Enjoy poached pears

Enjoy poached pears

While poached pears are a classic dessert, roasted pears double the pleasure. Not only do you have a delicious final product that is excellent with blue cheese, caramel or salted almonds, the roasting process also makes the house smell wonderful.

To do it, peel the pears, wrap them in foil and cook in a low oven until tender (usually about an hour).

Or, skip the foil and leave the pears unpeeled and bury in a layer of kosher salt (dust the pears off before serving) for a crisp skin and a salty-sweet finish that would be great with chocolate.

Pizza in a snap

Pillsbury’s Thin Crust pizza dough gets points for convenience. Unroll the dough (it’s rectangular, not round) and bake about 13 minutes in a 400-degree oven. Chicago Tribune testers were impressed with the flavor and crispy texture. A roll is $2.50-$3.50 in the refrigerator case at many supermarkets.