Pear Crisp

I love a nice warm from the oven crisp. Until this year, I had never tried it using pears. I don't know why, because it tastes fabulous.

You will need a baking dish that holds 2 quarts. I usually use a round glass casserole, but you could use a 9" square baking pan.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit/190 Celsius

Ingredients:
5 cups sliced and peeled pears
1/2 cup oats
1/4 cup oat flour(all purpose flour will also work)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup butter

Peel and slice the pears and spread evenly in the baking dish.
In another bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
Cut in the butter until you get coarse crumbs.
Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the pears.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the pears are tender when pierced with a sharp knife.

Serves 6.

Peaches, Pears, and Apples OH MY

Sunday was a busy day.
There was plenty of picking going on.

My husband, daughter, and I went to my parent's place to pick fruit.
My sister showed up to help too.

Dad has a apple tree with a bumper crop.
A couple pear trees and a couple peach trees too.

The peach are the small white Iowa peaches.
Here is some of what we brought home.

These are not everything either.
The fruit crisper drawer is full of apples and there is a cooler full in the garage.
I have a cooler full of pears that isn't in this pictures.
There is also a huge box of peaches sitting in the back of the truck.
Too full for us to want to move until some of the peaches are gone.

Mom and Dad also have tons at home.

I did make butterscotch peach jam yesterday.

Today I am planning on making applesauce.
I may freeze some apples today too.
Later this week, I will be doing apple butter.

The pears aren't ripe yet.
They don't ripen til picked off the tree.

I am still doing tomatoes too.

One day I need to find time to cook my neck pumpkin.
This I got from a friend.

I'm going to be busy.
But, a good kind of busy.

Pear Bread

If you have never tried pear bread, there is no time like the present. This quick bread is so moist and so yummy that you'll wonder why you haven't tried it sooner.

You will need two 9"x5" loaf pans, greased
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Ingredients:

3 eggs
1-1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cooking oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups peeled,cored and finely chopped pears
1 teaspoon lemon juice

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, cooking oil, and vanilla extract.
Mix in the cinnamon.
Stir in the baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Mix in the flour.
Toss the pears and the lemon juice and add to the batter.
Mix well and divide batter between the 2 pans.
Bake for 55-60 minutes until the loaves test done when checked with a toothpick.
Cool in pans for 10 minutes.
Loosen and turn out onto wire racks to cool.

Makes 2 tasty loaves.

Pear Crunch Pie

If you have never had pear pie before, you are in for a treat. It is similar to apple pie, but there is that subtle difference that says pear.

This version of pear pie has a streusel topping instead of a top crust.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
You will need a 9" pie pan.

Ingredients:
single pastry crust for 9" pie

1/2 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
5 cups peeled and sliced pears
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
7 Tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped nuts-optional

Make pastry and put into pie pan.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
Add the peeled and sliced pears.
Mix to combine and add them to the lined pie pan.
Dot with the 1 Tablespoon butter.
Sprinkle with the lemon juice.
Set aside.
In another bowl,Mix the 1 cup flour, brown sugar,1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and the nutmeg.
Cut in the 7 Tablespoons butter until the mixture is crumbly.
Stir in the nuts if you are using.
Sprinkle this over the top of the pears.
Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 35-40 minutes until the pears are tender.

Serves 6-8.

Yummy!