Backyard Pears = "Pear-fect" Salad

Not long after moving to our home 33 years ago, Randy planted pear and apple trees south of our house. He'd heard my stories about my Grandma and Grandpa Neelly's fruit trees. And though he never got to enjoy my Grandma's Green Apple Pie or her Pear Honey, he is a believer in planting trees for the future.

For some reason, the apple trees never flourished. But the pear trees have produced fairly well throughout the years. Sometimes, the pears never make it to our table. In 2010, while I was waiting for the bumper crop of fruit to ripen, every single pear disappeared. I'm not sure whether it was varmints or people who helped themselves.

Every year in April as the trees bloom with buds, I wonder if we'll send up with fruit to eat. The challenge with pears is to know when to pick them. I Googled that, too, and found a publication from Oregon State University Extension. (I love Extension.)

"To tell if a pear is mature, a general rule of thumb is that, while still on the tree, most mature, ready to ripen pears will usually detach when "tilted" to a horizontal position from their usual vertical hanging position. 

"Unlike apples, which are ready to eat from the day they are picked, pears must go through a series of changes before they can deliver their full splendor. Pears do not ripen on the tree to our liking. If allowed to tree-ripen, pears typically ripen from the inside out, so that the center is mushy by the time the outside flesh is ready."     

David Sugar, Oregon State University

Commercial growers refrigerate pears right after picking. So, for the past several years, that's what we've done. Randy picked some a few weeks ago and put them in a big brown paper bag in the basement fridge. He also left some on the trees.

I guess we should have picked them all. The bandits returned and not a single pear remains. This time, Randy's detective skills have deduced that the thieves were squirrels. He watched a squirrel race across the road with a pear in his mouth. I'm not sure they will "save" like acorns.

Thankfully, we still have some to enjoy. This week, I tried a salad recipe using our homegrown pears. So, whether you have pear trees in your yard or whether you have to purchase them from the farmer's market or the produce aisle, we recommend this tasty salad! Enjoy!

Pear, Walnut & Gorgonzola Salad

Adapted from Lemon Tree Dwelling blog

10 oz. mixed greens (I used romaine hearts)
1 large or two small pears, chopped
1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, lightly roasted
2 tbsp. sunflower seeds

Dressing:
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp. honey
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. poppy seeds

Combine salad ingredients in a large salad bowl. Combined dressing ingredients in a container with a lid. Shake well. Pour dressing over salad and toss. (FYI: I didn't use all the dressing for this amount of salad. Refrigerate the leftovers and use another day.)

Notes: There are some people in my family who find gorgonzola too strong. If I were making this salad for them, I would substitute feta. Another tasty substitute could be cubed sharp cheddar or white cheddar cheese.

The original recipe called for 1/2 cup diced red onion. I didn't have red onion on hand. If you like the "bite" of red onion, feel free to add it to the mix.

Winter Pear Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette

Soup is one of my go-to meals during the winter months. This was a busy week as we gathered, sorted and loaded feeder calves to prepare for the cattle sale in Pratt today. (More on the cattle sale next week on Kim's County Line ... no time to write it this week!)

So on Monday,  I made Pasta e Fagioli to warm up quickly for noon meals. But no matter the temperature outside, we also love green salads.

This salad made its first appearance at our Moore Christmas gathering. It was a novel way to use the ubiquitous cranberry during the holidays. Though cranberries aren't in the produce case any longer, you can often find them in grocery or discount store freezer cases any time of the year. And, if you can't find fresh cranberries, you can top this salad with a raspberry vinaigrette, poppy seed dressing or another favorite fruit-friendly salad dressing.

I also served the salad for our immediate family's Christmas celebration. But with presents to open and fun to be had, I didn't get any photos taken.

In January, I made it again - just for the two of us at home. At that time, pears were on sale at the grocery store ... bonus! If you want additional color and nutrition, you could add other berries. Throughout the winter, my hometown grocery store has had different berries on sale. This week, it's pineapple, which would also be a flavorful addition. You could also add grapes, apples, mandarin oranges or any other colorful fruit to brighten up a winter day.

On Tuesday, we went to Wichita to attend The Illusionists, a magic show, at Century II. Attending the show was one of Randy's Christmas presents from me this year.

Beforehand, we ate at Avi Seabar and Chophouse. I had a similar salad, topped with grilled salmon. (I should have taken a photo of it, too. Too late now!) Let's just say it cost a lot more money than the salad I made at home. (The salmon, however, was better than I can make here. It probably wasn't discount salmon that came from the frozen food case. Just keeping it real, folks!)

