Pears

A friend of ours gave me a half bushel of pears today. I`m so happy she did! After seeing her posts on facebook telling about all the differant pear dishes she was making my mouth has been drooling... She made pear cranberry butter, pear relish, pear scones a chedder pear pie and told me she was about to go home to maybe make pear bbq sauce! Now I need to figure out what all I want to make..:)Do you have any favorite pear recipes or for that matter a favorite fall dish you crave this time of year?

Pumpkin muffins

We had a cold rainy fall day a couple of days ago. So I decided to make some fall treats. I made crumb topped pumpkin cream cheese muffins, chocolate fudge scones and a roasted pumpkin caramelized onion and Gorgonzola quiche. Everything was soooo good! Today I`ll be sharing the muffins with you, but I`m sure I will share the scones and quiche with you all soon!


Crumb topped pumpkin cream cheese muffins
p.s The ingredients in parentheses are the ways I adapted the recipe to make them healthier.

Muffins
3 cups flour ( 2c. flour and 1c. whole wheat flour)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground cloves
4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Pinch of cardamom (I left this out, I did not have any)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
4 eggs
2 cups sugar( 1 1/2 c. honey)
2 cups cooked or canned pumpkin
1 ¼ cups vegetable oil ( 3/4 c. applesauce and 1/2 coconut oil)

Cream Cheese Filling
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Crumb Topping
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350. To make the cream cheese filling, beat cream cheese, sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Set aside.

Make the crumb topping: In a medium bowl, combine the flour with the brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the melted butter, then pinch the mixture until it forms pea-size clumps. Set aside.
Mix muffin ingredients together except cream cheese filling. Fill muffin tins (greased or paper cups) 3/4 full. Put 1-2 tsp cream cheese filling in each muffin and lightly swirl (I used a plastic bag snipped as a pastry bag). Top with 1 generous tablespoon of topping.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean from the muffin. Let cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove to racks to cool completely. Makes 24 muffins.

skillet cornbread to go with it.

Here is her cornbread as well! I used butter instead of shortening and it turned out great!Enjoy!

Skillet Cornbread

Ingredients

• 1 cup Yellow Cornmeal
• 1/2 cup All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
• 1 cup Buttermilk
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 1 whole Egg
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/4 cup Shortening
• 2 Tablespoons Shortening

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Combine cornmeal, flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl. Stir together.

Measure the buttermilk and milk in a measuring cup and add the egg. Stir together with a fork. Add the baking soda and stir.

Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir with a fork until combined.

In a small bowl, melt 1/4 shortening. Slowly add melted shortening to the batter, stirring until just combined. In an iron skillet, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons shortening over medium heat. Pour the batter into the hot skillet. Spread to even out the surface. (Batter should sizzle.)

Cook on stovetop for 1 minute, then bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Edges should be crispy!

Supper for a fall day

Last night I made pioneer women`s beef stew and skillet cornbread. Man were they good.:)
I think the only changes I made to the stew was I added a couple more carrots and used 3 russet potatoes instead of 4 red. Eventually I will buy myself a camera and take my own pictures but for now I guess I will have to satisfy you with hers.

Beef Stew with Beer and Paprika

Ingredients

• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Butter
• 2 pounds Stew Meat
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 can Beer, 12 Ounce Can
• 4 cups Beef Stock (or 4 Cups Water + 4 Beef Bouillon Cubes)
• 2 cups Water (additional, If Needed)
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
• 1/2 teaspoon Paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1-1/2 teaspoon Sugar
• 4 whole Carrots, Washed, Unpeeled, And Roughly Sliced
• 4 whole New Potatoes, Quartered
• Minced Parsley (optional)

Preparation Instructions

Heat oil and butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Brown meat in two batches, setting aside on a plate when brown. Cut pieces in half. Set aside.

Add diced onions to the pot. Stir and cook for two or three minutes until softened, then add garlic for another minute. Pour in beer and beef stock, then add Worcestershire, tomato paste, paprika, salt, pepper, and sugar. Add beef back into the pot. Stir to combine. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

*UPDATE: The liquid should cook down to a thicker state. If it gets too thick/reduces too much, add additional water as needed.

Add carrots and potatoes, then cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes. (If stew gets dry, just add a cup of hot water at a time to replenish the liquid.) Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Serve in bowls next to crusty French bread. Sprinkle with minced parsley, if desired.