In the kitchen with Kelley: Maple-glazed pears with cinnamon and pecans

During the Great Recession, the newspaper I worked for cut benefits and then instituted furloughs and then downsized and then … Well, you get the message. I figured I needed to pick a Plan B career, just to be safe. I decided I’d go to law school. But as a first step, I enrolled in a paralegal certificate course at a prestigious college in Atlanta.

For six months, I worked Monday through Friday in Birmingham, Alabama, where I lived at the time. And then on Friday evenings, I drove to Atlanta and spent the night with my aunt and uncle. On Saturdays, I went to class all day and then drove home. It was a long six months, but so worth it! I figured out in a hurry that the legal field was not for me. Fortunately, I found a job that I love and that I’ve had for nearly five years now.

But I will always treasure the six months I spent staying the night with my aunt and uncle because I got to know them so much better — and because they fed me delicious meals while I was staying with them. My aunt is an excellent cook, and my uncle wasn’t half-bad either.

So when my aunt posted a recipe on Facebook recently, I took note and tried it for myself. I added cinnamon to it because cinnamon is such a healthy spice. It promotes better heart health, regulates blood sugar, protects against diabetes, boosts brain functioning and wards against Parkinson’s disease. And a little bit of cinnamon goes a long way, both taste-wise and health-wise.