Spiced Pear Bundt Cake for #BundtBakers

This is the perfect Fall desssert.  Chock full of pieces of pear, spiced with cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg then covered with a caramel glaze.  Perfect for your dessert table on Thanksgiving or at your next dinner party during the holiday season.

Welcome to this month's edition of #BundtBakers.  Each month we get together with like-minded bloggers and bring you lovely bundts that were created based on a theme chosen by one of the members.  This month's theme was pears, chosen by our host, Lauren, of Sew You Think You Can Cook.

I was very excited about this theme because I LOVE pears and was the proud owner of two glorious pear trees until we moved last month.  Those pear trees, along with my cherry and peach tree, are one of the things I will miss about my old home.  We will put in some fruit trees here in the Spring but it will take a few years to reap the benefits of our labor.

Each year I would have such an abundance of pears that we couldn't possibly eat them all.  So I would preserve them making jams, and pear halves in syrup and pear butter.  I had one quart of pear butter left in my pantry, so I pulled it out to use in this wonderful cake.

My pear butter is spiced with wonderful Fall flavors.  If you are not lucky enough to have pear butter in your cupboard simply puree a couple ripe pears with 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice. You will have more than you need for this recipe but you can enjoy it on your toast for breakfast during the week.

I would average about 4 sink loads of pears every other year and 2 sink loads on opposite years.

That is a lot of pear butter!!!

I adapted this recipe from Betty Crocker for this month's event.  I used my pear butter instead of pureed pears and pumpkin pie spice.  I served it up for dessert at an engagement party that I hosted.

It was a huge success and is it any wonder? Look at those lovely chunks of pear enfolded by that beautifully spiced cake and topped with a creamy, decadent caramel.  Who could resist?

Spiced Pear Bundt Cake

adapted from Betty Crocker

3 c. flour

1 1/4 t. baking soda

pinch of salt

1/2 c. pear butter

2 lg. ripe pears, cored, peeled and diced

3/4 c. canola oil

2 c. sugar

3 eggs

1 t. vanilla

1/4 c. butter

1/2 c. brown sugar, packed

dash of salt

1/3 c. heavy cream

1 c. powdered sugar

In large bowl of stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the pear butter, canola oil and sugar at medium speed until combined.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.  Beat in vanilla. Add the flour, baking soda and salt to the bowl and mix on low speed until moistened. Increase the speed to medium and beat until combined.  Return the speed to low and stir in diced pear.

Pour the batter into a bundt pan that has been treated with baking spray.  The batter will be thick, spread evenly in the pan.  Place bundt in a preheated 350* oven for 55-60 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center removes cleanly.  Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before removing from the pan.  Allow cake to cool completely.

Combine butter, brown sugar, dash of salt and heavy cream in a medium sauce pan.  Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil.  Boil for one minute.  Remove from heat and let cool for about 10 minutes before whisking in the powdered sugar until smooth.  Pour over cooled cake immediately before it hardens.  Print Recipe

More Wonderful Bundts with Pears

Almond Pear Bread Pudding from Food Lust People Love

Bundt Cake de Pera y Almendras from La Mejor Manera de Hacer

Fresh Pear Bundt Cake with Vanilla Glaze from The Queen of Scones

Honey and Walnut Pear Bundt Cake from Sew You Think You Can Cook

London Fog & Pear Bundt Cake from All That's Left Are The Crumbs

Orange Pear Bundt Cake from Basic N Delicious

Pear and Date Bundt Cake with Caramel Mascarpone Sauce from kidsandchic

Pear and Hazelnut Bundt from Jane's Adventures in Dinner

Pear and Port Bundt Cake from Palatable Pasttime

"Pear"fect Rum Raisin Cake from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice

