I wanted to create a really hearty yet sophisticated dessert using some beautiful seasonal pears that I had on hand.  As I’ve mentioned before, I love making up a good crisp or cobbler recipe on the fly!  I thought that honey would be a wonderful flavor to pair with the pears, and with a subtle hint of spices and some toasty walnuts on top, this Honey Pear Crisp turned out absolutely perfect.

Honey Pear Crisp

3-4 large pears, peeled and thinly sliced
4 tablespoons salted butter, divided
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
a pinch of ginger
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Grease a small oven-safe dish – an 8×8″ square will work fine.

Layer the pear slices in the prepared dish. Dot the top with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Drizzle the honey over the top of the pears.

In a small bowl, combine the rest of the butter, the oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and ginger. Use a fork or a pastry blender to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the pears. Finally, sprinkle the walnuts on top.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the topping is browned and the filling is bubbly. Serve warm with whipped cream, ice cream, or frozen yogurt.

I’ve made this nice cozy breakfast bread several times this season.  A slice of this bread is absolutely perfect with a cup of coffee or tea on a chilly morning.  It is packed full of tart apples, juicy cranberries, and toasty walnuts – with barely enough spiced batter to hold it all together!

Apple-Cranberry Bread
adapted from AllRecipes.com

3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup spiced rum or apple juice
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamom (substitute with cinnamon if you don’t have this)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups of apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
3/4 cup walnuts

In  a small bowl, cover the cranberries with the spiced rum.  Cover and allow to sit for at least 1 hour (overnight is best).  Drain and discard the liquid.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a large loaf pan (or 4 mini loaf pans).  Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar, and oil.  In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture, stirring just until combined.

Gently fold in the drained cranberries, the apples, and the walnuts.  Spread the batter into the prepared loaf pan(s).  Bake for 55-60 minutes for one large loaf; 40-45 minutes for four smaller loaves.

I’m not sure what it is about this appetizer, but for some reason, men seem to always love it!!!  It’s been a favorite of my husband’s for a long time.  There is something so unique about the mixture of the salty cured ham and the sweet chunks of melon.  It makes a wonderfully light and fresh addition to any menu!

Prosciutto-Wrapped Melon

12 ounces of cantaloupe, cut into bite-sized pieces
12 ounces of honeydew melon, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 lb. prosciutto ham, very thinly sliced
Toothpicks

Wrap each piece of melon with a slice of prociutto and secure with a toothpick.  Garnish with extra fruit, if desired.

Aaaahhh, the end of the summer. Tomorrow marks the first day of fall here in Georgia. Last night, the hubs and I enjoyed such a lovely evening at my parents’ house in Atlanta. And Nanny herself was there with one of her famous pies.

I admit it, dear readers: I’ve been holding out on you.

I’ve been saving some of the best of the best recipes in my family . . . saving them for a rainy day. Well, I’m not sure whether you’ve heard, but it’s raining buckets here in drought-ridden North Georgia, so it’s about time for me to share one of these precious gems with you all!

My sweet grandmother “Nanny” is famous for her pies. In the summertime, it’s all about the blueberries . . . Nanny’s fresh blueberry pie is delicious enough to bring tears to your eyes . . . and yet so wonderful in its simplicity. I think that most of Nanny’s recipes shine through in their beautiful simplicity – truly highlighting the fresh ingredients without need for masking them with a myriad of distracting flavors.

So here is my gem for you today, dear readers, as the rain pours down over Georgia. Happy autumnal equinox – have a slice of pie!

Nanny’s Fresh Blueberry Pie

Pastry:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 ounces of shortening
2 ounces of ice cold water

Filling:
4 cups fresh blueberries
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoons butter

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

For the pastry, sift together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add shortening and blend with pastry blender until the mixture reaches the consistency of small peas. Add ice water and chop mixture with a knife. Mix with your hand until a soft ball forms. Separate into halves. Take the first piece and roll in extra flour. Line a 9″ pie pan with the first half, leaving a small overlap around the edges of the pie dish. Repeat with the second half of the dough, and set aside.

For the filling, mix flour, sugar, and salt. Sprinkle 1/4 of this mixture on the uncooked bottom crust. Add blueberries. Sprinkle the remainder of the sugar mixture on top. Sprinkle with lemon juice, and dot with the butter. Flute the top crust, pinching it to the bottom crust.

Bake for 15 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 350 degrees, and bake for about 25-30 more minutes, until the berries are tender. Cool before slicing and serve with vanilla ice cream.

This sweet is a real treat, y’all.

