - it's ripe!  If it gives some resistance, it's not quite ready yet.

I learned something else interesting.  Bartlett pears ripen best off the tree.  So they are picked well before they are ripe.  This gives them the best texture and the sweetest flavor.  I could never figure out why our grocery store always had firm green Bartlett pears.  That's on purpose!  In fact, you shouldn't buy really yellow, soft, bruised Bartlett pears - they will be overripe.  You'll have to have a little patience and ripen the pears at home.  Once ripe, you can also store in the refrigerator to lengthen the time before it goes bad by a few days.

Whew - that was a little too educational for me.  I think we need a pear joke here.

If you had 5 oranges in one hand, and 5 pears in the other hand, what would you have?

Massive hands.

BAhahaha.  :)

Thank you again for joining me for Pear Week - I hope you enjoyed it!  I think I'll post a recap on Monday with all the links in one place so it's easy to refer back to when you have a bunch of pears to use up.

Did you learn something new today (besides the joke - LOL)? 

Just picture me checking the neck of over 100 pears to see which ones were ripe.  I'm an expert now - HA!  I'll picture all of you in the grocery stores now checking necks and nodding to yourself while other shoppers look at you like you're a little odd.  :)

Have a wonderful day friends!

Pear Week ~ Pear Custard Pie

So glad you're hanging out with me for Pear Week!  It's my last recipe today but it's a yummy one!  Don't forget to check out my recipes for Maple Pecan Pear Muffins, Slow Cooker Pear Sauce, and Pear Cake.

But now it's time for pie.  (This is linked up to the Love The Pie Party at TidyMom - check out the info below.) I didn't want to make just a pear pie that was exactly like a typical apple pie.  So when I saw this recipe shared in a little booklet that I got at Apple Hill (where I bought my pears) a few years ago - I knew it was the one!

Fill those pie crusts up with those yummy pear slices!  Aren't you so impressed with how perfectly I crimp the edges of my crusts?!  Or maybe those crusts were frozen Marie Callendar's pie crusts because of my previous pie crust disaster- it's so hard to keep track of these things.  ;)

Doesn't that custard filling look yummy?  And you should know that it's hard to take good food pics when you're trying to make sure that all the messy disaster in your kitchen doesn't show up in the pics.  :)

Pear Custard Pie

9" unbaked pie crust
6-8 medium sliced pears (core and peel first)
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 egg unbeaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Arrange pear slices in bottom of unbaked pie crust shell.  Mix remaining ingredients and pour over sliced pears.  Bake at 425 degrees for 5-8 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake approximately 45 minutes more.  Cool on wire rack.

This pie was so yummy!!  But I do have to say that the flavor of the pears is what really makes it good.  You won't want bland pears in this recipe.  Taste your pears first and be sure that they're ripe to get the sweetest flavor.  I'll actually share a couple tips tomorrow on how to check if pears are ripe (it's completely different than what I thought!).

Have you enjoyed Pear Week so far?  Do you have a favorite recipe?

I'm happy to tell you that this pie post is also in preparation for TidyMom's 3rd annual Love the Pie Party!

Come join Love the Pie with TidyMom  sponsored by Cherokee USA, Le Creuset, Wilton,Bags by Bloom and  Harvard Common Press.

Have a fantastic day friends!

Pear Week ~ Pear Cake

I'm enjoying Pear Week and I hope you are too!  Be sure to check out Slow Cooker Pear Sauce and Maple Pecan Pear Muffins if you missed them.

I thought that I should use up a few pears by putting them in cake.  I found a great apple cake recipe at Reluctant Entertainer and read that she had subbed pears in the recipe.  I added pears and healthified the recipe a little with a few other changes - turned out great!

I knew that I wanted to make this cake to put in the freezer, so how was I supposed to sample it to make sure it really was delicious?  Well, putting some of the batter into a jumbo-muffin tin was just the thing!  C'mon - I gotta have a taste!  :)  This cake is perfection with whipped cream added!

You don't have to peel the pears in this recipe, which saves you some time (and we all could use a little more time, right?).  Look at those lovely big chunks of pears inside...

Pear Cake
adapted from Reluctant Entertainer

4 cups chopped unpeeled pears
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup pear sauce (could use apple sauce)
1/2 cup organic sugar
1/2 cup raw honey*
2 eggs
1 cup unbleached flour**
1 cup white whole wheat flour**
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup chopped pecans for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (may want to decrease temp a bit if you are using the raw honey as it browns quicker).  Using electric mixer, mix all ingredients together except pears and topping.  Fold in pears.  Pour batter into greased 9x13 pan.  Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup chopped pecans over top.  Bake for 35-40 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  Top with whipped cream and enjoy!

