Pita Pear Pizzas

If we're lucky, we'll still have some delicious pears for a few more weeks. Pears, like grapes, do best in wine country climates like the Pacific Northwest (or the Western Slope in Colorado), where the combination of hot-cold and wet-dry work together to create supple sweet luscious fruits. Beyond being eaten plain--like an apple--pears work well in hearty salads, warmed as a compote, or baked and softened as a side or dessert.

Or, in our case, on a pita bread pizza! When my friend Cha-Cha and I get together it usually means business. But as two busy girls on the go, we were both exhausted from our respective workdays and wanted something healthy and filling to mow down on as we sunk into the couch to become zombies in the warm glow of the television. Cue the pizza idea--and one that works well with kids or adults alike because of the versatility. When making a mini-pizza you can make it anything you want. I of course, had to make ours a little fancy...just like us.

Pear Pita Pizzas
--2 round whole wheat pitas
--2 TBSP tomato paste
--1/4 cup grated cheese (mozzarella or a pizza/Italian blend)
--2 pieces of bacon
--sliced mushrooms
--1 pear, sliced or chopped into chunks
--fresh spinach leaves
--crushed red pepper
--2 TBSP feta crumbles
--balsamic vinegar
--olive oil
--black pepper

Place the pitas on a cookie sheet. Use a spoon to coat the top of each pita with the tomato paste. Feel free to season with oregano, pepper, or whatever your heart desires. Sprinkle with some of the grated cheese, but leave enough to put a little more on top.

Chop the bacon into smaller bits and fry over medium heat (I use scissors to easily chop mine) to desired crispy-ness. Drain on paper towels and place on the pizza.

Add the sliced mushrooms and pear pieces, evenly distributing the ingredients both around the pizza and between the two pizzas. Top with some spinach, the remainder of the cheese, the feta crumbles, and a few healthy dashes of crushed red pepper flakes. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar (just a little as it goes a long way) and a few cranks of fresh black pepper.

Heat in the oven at 300 degrees for 10 minutes or until shredded cheese is melted and pizza and ingredients are warm throughout.

Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...
Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 2 pizzas
Calories: 477 per pizza

Stuffed Peaches Won't Disappoint

Here's another recipe that came out of my Palisade peach adventure. But this one has a much larger story than just, "Hey, I have some peaches. Cool..."

Eat Denver is an organization of independent restaurateurs in the Denver area. This group takes the idea of being a localvore to a different level--eating local can be about supporting your neighborhood restaurant too. The organization does a few events throughout the year, including something called Harvest Week. During Harvest Week, these chefs create dishes using only locally sourced products. Sort of a think local, eat local, act local, kind of triple threat. One of the dishes that I had the pleasure of eating was at one of my favorite restaurants--Rioja.

Chef Jennifer Jaskinski (Chef Jen to her employees) doesn't need me to sing her praises. Her food has been written up in the likes of GQ, Bon Appetit, and Food & Wine, just to name a few. But that won't stop me from signing her praises. No. Because during Eat Denver's Harvest Week I ate something at Rioja that was so rich, so delicious, so beautiful, that I almost cried. Okay, maybe that's a little dramatic, but damn, was that sucker good. Chef Jen served a grilled peach stuffed with honey scented goat cheese and crispy pork belly, topped with micro-basil. It was absolutely as good as it sounds.

And so, now that I've had a taste, I just can't get enough. But, since Harvest Week only happens one week out of the year, I've had to recreate my own little piece of heaven. Thanks Chef Jen for the blissfully sweet idea! I made these as an hors d'oeuvre for a party, so adjust the recipe depending upon how many hungry faces you need to feed...

Rioja Inspired Stuffed Peaches
--peaches, sliced in half and pitted
--plain goat cheese/chevre
--honey
--balsamic vinegar
--bacon strips, cut in half
--micro greens or broccoli sprouts

After removing the pits from the peach halves, use a spoon to scoop out a small concave bowl in the center of each peach half. Using a new clean spoon, fill each peach bowl with a spoon-full of goat cheese. I made one 4oz. log last for 15 peach halves, so remember that a little goat cheese goes a long way! Place the filled peaches into a baking dish. Drizzle each peach half with a light line of honey and balsamic vinegar.

Place the bacon strips on a foil-lined cookie sheet in the oven. Bake at 375 degrees until the bacon is crisp and evenly cooked. The foil will make it easier to pull off the pan. Cooking it in the oven helps keep the bacon from curling up and also allows the fat to drain away.

Bake the peaches in the oven at 375 degrees for 8 minutes. Remove and top each peach with the crispy bacon. Place back into the oven for a few more minutes, until the peaches are softened *but not soggy* and the goat cheese is warmed.

Remove to a plate. Top with the micro greens and serve!

Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...
Time: 20 minutes
Serving: 2 peach halves
Calories: 304

Goodbye Gut Contest: The Runner Up!

