Dark Chocolate & Caramel Dipped Pears

Caramel apples are so fun – and synonymous, for me at least, with fairs and being outside in the fall. Dark Chocolate and Caramel Dipped Pears are their classier cousin – a little more refined and perfect for your holiday table.

Caramel Pears 1

I’ll willingly confess that for years I’ve wanted to be the person that could easily whip up something chocolate dipped. I always thought there was some huge secret I was missing out on – and it turns out there was… good chocolate.

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Caramel Cranberry Pear Tart

Pies are a Thanksgiving staple, but sometimes can be tedious to make. When I want the flavors of a pie without all the work, I opt for a free-form tart, like this beauty.

Caramel Cranberry Pear Tart 1

This is a really simple dessert, but taking the time to cut the pears into fancy fans makes it a showstopper.

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Cranberry Pear Mocktail Mules

I received complimentary products in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own.

You know what I realized this week? For the last five Thanksgivings, I’ve been nursing or pregnant (or both). Five. In a row.

Cranberry Pear Mock Mules

Suffice it to say things have swung in the opposite direction this year and it’s making me obsess over the perfect Thanksgiving cocktail. But, as a woman who has (very recently) been there, I know I want to have a mocktail on the menu too – not only for pregnant and/or nursing crowd but also for the designated drivers, kids, and people who would just rather not have the alcohol.

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Pomegranate and Avocado Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

So far, Jake is not a picky eater. I know we’re just getting into toddler-battle territory so it may change but for now we’re still happily surprised every time he tries and loves a new food. One of our recent finds is pomegranate. I bought one to make this salad and tossed him a few arils while I was prepping things. He devoured them and screamed for me.

At this point, the kid would probably eat his weight in pomegranates if we let him. I’ve bought more pomegranates in the last few weeks than I have in all my previous years of grocery shopping combined.

While the pomegranate was the standout for Jacob, he did eat some of the bacon, goat cheese and avocado too. The adults happily ate everything, of course! This salad is going to make a repeat appearance at our Thanksgiving table this year.

PomegranateAvocadoSalad

Pomegranate and Avocado Salad
(Adapted from Gimme Some Oven)
Serves 6-8

1 large head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
1 pear, diced
1 pomegranate, seeded
1 avocado, diced
6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup of goat cheese crumbles

Toss together in a large bowl and serve with citrus vinaigrette.

 

Citrus Vinaigrette

1/3 cup orange juice
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. honey
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/3 cup olive oil.

Whisk together and serve.

Pomegranate Avocado Salad