Baked Chicken Paprika Garlic

Don’t toss the cooked celery and onions, they make a delicious side dish. (Photo by Charlotte ekker wiggins)

Baked Chicken Paprika Garlic Recipe

Several things before I share this recipe:

1. I am in no way a fancy or accomplished cook. I share my recipes and culinary adventures to encourage the rest of you to get back in the kitchen and make your own food. Not only is it healthier because you know where it came from, but you can make simple delicious recipes and freeze extra for later consumption. And it will give you a nice feeling of accomplishment!

2. If you start looking at cost, you will see that cooking your own meals is less expensive than buying prepared food. Kids will enjoy “playing” with food by helping you cook and you can have fun experimenting together. And

3. My Hungarian father believed any dish was better with paprika, lots and lots of paprika.

4. This dish is even better the second or third day after the paprika and garlic have had a chance to marinate.

5. Don’t toss the cooked celery, onions and garlic, they make a delicious side dish!

6. Start with this basic recipe, then add the seasoning you want to try.

Trying out Penzey’s Baked Spanish-Style Paprika on this baked chicken, (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Bake the chicken and vegetables covered in a 325F oven for 45 minutes to 1 hr.

Paprika Garlic Baked Chicken coming out of the oven. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Baked Chicken Paprika Garlic Recipe

This is for 6 chicken thighs. You can use any other favorite chicken and turkey parts. I like thighs because they are built in portion control, about 3 ounces per thigh without the bone.

You Will Need:

6 chicken thighs

1 large minced onion

6 cut up celery stalks (minimum)

4 teaspoons chicken bouillon

2 teaspoons garlic powder (or one fresh minced garlic)

Paprika sprinkled on both front and back of chicken thighs.

Salt to taste.

To Make:

Remove chicken skin and any attached fat.

Place paprika-dusted thighs in dish. Add onions, garlic powder or fresh garlic, cut up celery and chicken bouillon.

Fill half way with water. Gently mix. Cover with aluminum foil or lid.

Bake at 325F for an hour or until the chicken falls off the bone.

Allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Deboned thigh in 1-inch of juice ready for freezing. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I debone before freezing. I also include about an inch of the juice in the bottom of the container for when it is reheated. The juice helps keep the baked chicken moist.

If you are just starting to cook, pick up a good basic cookbook like the 2007 American Encyclopedia of American Cooking. Learn the basics, then have fun in your kitchen!

Charlotte

Easy Drop Biscuits

Strawberry jam on one of my easy drop biscuits. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Easy Drop Biscuits

It’s been a sweater day most of the day. Oh, it’s spring but we have freezing lows and snow in the forecast, a perfect time to whip up this ever so easy drop biscuit recipe. From beginning to ready to eat, 20 minutes max. And they are delicious still warm!

This is a very old family favorite easy biscuit recipe. There’s no waiting for the dough to rise, no flour to roll out and make a kitchen mess. You can easily change it up to your personal preference and freeze them for later consumption.

Let me put this another way, this is as easy as baking homemade biscuits can get!

Easy Drop Biscuits Recipe

You will need:

2 cups flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup shortening, 1/2 cup butter or a mixture of both*

1 cup milk

All easy drop biscuit ingredients mixed and ready to plop on cookie sheet. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

To make:

Sift or stir the dry ingredients.

Cut in the shortening and/or butter.

Add the milk; mix.

I shaped these in my hand prior to placing on cookie sheet. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Drop onto a cookie sheet in blobs or shape in your hand before placing on the cookie sheet.

Bake at 450F for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.

These are ready to eat. Well, once I take them out of the electric oven! (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Allow to cool before cutting into them or they may fall apart.

Makes 6 large biscuits.

You can individually freeze, then store in plastic freezer bag for later use.

To reheat, try 20 seconds on high per biscuit.

*Drop Biscuits Recipe Options

If you like fast food restaurant biscuits, make all of the 1/2 cup out of butter.

If you want something less rich, make all of the 1/2 cup out of shortening.

