Pear Pie with Dolce de Leche

I was at Williams Sonoma and was intrigued by their Dolce de Leche product from Argentinia (think milk caramel). Pears looked incredible in the farmers market, so I whipped up a quick pie with lots of cardamon and heated up Dolche de Leche and found a great dessert! Happy fall..

Going Organic in Pueblo, CO

Okay, so I travel south every now and then and just pass through Pueblo on I25 and tend to think, well it looks a bit dumpy from the freeway. My apologies to the people of Pueblo. Somewhere in an organic magazine in Boulder, I read about an organic bakery called Hopscotch.

Really nice crowd when you walk in - was told the quiche was the best but you had to get there early as they sell out. If you love historical buildings, great district to check out. I had a killer eggplant panini and walked away with some yummy, delicate and thin lavender shortbread. Melt in your mouth good, I thought I was back in Paris. The lavendar was grown in one of the owners' yard. A block down is the beautiful train station from 1889 and restored beautifully. All the food looked great. If you're in Pueblo or driving by check it out. Here's their website and by the way - they'll ship their homemade granola.

http://hopscotchbakery.net/default.aspx

Sangria

My friends have been telling me for years I make a mean Sangria for a Norwegian girl, but I did grow up in CA. So, assuming they haven't just been nice, here's my recipe. Varies depending upon what I have on hand.
2 c. red table wine (I usually spend around $6 a bottle, I don't go too low on this, but usually buy a nice Spanish red)
1 c. fresh squeezed orange juice
1 c. ginger ale (some times I have home made around and this is always great to use)
3/4 c. - 1 cup orange liquer
1/4 c. pineapple + juice
slice up 1 lemon
slice up 1 lime
add a handful of red or green grapes (For big parties I freeze these and put in the drinks to keep them cold).
2-3 c. ice.
Put all together in pitcher.
Let set at least 1-2 hours. I usually pour in wine cups over additional ice and throw in a few decorative orange slices.

Enjoy and happy summer!

I serve with a little onion tart and/or chips and guacamole.