A Perfect Pear

[pacificstar]

Well, I just made the receipe from November Cottage Living Magazine called Deep-Dish Maple Pear Pie. I did cheat and make the boxed pie crust mix. But the filling was wonderful. We just had it for desert with some vanilla ice cream. Has anyone else tried some of the recipes in the mags?

[dedavis]

I made the chicken dumpling soup. The recipe says to use refrigerator biscuits. I didn't have any so made biscuit dough from scratch. It was more like a stew--really hearty. I've been on a soup kick lately.

Deb

[Lisa S]

I've been on a soup kick too. I bought my very first grown up piece of cookware yesterday ~ a Dutch oven. I made a delicious beef and vegetable stew. Please share any receipes that call for the use of a Dutch oven... I'm hooked!

[gigiG]

Okay- I need a clue-Dutch oven??? I have heard of this, but don't know exactly what it is? Beef & Veggie stew sounds great!!!!!

I've been on a soup kick too. I bought my very first grown up piece of cookware yesterday ~ a Dutch oven. I made a delicious beef and vegetable stew. Please share any receipes that call for the use of a Dutch oven... I'm hooked!

[Lisa S]

A dutch oven is a heavy duty deep baking dish with a tight fitting lid. I've heard that some people use them over an open fire when they're camping, but they are also used in the kitchen for either stove top or oven cooking. I guess the theory is that they bake from all sides.

[gigiG]

Okay thanks Lisa. I have heard of this before. Sounds like a wonderful kitchen/baking addition.

[Chyna]

They are heavier than sin so just be aware of this before you put it on your stoves. Actually I think they would be more effective in the oven.

I'm intending on trying out that pear dessert and the turkey tettrazine recipe. I'm just being held up by the maple thing.:o

[gigiG]

This caught my eye: "Held up by this Maple thing..." ~ are you talking about Maple Syrup?????
They are heavier than sin so just be aware of this before you put it on your stoves. Actually I think they would be more effective in the oven.

I'm intending on trying out that pear dessert and the turkey tettrazine recipe. I'm just being held up by the maple thing.:o

[pacificstar]

Maybe the Maple sugar? I just used brown sugar and added the maple syrup. It tastes yummy.

I have Le Crequeset cookware and love it. It makes me a better cook.

I went to a friends house last night and she had 2 different soups. One Ministrone and one Squash both great. She made these cute bread baskets too. 1 Piece of pretty paper and rolled it to make a cone and stapled it, then added pretty ribbon from one side to the other and had people drink their soup from a mug and sling the cute bread thing over their wrists with little chunks of bread for dipping. Very clever.

[Chyna]

The maple sugar part. Not even sure where I could find that in my area. I believe they do have a substitution suggestion though so probably will end up going that way.:o

[dedavis]

Gosh, we get maple sugar even out here, but only during the holidays. Sometimes you can find it at the grocery store with the candy or produce. It's not granulated, but comes in lumps shaped like a maple leaf or Santa.

Dutch oven cooking is really popular with the horsey set around here. They take them camping (make the horses carry it), and use them for stewing or baking by settling in the coals of a campfire. Get on Amazon and look up Dutch oven cooking--there are whole books. You can even attend a "Dutch oven for Couples" workshop at the Forest Service traditional skills place in western Montana!

I love cooking with cast iron. I got rid of my non-stick skillets that would start flaking after a couple years and went back to cast iron. Getting it properly seasoned took some time, but there's nothing like it, and I'll have that skillet for the rest of my life. I've always drooled over Le Creuset cookware in catalogs, but the only way I could ever afford it is if I find it at Goodwill. Maybe someday...

Deb

[Lisa S]

I have a cast iron skillet and love it too. You can still pick them up at garage sales for a buck or two. I don't think most people realize how awesome they are!

Thanks for the tips on the cookbooks.

[RoseMary]

My favorite skillet is a square cast iron one that my grandmother gave to me when we got married. I'll never part with it! It makes the best cornbread ever.

I also love to cook with my cast iron Dutch oven on top of my woodstove in the winter. It's especially good for roast with potatoes, onions, and carrots. I'd never really cooked on our wood stove until the ice storm of 2001 when we were out of electricity for 12 days--since then, I've enjoyed it.

[Lisa S]

What a great idea to use a Dutch oven on a wood stove. I mentioned that we're building a little lake cottage... it's located in the Oregon coastal range. The winter weather there is pretty blustery and often snowy (which has me really, really excited!). One of the locals was telling me that we'll need a wood stove for heat and cooking because the power goes off and on all winter. I never would have thought of using the Dutch oven on the wood stove. How cool!

[RoseMary]

It's probably just our imaginations, but we always think whatever we cook tastes better when we cook it on the wood stove:) . I'll be interested to hear more about your lake cottage when you start building!

[pacificstar]

I received some of the Le Cresquet for wedding presents 36 years ago. I had some chips and cracks on some of the pieces and I sent them back to the company and they replaced them with brand new peices. This cookware has a 101 year warranty. I made a wonderful soup this evening in my dutch oven 5 quart.

[Lisa S]

I've seen those ~ they're beautiful!

Rosemary ~ I definately think wood stove cooking is the best. I remember the wood stove that we had in our old Victorian when I was a kid. It looked like a stove but the left half of it was for wood burning ~ I'm sure you've seen them. Everything tasted better on that stove!

[Chyna]

I did the Pear Pie for Thanksgiving and all I can really say is humph. :mad: I think next time I'll use more maple sugar/syrup and no lemon zest. I was really expecting more of a rich maple taste but nada. Oh and when we use up that maple sugar that is it, that stuff is expensive!! The crust was good and the pears were pretty good. Just disappointed that there wasn't more of a maple taste to it. :(

[Memmey]

Rosemary I can smell the soup right now. I bet it makes the house so cozy. Like in the old days. Cooking helped keep the house warm in those days. Hey for that matter it does here to. My house is old and the warmth from the oven makes it so homey. I normally hate winter cause I don't want to get out. I just want to stay home. Not practical though. I know you Northern girls are laughing. It's 40 degrees here and were freezing. I bet you are all outside working the yard at 40 degrees....lol:D

[Lisa S]

Whew! I just came in from waiting for the kindergarden bus and man, is it cold. If we had any presipiation in the air, we would have snow. It's so lovely!

I made potato soup last night. We ate at the living room table so that we could warm up by the fireplace. We don't normally watch t.v. during dinner, but we watched A Christmas Story. So fun!

[Memmey]

Ahhhh I love that show and I love potato soup. So sweet and holiday-ish.:)