This past week my husband and I finally had the opportunity to explore our new local farmers market. It is still pretty warm in California but we have had a mix of warm days with a slight chill in the in air. As we were walking there, we both looked at each other and said, "we're ready for Fall!" Much to our surprise, there was a vendor at the farmer's market exclusively selling pears. We knew they had to be good, so we picked up a few to take home and try. The pears were incredible on their own but I wanted to try them in a new Fall recipe. This pear and walnut focaccia bread turned out incredible and it also makes your house smell exactly like Fall when it's cooking.

I found that using ripe but not overly ripened pears works best so it doesn't make the dough too soggy.

The mix of the pears, walnuts and thyme and the cinnamon sugar make for the perfect salty-sweet combination. I added some Maldon finishing salt when I took it out of the oven and it was over the top! You could certainly leave off the cinnamon sugar for a more savory bread.

Although this recipe may look fancy, it was super easy to make! I bought already prepared pizza dough from Trader's Joe's, which is a great short cut without compromising on flavor.

Making a fist, dimple the dough and sprinkle the walnuts into the indentations. Then you can layer on the thyme and pears and sprinkle on the cinnamon sugar mixture.

If you want your house to smell amazing before company arrives, pop this bread into the oven a few minutes before, and you will definitely impress them when they walk in the door!

Baking it in the cast iron skillet allows you to get the most amazing golden crust without drying out the bread. The pears get slightly softened and the cinnoman sugar bakes into the dough.

You could serve it for a brunch, afternoon snack, with a bowl of soup or salad, as an appetizer or dessert. To give it more sweetness, you could add a drizzle of honey. Or, if you wanted to make it more savory, you could serve it a long with some gorgonzola or blue cheese. The possibilities are endless, and I can't wait to hear how you serve it!

Pear and Walnut Focaccia Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

1 package of Trader Joe's plain pizza dough (or 1 pound of your favorite pizza dough)
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
2 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped
1-2 firm but ripe pears, sliced into thin wedges (about a 1/2 inch. thick)
1 Tbs. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnomon
Sprinkle of Maldon salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
With slight greased hands, remove the pizza dough from the package and place it on a lightly floured surface for about 20-30 minutes.
Lightly grease the bottom of a 9 inch cast iron skillet. Place the dough into the skillet and evenly spread it on the skillet. With light greased hands, dimple the dough creating small indentations. Place walnut pieces into the indent, then sprinkle the thyme evenly over the dough. Arrange the pears evenly over the dough.
Combine the cinnamon and sugar, and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the pears and dough.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the edges are crisp and the top is golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature for best results.

Please note: The bread is best enjoyed right after it is baked. However, if you have leftovers, you can put it under the broiler for a few minutes to crisp it up. Enjoy!

We have been traveling a lot lately and just flat out busy! In an attempt to keep some sort of balance, I always try to keep healthy food on hand. Whether that means healthy snacks for road trips, or healthy food in the fridge when we return. Recently, I was looking for a healthy snack idea to have during the week and something we could take on the go. I love nut butter, but sometimes it can have a lot of additives and cost quite a bit. I came across the idea to make homemade walnut butter and decided to give it a try. The best part about it is that it only has 3 ingredients, it's easy to make and it's incredibly delicious!

I always buy nuts in bulk and keep them in my freezer so they stay fresh. For this recipe you can just leave them frozen and put them directly in the food processor.

To the food processor, I added 1 tsp. of honey and 1/2 tsp. of sea salt. After you blend it, test it for saltiness and sweetness. I added more honey since I tend to like things on the sweeter side. You can add up to another teaspoon of honey and half a teaspoon of salt, if needed.

I wasn't expecting these three simple ingredients blended together to be so delicious! It has the perfect nutty flavor yet it almost takes on the flavor of a cookie dough. It's that good!

I had a bunch of apples on hand, which made for the perfect healthy snack. It is also delicious with celery sticks, and I even put a some of it in my morning smoothie. It is so versatile.

I also decided to put some in my favorite jars to give as a gift. You could package it up with some fresh apples and it would make for a great hostess or Mother's Day gift.

The next time you're looking for a healthy snack or gift idea, I hope you give this homemade walnut butter a try. I would love to hear what you think, so be sure to leave a comment here or on my Instagram!

Homemade Walnut Butter Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups unsalted walnuts (or any nuts)
1-2 tsp. honey
1/2 tsp.- 1 tsp. sea salt

Directions:

Place the walnuts in the food processor and pulse for 2 minutes, or until it forms a butter-like consistency. Add 1 tsp. of honey and 1/2 tsp. of sea salt. Blend until smooth.
Remove the walnut butter and place into a bowl. By hand, mix in an additional teaspoon of honey or half a teaspoon of salt, according to personal taste.
Serve with your favorite fruit or veggies and enjoy!

*This recipe was adapted from this original recipe.