Poached Pear Pie

Last weekend, I received four beautiful Bartlett pears in my produce share. I love pears, but they always seem to go bad before I get around to eating them. So this time I decided to make them into a pie to avoid such a terrible fate, remembering that my mom made a similar decision last Christmas.

This pie is different in the one my mom made. I stumbled upon one pie online that poached the pears in wine and spices and I decided to try that approach. As you're on the hunt for a pie for your Thanksgiving table you should definitely consider adding this pie to your spread. Beyond the fact that this pie is absolutely delicious, you should make this pie for the wonderful smell that engulfs your kitchen during the poaching process. It smells like the holidays.

Still not convinced? The day after I made this pie a coworker asked for the recipe to use as her entry in a pie bake off contest at work. I thought that would be it for my involvement, until I was asked to be a judge for the bake off. So on my lunch break, I sat on a panel of three judges and tasted 10 pies. It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it. :) My coworker put her own spin on the pie and added fresh cranberries and brought home the second place prize. (And no, I didn't rig the contest, the pie was just that good!)

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Poached Pear Pie

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup sweet red wine
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tablespoon whole cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4-5 pears
1 cup fresh cranberries
2 teaspoons cornstarch.

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Peel, core and quarter all the pears.

In a large pot, combine the water, wine, sugar, vanilla, and spices and bring to a boil.

Once boiling, place the pears in the liquid and reduce the heat to medium. Simmer for 20 minutes uncovered turning the pears once midway.

After 20 minutes, or when the pears are tender, remove the pears and place in a chilled bowl to cool. Also remove the cinnamon and cloves from the liquid and discard.

Return the liquid to a boil and cook until it has been reduced to about 3/4 cup. At this point whisk in the 2 teaspoons of cornstarch to thicken into a syrup.

Pour into a measuring cup and let cool.

Once the pears are cool enough to handle, cut the quarters into cubes.

Line the pie place with the bottom crust and spread the pear cubes and cranberries out evenly.

Pour the syrup reduction over the pears as evenly as possible and top with pats of butter.

Place the top crust, either whole with slits cut in or latticed like in the picture at the top of this post. (Note: I needed larger slits!)

Bake in the oven for 40 minutes or until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbly.

Be sure to let cool before cutting into the pie, no matter how delicious it tastes or your pie slice will fall apart, not that I speak from experience!

Source: Adapted from the Queens Notebook

A Thrasher Family Thanksgiving

So, I initially thought, foolishly I might add, that I would be able to post this last night, then this afternoon, now it's past midnight and I am just now getting to write this post. I think that's just how it goes when you're home for the holidays with family: everyone else knows just how you should fill your time! This post is not about food, at least not directly, but given that Thanksgiving is usually all about food I thought I'd share how my family, the Thrashers, chose to spend our holiday.

My grandfather, Dede, in front of our family tailgate sign.

A little over 60 years ago, my grandfather, JW Thrasher (or Dede as we grandchildren call him) decided to pack up his bags in West Texas and make his way south to attend Texas A&M University in College Station. From that point forward, the Texas A&M v. Texas football game was a crucial component to the Thrasher family Thanksgiving tradition. This Thanksgiving was possibly the last Thanksgiving day game that these long time rivals will meet on the football field to battle for bragging rights of who has the better team. 

My dad, Mike, is the grill master at all tailgate parties.

I honestly feel sad as I write those words. I literally have never known a Thanksgiving where my family didn't watch or go to this game. In fact, when Robert and I married, we determined what years we would be with my family for Thanksgiving based on when the game was played in College Station so that we could continue going with my family! I still can't imagine what Thanksgiving with my family will look like in two years. I guess we'll have to invent a new tradition!

Robert and Dede making their plates.

In light of this year's game being the last, my dad decided that we would tailgate with steaks and baked potatoes and enjoy the gameday atmosphere like we do every other game rather than trying to have a big turkey lunch then get on the road when everyone else from Austin is headed that way. (Yes, I grew up near Austin. Yes, I'm became an Aggie, there are a few of us!) I loved this decision! With this game being such an essential part of Thrasher Thanksgivings past, it only seemed fitting that we would send the last one out with a big bang!

Bonfire Memorial

After our huge steak lunch, and watching a little NFL football on the TV, Robert and I decided to take a walk around campus to try to work off some of those calories. I decided to take my camera along and take some pictures of my beloved alma mater. I've chosen a few to share, although there are way too many favorites to be able to show!

Century Tree

While the game ultimately did not go in our favor, I still enjoyed getting to share the last A&M v. Texas game with my Dede ('52), my dad ('80) and Robert ('07). Oh and we let Reid, a senior at Texas and Robert's cousin join us. He was nice so we didn't make him walk home after the loss. :)

Pennies at Sul Ross Statue for good luck on exams

Today we had our regular Thanksgiving turkey dinner with all the fixins with a full house.  I've been helping prepare all day, hence the late post. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends. Thanks for letting me share some memories from mine.

Robert and I at halftime

Fighting Texas Aggie Band

Roasted Acorn Squash

Can you believe that Thanksgiving is only 4 days away? I'm certainly struggling to believe that is the case. In fact, it was just over a week ago that I realized it was almost past time to firm up my time off from work for the holiday. In my mind I still had plenty of time. I feel like each and every passing year goes by more quickly than the one before it. Maybe that's just part of growing up.

Many of you will be tasked with cooking and planning a menu for Thanksgiving dinner in just a few short days, and for some of you it will be your first time in charge. Keeping that in mind I would like to present you with this recipe for Roasted Acorn Squash, a side dish that is relatively healthy, takes only 10 minutes to prep and leaves your hands and mind free to work on more hands on dishes during it's hour roast in the oven.

So if you've been tasked with bringing a vegetable side, look no further than this quick, elegant, and tasty dish for your choice. You will certainly impress your family and friends that you chose to think outside of the green bean casserole, candied yams, etc that, while classics, can be a bit tired and certainly rich for those trying their hardest not to gain that extra pound this holiday season.

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Roasted Acorn Squash


Ingredients
1 acorn squash
1 tablespoon softened butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup water

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cut the acorn squash in half and discard the seeds and strings.

Rub the butter over each squash half.

Place in a baking dish and top with brown sugar and cinnamon and add the water to the bottom of the dish.

Cover with foil and bake for 50 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes more.

Remove from the oven and let cool before serving.