Pear Pecan Coffee Bundt Cake from Patty's Cake

Pear Spiced Bundt Cake from I Love Bundt Cakes

Pear Streusel Crunch Cake from Noshing with the Nolands

Pumpkin Pear Bundt Cake from Making Miracles

Roasted Pear & Walnut Spice Cake Bundt from Brooklyn Homemaker

Salted Caramel Pear Bundt Cake from Tartacadabra

Spiced Pear Bundt from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Nutty Caramel Corn for #ImprovCookingChallenge

Woohoooo...time for Improv Cooking Challenge.  The fun group that chooses two ingredients and asks us to create our best recipe using said ingredients.  Unlike, Crazy Ingredient Challenge, which might have 2 ingredients not normally used together, Improv uses two ingredients that can be used together in a multitude of ways.  This means that you, our readers, get a plethora of wonderful recipes to try and enjoy.

This month the ingredients are Nuts and Caramel. Two of my very favorite ingredients.  The possibilites are endless.  Brownies?  Cake?  Ice Cream Sundaes?  Peanut Brittle?  What to make, what to make??

I finally decided on a caramel corn chock full of mixed nuts.  It is easy to prepare. Everyone loves it. It keeps well.  It packages well.  It makes wonderful gifts.

I placed my Nutty Caramel Corn into little treat bags.  They will go home with the kids this weekend after Sunday Supper.  Each bag would also make great gifts to give to friends after a dinner party. Perhaps you could attach a dvd or gift card for the movies for an easy and fun Christmas gift. Or take it along with you to your next holiday party as a hostess gift.  

Whatever you decide to do, do it quick.  Get it packaged up and put away because if you wait you will find yourself nibbling each time you walk past until there is nothing left but the seeds......

Nutty Caramel Corn

Heaping 1/2 c. of popcorn kernels, popped

2 c. roasted and salted mixed nuts

2 c. brown sugar, packed

1/2 c. white corn syrup

pinch of salt

2 sticks unsalted butter

1/2 t, baking soda

1 t. pure vanilla extract

Combine popcorn and nuts in a large bowl.

In a large saucepan or dutch oven, combine the brown sugar, butter, corn syrup and salt. Place over medium heat and melt, stirring occasionally until it starts to boil.  Boil for 5 minutes stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda and vanilla.  Pour over popcorn mixture, stirring immediately, coating as much popcorn as possible, before turning out onto baking sheets that have been sprayed with cooking spray and covered with parchment paper. 

Spread the popcorn mixture evenly among the 2 pans.  Don't worry about the caramel coverage at this point.  Place the pans in a preheated 250* oven for 15 minutes, using the top and middle racks. Remove from oven and stir to coat more of the popcorn mixture.  Replace in the oven using opposite racks for each pan.  Repeat this every 15 minutes for 1 hour.  After the final 15 minutes, stir and dump onto a counter lined with parchment paper. 

Allow to cool before breaking apart and placing into air tight containers for storage.  Print Recipe

More wonderful recipes containing Caramel and Nuts

An InLinkz Link-up

Introducing Fantastical Food Fight with Polish Deviled Eggs

This is our first edition of Fantastical Food Fight, a new group started by Sarah of Fantastical Sharing of Recipes.  In Fantastical Food Fight we are assigned a food item each month.  This month the food we are all making is Deviled Eggs.

I found this recipe for Polish Deviled Eggs at About.com, written by Barbara Rolek, Eastern European Food Expert.  I adapted this recipe in several ways.

I was making them for a crowd so instead of 6 eggs, I used 18 eggs. You can increase/decrease ingredients as needed to adapt for the amount of eggs you are making.

The original recipe called for ham.  I didn't have any ham in the fridge but I did have bologna and bologna is Polish so I used that.  I had never heard of Polish Honey Cheese but the original recipe said "or any other mild cheese so I used Mozzarella.  I added a little mayo to the recipe as well.

Barbara said that what sets these eggs apart is the Polonaise style bread crumbs with which you top them.

It made for an impressive dish and I was impressed with Barbara's knowledge of the culture. She followed up the recipe with remenisces of Easter Dinners as she was growing up and I enjoyed reading this very much.