If you want to simulate garlic biscuits, add a teaspoon of garlic.

If you want something pretty, brush with an egg wash prior to cooking.

There you go, one of the simplest and easiest biscuit recipe I know and a classic recipe!

Charlotte

Suspiros

Suspiros, also called Meringue sighs, are a light and delicious sweet treat. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Suspiros (Brazilian sighs)

We grew up on an island on the Equator off the coast of Brazil so many of my younger brother’s favorite recipes are from those days.

This is one of them, “suspiros,” which means “sighs” in Portuguese. The hardest part is practicing to get the meringue to form little “kiss” shapes as you place it on the buttered cookie sheet. You can pipe them and shape them to taste, we learned to make these in the form of the “kiss” shape.

Suspiros were special deserts for Easter, weddings and other special occasions including birthdays. To some, they still are a favorite birthday treat.

Suspiro Ingredients

4 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
pinch of salt
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Since we had our own chickens, I thought all egg whites would work. After trying several store purchased options, I prefer fresh home raised eggs.

Eggs from a beekeeping friend were perfect for these suspiros. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I also allow the eggs to get to room temperature so they fluff up when beaten.

Now when we made these in Brazil, it was egg whites, sugar and lemon zest. This recipe provides the sighs a little more substance so they last longer when stored.

Basic Suspiro ingredients with lemon zest and flavor as personal favorite. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Suspiro Directions

1) Place the egg whites and the cream of tartar in the bowl of a standing mixer.
2) Beat the egg whites on medium speed until the egg whites form soft peaks.
3) Gradually add the granulated sugar, while still beating the egg whites. Continue to beat the egg whites until they have increased in volume and are forming stiff peaks. Sift the powdered sugar together with the salt, then add gradually to the egg whites, continuing to beat, until well mixed.
4) Gently drip the vanilla extract into the meringue.
5) Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
6) Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or cover cookie sheet with butter.
7) Pipe the meringue into small swirls onto the parchment-lined cookie sheets, spacing them about 1/2 inch apart. You can also use teaspoons to drop them on cookie sheet in the form of a kiss.
8) Place the cookies in the oven and bake for about 1 hour, checking them every 15 minutes. Once they look crisp and well formed, turn off the heat and let them cool off in the oven for about 2 hours.
9) Serve the suspiros immediately or store them in an airtight container to ensure freshness.

Not exactly cooking wild in Missouri but certainly a memorable sweet treat!

Charlotte

Cauliflower Crust

Cauliflower pizza crust, topped with vegetables, is a scrumptious option. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Cauliflower Crust

I tried my first cauliflower pizza crust and would happily just make the crust to enjoy with a salad. This was a cauliflower pizza crust on a pizza covered in vegetables, my personal favorite.

Turns out cauliflower anything - mashed potato look alike, now pizza crust - are among the two new uses of this vegetable I have traditionally consumed steamed. Maybe mixed with steamed broccoli.

The recipe to make cauliflower crust is also simple so here’s the one I am making.

Cauliflower Pizza Crust Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower, chopped

• 2 large eggs

• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan

• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

To Make:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside.

2. To make the cauliflower crust, add cauliflower to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely ground, yielding about 2-3 cups.*

3. Transfer to a microwave-safe bowl. Cover loosely and place into microwave for 4-5 minutes, or until softened; let cool.

4. Using a clean dish towel or cheese cloth, drain cauliflower completely, removing as much water as possible.

5. Transfer cauliflower to a large bowl. Stir in eggs, mozzarella, Parmesan and Italian seasoning; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

6. Spread cauliflower mixture into a 15- by 10-inch rectangle onto the prepared baking sheet. Spray lightly with nonstick spray and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden.

7. To make into a pizza, pour pizza sauce and desired toppings as well as cheese. Place back in oven 3-5 minutes to melt cheese.

Here’s a piece of a cauliflower pizza crust close up to inspire you. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Frankly I put off trying this pizza crust alternative but glad to know I was wrong to do so.

The more ways we have to consume vegetables and have plant-based diets, the better we will all be.