Still, with a little effort, you can make a restaurant-quality salad at home for a fraction of the cost. Enjoy!

Winter Pear Salad

with Cranberry Vinaigrette

Recipe adapted from Favorite Family Recipes

Spring mix salad, bagged or boxed
Fresh pears
Pumpkin spiced pecans (see below)
Feta cheese crumbles
Dried cranberries
Cranberry Vinaigrette dressing (see below)

Use as much of the ingredients as you need for the servings you need. Combine all the ingredients and toss with vinaigrette to taste. (Or you can serve the dressing on the side and have people add their own dressing to taste).

Pumpkin Spiced Pecans

1 cup pecan halves
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Mix sugar and pumpkin pie spice in small bowl until blended. Add sugar mixture and pecans to a small skillet and heat on medium heat until sugar is melted, stirring constantly as the sugar starts to melt. Be careful not to burn. As soon as the sugar is melted onto the pecans, pour pecans onto foil or parchment paper to cool. Once cool, store in airtight container or plastic bag.

Cranberry Vinaigrette Dressing

1 cup fresh cranberries
1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. salt

Combine cranberries, orange juice and sugar in a medium-sized saucepan. Cook on medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries pop. Simmer for about 5 minutes.

Pour cranberry mixture into a blender. Add olive oil, vinegar and salt. Blend until smooth.

The dressing with be thick and creamy. If you prefer a thinner dressing, add small amounts of water (or orange juice), 1 tablespoon at a time, until of desired consistency. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Depending on how many people you are serving, you won't use all the pecans or dressing for one salad. Refrigerate leftover dressing and store extra sugared pecans in a sealed plastic bag.

I doubled the recipe for dressing, knowing that I could use it for other salads, too. 

The Anti-Pumpkin Movement: Pear Cake

My homegrown pears may not look as blemish-free and beautiful as their grocery store cousins. But, like people, there's beauty on the inside, even if the outer package isn't perfectly airbrushed.

Our pear trees were laden with fruit this summer. After doing some online research, we picked them and put them in our extra refrigerator in the basement. We've been pulling a few at a time and eating them plain. I've also used them in Waldorf-style salads and Autumn Chopped Salad. Just yesterday, I chopped some up to put on our waffles for our after-church Sunday lunch.

When I needed to provide refreshments for PEO this month, I decided to look for a Pear Cake recipe. In November, pumpkin seems to be the fruit of choice for club meeting desserts.

But I have a sister who doesn't like pumpkin. So, with her in mind, I opted for the pear cake. I topped it with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream and a Caramel Sauce I've been using since Lori Fiscus first served it at a Nu Lambda meeting years ago. But the cake is also yummy just served plain.

I must admit that I ended up making the cake twice. The first time, I put it in a tube pan because I thought it would make prettier slices for the PEO refreshments. I sprayed it with non-stick cooking spray, but I must have not sprayed it well enough because bits of the cake stayed in the pan.

I probably could have "cut" around and come up with enough pretty slices. However, my perfectionist tendencies overtook my common sense. I made the second version in a 9- by 13-inch pan. Since the PEO meeting and our UMW Bazaar were the same day, I didn't want to make the cake a third time.

The moral of the story? If you are using a tube or Bundt pan, spray your pan well with cooking spray. Perhaps even dust it with a little flour to make sure it comes out of the pan. And the 9- by 13-inch pan works fine, too, and the cake is pretty enough to serve to the ladies, especially when dressed up with ice cream and caramel sauce. (Of course, everything is better with caramel sauce!)

The good part of making the cake twice? I still have some cake in the freezer, which we can pull out for Thanksgiving or another gathering.

Fresh Pear Cake

Adapted from Food.Com

2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. cloves
3 cups pears, peeled, cored and diced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan or tube pan. Combine sugar and oil, mixing well. Add eggs and vanilla; mixing well. Mix together flour, baking soda, salt and spices and add to sugar mixture. Add diced pears. It is a thick batter. Put into a prepared pan and bake for 1 to  1 1/4 hours or until done (depending on your oven).

Note:  I made it the first time in a tube pan because I wanted prettier slices for PEO refreshments. However, part stuck in the pan. So, I made it in a 13- by 9-inch pan because I didn't have time to make it a third time!

Caramel Sauce

(From Lori Fiscus)

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp. flour
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup softened butter
2 tsp. vanilla

Combine sugars and flour in a saucepan. Add whipping cream. Bring to a boil, stirring. Simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and beat in butter and vanilla. Makes 2 cups.

