Pears and prosciutto pair up in a salad and on a pizza
Pear perks. Yep, I’m lucky enough to have a sister and brother-in-law who giveth pears each year. I previously shared that my sister’s husband’s family has a farm in southern Oregon where my brother-in-law’s dad planted pear trees in the early ‘90s. We look forward every year to getting our hands on pears from the Vaughn family farm. Last month my sister shipped box #1 to my husband for his birthday. Unfortuantely, UPS decided to let them sit around in the heat before delivering (should have taken one day) and we received a box of “sauce” rather than pears on the verge of ripening. I managed to salvage parts of the pears and cooked them up into pear sauce for eating with pork chops and baking. Then, surprise! We received box #2 full of Bartlett, Starkrimson and Comice pears. However … we were out of town when they arrived. Thankfully, my lovely neighbor came over and carefully unpacked and separated them. She’s now my official pear handler. We gobbled up the Bartletts right away as they were the ripest. The Starkrimson pears were destined for greatness in a salad. The Comice still aren’t super ripe, but I decided they’d be perfect for a pear pizza.
Crash course in winter squash
Do you know your squashes from your gourds from your pumpkins? Or which ones you can eat and which are better left for carving or decorating? They all belong to the family Cucurbitaceae and are all technically classified as fruits. Squash is soft-shelled and delicious (sweeter than summer squashes) while gourds are hard-shelled and meant for ornamental purposes. There are hundreds of different varieties of winter squash and some varieties are confusingly called pumpkins. With so much information to wade through, I’ve put together a crash course in winter squash that outlines some basics of how to choose, store (and cut!) this versatile winter stable. I’ve also included suggestions on how to prepare five of my favorite varieties.
Pumpkin ice cream 4 ways
Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte (the cult-like PSL) is the most popular seasonal beverage in the company’s history, with more than 424 million cups sold and its own Twitter account. This iconic taste of fall in a cup is festive, provides a sense of belongingness and connectedness, and like it or not, subconsciously urges you to imbibe before it’s no longer available. Following the craze started by the coffee chain, brands continue to stock grocery shelves each year with novel pumpkin spice products (pumpkin-spice cheesy powder on your Kraft Mac and Cheese, anyone?) promising us comfort and all the cozy fall feels. “Should-never-have-been-invented” variations aside, I’m all for extending the pumpkin season beyond the obligatory Thanksgiving pie. Give me pumpkin in breads, pancakes, cookies or basically any baked good, as well as in my coffee—and especially in my ice cream.