Charlotte

Yeast Cinnamon Rolls

Finished and ready for tasting, homemade yeast cinnamon rolls! (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Yeast Cinnamon Rolls

I suspect the first yeast cinnamon rolls were made in the middle of cold, harsh winter. If not, they should have been. Is there a better way to warm up than yeast cinnamon rolls right out of the oven?

This is a recipe I have wanted to try for several years. I would buy the active yeast, then lose it somewhere in my kitchen cabinets. By the time I found it, it was ready for the compost pile.

Not this year.

I bought the active yeast and pinned it to my refrigerator with a magnet. But then mid-mixing, I couldn’t find my white flower so I made this recipe was made with 2 cups white flour and 5 cups wheat flour. Makes it sound healthier, doesn’t it? The new bag of white flour was in the freezer.

No, I’m not losing it, I deliberately stored it there.

I also didn’t brush the inside with melted butter. Cutting calories wherever I can without changing the overall flavor.

Yeast Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

2 packages Active yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 cup butter

1 tablespoon salt

7 cups flour

1 cup warm water

1 cup scalded milk'

1/2 cup sugar

4 eggs well beaten

To make:

Feed me sugar, said the yeast packet in warm water. It should be bubbling. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Dissolve yeast in water and 1 tablespoon sugar. If you don’t see bubbles within 5 minutes or so, the yeast is no longer active. Try another pack.

Scald milk. Add 1/2 cup sugar, salt and butter. Cool to lukewarm.

Add 2 cups flour and mix well.

Add yeast mixture and eggs, stir well.

Add enough flour as needed to make stiff dough. Knead on floured surface until no longer sticky.

Place in well greased blow. Turn to grease top. Cover and let ruse until double in size.

Surprisingly satisfactory to punch the dough. Cheap therapy. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Punch down and divide in 2 parts. Roll each out in oblong shape. Brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar. I made one part with brown sugar, the other with white sugar and cinnamon.

Roll up as for jelly roll.

This takes a little skill so as not to tear the dough. The key is to go slow. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Cut into one inch slices.

Yeast cinnamon roll slices ready to once again rise before baking. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Place on well greased plan or cookie sheet. LET RISE UNTIL DOUBLE.

All ready for the pre heated oven! (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Bake at 375F for 15-20 minutes.

When cool, top with powdered sugar icing.Makes about 3 dozen rolls.

Aren’t these pretty just as they are? (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

And because I made so many, I froze most of them individually. They freeze well and can easily be warmed in the microwave, possibly because of the wheat flour. They also easily fill you up as opposed to all white flour ones.

Nice recipe to add to a Write Your Own Cookbook gift set!

Charlotte

Christmas Sugar Cookies

Some of the finished decorated Christmas cookies, some are works of art! (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Christmas Sugar Cookies

I was trying to remember how many years I have been making Christmas sugar cookies; it definitely goes back to when I had single digits for my age.

When we were growing up in South America, we made sugar cookies to leave for Santa and the reindeer. Dad got some as well. As I recall, sugar cookies were one of his favorites.

As a big sister to three siblings, we also made sugar cookies over the holidays as gifts for friends as well as to enjoy. They came in especially handy as we were setting up the huge model railroad train layout under and around the Christmas tree. They were also a favorite breakfast Christmas morning.

During my married years, sugar cookies were made for gift baskets we gave away to coaches, teachers, friends - whoever made our year special. We also made gingerbread cookies over the years, making good use of the cookie cutter collection I still use. I hear my step kids continue this tradition with their kids.

Now Mary, my sister-in-law in Minnesota, made my cookie making pale compared to hers. She baked cookies every month for her church, and when it came to Christmas. Well, let’s just say it was an impressive assembly line.

I was able to snag her recipe the year before I gave everyone in the family a handmade recipe book. Not a small feat because this is not any sugar cookie recipe, this is “Grandma Green’s Sugar Cookies recipe. What makes it special, besides coming from Grandma? Unlike most other sugar cookie recipes, this one is not too sweet, making it a nice back drop for adding icing.

