Favorite Things: Texas Pecans

I sat at the dinner table one afternoon and cracked pecans from Jessica's yard - we had brought them back with us after our visit in October, and they'd been sitting quietly in the cabinet just aging. They taste different than pecans from California, and cracking them out of the shell and trying to keep the meat intact proved to be a very meditative activity.

A Few of My Favorite Things: Seckel Pears

Mmmm. I love this time of year because I get my favorite fruit of the year: Seckel Pears. They're small and juicy, reminiscent of D'Anjou Pears, but they're beautiful and tiny, smaller than a mandarin orange. I like them almost overripe, when they're ruby in color and they drip from your chin when you bite in. I can eat a bag in a sitting, they're like candy. Here, I've pictured them with another favorite thing: Vella Bear Dry Jack Cheese.