Delicious Fresh Peach Pie

Tis the season for ripe juicy peaches!

We've been enjoying peaches for
 breakfast, lunch and dinner at our house.

Sometimes we wash and eat peaches by themselves...

Sometimes, we slice them and and enjoy them 
with Greek Yogurt, 
or, put them in a bowl and pour milk on them.

We've even been enjoying them 
on top of  our Buttermilk Pancakes!  

Another favorite, is that of FRESH Peach Pie!  

I had my first taste of FRESH peach pie,
while visiting my Aunt Eloise in California when I was just a young girl.
It was so delicious and I couldn't get enough of it! 

 I have made this pie for my own family at least once or twice a year during our entire marriage and it really is something that we all look forward to.  

However, the recipe, called for a package of Peach Jello (here)
and since my passion is making everything from scratch and trying not to use "Mixes" of any kind,
I decided to venture out and follow the recipe for my Fresh Strawberry Pie, which involved water, cornstarch, salt, sugar, butter, pureed peaches and vanilla. . It worked SO well and tasted just as delicious (if not BETTER), than my recipe that used peach Jello!

It's another WINNER for sure!
I LOVE that I can take basic staple ingredients that I always have on hand and turn them into something fabulous and delicious!

Fresh Peach Pie  

7-9 large peaches peeled and thinly sliced (depending how large your pie pan is)

(in a heavy sauce pan mix the following)

1 cup water

2/3 cup OR 3/4 cup sugar (depending how sweet your peaches are)

1/4 cup Corn Starch

1/4 tsp salt 

(whisk together to make sure there are no lumps)

Bring above ingredients to boil and then add in:

2 peaches that have been pureed

2 Tbsp butter

Continue cooking until heated through...

Remove from heat and add in:

2 tsp. vanilla

Let cool slightly 

Prepare pie crust (make and bake it) (here for my favorite pie crust recipe)

Cover the bottom of cooked crust with a little bit of glaze.

Fill baked pie crust with fresh sliced peaches

Pour glaze over the top of peaches 

and chill 2-3 hours.

Serve with whipped cream

Enjoy a taste of heavenly yummyness today!

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread...

Who ever came up with the saying that 
"Chocolate Makes Anything Better"
 was totally on to something. 

My sweet friend Katie dropped me off a loaf of  Chocolate Chip Banana Bread a few weeks ago. (here)

My boys just loved it
and I even had someone comment that they wanted the recipe for it, on the post that I did.
 So, I decided to take my Banana Bread recipe and just sprinkle on some Dark Chocolate Chips on top of the batter before I put it into the oven.

It turned out perfect and delicious 
and left my boys wanting for more!

I'm thinking that the addition of chocolate chips
to our Banana Bread is going to be something we'll be doing from now on!

Of course, I always use this helpful tip when any recipe that I make calls for one cup of oil. 

Banana Bread

3 eggs

¾ cup sugar

½ cup oil

½ cup applesauce

2 tsp. Vanilla

3 cups mashed banana (or however much banana you have)

Mix together the above 6 ingredients 

Then add in:

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

After you have mixed this well add in: 
3 cups unbleached flour

Grease two loaf tins.

Pour mix into tins.

SPRINKLE batter with Dark Chocolate Chips (about 1/3 cup per loaf pan)

Bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes. (or until toothpick inserted in comes out clean)

After you have pulled it out of the oven, 

remove from loaf pans  and  I usually put some butter on the top of it. 

Store in Zip-Loc bags...enjoy one loaf now and then freeze another loaf to enjoy on a different day.

I keep mine in the fridge until ready to serve.

THIS bread freezes well 

and is great to pull out of the freezer and slice up, 

add in an apple, string cheese or boiled egg 

and some carrot sticks and you have a yummy lunch.

Enjoy!

Snap, Crackle, Pop... Perfect Treats!

If it weren't for my hubby and boys,
I probably would never bring a box of cereal into my house.

However, who doesn't love and enjoy a yummy Rice Krispie Treat,
especially one that is the perfect texture and has peanut butter in it.

(Another wonderful thing about my family, 
they LOVE peanut butter, 
me, I could take it or leave it).

This recipe is for my husband, 
because we are happy buying the no-name "Crisp Rice" cereal
and there is never a recipe on the box (or the marshmallows) to make up Rice Krispie Treats.
I've tweaked the original recipe to fit our liking, that of adding in peanut butter and vanilla and cut the butter in half. It turns out perfect every time we make them up.

SO, my awesome hubby, here you go!

Perfect Rice Krispie Treats 

(not too sticky, not too crisp, but just right). 

1/4 cup butter 

40 large marshmallows 

6 cups Krisp Rice Cereal

1 large heaping wooden spoonful peanut butter

1 tsp. vanilla 

Melt butter on stove over medium heat

Add in marshmallows and keep stirring until melted

Remove from heat and add in peanut butter and vanilla.

STIR well

Next add in Krisp Rice Cereal 

Stir until all cereal is coated well.

Pour into large RubberMaid container and spread out well, put on lid and let cool.