It is also a generous recipe so you may want to cut it in half if you just want a couple dozen.

Mary’s Grandma Green’s Sugar Cookies Recipe

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup shortening

1 teaspoon soda

1 cup sour cream or milk

2 teaspoons lemon extract

2 teaspoons baking powder

3 well-beaten eggs

6 cups flour

To Make:

Cream shortening and sugar. Sift dry ingredients together and set aside. Add milk, flavorings and eggs to shortening/sugar. Add flour. Mix well. Drop or roll out and cut with cookie cutters. Decorate with decorative sugar, raisins or other bake-able additions. Bake at 350F for 8-10 minutes.

After cooled, these sugar cookies are ready for decorating. And sampling. I truly believe any baked goods need to be carefully and deliberately sampled. Quality control. Reindeer can be very picky!

This is the sugar cookie assembly line I walked into the last time I was in Minnesota for Christmas:

The dining room table is full of sugar cookie icings and decorations. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

There were four people at work when I walked in. My brother Steve joined us at some point, which means the cookie decorating took on a whole new meaning. Besides the decidedly orange “Ilini” theme, some of the cookies turned into spaceships and amoeba. That’s what you get when you have a geneticist being creative with sugar cookies.

Mine had a cat theme, as I recall. The tails kept disappearing on my brother’s side of the table so mine were deemed only for family consumption.

There was a lot of talking and laughing, and even Michael and Rachel stopped arguing long enough to agree on cookie icing colors.

Nephew Michael and Niece Rachel were very particular about cookie icing colors. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Michael is now engaged living in a warmer climate; Rachel has just graduated from college and plans to see Michael over the holidays.

You can take this recipe, add a few favorite cookie cutters and edible decorations, and make a nice Christmas gift for that baker on your gift list. We have one for gingerbread cookies.

I hope Michael and Rachel have time to make at least one batch of Christmas sugar cookies when they are together. It’s a delicious way to bake new memories!

Charlotte

Jack O Lantern Pumpkin Pie

Jack O Lantern Pumpkin Pie filing served as a desert with a drizzle of honey. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Jack O Lantern Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Actually this is a basic pumpkin pie recipe you can use with a variety of pumpkins, I have tried it with all of the following:

Canned pumpkin, which is a mix of pumpkin and squash. The traditional pumpkin pie.

Cushaw pumpkin, the original native North American pumpkin most likely served at the first Thanksgivings between the Native American Indians and European settlers. More of a light custard-kind of filing.

Baking pumpkins, which have a more dense consistency compared to

Jack O Lantern pumpkins, which is lighter than baking pumpkins and also can be baked and turned into a pumpkin pie or desert. I’m pretty sure these are Jack O Lantern pumpkins in this Four Seasons Lap Quilt and Wall Hanging, don’t you think?

Baking the Pumpkins

Regardless of what kind of pumpkin you use, wash it; cut open; remove seeds; fill with water and bake at 325F until you can prick it with a fork.

Allow to cool. Remove the inside pulp. I saved mine in 13 ounce servings in a jar in the refrigerator. Or you can freeze in similar quantities for easy use later.

Basic Pumpkin Pie Recipe

2 eggs, slightly beaten

16 oz. pumpkin

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon gloves

1 2/3 cups (13 fluid ounces) evaporated milk or light cream

To make: Mix the ingredients in the order listed. I use my beater on low speed.

This is baked and blended Jack O Lantern pumpkin getting mixed in the traditional pie recipe. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

You can pour into a 9” unbaked pie shell with a high fluted edge - the filing will rise a little. I bake mine in bread pans.

If in a pie shell, bake in preheated 425F oven for 15 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350F and bake for another 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in center of pie filing comes out clean. Cool. Garnish with whipped cream and serve.

If you are baking just the pie filing, bake at 325F for 45 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.

I bake the pumpkin filling in bread pans without a pie crust. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I fill my bread pans half full. You can fill it fuller but it may take longer to cook all of the way through.