Jajka Faszerowany (Polish Stuffed Eggs)

adapted from Barbara Rolek at about.com

18 eggs, hard boiled, peeled and cut in half

12 oz. bologna slices, chopped

1/2 c. Mozzarella Cheese, shredded or cut into pieces

2/3 c. sour cream

2 T. mayonnaise

2 t. yellow mustard

salt and pepper to taste

2 c. dry bread crumbs

1/2 stick butter, melted

Remove yolks from eggs and place in bowl of food processor with bologna and cheese.  Pulse until finely minced.  Add the sour cream, mayonnaise and mustard.  Pulse until smooth.  Taste and season with salt and pepper.  Spoon the yolk filling back into the egg whites.  Place on a baking pan. Combine the bread crumbs and butter.  Pat onto the eggs covering both the yolks and whites.  Place under the broiler until crumbs are golden brown.  Serve immediately or at room temperature. Print Recipe

More Deviled Eggs

An InLinkz Link-up

Spinach and Mushroom Chicken for our Farewell #SRC

I think it is very fitting that for this final Secret Recipe Club post, I am assigned to Amy of Amy's Cooking Adventures.  Amy is my friend outside of blogging and the person who first introduced me to this marvelous club that I am going to miss very much.

The good thing is that I made tons of great blogging friends in the SRC community and together we have joined other blogging events and communities so we will be able to keep in touch.  I want to thank the administrators of SRC, especially, Sarah of Fantastical Sharing of Recipes for all of the hard work keeping this club interesting, fun and on task.

But back to this month's assignment.  Let me tell you if I hadn't already been friends with Amy I would have wanted to be her friend after getting to know her through her blog.  Amy has two adorable boys who just happen to be lucky enough have two of my dearest friends, John and Kirsten, as grandparents.  Amy and her husband, Mike, are a fun loving couple who love sci fi and are proud "geeks".  They have great theme parties, like this Roaring 20's Party or this Star Wars Day Party.  I just wish they lived closer so I could get in on the fun.

Amy teaches at her son's school, teaches zumba at a local gym, bakes and decorates cakes for sale, takes care of her husband and boys, cooks healthy and nutritious meals and blogs in her spare time. Phew....I'm tired just writing about it.  You really need to check out Amy's baked goods at Amy's Confectionary Adventures.  That way you will find the perfect dessert to go with the amazing dinner selection that you found on her Cooking Adventures blog.

I read Amy's blog each time she posts something so there was really no need to browse her files. Instead I went straight to her entree recipes because I wanted to serve chicken during the week and figured, correctly, that I would find a great recipe on Amy's site.

I had my choices narrowed down to the bacon and caramelized onion BBQ chicken, the melt in your mouth chicken, the chicken pot pie with cheddar biscuits and the baked chicken with spinach and mushrooms that finally won out.

I chose this recipe because I had just picked up a package of organic chicken cutlets that were at their sell by date and this recipe called for thinly sliced chicken breasts.  Perfect.

I also had most of the ingredients on hand except for the proscuitto which I omitted and the french fried onions that I substitued with caramelized red onions.  Since I didn't have the proscuitto, I made the spinach and mushrooms the middle layer instead of the top layer.

I used only 1 pound of chicken since I was only feeding the 2 of us and layered it all in an 8x8" baking pan, poured in the wine, sprinkled with seasonings, covered with foil and put it in the oven.  I had place some potatoes and some brussels sprouts in the oven to roast while putting together this dish.  When the chicken was cooked the entire dinner was ready to be pulled from the oven and enjoyed.

I had a half an hour to relax with a glass of wine....I had to open it for the recipe and you can't let it just sit there...before removing the foil and topping the chicken with the onions and cheese mixture. Put it back in to finish cooking and in another 15 minutes you are good to go.

