Tag Archives: kitchen creativity

Pear and Gouda Cheese Ball with Cranberries and Pecans

Andrea Slonecker By on

The all-American cheese ball is a throwback worth revisiting. Popular at holiday parties of yesteryear, today we take a fresh, lightened-up approach with the addition of pears. Swap the classic orange cheddar or crumbly blue for a nutty aged Gouda. The nuttiness plays well with both the sweet pears folded into the cheese mixture and the crunchy pecans that are sprinkled on the outside, while parsley and scallions add a savory bite. Perfect for an office gathering or a family affair, this pear-flecked cheese spread presents well in the shape of everyone’s favorite holiday fruit. And it’s deceptively easy to pull off, too. Serves 8 to 10 Ingredients: 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature 2 cups finely shredded aged Gouda cheese (about 6 ounces), at room temperature 1 ripe USA Anjou pear, peeled, cored (reserving the stem), and Continue reading →

Thai-Inspired Chicken and Pear “Noodle” Salad

Hilary By on

This fresh and fun recipe isn’t just chock-full of vegetables, it’s chock-full of delicious USA Pears! Firm, fiber-rich Anjou pears stand in for noodles in this salad, and the “noodles” couldn’t be more simple to make using a spiral vegetable slicer. Start by shredding leftover chicken (or pick up a rotisserie chicken). Next, shake together the Asian lime dressing, slice the veggies for the salad, and finally, toss it all together with the pear “noodles”. Top the salad with toasted, chopped peanuts and get ready to fall in love! Thai-Inspired Chicken and Pear “Noodle” Salad For the Asian Lime Dressing: ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice 2 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons water 1 – 2 teaspoons fish sauce, according to your taste Directions: Combine the lime juice and honey in a small jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously Continue reading →

Make Time for You

Amy Kweller MS, RD By on

I have an influx of stressed calls and emails this time of year, mostly from clients and students trying to manage health and holiday stress at the same time. I know how frustrating this time of year is, I struggle with the same problem! Don’t fret, there are simple solutions to help you have a healthy holiday season. First, make a schedule and stick to it. I’ve said it before and I will continue to say it, if you schedule time for exercise, food preparation, and sleep and you follow the schedule, you’re better equipped to take care of yourself and manage stress. Second, eat before events and move away from the treat table! At my friends’ parties, we always stand around the food, chatting and snacking. This is such a hard habit to break, but if you eat ahead Continue reading →

Play with Your Food!

Amy Kweller MS, RD By on

This week, USA Pears attended the School Nutrition Association (SNA) Annual Nutrition Conference in Kansas City. Many of the sessions were geared toward helping school lunch professionals increase fruit and vegetable consumption, while limiting sodium, fat, and excess calories. Although this seems simple, sometimes children are picky and sometimes they are simply more familiar with the taste of processed foods. What nutrition experts have discovered is that if children play with their food, that is to say that if they help in the preparation and explore the different colors, textures, and flavors of different fruits and veggies, they’re more likely to eat them now and throughout their lives. Here’s a simple suggestion: slice fruit and veggies into smaller pieces and let kids add fun toppings. At SNA we showcased a pear “salad” bar – sliced pears with a variety of Continue reading →

Grill, Mastered!

Amy Kweller MS, RD By on

It’s finally summer, my favorite season! I love summer because of all the fresh foods, the outside gatherings, and of course, the warm weather. Unfortunately, it’s only early June, and I’m already tired of the fatty fare available at picnics. Well, the grill isn’t just for burgers anymore! Try something delightful and healthy at your next outdoor grilling event. Grilled fruits and veggies are an excellent and delicious way to add color, variety, and nutrients to any backyard bash. Ditch the potato salad and coleslaw and pop some festive veggie kabobs on the grill! You can use any vegetables you like, but seasonal, grillable options include peppers, eggplant, squash, tomatoes, and onions. Just brush them with olive oil and grill over medium heat, turning until tender and marked. But if you’re like me, you’re more interested in dessert! Try grilling Continue reading →

Grilled Pears

Brittany By on

It’s hot here. Really hot. Today’s forecast is a high of 97 degrees in Portland, and I have no air conditioning at home. Last night, as I was whining to my roommate about the heat in our kitchen, all I could think about was ice cream. And although I didn’t have any (but selflessly let her polish off our shared pint), today the perfect combination came to me. As soon as those Bartlett pears are picked in the next couple of weeks, I’m getting my hands on some and making this: It will be divine. Especially if I put a scoop of this on top. Ohhhh yes. Have you ever grilled fruit? What do you put on your grilled pears? Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn

Sweet Scents

Brittany By on

Just as I’m starting to pine for the days of Starkrimson and Bosc pears in my fruit bowl again, I stumbled across some exciting news that has me even more eager for fall! Orla Kiely, London designer of Target collaboration fame, is working with Method this year to develop an exclusive line of fragrant home cleaning products for Target stores. I jumped for joy to hear that among the new scent lineup is pear ginger, which will be available in gel and foaming hand wash as well as dish soap and all-purpose cleaner! Check out this blog post for more details. And mark your calendars! If this launch is anything like previous Target collaborations, these sweet suds will be flying off the shelves. Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn

Star-Spangled Spirit

Amy Kweller MS, RD By on

The Fourth of July is my favorite holiday and it’s just around the corner! I love the food, the fanfare, the fireworks and fun times with friends. Instead of the rich, heavy foods served on winter holidays, Independence Day is an opportunity to explore summer’s fresh foods without ruining your waistline. Alongside sweet corn grilled in the husk and fresh hand-picked tomatoes topped with basil and olive oil, I am particularly fond of grilling fresh pineapple, peaches and pears or fresh fruit salads that marry the flavors and patriotic colors of summer fruits. Fruit salads are incredibly easy to make, and since you only need fresh fruits, they are a healthful addition to any outing. For a red, white and blue salad, start with raspberries or sliced strawberries, add blueberries or blackberries, and finish with fresh cut, slightly crisp pears; mix Continue reading →

A Pear-fectly Sweet Easter

Brittany By on

For me, it finally starts to feel like spring when Easter rolls around. Everything’s awash in pastel colors, the weather is (hopefully) warming, and fresh spring foods take the menu: asparagus, lamb, berries. This year, I decided to bring together my love for great food and creative crafts with these little Easter projects: Sweet Easter Treats Everyone loves a good Easter egg hunt, right? There’s the spring sunshine, the thrill of the hunt, and best of all, the eggs! Filled with chocolate or coins, they’re a small but sweet award. Imagine if your next Easter basket looked like this after the hunt: Beautiful! But let’s take a closer look.   These aren’t your ordinary Easter eggs. They’re egg-shaped Anjou pears! Decorated with a careful hand and some sugary cake frosting, these pears become even sweeter. They’d be delicious sliced and Continue reading →

USA Pears on Pinterest

Brittany By on

If you’re not already spending too much of your spare time pinning beautiful images to dozens of themed boards on Pinterest, we have an incentive: USA Pears is on Pinterest! Yep, we have an array of fun boards rich with ideas for meals and snacks of all kinds.  Have you always wanted to make something savory with pears? Check out our Pear Entrees board! If you want to make meals fun with your kids, get them involved in the kitchen, or pack them healthy and simple snacks and bagged lunches, we have boards for that. Check out our Pear Snack Attack and Kid-Friendly Recipes boards. You know pears are the pear-fect partner to foods like cheese and nuts. But what about other pear-fect pairings, you say? Ask no more—just head to our Pear-fect Pairings board for some tongue-in-cheek fun. So, Continue reading →