This is the baked Jack O Lantern Pumpkin pie filing cooling off. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

So the question most people ask, what does it taste like?

Jack O Lantern Pumpkin pie tastes like - well, pumpkin pie. A lighter, more custardy version than the canned version that is in even better cold the second day.

The baking pumpkin has a little more body to the baked pumpkin filing but not much difference otherwise.

The Cushaw pumpkin pie is lighter than both so I tend to add a few more seasonings.

All are delicious and make both a great desert and, my brothers favorite, next day breakfast. If there is any left!

Charlotte

Versatile Butter Cookies Recipe

Stacking cookies in the tin almost doubles the amount you can include. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Versatile Butter Cookies Recipe

Whenever my gardening friend Tom helps me in my garden, I know exactly how to thank him. He loves these butter cookies rolled out as thin as possible without any embellishments. The last time I gave him a tin he said he enjoys a couple at the end of the day with a cup of coffee, out of his mother’s lovely floral hand painted ceramic cup he once brought over to my house. I do have dibs on that cup if he ever tires of it!

So when a truckload of horse manure found its way next to the mulch piles he brought me last year, I knew it was time to dust off this recipe.

Only one problem.

When I made these last year, it was before my cataract surgery so I must have misread the ingredients, particularly the amount of flour. Now that I have better eyesight, I followed the recipe exactly and had to toss out the first batch, it was much too thick to even roll out. I suspect I was a little too free with the flour measuring so it’s not the recipe’s fault!

I have a tendency to throw things together and then try to remember what I did later when it works out well so this was no surprise. What was challenging was trying to find the right flour amounts to keep these butter cookies thin and crispy.

Hummm, this just reminded me of a Christmas sugar cookie discussion about whether people like their Christmas sugar cookies thick or thin. It is almost a matter of principle.

Oh, and no surprise that I made a couple other adjustments to this recipe, right? I will list your options so you can try these out and find the one you like.

These are buttery but not sweet so if you want to decorate with icing, sugar sprinkles or a simple glaze those will not overwhelm the cookie.

These basic recipes are out of my mother’s Betty Crocker cookbook. They are also available in American Cooking Illustrated Encyclopaedia, the closest cookbook I have found to the tried and true Betty Crocker versions.

Pick up tin cans in summer to repurpose for cookie giving the rest of the year. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Basic Butter Cookies Recipe

Beat until creamy:

1 cup soft butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

Stir in 3 teaspoons flavoring (vanilla, lemon, almond, chocolate and so forth)

Sift together and stir in

3 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

Chill dough. Roll very thin. Cut into desired shapes. Place on ungreased cooking sheet.

Bake at 425F until delicately browned.

Makes abut 7 dozen 2” cookies.

Charlotte’s Butter Cookies Recipe Revised

If you like your cookies thicker, keep the 3 cups of flour but I preferred 2.5 cups. Make sure the butter and flour are well mixed before chilling. Chilling well made it easy to roll the dough as thin as I wanted it.

If you want something less buttery, substitute vegetable shortening and increase the flavoring to 4 teaspoons.

To glaze, brush mixture of 1 egg yolk and 2 tablespoons of water over top.

You can also easily add sprinkles before cooking.

Allow to cool completely before icing.

Easily turn a cookie cutter into a gift box bow using a small ribbon. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Nice Gift Idea

These butter cookies, by the way, are a nice little gift for a variety of occasions. Tie them to a theme using cookie cutters.

You can also make them into a gift by using a theme cookie cutter and adding the recipe with the cookie cutter tied with a nice bow.

I suppose you could just give the cookie cutter with the recipe, too, but make a batch, that way you can enjoy a few yourself and the recipient will be enticed to make their own.

Charlotte

Basic Homemade Biscuits

Basic homemade biscuits cooling off on cookie rack. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Basic Homemade Biscuits

This is one of those must have basic recipes that takes less than 5 minutes to make and, once baked, can be frozen for later use.

I like these in winter but I keep a supply handy in the freezer all year for visitors who want to share a cup of tea with really fresh honey and strawberry jam.