(We like ours chilled so we keep in the refrigerator until time to serve).
Cut into squares and ENJOY!

Can you say YUM!
Definitely makes for happy and content families,
when a batch of these yummy treats is made up.

Delicious Summertime Strawberry Recipes

  I LOVE SUMMER!

I love everything that's associated with it!! 

I love grilling on the grill.

I love garden fresh salads.

I love homemade Popsicles, homemade milk shakes and cold refreshing drinks.

I love flying the flag, fireworks, sunrises and sunsets. 

I love wearing sandals and the long summer days 

where it's still light at 10:00 at night.

I love all of the beautiful flowers in my yard.

I love backpacking and hiking!!

and  
I LOVE STRAWBERRIES!   

I thought I would share 
some of my strawberry favorites...
Strawberry Pie
Strawberry Lemonade
Strawberry Banana Milkshake
Strawberry Salad Dressing 
Strawberry Topped Summer-Time Salad 

From Scratch Strawberry Pie 

(in a heavy sauce pan mix the following)
1 cup water
2/3 cup OR 3/4 cup sugar (depending how sweet your strawberries are)
1/4 cup Corn Starch
1/4 tsp salt
(whisk together to make sure there are no lumps)

Bring above ingredients to boil and then add in:
1 cup crushed strawberries
2 Tbsp butter
Continue cooking until heated through...

Remove from heat and add in:
2 tsp. vanilla
Let cool slightly 

Prepare pie crust (here for my favorite pie crust recipe)

Cover the bottom of cooked crust with a little bit of glaze.

Fill baked pie crust with fresh strawberries
Pour glaze over the top of strawberries (add a few more strawberries to the top 
and chill 2-3 hours.

Serve with whipped cream.

Enjoy Strawberry Pie

without using a box of "Junket" for the glaze!
You'll be amazed at how yummy and how easy it is.

 Strawberry Lemonade
(The perfect amount for a family of four...
Double the batch, to make a gallon for more people.)

2 quarts water
3/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp. Citric Acid
2 capfuls of Lemon Extract
1 large lemon sliced
1 cup fresh sliced strawberries
Stir together well.
Let chill for at least one to two hours and then pull out the lemons
(if the lemons are in the drink for longer than 2 hours, they will make it bitter).

Strawberry Banana Milkshake
1 cup milk
4 cups strawberries (leave the tops on as the green tops provide some great Chlorophyll)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 to 2 bananas
2 cups of ice
Blend together in your Vita-Mix until thick and smooth. 
Pour into glasses, add a straw and sip away!

Enjoy!  

It's amazing how yummy this tastes, it's healthy as well and the most amazing thing, is that it doesn't have any ice cream in it.

Strawberry Dressing 
1/2 cup strawberries

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar, (OR, Raspberry Vinegar)  

1-2 Tbsp. white sugar 

1 Tbsp Poppy Seeds 

Put in blender and blend until smooth. Chill.

Enjoy! 

Summer Salads are SO great! 

You can add whatever garden produce you have to them and they always taste delicious!
This time of the year, spinach is VERY abundant and so that is the base of our salads.
Add in fresh fruit, 

some kind of meat (salmon and chicken are always a hit) 

Toss in whatever other veggies you like,
Sprinkle on some chopped nuts and or sliced cheese
(you can even form the salad into a cute heart shape)

Drizzle with some homemade Strawberry Dressing
and wow!   

You have a delicious salad that is filling and really hits the spot!

Whether you are swimming in an abundance of strawberries from your garden, OR, you are taking advantage of the sales at the store on strawberries this time of the year,  
STRAWBERRIES 
bring joy, taste delicious and can be enjoyed for each meal from breakfast to dinner!

Homemade Pudding...perfect for Shortcake or Trifle!

 Summer is here!
The berries are on and with the abundance of strawberries, raspberries and other yummy fruits, we have a longing to enjoy Shortcake, or some kind of trifle. 

I come from a family of amazing cooks!

I connect in particular with my Grandma Ruth. 

(My dad's mom died shortly before I turned nine,
after a short, but, courageous battle with lung cancer...
She had NEVER smoked a day in her life!
(here to read more about this)

 My grandpa married a year later, 
bringing this wonderful woman Ruth into our family).

My Grandma Ruth made everything from scratch and I always loved her homemade pudding.  
I grew up in a home where we just opened a box,
dumped in milk,
shook the mixture in a quart jar and that was pudding
and so it really made an impression on me that you could take basic ingredients,
boil them together and that made the yummiest pudding I had ever tasted.

So, what do you think happened this past week, when our neighbor knocked on our door with a giant ice cream bucket full of the most ripe and juicy strawberries from their garden?!?
My hubby asked if we would make up an Angel Food Cake and enjoy it with our strawberries.  

(I cheated and used a "box" to make up the cake, only because I didn't want to sacrifice 12 eggs to make the cake entirely from scratch).

