Pear, Gorgonzola & Caramelized Onion Focaccia

It was quite an experience the first time I had a back massage. My masseuse was a sturdy 35-year old woman with tattoos scattered on her arms, shoulder-length dreadlocks and a silver ring pierced through her nose. Her meaty hands pounded my tight muscles into submission as I thought to myself, “pain is beauty…pain is [...]

Pear Vodka Cocktail

When it comes to cocktail recipes, I like to keep things simple. While my favorite celebratory drink is a Lemon Drop Martini, this classic go-to beverage was a perfect way to ring in the New Year. Crisp and lightly fruity, this cocktail was a perfect drink to sip while watching the ball drop with a [...]

Chicken Salad with Pears & Traverse City Cherries

Having grown up just 30 miles south of the self-proclaimed Cherry Capital, I’m no stranger to the sweet and tangy world of cherries. Traverse City is located in the upper western part of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. It’s proximity to the Great Lakes and access to Grand Traverse Bay makes this thriving area a perfect growing [...]

Rustic Blackberry Pie

My friend Jimmy has begged me to make him a blackberry pie for years.  Instead of giving into his wishes, he has received recipe variations that contained blackberries, but never a full pie.  My most classic example was when he begged and begged for a blackberry pie, and I decided Goat Cheese, Blackberry and Pear [...]

Goat Cheese, Blackberry and Pear Bites

When someone offers me a sample of cheese, I perk up and take notice.  So when the folks at Ile De France Cheese asked me if I was interested in trying a sample of their delicious goat cheese, I couldn’t resist the offer. This was the perfect opportunity to feature one of my most favorite [...]

Apple Tart Tatin with Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

This was the dessert for my Saturday Dinner Party. As if the Pesto Goat Cheese Tomatoes, Pear Lettuce Salad, Rosemary Lemon Game Hens, Roasted Vegetables and Savory Couscous weren’t enough; I had to stuff my guests with a delicious and refreshing grand finale. This recipe was one I have come to love and hate at [...]

Pear Lettuce Salad with Maple Dijon Vinaigrette

This was the salad for my Saturday Dinner Party. Ok, I’ll admit it.  There have been very few restaurants in Pittsburgh that have inspired me to recreate a dish I have ordered.  I can see the hate mail filling my inbox now.  You see.  It’s not that I think Pittsburgh restaurants are bad…I just haven’t [...]

Honey, Pear and Gorgonzola Crostini

Remember when I said in my Whole Grain Pasta Salad post that spring was in the air?  Well, I must have been seriously day dreaming.  Even as I write this, large fluffy flakes of snow are falling out my front window.  The walkway already looks like it had never been cleared, and the snow is [...]

Pear Monkey Bread (Pull-Aparts)

Wonder why I haven’t posted or commented in the last few days?  Here’s what I wrote late last night. The pilot just announced we have reached 35,000 feet and are traveling at 125 miles per hour with little turbulence expected.  A comforting statement considering I’m only about 40 minutes into a five hour flight from [...]

Pear Apple Crumb Pie

This recipe was featured in Cooking Club of America’s e-newsletter called Food Now! The article was called Apple Desserts that Make the Top Five. I love a good apple pie recipe just as much as the guy I saw buying six of them at the grocery store. But let’s face it. Sometimes apple pies can [...]

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