Basic Homemade Biscuit Recipe

Sift together:

2 cups all purpose flour

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

Add 1/4 cup shortening and use two knives to cut it into small pieces.

Add 3/4 cup milk.

Mix gently, then roll out onto floured board. Cut into 3/4” biscuits.

Bake at 400F for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.

Allow to cool on cookie rack.

To freeze, I place the biscuits on cookie rack in freezer. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Place cookie rack in freezer to individually freeze biscuits. Store in freezer bag.

To defrost, place in microwave for 30 seconds or allow to defrost at room temperature.

You can turn these biscuits into breakfast if you like gravy, or make your own breakfast sandwich with an omelet or scrambled eggs.

Or so I hear. I haven’t moved past adding honey from my apiary or strawberry jam from our local farmer’s market.

These basic recipes are the foundation of cooking. You will find others in our American Cooking Illustrated Encyclopaedia.

Maybe I will get adventurous this winter.

Charlotte

Baked Pears in Honey Recipe

Ripe bartlett pears from my garden ready to bake after I drizzle fresh honey over them.

Baked Pears in Honey Recipe

The first batch of freshly picked Bartlett pears have safely arrived at their destination and have been rated “yumm” by one of my brothers. It has become an annual family tradition when I have fresh Bartlett pears to share. After seasoning them to start ripening, I carefully wrap each one in newspaper and bubble wrap and ship them off, timing them to arrive with at least a couple of them ripe enough to eat right out of the box. I know my brothers, they aren’t going to wait to have them cooked.

These are not just any Bartlett pears. These are pears not from a farm but from the semi-dwarf pear tree I planted by my driveway in 1983. I completely forgot I even had the tree until 2010, when the first crop of pears covered my driveway. Wasps had pollinated the tree that spring. That was also the year I added two bee hives to my garden, which looking back now appears redundant. Between the bees and wasps, the Stark Brothers pear tree has provided varying crops of pears every year. In 2012, the year of a drought, it was just one but it was quite a large pear. Now I know to pinch off some of the flowers to encourage yearly fruiting.

The squirrels in my garden have developed a taste for pears so it’s a race between who will get more pears by the time they are ready to pick. Squirrels, I have learned, don’t mind eating very green pears so they have a head start on the count. By the time the fruit was ready to pick this year, I used a light bulb changer and removed every single remaining fruit. They are now sitting in baskets in my cold utility room to get the ripening process started. Pears ripen from the inside, not on the tree.

This year, I also added a small container of honey to the pear packages so my brothers and their families could enjoy baked pears in honey. The recipe is easy and delicious.

Here are the instructions that went with the pears, including the recipe:

Bluebird Gardens Bartlett Pears 2017

These pears have survived daily squirrel assaults to be a treat on your table.

After getting picked, they were seasoned in 60F temperature for a week to start the ripening process. Pears ripen from the inside.

Once you receive yours, place a couple in the enclosed brown bag with an apple so the apple ethylene gases will complete the ripening. A pear is ripe when you gently press the top with a thumb and find it soft to the touch.

Bartlett pears with honey baked, cooled and ready to taste. 

Baked Pears with Honey Recipe

Cut the pears in half and place on a baking sheet (I cut a sliver off the other end so they sat upright).  Leave the skin on.

Using a measuring spoon or melon baller, scoop out the seeds.

Sprinkle with cinnamon and drizzle 1/2 teaspoon honey over each one. You can also add walnuts in the scooped out center.

Bake in the oven 30 minutes.  Enjoy!

Charlotte

The Secret to Soft Chewy Cookies

The back of Nestle's Tollhouse Cookie Chips bag doesn't tell you this but, like even meals cooked at the White House, there is a secret to making soft, chewy cookies.

After mixing the cookie batter, place in the refrigerator overnight. The resting gives ingredients a chance to blend together.

When baked, your cookies will come out soft and chewy.

They really should add this to the recipe; it makes all the difference in the cooked cookie!

Charlotte