Serve cake with warm caramel sauce and cinnamon or vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Ap'pear'antly, It Was a Good Year

Ap'pear'antly, it's a good year for fruit trees.

What is the secret to our success? Neglect.
(I'll bet you're never heard that recipe for success before. It's not something I normally recommend.)

The pear trees are in our side yard. Back in 2010, we had lots of pears, too, but they suddenly disappeared. I never solved that mystery.

I do think the deer and squirrels are visiting our buffet, but they'd have to invite all their friends from neighboring counties to get through all the pears.

If I had canning equipment, I might try my Grandma Neelly's Pear Honey recipe. It was a sweet combination of pears, pineapple and sugar and was one of my favorites on Grandma's table. I still might try freezing some.

Four generations: My mom, Janis Neelly Moore, my grandma Lela Johnson Neelly holding Jill Renee Fritzemeier, and me, a much younger version, on Jill's Baptism Day - December 1985

Yesterday, I searched online for fresh pear recipes. I even found a few that weren't for desserts.

The challenge with pears is to know when to pick them. I Googled that, too, and found a publication from Oregon State University Extension. (I love Extension.)

"To tell if a pear is mature, a general rule of thumb is that, while still on the tree, most mature, ready to ripen pears will usually detach when "tilted" to a horizontal position from their usual vertical hanging position. 

"Unlike apples, which are ready to eat from the day they are picked, pears must go through a series of changes before they can deliver their full splendor. Pears do not ripen on the tree to our liking. If allowed to tree-ripen, pears typically ripen from the inside out, so that the center is mushy by the time the outside flesh is ready."                        David Sugar, Oregon State University

Commercial growers refrigerate pears right after picking. So that's what we're trying. Our downstairs extra fridge is full of pears at the moment. We'll take a few out at a time to ripen on the kitchen counter.

On Sunday, we took a plastic tub of pears to church. For a contribution to Missions and Ministries, people could sack up pears to take home. This week, anyone who comes to the Stafford Food Bank can take home fresh pears.

If you have a family favorite pear recipe, please send it my way! 

Autumn Chopped Salad

The calendar is quickly moving into soup weather. I'm all for that. I love homemade soup on a chilly fall day. In fact, I made this season's first pot of Vegetable Beef Soup this past drizzly Monday.

But I also love salads all year 'round. A few weeks ago, Jill told me she'd tried an Autumn Chopped Salad from the blog, Iowa Girl Eats. (Jill's father-in-law, Alan, steered both of us toward this blog awhile back. Good advice!)

I've now made this Autumn Chopped Salad three times, including once as a side dish for a ladies' luncheon, where it got great reviews. The last time I made it, I served it as a main dish salad by adding seasoned grilled steak. Randy is glad to eat salad as long as he gets some protein to go along with it. Even though the original recipe had bacon and it provided good flavor, that's not enough protein to make it a main dish at our Kansas-beef-raising house.

Pears and apples are favorite fruits for the fall. Throw in some dried cranberries, feta cheese and, of course, that bacon, and it's a winning combination. The dressing is a blend of purchased poppy seed dressing and balsamic vinegar. Yummy - no matter the season!

Autumn Chopped Salad with Marinated Steak

Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats blog

6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
3 slices center-cut bacon, cooked crisp and chopped
1 pear, chopped, with skin on
1 apple, chopped, with skin on
1/4 cup peanuts, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup Poppy Seed Salad Dressing (more or less)
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar (more or less)
Grilled seasoned steak (about 3 ounces per person)

Cook bacon until crisp (I used the microwave.) Cool and chop. Grill seasoned steak to desired doneness. Set aside to rest. 

Combine romaine lettuce, pear, apple, peanuts, dried cranberries, cooled bacon and feta cheese into a very large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine poppy seed dressing and balsamic vinegar to taste. Toss salad dressing with salad, coating well.

For main dish salad, put dressed, chopped salad onto serving plates. Top with sliced grilled steak. Serve immediately.

This generously serves 2 for a main dish salad. As a side, it serves a big crowd.

Notes:

• Even though I'm a vinegar lover, Randy is not. And we both preferred the dressing with only 1 tablespoon of the balsamic. 
• Next time I make it, I might try this homemade dressing, Orange Vinaigrette, which I've used on other main dish salads.
• I've used peanuts every time, but it would be great with walnuts or pecans, too. 

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Today, I'm linked to Wake Up Wednesdays through Wichita blogger Ashley's Kitchen Meets Girl. Click on the link to see what's cooking.