* If you don't have raw honey, increase sugar to 1 1/3 cups.
** Could also use 2 cups all-purpose flour instead of the unbleached and white whole wheat flours

This is not only a good dessert, but a nice coffee cake as well!  Mmph...oh sorry...had my mouth full!  ;)

So now I've covered muffins, sauce, and cake.  Up next is pie!  I've got to cover all the food groups you know - LOL!  :)  Thanks again for stopping by Pear Week!

This post is linked to:
~ Chic & Crafty Party at The Frugal Girls
~ Fusion Fridays at Jane Deere


Have a stupendous day friends!

Pear Week ~ Slow Cooker Pear Sauce

I hope you're enjoying Pear Week so far - did you check out the Maple Pecan Pear Muffins I posted yesterday?  Today I'll share the main recipes that worked for me to use up a large number of pears at once.

My hubs and I have been trying not to eat sugar recently (OK, well except for every single recipe here this week that I *had* to sample) so I knew I wanted to make pear sauce without added sugar.  These pears were so sweet and juicy that I figured it wouldn't be a problem to leave the sugar out - I was right!

So many pears! I sprinkled cinnamon over a couple layers before cooking.

I have made apple sauce in the slow cooker in the past, so I knew I could do pear sauce the same way.  I filled that slow cooker up FULL 3 times!  I found that about 4 hours on low was enough time to get the pears to the point where I could either mash them with a potato masher and fork (to leave a little chunky) or puree with my stick blender right in the slow cooker.

Chunky Pear Sauce with cinnamon and nutmeg - yum!

Pureed Pear Sauce with cinnamon - very rich!

Slow Cooker Cinnamon Pear Sauce {no sugar added}

Enough ripe Bartlett pears, cut in half, cored and peeled, to fill slow cooker
Cinnamon to taste
Nutmeg to taste (optional)
1/4 - 1/2 cup All natural apple cider (no sugar added) or other liquid

Fill slow cooker with pears.  Sprinkle cinnamon over layers as you put them in.  Add desired liquid.  Cover and cook on low for about 4 hours.  Mash or puree pears.  Stir in more cinnamon if needed and nutmeg if desired.  Cool and refrigerate.

Chunky Pear Sauce with a hint of maple and almond.

Slow Cooker Maple Almond Pear Sauce

Enough ripe Bartlett pears, cut in half, cored and peeled, to fill slow cooker
3 tablespoons+ pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon + almond extract

Fill slow cooker with pears.  Cover and cook on low for about 4 hours.  Mash or puree pears.  Stir in maple syrup and almond extract.  I was trying to keep it low-sugar and not overpower the flavor of the pears, so I only used enough to give a hint of flavor.  Feel free to use much larger quantities of maple syrup and almond extract if desired!  Cool and refrigerate.

I put the extra sauce into containers and froze it.  Though the sauce is delicious on its own, it would be a delicious topping for pancakes and waffles too.  Or maybe even over ice cream or mixed with yogurt or in a smoothie - so many yummy options!

Have you ever made pear or apple sauce in your slow cooker?  Do you consider it a side dish, a snack or a dessert?

Thanks for stopping by Pear Week!  Come on back tomorrow for some cake!

This post linked to:
~ Works-For-Me-Wednesday (WFMW) at We Are THAT Family
~ I'm Lovin' It at TidyMom

Have a fabulous day friends!

Pear Week ~ Maple Pecan Pear Muffins

Thanks for joining me for Pear Week!  Glad to have you here - though it would have been nice if you showed up last week and actually helped me peel and core these pears - LOL!  ;)

I knew that I wanted to add some of these delicious pears to some muffins.  I found a muffin recipe in Best Recipes from American Country Inns and Bed & Breakfasts and changed it up.  The result is delicious!  Of course it doesn't use up many pears, but you don't have to peel them - bonus!

Because the chunks of pears I used were large and very moist, it was a little tricky getting these muffins out of the pan.  Less pears and smaller chunks would help - and wait a while to remove them from the pan!  Then again - it's a good excuse to eat all the "damaged" muffins right away.  :)

Maple Pecan Pear Muffins

1 1/4 cups flour (I used unbleached)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup sour cream
5 tablespoons softened butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
2 cups (or a little less) diced pears - leave peel on
Extra brown sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 18 muffin cups well.  Mix dry ingredients together.  In separate bowl, mix wet ingredients thoroughly.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir.  Fold in diced pears.

Spoon batter into greased muffin tins, filling cups 2/3 full.  If desired, sprinkle a small amount of brown sugar on top of each muffin.  Bake 20-30 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.  Let stand at least 10 minutes (longer is better) after removing from oven.  Remove muffins from tin and cool completely.  Makes approximately 18 regular muffins.

Enjoy!!

These are nice hearty muffins and are best with a hot cup of coffee!  Yum!  I have a few in the freezer just waiting for the right moment.  :)

Thanks again for stopping by Pear Week!  Have you ever had pears in muffins?  What's your favorite way to eat pears?