Our runner up submission in the Goodbye Gut Contest was from Erin F. who got extra points for including bacon in her recipe. This one is great for summer as beets are in season and easy to find. I know people who have been trying to give the ones in their garden away...so if you are gifted some beets, here's an easy thing to make with them.

Another highlight of this recipe is how little hands-on time there is. So if it's hot-hot-hot in your house, this guy uses only a bit of power from the stove so as not to heat things up too much in there.

Erin F. writes, "Goat cheese is another optional addition." Maybe in her mind, but in mine it's necessary.

Beets N' Bacon Salad
--2 red beets, cubed

--2 golden beets, cubed

--4 slices of bacon

--1/2 cup pecans, chopped

--4 cups mixed greens

--2 TBSP olive oil

--2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
--4 oz. goat cheese (optional)

Steam the beets and place them in fridge to cool. (I steamed mine in the microwave for faster steaming time).

Cook the bacon until crisp, retaining the drippings. Dice the bacon and set it aside.

In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, vinegar, and 2 TBSP of the bacon drippings. Season the dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Toss the dressing with mixed greens in large bowl. Erin F. warns, "You may not use all of the dressing, so add it slowly." This is great advice and a way to make sure the salad stays on the healthy side of things by not going overboard with dousing on the dressing.

Divide the salad into 4 portions. Top each salad with 1/4 of the beets and add pecans to each; if you're using it, add 1 oz of goat cheese to each salad. Serve!

Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...
Time: 12 minutes
Serves: 4
Calories: 271 per salad

A New Spin On Chicken Wings

It's Super Bowl Sunday and maybe you are thinking about serving wings--a definite football staple that needs a bit of shaking up.

Here are 2 easy recipes that will impress your guests.

Crispy Potato Wings
--3 1/2 lbs chicken wings ( I use drumettes)
--1 bag (8oz) potato chips - any flavor
--1/2 tsp garlic powder
--1/4 tsp paprika
--1/2 tsp pepper
--1/2 cup olive oil

--2 sheet pans, aluminum foil, 2 cooling racks, rolling pin, cooking spray, 2 wide, shallow bowls

Pre heat your oven to 425 degrees.

Line both sheet pans with aluminum foil, top with the cooling racks and spray rack with the cooking spray.

Pour olive oil into one of the bowls. Keep oil near by incase you need more.

Open the bag of chips to let all of the air out of the bag, then secure with a clip. Use the rolling pin to crush the chips. You want them crushed finely but not to dust. (If you start to crush the chips without letting all of the air out, insert cleaning-up-chips-from-all-kitchen-surfaces and purchasing-more-chips as part of your preparation).

Pour chips into the other one of the bowls. Add garlic, paprika and pepper to chips, use a spoon to mix all ingredients together. Taste a small amount and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Using one hand, place chicken into oil bowl and coat all sides. Using the same hand, drop chicken into the chip mixture.

Using the OTHER hand, coat all sides of chicken with chip mixture and place on racks.

* Any time you are battering an item, keep a hand for wet items and one for dry.

Bake wings for about 40 minutes. If you want to check if they are done, remove one and cut meat away from the bone. If the meat is no longer pink, they are done. Eat tester wing.

Balsamic Glazed Wings
--3 1/2 lbs chicken wings
--1/2 tsp salt and pepper ( I have a shaker of salt and pepper mixed that I use to --season food)
--1 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar
--1 small shallot diced small
--1/4 cup sugar
--1 tbsp butter

2 sheet pans, aluminum foil, cooking spray, a small sauce pan, wire whisk, a small bowl, basting brush

Pre heat oven to 425 degrees.

Cover bottom of sheet pans with aluminum foil and coat foil with cooking spray.

Place chicken on sheet pans and season with salt and pepper. Bake for approximately 30 minutes. The chicken will not be cooked all of the way through. You will be glazing the chicken then will finish cooking it.

While chicken is cooking, add shallots to sauce pan and cook until slightly translucent. Add sugar and vinegar. Boil mixture for about 5 minutes. Mixture will start to thicken and reduce by about half. If chicken is still cooking, remove glaze from heat until chicken is done.

At 30 minutes, pull the chicken out of the oven. Put glaze back on heat and bring to a boil, add the butter and stir until melted. Pour about 2/3 of the glaze onto the small bowl*. Using the basting brush and the glaze in the bowl, brush the glaze on to the chicken, covering both sides.

* You need to separate out the glaze so that you are not risking cross contamination. The first 2/3 of the glaze is being used on chicken that may not be completely cooked.

Put the chicken back into the oven for 10 minutes, then pull out oven rack and coat the chicken again with the rest of the glaze in the bowl, and cook for another 5 t0 10 minutes.

Remove 1 wing from the oven and cut the meat away from the bone to test for doneness. If the meat is no longer pink, they are done.

Before serving, drizzle with remaining 1/3 of glaze.

Both of these recipes can be served with a dipping sauce but will be great on their own.

I do recommend having wet naps close by.

Hope you all enjoy and that your team wins. My team has been golfing for most of the season.