Showing posts with label pears. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pears. Show all posts

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Jana: Oatmeal Pear Cookies

Since Valentine's Day is not right without something sweet, I decided to search for a pear dessert. However, I think we have plans to go out Monday night, so I switched gears and went with "pear cookie." I found a recipe that linked back to the California Pear Advisory Board, so I decided to give it a try.

We pretty much already had all of the ingredients I needed. I just stopped in at the store to get more pears and fresh brown sugar. And, while Rob was out on his bike ride this afternoon, I whipped up a batch. In his hour ride, I was able to get through the whole thing. He walked in the door as I was cleaning the last cookie sheet. He knew something was up, but I just pretended not to know what he was talking about.

The only hiccup I had in the baking process was the fact that it seemed forever before the mixture became creamy and dough-like. In fact, I was already brainstorming of what kind of liquid I would need to add to fix the consistency. Luckily, however, all it needed was a little more time. So... word of warning... just keep mixing.

I think that the cookies are the perfect amount of sweetness, aka not too much. The oats definitely tone it down. The pears add a yummy flavor, but also make the cookies extremely moist.

After they cooled for a bit, I wrapped up several in a cute bag to accompany the other small gifts I put together. And, even created a little tag, based on these that I found over at Twig and Thistle.

Of course, when we got back to the house this evening after a picnic at the park, Rob walked right to the pantry and picked up the bag of extra cookies that I had carefully in the back of the bottom shelf, saying, "where'd we get these cookies from?" I couldn't dangle cookies in front of him, and not let him eat them, so needless to say he ate a plateful for dinner tonight.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Jana: Ginger Pear Chicken

Although I still have another "egg" recipe I want to try, I decided to go ahead and embrace the new ingredient for February. Rob is on a pear kick, and Callie and I agreed a fruit or vegetable should be in order for this month. And, I know that I should be trying more fruits.

Yesterday I got home earlier than Rob, and I had little work to do, so I pulled up one of the recipes I had marked for Ginger Pear Chicken and was relieved to find I had most of the ingredients. Unfortunately there were no onions in the house (shows how often I'm in the habit of cooking!), so I had to find a substitute. Chose a tablespoon on minced garlic and a tablespoon of onion powder. I also used ground ginger instead of freshly minced... probably a big no-no in the world of gourmet cooking, but hey, I never promised to be gourmet!

Overall this meal was so-so. Probably not one I'll be making again. The sauce was pretty bland. Some of the reviews hinted at this, but usually we err on the side of bland. The pear slices also seemed separate from the rest; they didn't do much to enhance the flavor. Maybe they were the wrong kind of pear. Maybe I should have used real ginger. And, unfortunately the wild rice Rice-a-roni seemed too salty, and the multi-grain rolls seemed too dense. How crappy! 

However, the one positive that came of this (besides the fact that the meal was at least edible!) was that we were impressed with how tender the chicken was. I had never done the whole flour-dredging, browning, and then simmering number with chicken before. It came out as nicely as chicken that had been simmering in the crock-pot all day. And, it really didn't take that long. I will definitely be trying this method again. Any ideas to spice it up?


A note of thanks to Rob... because I took one of his snack pears. I promise I'll buy extras next week!!

Wednesday, February 2, 2011