This recipe comes from my Nanny – my mom’s mom. Mom says that her best memories of this “cake” come from her childhood. Nanny and Poppy would have a few other couples over for cocktails and a light late supper, while everyone’s kids were already in bed at home with sitters.

Nanny would make this Frozen Lemon Cake for dessert. She made it in those old-fashioned ice cube trays, with the cube insert taken out. She would slice it up and serve it to her guests late at night. Then the next morning, my mom and her sisters would wake up, hoping against hope that a little corner might be leftover for them. Of course, there usually was . . . I like to think that Nanny sliced it that way on purpose.

This frozen treat is light, fluffy, creamy, and it melts in your mouth just perfectly. It’s just sweet enough, with a wondurfully cool and refreshing lemon flavor. It’s like a little taste of the clouds that angels sit on in heaven.

Frozen Lemon Cake
adapted from Nanny’s recipe

1 cup crushed graham crackers, divided
2 tablespoons butter, melted
3 eggs, separated
1 lemon (all juice and all zest)
½ cup sugar
1 cup whipping cream
4 tablespoons sugar, divided

Combine 3/4 cup of the crushed graham crackers with the melted butter, stirring until a crumbly loose mixture forms. Line the bottom of an 8×8-inch pan with the mixture.

In a bowl set over hot water (not boiling) mix egg yolks, lemon juice, lemon zest, and sugar.Stir constantly until the mixture thickens. At this point Nanny’s instructions say “Keep cool.” – this is because it will take about 10 minutes for the mixture to thicken. Cute. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool.

Beat egg whites until light and fluffy. Gradually add 2 tablespoons sugar and continue to beat until glossy, stiff peaks form. Next, beat whipped cream until fluffy, and gradually add 2 tablespoons sugar. Then, gently fold all three mixtures together.

Spread the mixture in the pan over the prepared crust. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of crushed crackers. Place in freezer for at least 3 hours. When you’re ready to serve, remove from the freezer, and cut into squares and plate them. Then allow to melt ever so slightly – about 4-5 minutes. Serve immediately.

When people find out that I have a food blog, they wonder why I do what I do. They often say, “Really?! A whole blog just about recipes and food?”

To which I answer, “Yes, a whole blog just about recipes and food.”

We food bloggers all have our reasons for doing what we do. For me, it’s about reaching out to people around the world and connection with them through the shared experience of food. It’s about coming together around the dinner table as a family, as friends, even as an internet community. It’s just pretty darn cool that someone in Oregon made my mom’s squash casserole for so that their kids would enjoy eating vegetables . . or that someone in England made my zucchini bread for a neighbor who had surgery . . . or someone in Chicago make my mother-in-law’s chicken squares to prove to her boyfriend that she could actually cook.

But as much as it is for others that we do what we do, I think we food bloggers have to admit that we do it for ourselves, too. There is something about this blog that feeds my soul, that grounds me, that inspires me. It’s an escape for me, but it’s also something that centers me and defines me. These recipes are part of my most sacred and precious memories – they are part of my family.

But despite all this . . . for the most part, we food bloggers don’t “get personal.” And I think that’s why this food blogger’s story struck such a chord with me.

You need to go read Jess’ story to truly understand. But in some strange way, blogging about “just food and recipes” has a way of strengthening us and providing that nourishment in life that only the exercise of creativity and community can provide, so that we have the courage to face the big life challenges that present themselves in “the real world.”

So . . . Jess, this banana bread is for you! I know you say it’s a food of departure, but here’s hoping that this post will be a warm and comforting welcome home, as well . . .

And, dear readers, think of this as your little reminder that miracles happen every day – sometimes in the kitchen, and sometimes out there in our everyday lives.

Banana Bread with Cinnamon Crumble Topping
Adapted from Sweet Amandine via Bakesale Betty, as seen in Bon Appetit, September, 2008

1 ½ cups flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium bananas)
2 large eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup honey (local is best!)
¼ cup water

2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 ½ tablespoons packed golden brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts (my addition – totally optional)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees; grease well and flour a 9×5 inch loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, whisk the mashed bananas, eggs, oil, honey, and water until smooth. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and stir just until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Mix together the 2 tablespoons of sugar, the brown sugar, the cinnamon, and the walnuts. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the batter.

Bake the bread for about 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 30 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.

Big Brother’s Birthday Cake

Cake
2 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 cup milk
5 egg whites

Lemon Curd
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup cold water
6 egg yolks (save 2 whites for the icing!)
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

White Mountain Frosting
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 egg whites
1 teaspoons vanilla

For the cake:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease and flour two 9-inch round pans with butter and flour (seriously, don’t skip the flour!).

Sift together the dry ingredients and set aside.

