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Maple-Poached Pears

9/25/2013

I was having coffee with friends last week when I met someone who said “I have so many pears. Can you share a recipe that uses pears?” I told her I would so here it is!

It’s a pretty simple recipe and is from my “ Wake Up and Smell the Coffee” cookbook, one of my favorites. It can be used as a fruit for breakfast or for dessert.

Maple-Poached Pears:
6-8 pears, peeled, cored and cut into quarters
1 cup maple syrup (the real thing is the best)
1/2 cup orange juice
Juice from half a small lemon
Rind from half of an orange, cut into julienne strips, with all white removed.
Fresh mint, chopped, optional

Combine all ingredients, except the mint, in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until pears are tender.

Cool slightly. Pour into a glass serving bowl or individual dishes. Garnish with mint. Can garnish with a dollop of whipped topping .

Serves 4-6

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Chicken Alfredo Casserole

9/18/2013

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Cool Weather Comfort Food!

Now that cool weather is here, I am motivated to use my oven and crock pot to make heartier meals, which to me includes those popular Minnesota Hot Dishes!

Today I am sharing with you a new recipe (new to my family anyway) that I found on Facebook. It’s very easy to put together and only has a few ingredients. Best of all, Pa Lloyd said, “You can make this again!”

Chicken Alfredo Casserole"
2 cups dry pasta (I used plain old macaroni)
Cook according to directions on package, drain
1- 15 oz. jar Alfredo sauce
1 - 2 cups cooked chicken, cubed
1/2 cup chicken broth
5 oz Parmesan cheese, grated
2 cups (1 - 8 oz package) mozzarella cheese
(I used a package of 5 cheese Italian mix )
salt and pepper

Mix cooked pasta, Alfredo sauce, chicken, broth, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper together. Place in a greased 9x13 inch pan. Top with grated mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Next time I make this, I will add a little parsley and a few mushrooms. I am thinking you could substitute shrimp for the chicken to make it a little fancier if you want. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

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Fresh Vegetable Pot

9/11/2013

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End of Summer Veggies

It does have the feel of fall in the air in spite of our very warm humid temperatures! It’s always kind of sad that the fresh produce from local gardens will soon come to an end. On the other hand, the holidays are around the corner and that gives us the opportunity to go through our recipes for those special treats we generally only make during the holidays!

I am sharing a recipe I picked up at a grocery store years ago when we lived in Omaha, Nebraska. It uses up some of those end of summer garden veggies. I hope you enjoy it!

Fresh Vegetable Pot:
1 medium onion, chopped
2 Tbsp butter
1 cup fresh green beans
1/2 cup water
1 green pepper, chopped
6 small zucchini, summer squash or combination
3 ears corn, cut corn off cob
2 large tomatoes, cut in wedges
salt and pepper to taste
fresh parsley or thyme if desired

In large kettle sauté onion in butter, add beans and water, cover and simmer over low heat 10 minutes. Add squash and green pepper, cooking 5-8 minutes or until tender. Add corn, tomatoes, parsley and or thyme, stir gently, heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

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Balsamic Vegetable Salad

9/4/2013

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(Stay) Cool as a Cucumber!

When I was growing up my Mother often used this expression, “Cool as a Cucumber.” With our heat wave this week in mind, I am again submitting a tomato cucumber salad recipe that hopefully will make us feel cool!

This recipe was found in the Taste of Home magazine and is super easy with few ingredients!

Balsamic Vegetable Salad:
3 large tomatoes, cut into wedges
3 medium cucumbers, peeled, halved and sliced
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 Tbsp water
1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix (dry)

In salad bowl, combine tomatoes and cucumbers. In a small bowl whisk the oil, vinegar, water and dressing mix. Pour over vegetables and toss to coat. Chill until ready to serve.

Feel free to customize it with your favorite veggies.

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Author

I'm Kathy Lloyd. I grew up on a farm near Elmore, MN and have lived in Fairmont for over 44 years. I have always loved to cook, even when I was very young. I loved to stay with my Aunt Dorothy during my childhood. She was a great cook and used to give me freedom in the kitchen, teaching me along the way. She made recipes from our Norwegian heritage, along with pies, homemade doughnuts, yeast bread and cinnamon rolls.

Marrying a husband with a hearty appetite and raising 3 sons and 1 daughter gave me plenty of hungry appetites to satisfy! I worked as a nurse for 42 years and have been retired for 11 years. Even though I loved my work, I love having time to spend with my grandchildren, to experiment with new recipes and work with my flowers in the summer. Life has been very good to me, blessing me with my loving family and great friends!

I enjoy sharing my love of cooking and recipes with the readers of the Photo Press! (I have had my share of cooking failures over the years!)

Maple-Poached Pears

Chicken Alfredo Casserole

Fresh Vegetable Pot

Balsamic Vegetable Salad

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