I do have to admit, that Angel Food Cake 
made from a box, tastes pretty darn delicious 
AND 
I have a very special spot in my heart for it, as this was my sweet sister Kandee's VERY favorite cake. Nearly every birthday she celebrated, we always had Angel Food Cake, made with love from a box!  It's so sad that she is no longer with us. I miss her dearly and it's almost been 10 years since she's been gone.
SORRY... 
I digress... now back to my post. 

Ethan thought he had died and gone to heaven!  

This was the first time he can remember 
ever eating Angel Food Cake.  

Here is the recipe for homemade Vanilla Pudding, 
that is from my sweet Grandma Ruth. 
I'm SO glad I can continue 
sharing her recipes with my own family!

Basic Vanilla Pudding
3 ½ cups milk
2 beaten eggs
¼ cup unbleached flour
¼ cup cornstarch
½ cup white sugar
Big handful of brown sugar
Combine all ingredients together and cook on stove until mixture boils and thickens.
Remove from heat and 

add in 2 teaspoons vanilla 

and 2 Tablespoons butter

Stir until well combined.
Cover top of pudding with plastic wrap and let cool 

(the plastic wrap keeps the pudding from getting a film on the top).
 

For Trifle...
Layer the following:
Cake, Pudding, Berries (do this twice)
Top with whipped cream, a strawberry and a small slice of cake... Voila!   
You have a yummy dessert that is fit to serve to a king!

PS...This is also a great filling for cream puffs or anything where you need pudding.   
You can also add sliced bananas and put in a cooked pie crust, top it with whipped cream and have “Banana Cream Pie”.

Enjoy a delicious 
summer-time indulgence today!!  

The perfect blend of tart and sweet!

 Oh my goodness...

can you say YUMMY for your tummy!
Yep, that's what these Blueberry Lemon Crumb Bars are! 

I have a freezer full of berries and so I'm always thrilled to find recipes that are delicious to put them to use!

These are the perfect blend of sweet and tart
and have a slightly crunchy crumb crust.
If you ever need something delicious to take to a brunch or breakfast party these are a really fun alternative to muffins! 

 I had ten 12-year olds over to my house for breakfast a month ago and these were the biggest HIT!
I also made these for our yearly Easter Brunch party
and once again they were a hit as well! 

Blueberry Lemon Crumb Bars

1 cup white granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups unbleached flour
1 cup butter
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
Zest of two lemons
4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (I use frozen)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F 
Spray 9x13 GLASS baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.  
(NOTE: You can use a metal baking pan, but, the bars won’t have a crunchy crust.  They will taste good, but are a moist bar, rather than cookie/pie like).

In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, flour, salt, baking powder and lemon zest.
In a small bowl, whisk the egg and vanilla together until combined.
Use pastry cutter to blend the flour mixture with the butter.
Then add in egg/vanilla mixture. 
Dough will be crumbly. 
Pat half of dough into the glass baking dish.
In another bowl, stir together 1/2 sugar and cornstarch. Gently mix in the frozen blueberries. 
Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.
Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. 
Cool completely before cutting into squares.    
Best to keep chilled until serving. 

 Enjoy!

Lemon and Cream Cheese Truffles

Truffles...

So decadent and delicious...

So easy to make...

AND something that looks amazing as far as presentation!  

I found this recipe online, (here)
but didn't like the fact that it used Vanilla OREO's and so I decided to take my Snickerdoodle cookie recipe and add in Lemon Extract to replace the OREO's and I'm happy to report it turned out absolutely delicious!    

 I was in charge of the treats for our YW in Excellence and brought these...

WOW, these were such a hit
ESPECIALLY with the men that ate them
(they kept snitching them and kept asking 
if there were extras so they could have another one)
SO, if you want a yummy recipe that men would like,
this is definitely at the TOP of the list for that!

These would also be wonderful to put in cute white boxes and give for a gourmet  gift to family and friends, or, to add to a Christmas Goodie Plate.

 Lemon Cream Cheese Truffles  

(makes 40 Truffles) 
 

(Cookie recipe)   

Cream together:
½ cup butter
¾ cup white sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
2 capfuls of Lemon Extract
1 tsp. Cream of tarter
½ tsp. Soda
¼ tsp. Salt
1 egg

Then add:
1-3/4 cup flour (I use UNBLEACHED flour)

Mix and roll into balls and roll in sugar
Place on cookie sheet and bake 10-12 minutes at 400 degrees. (or until no longer doughy)  Let cool.

NOW to turn your cookies into Truffles:

Put cookies into a gallon Zip-loc bag and smash with a rolling pin until finely crushed.

Put in mixing bowl and add in:

(1) 8 oz. block of cream cheese

Zest from one lemon

Mix cookies, cream cheese and lemon zest together until well combined.

Roll into small 1 inch balls and put on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.

Put in freezer and let chill for one to two hours

Melt WHITE chocolate chips in double boiler 

One at a time, put cookie balls into melted white chocolate until coated and put on waxed paper to cool.  

(I took some of the white chocolate and added in some yellow food coloring and then drizzled this on the top to add some color).

After they're cool, put in small white baking cups and ENJOY a delicious, yummy treat! 

 Lemon + Cream Cheese + White Chocolate =

Heaven!