Thanks, Amy, for such an easy and delicious dinner that we enjoyed with the remainder of that bottle of Chardonnay I used.  

Spinach and Mushroom Chicken

adapted from Amy's Cooking Adventures

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

2 t. olive oil

4 chicken cutlets (approx. 1 lb)

salt and pepper to taste

1 T. dried Italian herbs

1 T. fresh parsley, chopped

2 c. baby spinach leaves

6 oz. mushrooms, sliced

2/3 c. dry white wine

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

2 t. beef bouillon powder

1/2 T. onion powder

dash of turmeric

3/4 c. mozzarella cheese

1/4 c. parmesan, romano, assiago blend 

In a small skillet, cook onion in 2 t. olive oil, over med high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.  Set aside

While onions are cooking, season chicken cutlets with salt and pepper.  Place 2 cutlets in the bottom of  an 8x8 baking pan.  Sprinkle with half the Italian herbs and parsley.  Top with the spinach and mushrooms and then layer two more cutlets on top.  Combine the wine, 1/4 c. olive oil, beef bouillion, onion powder and turmeric.  Pour over the chicken cutlets.  Sprinkle with remaining herbs and parsley.  Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated 375* oven for 40 minutes. 

Remove from oven, uncover and top with the caramelized red onions and cheeses.  Return to oven and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melted, bubbly and starting to brown.  Print Recipe

Here are the other final SRC posts 

An InLinkz Link-up

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Join us for a #TastyParTEA

I'm so excited to share this information with you and to give you an opportunity to win a great prize package.  I am passing on the introduction as written by the wonderful Cam of Culinary Adventures with Camilla.  As you will see, I am not scheduled to post my recipe until the very end of this event and I am chomping at the bit because I think you are going to love my recipe.  I can't wait to see what the others have created.  Won't you join in the fun?

A baker's dozen bloggers have come together to share different recipes that use tea during the month of November. Whether you're a fan of sweet or savory #TastyParTEA's creations will make your mouth water.

See all the posts on our Facebook page, check out the pins on our Pinterest board, or follow the conversation on social media with hashtag #TastyParTEA.

We Are the #TastyParTEA Bloggers...

listed alphabetically by blog name

A Day in the Life on the Farm

A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
Amy's Cooking Adventures

Café Terra Blog

Cookaholic Wife

Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Famished Fish, Finicky Shark

Jane's Adventures in Dinner
Kahakai Kitchen

Making Miracles
Our Good Life

The Gluttonous Geek

Things I Make (for Dinner)

Our Blog Tour Schedule...

The Giveaway...

Our generous sponsors have contributed prizes for this event.

The giveaway will begin on November 12th and end on November 21st
and is open to US residents only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Our Sponsors*...

and how you can find them around the internet

Charles Viancin

on the web, on Twitter, on Facebook, on Instagram, on Pinterest

The Republic of Tea

on the web, on Twitter, on Facebook, on Pinterest, on Instagram

*Disclosure: Bloggers received complimentary products from sponsors for the creation of this event. This is a sponsored post that contains affiliate links.

Although this post is sponsored, all opinions are our own.*

Thankful for Local and Seasonal Harvests #WinePW

This month's WinePW theme is Celebrating Local Vintners.  It is being hosted by Cam of Culinary Adventures with Camilla.  You can see her invitation post here. It is a great theme for Cam because she is lucky enough to live smack dab in the middle of wine country in sunny California.

Here in Michigan we have quite a few wineries from which I was able to choose.  Not as many as California, of course, but enough to offer some choices and variety. The northwestern side of our State is especially conducive for wine growing as Lake Michigan provides protection for the vines in the winter with lake effect snow and can extend the growing season for as much as a month.

Many of our wineries in Michigan have received high honors in national and international competitions.  The area lies in the 45th parallel, halfway between the equator and the north pole. It is one of the most beautiful areas in the United States, in my humble opinion.  I have been to a lot of beautiful States and Countries in my travels and I have found it hard to find anything that compares with northern Michigan.