Beat the butter in with an electric mixer. Add the sugar and the vanilla, and continue to beat until fluffy. Gradually add the dry ingredients and the milk, alternately, starting and ending with the flour.

Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into the batter. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans, like so . . .

Then bake for 25-30 minutes, until cake springs back when gently touched near the center.

For the lemon curd:
Combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan. Add the water and whisk in the egg yolks, lemon peel, and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly, boiling the mixture for one minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Strain the mixture and cool to room temperature.

For the frosting:
In a small saucepan, combine the corn syrup, sugar, and water. Cover and apply medium heat until the mixture reaches a rolling boil. Do not stir, but uncover and continue to boil until the mixture reaches 242 degrees on a candy thermometer and/or the mixture spools 6-8-inch threads when drizzled from a spoon.

Meanwhile, whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Very gradually stream the hot sugar mixture into the egg whites, beating constantly, until thick and glossy. Add the vanilla and continue to beat until desired consistency is reached.

To assemble the cake, put half of the lemon curd over the first layer. Top with the second layer, and ice the entire outside with the frosting. Serve with the extra lemon curd on the side.

Don’t you just love how shiny and gorgeous the icing is?

Sources: The cake and curd recipes come from my sister-in-law. The frosting is from my tried and true, vintage Betty Crocker cookbook.

We’re in high season right now for peaches. We’ve got so many that we can barely eat them before they start to go soft! I took a batch that was just on the verge of ruin and used them to make this delectable bread.

This is a combination of 2 recipes I saw online and one that I found in an old cook book. Some recipes seemed to prefer pureed peaches in the batter, while others featured diced chunks of peaches throughout the bread. I chose not to choose – I incorporated them both for an extra peachy punch! The sugar-roasted pecans on top give the crust a great crunch, rounding out the soft, moist, juicy inside of this perfectly summery bread.

Peach & Pecan Bread

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup pureed peaches
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 2/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 cup peeled, diced peaches

1/4 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in peach puree and extracts.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Stir in pecans and diced peaches.

Pour into a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan. Combine remaining pecans with brown sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle this topping over batter.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool or 10 minutes in the pan before removing to a wire rack.

As many of you may remember, the hubby and I took a trip to Jekyll Island a few weeks ago. While we were there, we enjoyed some delicious key lime pie – which got me thinking – why don’t I make my own key lime pie? Can I even get key limes in the grocery store here in North Georgia?

Well, the answer is yes, I can! My dear father in law picked me up a bag of key limes from the grocery store last week and delivered them into my care on the condition that I make him a pie. I was glad to accept his offer!

The pie turned out beautifully – tart and creamy, complimented by a perfect graham crust and a generous dollop of freshly whipped cream. Perfection!

Key Lime Pie
adapted from epicurious.com

1 1/s cups graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted

1 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
4 large egg yolks
2/3 cup Key lime juice
1 teaspoon key lime zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup chilled heavy whipping cream, whipped until soft peaks form

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a medium bowl. Pour over the melted butter and stir until the mixture comes together in a rough ball. Press the mixture evenly into a 9″ pie dish so that it lines the bottom and sides of the dish.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk and the egg yolks until thoroughly combined. Add the lime juice, zest, and vanilla, and continue to whisk until the mixture thickens slightly. Pour the filling into your prepared pie shell.

Bake in the middle of your oven for 15 minutes. Cool the pie completely on a rack before covering it and putting it in the refrigerator to chill for at least 8 hours.

Serve chilled, and top each piece with the freshly whipped cream.

There is nothing better on a summer morning than freshly baked blueberry muffins made with perfectly ripe berries at the peak of their season. I’m taking advantage of this time of year to test out a few different muffin recipes so that I can pick out my favorite. It’s so difficult with all the fun varieties out there to pick a favorite – these are tender and buttery, fluffy and moist on the inside with a nice crispy top – absolutely heavenly. But I also like my blueberry streusel muffins, too!! I think both recipes have earned a place in my muffin rotation!

Blueberry Muffins
adapted from the Secrets of Jesuit Breadmaking

1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees, and grease a 12-tin muffin pan.

Cream together the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, blending completely.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Measure the vanilla into the milk in a measuring cup. With your mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and the milk mixture alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour (because that’s the way my momma taught me!). Mix just until blended, and then gently fold in the blueberries.

Divide the batter evenly in the muffin cups, filling them almost full. Bake for 25 minutes, until lightly golden brown. The muffins should spring back when you gently poke the tops with your fingertip. Cool in the tins for 10 minutes before removing them to a rack. Enjoy with a cup of coffee or Earl Grey tea!