Easy Pear Crisp

This is from the kitchen of my co-worker Cheryl Hoefler of Prairie City. She canned some pears last year and used those in this recipe - delicious comfort food! So glad she shared this at the potluck we had at work!

Easy Pear Crisp

1/2 C. uncooked regular oats
1/4 C. firmly packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp. cold butter
1 14-15 oz. can sliced pears, drained
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.

2. Combine first five ingredients in a bowl, and cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

3. Combine pear and juice; toss well. Spoon pear mixture into a 9-inch pie plate, already coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle oat mixture over pear mixture. Bake at 375 F for 20 minutes. Makes four servings.

Tip: I you prefer fresh pears, try three red anjou pears, peeled and sliced.

Alissa's Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies from the kitchen of Alissa Allen turn out great every time. I like this method of whisking the eggs then adding the other ingredients - perhaps it’s what makes a difference. These turn out slightly crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle - perfect!
Alissa and her husband Dave recently moved back to Idaho after living in John Day part time. I know many people will miss them - and Alissa’s cookies!

2 eggs
3/4 C. salted butter (1 ½ sticks), melted
1 C. white sugar
1 C. brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3 C. flour
1 bag chocolate chips

Whisk eggs. Add butter, sugars and vanilla. In a separate bowl stir flour, baking soda and salt with fork - or sift. Gradually stir into butter mixture. Add chocolate chips. Bake at 375 F for 10-12 minutes.

Tips: Let butter cool slightly before adding to eggs, and stir up your flour before measuring it out. If you prefer, use fewer chocolate chips.

Huckleberry and Lemon Crumb Bars

Here's the recipe that not only won Eagle staffer Cheryl Hoefler 2nd place in the cookie bar contest at this year's Grant County Fair, but lip-smacking rave reviews around the BME office. The changes she made were adding wheatgerm and cinnamon, and substituting huckleberries (fresh from the slopes of Dixie Butte) for the blueberries. She also inadvertently used salted butter, but reported that no measure of mouth-watering taste seemed to be lost.

Huckleberry and Lemon Crumb Bars

Crust
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour unbleached

1/4 cup wheatgerm
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. grated lemon rind
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup cold butter cut in 1/4" slices
1 lg. egg yolk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. cold water (optional)

Filling
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour unbleached
1/4 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg 

1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 cup huckleberries, rinsed and sorted

Topping
5 tbsp. soft butter
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour unbleached
Confectioner's sugar

Oven 400° F. Butter is unsalted unless otherwise stated. Lightly butter a 13- x 9-inch baking pan.

TO MAKE THE CRUST: Combine flour, wheatgerm, sugar, lemon zest and salt in the bowl of a food processor. With the motor running, add pads of cold butter, a few at a time. In a small cup, stir together the egg yolk and vanilla. With the motor running, gradually add the yolk mixture; process until the mixture pulls together. If the mixture seems dry, add some to all of the cold water. Turn dough out (it will be crumbly) into the prepared pan; with floured fingertips, carefully press the dough into an even layer over the bottom of the pan.

TO MAKE THE FILLING: In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, nutmeg and cinnamon until blended. Add the huckleberries; stir to coat. Spread the huckleberry-sugar mixture into an even layer over the crust.

TO MAKE TOPPING: Work the butter and sugar together with a wooden spool until blending. Using a fork, gradually add the flour, stirring until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the huckleberries. BAKE for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees, and back for 25 to 30 minutes longer, or until the edges and topping are browned and the huckleberries are cooked. Cool on a wire rack before cutting into bars. Lightly sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.