I must admit that, while our white wines are pretty darn good, it is hard to find a red wine that I like that is made here in Michigan.  I prefer red wines so I normally stick to other States and Countries when buying wine.  But we visit the wineries each time we go up north and relish the beauty and the crisp, white wines that they have to offer.

One of our favorite wineries is Black Star Farms and we visit there at least twice a year.  Not only do they have wonderful wines but they also have a great Inn where we have enjoyed many a nice stay. They recently opened an eatery on site as well, but we haven't yet had an opportunity to try it.

When we were last there I picked up a bottle of Delighted, sparkling rosé, knowing that I had this event coming up.

I am not a big rosé fan, however I do like a little bubbly every now and then and knew that this would be a wine that both those who like dry and sweet wine would be able to enjoy.




As an added bonus for this month's Wine Pairing Weekend, Cam joined up with the folks at Melissa's Produce, who sent us a slew of seasonal produce.  I used several of the items for the dish that I served with the Delighted but it was not a requirement to receive the bounty nor was I required to write about it in this post.  I received no monetary compensation and am only sharing this recipe with you because I was so excited about with how well it turned out.

I had also used some of this produce earlier in the month to make this amazing Chestnut and Persimmon Cake that I am sure to be making each fall and winter when these ingredients are in season.

I had tried the Delighted at a tasting while at Black Star Farms.  It is a light sparkling wine with a touch of sweetness that I thought would go very well with the appetizer I had made.  I, again, used the chestnut/persimmon combo because it turned out so well in the cake.  I had never had either of these ingredients prior to receiving the shipment from Melissa's Produce.  

I decided to make a dip and serve it with chips that I made using the Baby Dutch potatoes that were also included in the basket.  You can find my recipe for homemade potato chips here.  The procedure is the same except I used the Baby Dutch Potatoes instead of Russets and sliced them on a mandolin since they are so small rather than using the slicing tool of my food processor.

To make the dip, I started off by tossing the chestnuts and some garlic cloves in olive oil and seasoning them generously with salt and pepper.  I then put them into a hot oven to roast.  When the were beautifully browned and fragrant, I removed them from the oven and let them cool a bit.

I then put them into the blender with a chopped persimmon and some good olive oil and pureed the combination.  It needed a little more liquid so I added some organic chicken broth that I had in the refrigerator.  When the mixture was smooth I tasted it and it needed a little oomph so I add a little curry powder to the mix and was satisfied.  The dip had a smoky sweetness to it that paired perfectly with the saltiness of the chips.  The lightness and sweetness of the wine complemented the dusky spice of the dip.  I was very happy with the pairing and glad that Cam came up with such a great theme for this month of Thanksgiving.

Chestnut and Persimmon Dip

1 c. steamed and peeled chestnuts

4 cloves garlic

1 T. olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 persimmon, cut into chunks

1/4 c. olive oil

1/4 c. chicken broth

dash of cayenne 

1/4 t. curry powder

Toss the chestnuts and garlic with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Place in an oven safe skillet and roast in a preheated 420* oven for 20-30 minutes, until golden brown and fragrant.  Remove from oven and let cool slightly.  Place into a blender or food processor with the persimmon, olive oil, and chicken broth. Puree until smooth. Taste and season with the cayenne and curry powder. Print Recipe

Here are what the others are pairing up this month!

