eating tradition

I love trying new recipes. But somehow, whenever a holiday rolls around, I crave the food that we made when I was growing up. Traditions are powerful, especially when it comes to food. It's one of the connections to childhood; the familiar things from the past create comfort in the present. Usually around the Easter season, I break out this salad, and serve it as a side dish throughout the spring and summer.

Pea Salad
4-6 cups greens, rinsed and chopped (I used a mix of red leaf lettuce and romaine)
1 small onion, chopped, or a bunch of scallions
2 cups cooked peas
6 tablespoons mayonnaise
4 ounces cheese, cut into small blocks
2 teaspoons sugar
Place half the greens, onions, peas and cheese in a large bowl. Sprinkle with sugar and 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise. Repeat the layer, then cover and chill for two hours. Toss before serving.

www.meganklugh.com

Gingerbread Pear Cupcakes

These cupcakes are extra moist because of the fresh pear. Feel free to substitute white flour; I used a white/whole wheat mix, and my cupcakes were a little dense. The ginger flavor is fairly mild; add more ground ginger if you would like more intensity. I have not tried this recipe with fresh grated ginger, but that might be a good experiment.


You can also add a dash of ground nutmeg to the batter, and serve with ice cream instead of icing (or no topping at all).
This recipe makes 6 cupcakes.

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup light molasses
• 3/4 cup self-rising flour
• 3/8 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 small ripe pear, peeled, cored and chopped
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 6-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
Over low heat, melt half of the butter with all but 1/2 teaspoon of molasses. Stir until they are combined, and then set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine the two flours, 3/4 tablespoon of ginger and the baking soda. Add the brown sugar. In a separate bowl, combine the egg, milk and cooled butter and molasses. Add the flour mixture all at once, along with the pear. Stir until the batter is moistened, and divide among the paper liners. Bake the cupcakes for about 20-25 minutes and cool before icing.

For the icing, melt the remaining butter and molasses over low heat. Add the confectioner's sugar and remaining ginger, and stir (or beat) until the mixture is smooth. I also tried a variation with the icing: mix cream cheese, butter, sugar, and a small amount of vanilla extract together.