Just Peachy

Recently, while giving our old chest freezer an overdue defrosting, I came across a forgotten bag of frozen sliced peaches. Since fresh peaches are in (sweet, juicy, drip-down-your-arm) season, it seemed almost heretical to consider using frozen now. Then I remembered a well-loved recipe for Peach Cobbler from Lora Lee Parrott's Sunday Dinner. It's quick, delicious, and calls for frozen peaches.


Warm from the oven with some whipped or ice cream--or in our case tonight, frozen vanilla yogurt--it says lovin' from the oven any time of year. Oh--I usually halve the recipe for just the two of us, since one of us has quite a sweet tooth and is semi-committed to watching her weight.


Some minor changes to the recipe--I add 1/2 teaspoon salt to the dry ingredients; also, like my friend Sharon, I use 4 cups peaches rather than 2 or 3. No oven temp is given, so I bake at 400 degrees and use a greased 8 or 9" square pan for half a recipe, 9 x 13" for full.

PEACH COBBLER

1/2 cup butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 cups sugar, divided
3/4 cup milk
2-3 cups frozen peaches
1/2 cup water

Melt butter in baking dish. Mix flour, baking powder, 1 cup of sugar, and milk; pour into baking dish. Arrange peaches over batter. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup sugar over peaches and pour water over peaches. Bake in preheated oven 50 minutes.

'This is a quick- and easy-to-prepare dessert. Also easy to use with other fruits. Especially delicious served hot.'

Mrs. Bob (Mary Jo) Ketchum
Shawnee, Oklahoma

Finally Back

It's good to be back. I missed you!

Please forgive my prolonged absence. Last spring, the Lord called me to a step of faith--to commit a considerable amount of time and energy to in-depth study of God's Word and facilitation of weekly core group discussions for our local Community Bible Study. Following some intense training, I began serving last month. This is a humbling experience, bringing a degree of painful growth as it lies quite a distance from my comfort zone. I'm thankful for God's mercy, love, and patience as I inch uphill toward, I pray, maturity in Him.

Mums Revisited
My experimentation with mums was a success. Here's a photo of the sweet yellow blooms that brightened our deck with the approach of autumn weather.


Cute Cupcake Wrappers
To dress up some carrot cupcakes for a clergy appreciation dinner, I found some darling brown tulip baking cups here. Just place the wrappers in your muffin tin, turn batter into the wrappers, and bake! I used a simple piping tool to add the cream cheese frosting without getting it on the wrappers. If interested, you might want to shop around; after ordering these, I found them at better prices elsewhere online.


A couple of other projects--a small, painted chest and a writing desk with an antique sewing machine base, both for our bedroom--were completed during my time away from blogging. I hope to share them with you here, very soon.

Blessings!

Chermanda's Brownies

Chermanda--unusual name, you say? This delectable deep dish brownie recipe offers two variations--the first from my friend, Cher-yl and the second from my daughter, A-manda. These yummy treats--using Cheryl's variation--did a disappearing act at the church picnic; therefore, I can only present to you a "before baking" photo.

Cheryl's Version

3/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1-1/2 cups sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 eggs
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or peanut butter chips (I like chocolate chunks.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8" square pan. In bowl, blend melted butter, sugar, and vanilla. Add eggs; beat well with spoon. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually add to egg mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in chips. Spread into prepared pan. Bake 40-45 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely before cutting (yeah, right).

Amanda's Version

3/4 cup cocoa
2 cups sugar
1 cup margarine or butter, melted
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9" square pan. Melt butter. Meanwhile, in mixing bowl stir together the cocoa and sugar. Add melted butter and stir. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Add flour and salt; combine just until smooth. Stir in nuts. Turn into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake 50 minutes or until brownies test done. Cool (okay, sure) and cut into 12-16 squares.

Either version of these rich, sweet, dark and decadent squares is a rare treat from my kitchen, but when offered, we throw caution to the wind and embrace them fully.

Melissa's Deelish, Nutrish Banana Bread

Before the midday heat arrived, I baked this wonderful banana bread using three "dead bananas" that I'd stored in the freezer for just such an occasion. I love the plentiful size and appearance of Melissa's tube-pan version, but since there are only two mouths to feed around here--not counting Sheba's--I decided to split my batter between two loaf pans. I sprinkled some pecans--spritzed with baking spray to avoid burning--on one loaf for me and the hubs to enjoy right away. The other loaf--sans nuts in or on the batter--was wrapped, still warm, and whisked to the chest freezer in anticipation of Camp Grandma* later this month. What little palate could refuse a slice of homemade "naner bread," as I used to call it with my own girl?

While you're checking out Melissa's awesome recipe, I suggest you explore her sweet Alabama homestead. It's full of delightful surprises.

*Camp Grandma is an annual event on Raspberry Hill. Stay tuned.

Berry Bread

My post about wild raspberries made me hungry for some of our favorite berry bread. It's pretty popular around here, and the recipe makes 24 muffins plus a small loaf in a pretty, giftable pan* for a friend who just might be having a birthday tomorrow.

I use this recipe with a couple of minor alterations. Two cups of mixed berries--red and black raspberries in addition to the blueberries--really pack in the flavor and add color. I've even been known to throw in a few extra berries when nobody's looking. I also like to sprinkle some crystalline sugar on top before baking, for even more flavor and a bit of crunch. I generally bake the muffins first, then the extra little loaf until golden brown and tests done. The recipe may be halved, although since it freezes well, I usually make a full batch. Enjoy!

*I found my pretty pans at Michael's for 99 cents each last Christmas.