Life in the upper Sonoran Desert has its perks. Among them: six months of peerless weather and more prickly pear pods than you can shake a rain stick at. Rather than letting the pods go to waste, ...

To prepare the pear and cinnamon jam, wash all the pears well. Cut them into wedges (1) and remove the core (2), then slice them thinly, about 0.2 inches (2). Then cut the slices into julienne strips ...