Sweet Potatoes with Gorgonzola and Pecans

Serves 4-8
Recipe from Everyday Food
Husband-Tested in Alice's Kitchen

If you are searching for an easy, healthy, delicious side dish that's good enough for company, this is certainly it.  It's easy because it takes just a few minutes to prep and then while it bakes, you can spend that time doing other things.  It's healthy because sweet potatoes are full of vitamins and fiber.  It's delicious because it's a balance between sweet and salty, fluffy and crunchy.  And it's good enough for company because it's tasty, pretty on the plate and goes with just about anything.  


Preheat oven to 400 F.  Rinse and scrub the sweet potatoes.  With a fork, prick each sweet potato several times all over.  Place the sweet potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet.  Place in the oven and bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork.  Make a slit in each sweet potato.  (If the sweet potatoes are large, they can be cut in half and served to 8 people.)  Sprinkle each sweet potato with crumbled Gorgonzola cheese and toasted chopped pecans or walnuts.  Serve.

Roasted Pear Salad

Recipe found at Epicurious by Ellen Ecker Ogden

The Complete Kitchen Garden

Adapted and Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

If you are looking for a perfectly lovely autumn/winter salad to serve special guests, this is it.  There’s the sweetness of the roasted pears, the crunch of the toasted nuts, the sharpness of the gorgonzola cheese and the tartness of the cranberries all dancing on the tongue in one bite.  Delish!!  All the ingredients can be found at Lost River Market & Deli.

4 firm, almost-ripe pears (Bartlett or Bosc), peeled, cored, and cut lengthwise

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 Tablespoon butter, melted

2 Tablespoons pine nuts or chopped walnuts

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

Salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon maple syrup

6 cups arugula or mixed salad greens

2 Tablespoons dried cranberries

1/4 cup fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Wedge of Gorgonzola cheese

Crisped Prosciutto, if desired (See directions below.)

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. In a medium bowl, toss the pears, sugar, and butter. Arrange the pears in a single layer in a baking sheet. Bake, turning once, until the pears are barely tender, 10—15 minutes.

3. Dry roast the pine nuts in a skillet for 5 minutes, until toasty brown. Remove from the heat and set aside.

4. In a large salad bowl, prepare the dressing by whisking together the oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, mustard, and maple syrup. Add the arugula or salad greens and toss to coat.

5. Divide the salad onto four chilled plates. Arrange the roasted pears in a fan around the center, and sprinkle with the cranberries, Parmesan cheese, and pine nuts. Scatter with petals from the calendula blossoms.

Crisped Prosciutto

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Place slices of Prosciutto on baking sheet lined with parchment paper or fit a wire cooling rack into an edged cookie sheet, which allows air circulation and crisping on both sides of prosciutto in addition to catching any grease.  Bake for 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool slightly. Break into shards.

Appetizer Platter

Husband-Tested in Alice's Kitchen
Serves 6

I had a busy day yesterday, but was looking forward to a party we had been invited to that evening. We were to bring an appetizer. I stopped in at Lost River Market & Deli and bought a few items for an appetizer platter. Once I got home, it took me only 10 minutes to put this together. The platter looked very nice and everything on it was soon gone when we arrived at the gathering. Pears, walnuts and gorgonzola cheese really complement the ham!

1 package (4 oz.) cooked Capocolla (pork) or procuitto
1 wedge of Gorgonzola cheese, cut into two smaller wedges
1-2 cups toasted walnut halves
1 perfectly ripe pears, cored and sliced**
1 lemon (optional.....see Tip)

**Tip: Squeeze the juice from one lemon into a medium bowl. Add about 3-4 cups water. Place the pear slices into this water for a minute or so before placing onto the platter. This will help keep the pears slices from turning brown.

Serve with your favorite wine and crackers. I served this with some hazelnut rice crackers and sparkling pear cider too. Delish!

Gorgonzola Butter

Recipe from Summer Recipes Inspired by Nature's Bounty by Joanne Weir
Husband-Tested in Alice's Kitchen

We don't eat steak very often, but when we do I like to make this butter. Earlier this week, I grilled some lovely Fisher Farms arm steaks. After grilling them, I cut them in half to make small portions and filled our plates with summer side dishes of fresh tomatoes, Broccoli Salad and Creamed Corn (recipes on this blog) made with local sweet corn. Next time you grill a steak, be sure to have this flavorful butter on hand. Just a little pat will take your steak to another level! I believe it would taste great on pork, chicken, and even hot cooked vegetables. It's a cinch to make with ingredients that are available at Lost River Market & Deli year round.

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

3 oz. Gorgonzola cheese or blue cheese, room temperature

2 scallions, minced

1 Tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

In a bowl, using a fork, mash together the butter and cheese. Add the scallions and parsley and continue to mash until well mixed. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mound the mixture in the center of a piece of plastic wrap. Drape one side of the plastic wrap over the mixture and roll the butter into a log shape and twist the ends of the plastic wrap to seal. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Cut the butter into thin slices and place them on top of steak.

Gorgonzola Ale Dip

Recipe from Tastebook.com and Husband-Tested in Debbie’s Kitchen


Our friends Debbie and Bob recently came back from a trip to Michigan where they enjoyed a fabulous appetizer dip at a restaurant there made with gorgonzola cheese, cherries, pecans and pale ale (type of beer.) I did a little online research for the recipe for Debbie and found one that had those same ingredients. I sent the recipe to Debbie and she gave it a try for a small dinner party she had for us on a lovely summer evening. We all agreed that this was definitely a keeper. The original recipe had a note about halving the ingredients to make a smaller version, but we all thought that this would be a big mistake! Make the recipe as is because it’s going to go fast at your next party and everyone will ask you for the recipe! You can get pale ale in the beer and wine section of Lost River Market & Deli. The pecans can be found in the bulk section. Debbie served this with Lavash. It can be found at the end of aisle one in the refrigerated section of the store. She baked the Lavash in the oven for a few minutes until crisp and broke them into serving size pieces for us. However, Lost River Market & Deli has a nice variety of crackers from which to choose.  If you have any beer left, try making Beer Bread.


¾ lb softened cream cheese
½ lb softened gorgonzola cheese
¼ cup Berghoff Pale Ale or other Pale Ale
½ cup pecan pieces
¼ cup fresh cherries, pitted and chopped or dried cherries, chopped


Bring cream cheese & gorgonzola to room temperature. Place in mixer & blend with paddle attachment until smooth. Add pale ale; blend until smooth. Add pecan pieces to cheese mixture. Finish mixture with rough chopped cherries. Bake in shallow dish at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes, uncovered, until brown at edges.