Pear Crisp

 

FOR THE FILLING:

• 3 pounds ripe but firm Bartlett pearspeeled, sliced into 1/2-inch slices
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp EACH ginger, cardamom, salt

FOR THE TOPPING:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 finely chopped pecans
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp EACH nutmeg, salt
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Grease an 8×8 baking pan or 9-inch cast-iron skillet with softened butter; set aside.
• To make the topping: Add all of the topping ingredients to a large bowl except the butter and stir until combined. Pour in the melted butter and stir with a spatula to combine then use your hands to combine until the mixture resembles crumbly wet sand. Cover and transfer to the refrigerator while you prep the filling.
• To make the filling: Whisk all of the filling ingredients together in a large bowl except the pears. Add the pears and stir to combine as you slice each pear. Stir all the pears until evenly combined in the sugar mixture.
• To assemble: Transfer filling to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle topping evenly over the filling, breaking up any large chunks.
• To bake: Bake at 425 degrees F until fruit is bubbling around the edges and topping is golden brown, about 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Transfer baking dish to wire rack and let cool until warm, about 15 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Greek Cucumber Salad

 Ingredients (4 servings)

• 2 large cucumbers (Persian or English cucumbers are best), sliced into half-moons
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped (optional but traditional in horiatiki salad)
• ½ cup Kalamata olives, pitted
• ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled (or dairy-free feta if needed)
• 2-3 Tbsp fresh parsley or oregano, chopped

Dressing

• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar (or lemon juice)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• Salt & black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Prepare veggies: Place cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, and olives in a large bowl.
2. Make dressing: Whisk together olive oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper.
3. Combine: Pour dressing over vegetables, toss gently.
4. Top: Add feta and herbs right before serving.

Sourdough Naan

 Ingredients (8 pieces)

• 1 cup (240 g) sourdough starter (active or discard, unfed is fine)
• ½ cup (120 g) plain dairy-free yogurt (or Greek yogurt if not dairy-free)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil (or melted butter/ghee)
• 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• Optional: garlic butter or olive oil + herbs for brushing

Instructions

1. Mix the dough: In a bowl, combine starter, yogurt, and oil. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until it comes together.
2. Knead: Knead lightly for 2-3 minutes until smooth (it will be soft and slightly sticky). Add a sprinkle of flour if needed.
3. Rest: Cover and let rest at room temp 2-3 hours (if using discard) or 1 hour (if using active starter). For extra flavor, you can refrigerate overnight.
4. Shape: Divide into 8 balls. Roll each into an oval or round, about ¼-inch thick.
5. Cook: Heat a cast-iron skillet or heavy pan over medium-high. Cook each naan for 1-2 minutes per side, until puffed and golden brown spots form.
6. Finish: Brush with melted garlic butter, olive oil, or ghee. Sprinkle with cilantro if you like.

Creamy Wild Rice Soup

🌾 Creamy Wild Rice Soup

(Skip roux and milk for a non-creamy soup)

Ingredients (4–6 servings):

• 1 cup uncooked wild rice (rinsed)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth if preferred)
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried rosemary (or 1 sprig fresh)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced (optional but recommended)
• 1 cup diced cooked chicken (optional, for non-vegetarian version)
• 1 cup coconut milk, oat milk, or heavy cream (for creaminess)
• 2 tbsp olive oil or butter
• 2 tbsp flour (or gluten-free flour) for thickening
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions:

1. Sauté veggies – In a large pot, heat olive oil or butter. Add onion, carrots, celery, and mushrooms. Cook about 5–7 minutes, until softened. Stir in garlic and cook 1 more minute.
2. Add rice & broth – Stir in wild rice, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low. Simmer 45–50 minutes, until rice is tender.
3. Make a roux (for creaminess) – In a small pan, melt 2 tbsp butter or heat oil. Stir in flour to form a paste, cook 1–2 minutes. Slowly whisk in 1 cup of soup liquid until smooth. Return this mixture to the pot.
4. Finish the soup – Stir in coconut milk/oat milk (or cream) and cooked chicken (if using). Simmer 5–10 minutes more. Adjust salt & pepper.
5. Serve – Remove bay leaf, garnish with parsley, and enjoy warm with crusty bread.

Flourless Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

 Bake 15 minutes at 325°

Spray mini muffin pan

2 ripe bananas mashed

1 cup creamy peanut butter

½ Cup maple syrup

1 egg

1 tsp baking powder

Cinnamon ½ tsp to 1 tsp

Pinch of salt ¼ tsp

Chocolate chips - measure with your heart

Sourdough Discard Crackers

 

• ¾ cup (200 g) discarded sourdough starter (stirred down)
• 2 tablespoons (28 g) butter (melted)
• ¼ teaspoon (1 g) fine sea salt
• 2 teaspoons dried herbs (Herbs de Provence)
• ¼ teaspoon (1 g) salt for sprinkling on

• Preheat your oven to 325°F (162°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Melt the butter in a mixing bowl and let cool.
• Weigh the sourdough discard, dried herbs and salt into the bowl of melted butter and mix thoroughly until well combined. Use an off-set spatula to spread the mixture in a thin, even layer onto the parchment paper. Sprinkle the top with salt.
• Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and score the crackers. Bake for an additional 20

Tres Leche (from Scratch)

 

Cake:

• ▢ 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 5 large eggs , separated
• ▢ 1 cup granulated sugar , divided
• ▢ 1/3 cup whole milk
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• (Add lime shavings for Tyson)

Milk Mixture:

• ▢ 12 ounce can evaporated milk
• ▢ 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• ▢ 1/4 cup whole milk

Whipped Topping:

• ▢ 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• ▢ 3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ground cinnamon , for topping

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
• In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Separate the eggs into two other mixing bowls.
• Add ¾ cup sugar to the bowl with the egg yolks and mix on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Add ⅓ cup milk and vanilla and stir to combine. Pour the egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir gently just until combined (don't over-mix).
• Use electric beaters to beat the egg whites on high speed. As the begin to whip into stiff peaks, gradually mix in the remaining ¼ cup of sugar. Fold the stiffly beaten egg whites into the batter gently, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl, until combined. 
• Pour batter into un-greased pan and smooth it into an even layer. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow cake to cool completely.
• Combine the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and whole milk in a small bowl. Once the cake has cooled use a fork to poke holes all over the top of the cake. 
• Slowly pour the milk mixture over the the top of the cake, making sure to pour near the edges and all around. Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour or overnight, to allow it to soak up the milk.
• In the meantime, whip the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks. Smooth over the top of the cake. Sprinkle cinnamon on top. Serve with fresh sliced strawberries, if desired. Enjoy!

Notes

Store Tres Leches Cake in the refrigerator, covered, for 3-5 days.

Make Ahead Instructions: You can make Tres leches cake 1-2 days in advance. In fact, I love to make this cake the night before so that the cake has a lot of time to soak up the milk mixture.