• Crock Pot Chili Verde and Spangler Vineyards Cab Franc by Tasting Pour
• Exploring the Idea of Local on #WinePW by Rockin Red Blog
• Grateful for Ian Brand Wines + Donkey & Goat + Autumn's Bounty by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Keeping it Local: Heritage Oak Old Vine Carignane and Greek Lamb by Pull That Cork
• Persimmons, Cabernet Franc & Other Harvest Delights by L'occasion
• Roasted Turkey Breast with Morel Mushroom Sauce by Cooking Chat
• Thankful for Local and Seasonal Harvests by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Tradition with a Twist: Cooking Far from Home by The Swirling Dervish
• Wine and Dine: Virginia Viognier and Apricot Spread with Chevre by Grape Experience
• #SoGrateful for a Taste of Local: Food, Wine, Vineyards by Wine Predator

One Room Complete (well, almost), A Book Review and the Weekly Menu

I keep thinking things are going to calm down around here but evidently it's going to take a while. Let me update you on what has been going on around here.  This house is a very nice house.  I am actually liking it better than my previous home.  There are things we are changing to make it our own but for the most part it is wonderful.

I have shared with you some of our window treatments, the dishwasher and our master closet.  We have done outside work, installing the electric fence for the hounds and building a home for our hens. We have done a lot of ordering and our flooring has arrived and is awaiting installation that is scheduled to begin on the 16th of the month.  The window treatments for the great room should be in and installed next week as should the bookcases we ordered for either side of the fireplace.

This past week was spent removing the window and doorwall that led into the sun room from the great room and master bedroom. This room is now complete except for replacing all the windows which is slated for the spring.  For the winter months we will be covering the window with the 3M plastic sheeting.  Our goal is to turn this sun room into a four season room.

You can see the variance in color of the new planks.  We used the same color stain as the previous owners and were concerned, so we phoned him.  He assures us that within a few months the fresh wood will season to the same color as the existing wood.

The drywall guy will be here tomorrow and work through the weekend repairing the window and doorwall area in the great room and master suite so the painter can come in.

While I was staining the wood planking for the four season room, I finished listening to Crash & Burn by Lisa Gardner.  This book was narrated by Christina Traister and Mikael Naramore.  I think I would have enjoyed this book much more had I read it myself.  I thought Christina did an okay job but Mikael made everyone sound angry even when that should not have been the emotion projected.

The story, itself, started off slow and I was afraid I wasn't going to like it but in about chapter 3 or 4 it caught my attention and kept it.  It is the story of a woman who has suffered multiple brain traumas in the past few months including the most recent from a car crash in which she is found screaming for Vero, a young child for whom she is searching.  Thus starts a story of traumas that go far deeper than brain injuries.  I like Lisa Gardner's work but I think in the future I will stick to reading them on my own.

This week is going to be another busy one.  Today we are going shopping and taking advantage of the veteran's discounts being given by some of the stores.  We are buying stools for the kitchen and shelving for the four season room.  We may also buy an IRobot vacuum system?  Do any of you have one?  Thoughts?  Critiques?

We are meeting up with Nicole and Pierre for lunch while we are out.  Tomorrow the drywall guy arrives bright and early.  We are going to see A Christmas Carol at a local theatre and then we are having a dinner party with some of our diving friends.

Sunday the drywall guy will be here again.  We sing at 9:30 Mass and then are watching the Angel face while her mama works.  We are all meeting up at Amy's house for dinner to celebrate the anniversary of Melody's christening.  Each year Amy and Doug throw a little celebration for her baptism day.

Monday, the drywall guy should be finishing up.  I have a meeting at church in the evening so Frank will be on his own for dinner.  Tuesday we will run any errands that need running because starting Wednesday the floor installers will be taking over the house for a week or so.  

Enjoy the Weekly Menu.  Please stop by each day as I post photos, recipes and updates.  I love spending time with you.

Saturday-Dinner Party

Italian Wedding Soup

Caprese Salad

Chicken Marsala

Basil and Lemon Pasta

Glazed Carrots

Sunday

Dinner at Amy's

Monday

Frank on his own

Tuesday

Kielbasa and Sauerkraut

Mashed Potatoes

Wednesday

Asian Glazed Chicken 

Steamed Rice

Stir Fry Veggies

Thursday

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

Tossed Salad

Friday

Cranberry Cod (moved from last week)

Roasted Potatoes

Mixed Veggies