Pear Dutch Baby and Sour Dough Stuffing with Pears and Sausage

The Pears are gone! After making pear muffins,dried pears, pear butter, pear pancakes, desserts, etc, the pears are finally gone! These were the last two recipes that I made to use up the last of the pears. The Pear Dutch Baby is just an oven pancake that was a great weekend breakfast. It was delicious. I made the stuffing just because I was sick of sweet things and wanted to try a savory dish with pears. Plus, I was thinking now is a good time to test some recipes for the upcoming holidays. This stuffing was a winner. I am definitely going to add it to my Thanksgiving menu. I really liked the subtle flavor the pear added and the sourdough was a nice change too.
Try these out if you have any pears you need to get rid of!

Pear Dutch Baby adapted from Cooking Light

4 Bartlett or Bosc pears, cored and thinly sliced (about 1 pound)

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup skim milk and 1/2 cup whole milk

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

1Tbls butter, melted

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 425°.
Combine sliced pears, brown sugar, and lemon juice. Heat a 10-inch cast-iron or heavy ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add pear mixture; sauté 5 minutes or until pears are golden.
Lightly spoon the flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Place the flour in a large bowl. Combine the milk, granulated sugar, salt, eggs, and melted butter, stirring the mixture well with a whisk. Add the milk mixture to the flour, stirring with a whisk until well-blended.
Pour batter into pan on top of the pears. Bake at 425° for 25 minutes or until puffy and golden. Cut into wedges and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve immediately.

Sourdough Stuffing with Pears and Sausage from Cooking Light

8 cups (1/2-inch) cubed sourdough bread (about 12 ounces)

1 pound turkey Italian sausage (I used sweet)

Cooking spray

5 cups chopped onion (about 2 pounds)

2 cups chopped celery

1 cup chopped carrot

1 (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms

2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled Bartlett pear (about 2 medium)

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425°.Arrange bread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 9 minutes or until golden. Place in a large bowl.

Remove casings from sausage. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add sausage, and cook for 8 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add sausage to bread cubes, tossing to combine. Set aside. Return pan to medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, and carrot; sauté 10 minutes or until onion begins to brown. Stir in mushrooms; cook 4 minutes. Stir in pear, basil, tarragon, and salt; cook 4 minutes or until pear begins to soften, stirring occasionally. Add pear mixture to bread mixture, tossing gently to combine. Stir in broth and pepper. Place bread mixture in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; cover with foil. Bake at 425° for 20 minutes. Uncover; bake stuffing an additional 15 minutes or until top of stuffing is crisp.

Summer Squash Casserole

One thing I loved about living in the South is the amazing way that anything and everything could be turned into a casserole. I mean one time at Thanksgiving, we had pineapple casserole! I love it, the south I mean, the pineapple casserole was alright.
So, when I got my Southern Living and saw this yummy casserole I had to make it. I used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, because it tastes the same and has less fat. This was really good!
Summer Squash Casserole adapted from Southern Living Magazine
1 1/2 pounds yellow squash
1 pound zucchini

1 small sweet onion, chopped

2 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided

1 cup grated carrots

1 (10 3/4-oz.) can cream of chicken soup

1 (8-oz.) container plain Greek style yogurt

1 (8-oz.) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped

1 (8-oz.) package herb-seasoned stuffing

1/2 cup butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Cut squash and zucchini into 1/4-inch-thick slices; place in a Dutch oven. Add chopped onion, 2 tsp. salt, and water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook 5 minutes; drain well.
2. Stir together 1 cup grated carrots, next 3 ingredients, and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt in a large bowl; fold in squash mixture. Stir together stuffing and 1/2 cup melted butter, and spoon half of stuffing mixture in bottom of a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Spoon squash mixture over stuffing mixture, and top with remaining stuffing mixture.
3. Bake at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown, shielding with aluminum foil after 20 to 25 minutes to prevent excessive browning, if necessary. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.