Come on back tomorrow for more Pear Week and I'll share some simple recipes for Pear Sauce!

This post is linked to:
~ Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
~ Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at At The Well

Have a super day friends!

Pear Week Begins

I finally got rid of these Bartlett pears, so Pear Week can officially begin!  I had a few pears to try out in recipes - just 50 lbs worth!  :)

We recently took a trip to the lovely nearby Apple Hill area and I always come back with apples, but never pears.  But then I saw a special - buy 25 lbs of pears, get 25 lbs free!  How could I pass that up?!  Of course it said it was a canning special and I don't can, but I thought I would find plenty of uses for the pears anyway. I did, but it was a lot of work!  I ate a lot of pears, gave some away, and made a few recipes.  I have no desire to core and peel a pear anytime in the near future if you don't mind.  :)

Starting later today I'll be sharing my pear recipes with you!  You'll get some new recipes for pear muffins, pear sauce, pear cake, and pear pie.  Maybe you'll be inspired to try a pear recipe this week.  I hope you enjoy it all - I had to share the pears!

See you later with the first recipe!

Have a fantastic day friends!

Blame It On The Pears

Yes, my Encouraging Bloggers post is running behind - it will hopefully be posted later today.  It's not my fault.  Really.  It's the pears' fault.

50 pounds of pears can beat you up - they can.  :)  Anyway, I'm busy making pear stuff but there are still pears left and most of those are overripe at this point.  All else is on hold while I finish this pear project!  And no, I don't can which makes me completely crazy for purchasing this many pears in the first place!  LOL!  But I could.not. pass up the deal.

You should know that recent events have led me to declare that it will be ~ Pear Week ~ on my blog all next week!  I'll have some recipes to share like pear sauce, pear cake, pear muffins, and maybe more.  Hope you can stop by for that!

Look for Encouraging Bloggers soon and then pears, and more pears starting Monday!

Have a fantastic day friends!

Fall Fruits Festival ~ Pear Dessert

** Giveaway now closed. **

The Fall Fruits Festival has begun!! Welcome! We're going to have a fun week - I hope you'll stop by each day to enjoy a new fruit, recipes, links and giveaways! I'm starting with pears, then pumpkin tomorrow, apples on Wednesday, cranberries on Thursday, and chocolate on Friday. Oh - I'm sorry - maybe I should have mentioned that I have declared chocolate as a Fall fruit! Get your pear post ready to link up below! And yes, there's a pear-themed giveaway today, but you'll have to get through this post first. :)

Pears are a wonderful, juicy Fall fruit. The Pacific Northwest produces about 80% of the fresh pears in the USA. Harvest begins in August and continues with different varieties through September and October. Pears are actually harvested before they are fully ripe to avoid a gritty texture. You can find a lot of great info about pears, including recipes at USA Pears - they even have a blog!

I have a yummy pear recipe to share with you today! My brother-in-law got this recipe from a coworker a few years ago and knew that I would like it! It makes a nice big pan of dessert with plenty to share.

Pear Dessert

CRUST
1 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/3 cups almonds, chopped

Lightly spray pan with cooking spray.
Mix crust ingredients and press lightly to bottom of 11x13 pan. Bake 15-18 minutes at 350 degrees F.

While crust is baking, make FILLING:
2 packages (8 oz.) cream cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cool crust slightly. Beat filling until smooth and pour over crust.

Core and peel 5-6 fresh pears or drain 2 large cans of bartlett pear halves. Slice pears as thinly as desired. Cover cream cheese with pear slices. Sprinkle with mixture of 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes. Recipe can be halved and baked in 9x9 pan.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You should try this recipe - very yummy! I have made it with canned pears and with fresh. Of course the flavor is better with the fresh pears!

How about a giveaway now? A pear-themed giveaway!

This giveaway is for a Harry & David pear mug, a Revolution white pear tea diffuser bag, and a little pear-scented candle. I wanted to give you a few moments to stop and smell the pears!

**Giveaway Closed**  Enter the giveaway by leaving a comment on this post! That's it! The giveaway will stay open through 10pm PST on Sunday 10/18 and the winner will be randomly chosen from the comments.

Now it's time for you to link up your pear posts and recipes so we can all have more pear fun! You can link up a new or old post about pears, but please do include a link back to this post so everybody can enjoy the Fall Fruits Festival! If you don't have a blog, feel free to share pear links and recipes in the comments.

Are you enjoying the Festival so far? Be sure to check back for pear posts. Tomorrow is all about Pumpkin, so get your pumpkin posts ready and come on back! I would really appreciate it if you help spread the word about the Fall Fruits Festival s**o we can get even more posts and recipes linked up!

Have a marvelous Monday friends!

I'm linking this up to DIY Day at A Soft Place To Land!

Take a moment to subscribe so you don't miss any of the fun during the Fall Fruits Festival!