Mindy's Peach Cobbler and Happy 4th!

Missy Tippens


Since I shared that I'd bought a large box of peaches last week, I thought I'd also share what I did with them.

First, I made Mindy's peach cobbler! She has shared two recipes in the past, but this is the one I used: click here.

It turned out so good and was a big hit!

One thing I really liked about this recipe is that you cook the peaches with sugar first. This was perfect since my peaches weren't really ripe yet. It made them sweet and flavorful!

Another thing I really liked was melting the butter in the oven, then pouring the batter over it. I love this method for making the perfect buttery crust/cakey part.

When we pulled this out of the oven, we almost drooled. I even took a video of the bubbling goodness (turn the sound up!).  LOL

Here's the finished product, hot from the oven.

While I was at it, I made use of the hot oven and baked bread at the same time. One of my favorites is a mix made by Tastefully Simple, Beer Bread. Our family loves it!

My husband and I took our goodies to our first non-family social outing since March. Some friends had us over for an outside, socially-distanced dinner. They have been working on their back yard during the pandemic, and it was beautiful!

They had cleared and leveled the area near the creek at the back of their property. So peaceful! And they'd strung lights and sat out quite a few tiki lamps and bottles with citronella oil.

We had a wonderful evening with their family at one end of the table and us at the other. :) Lots of good food, talking, and playing cornhole.

They loved Mindy's cobbler and asked for the recipe. I'll be sure to send them here to the Cafe. :)

I hope you all have a wonderful, safe 4th of July celebration!


www.missytippens.com

Peach Cobbler

I cannot believe I have gone all summer and not posted a peach cobbler recipe. I mean, peach cobbler is a staple of summer. A must-have or the season is not complete. And now that we're into August, well, it's time correct this.

Now we've had many discussions over the years as to what cobbler really is. Up north, cobbler tends to be more cakey while here in Texas people prefer theirs more crust-like. The first time I had cobbler in Texas I called it pie without a bottom crust and I was not a fan.

Since I'm married to a Texas, I spent years trying to come up with a happy medium. Then a friend gave me this recipe and I knew I'd finally found the one. 

Here's what you'll need:

• 4 cups peaches, peeled and sliced (frozen peaches are a great shortcut for this one, since the peaches are cooked a bit before baking)
• 2 cups of sugar, divided
• 1/2 cup water
• 8 tablespoons (one stick) unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• Ground cinnamon to taste

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees.

Now combine your peaches (no need to thaw if using frozen), water and 1 cup of sugar in a medium sauce pan and mix well.

Bring mixture to boil over medium-high heat.

Once boiling, turn heat to low and simmer for ten minutes.

Remove pan from heat.

Put butter in a 9X13 baking dish and place in preheated oven to melt.

Meanwhile, mix together your flour and remaining cup of sugar.

Right about the time the butter has completely melted, add the milk to the dry mixture and stir until combined. You can use a whisk, if you like, to insure there are no clumps.

Remove melted butter from oven.

And pour batter over the hot butter, but DO NOT STIR.

Next, using a slotted spoon, place the peaches on top of the batter.

Then gently spoon the syrup over that.

Sprinkle with cinnamon. You can be as light or heavy-handed as you like.

And bake for 40-45 minutes until crust is golden.

By now, your kitchen, if not your whole house, should smell absolutely wonderful. The sweetness of the peaches, the fragrant cinnamon...

Serve warm with your favorite ice cream.

Or au naturel.

This is probably one of the easiest peach cobbler recipes ever. Especially if you use frozen peaches. Something that means you can enjoy this amazing treat all year round. 

Since we're on the topic of fruit and it is still summer, what is your favorite fruit dessert? The one that really says summer to you? One that, perhaps, brings back fond memories, or is just so delicious you can't wait for summer so you can dig into it again.

Three time Carol Award finalist Mindy Obenhaus lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, the youngest of her five children and two dogs. She passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she's not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more a mindyobenhaus.com.

Potluck Love

I love potlucks. I mean, why limit yourself to just one entrée/side/dessert when you can sample a dozen different ones?

Last weekend we attended two potluck meals. So aside from getting to sample the dishes others brought, it gave me an opportunity to prepare some of my favorite recipes. You know, the ones you don't dare make unless you've got plenty of people to share them with, otherwise you're stuffing your face with those delicious leftovers for the rest of the week. And while that is enjoyable, things come to an abrupt end when you can no longer fasten your pants.

Our first potluck was a dinner. A farewell party for some good friends. And I knew I had to bring a pan of Chocolate Lasagna.

All that chocolatey goodness simply has to be shared.

This easy and oh, so tasty recipe can be found here.

I wanted something savory too take, as well. Something that was more of a party food. So I opted for Hot Hawaiian Beef Sandwiches. I saw the Pioneer Woman make these a long time ago. Now, I always make them for our Christmas lunch when I have lots of growing boys to feed. Don't be put off by the pepper jack cheese and small amount of hot sauce. Between the sweet rolls and cheese, any spice is more about flavor than heat. That recipe is available right here.

For our second potluck, which was after church, I knew I had to bring my favorite broccoli salad. 

This stuff is so addicting. And while it's not unhealthy, it does make a pretty good sized batch. Find out how to make it here.

Of course, no church potluck in Texas is complete without peach cobbler.

It's a quintessential favorite. And this recipe is my personal fave. You can find it here.

Yep, all that good eating made for one really good weekend.

Now it's your turn. What are some of your favorite potluck recipes?

Three-time Carol Award finalist, Mindy Obenhaus lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, the youngest of her five children and two dogs. She's passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more at www.MindyObenhaus.com 

Spring Break at the Ranch, aka Cute Kids and Good Eats Part 2

by Mindy Obenhaus

Oh, what a week it has been here at the ranch. Max and his sister couldn't have asked for a better spring break. Lots of sunshine had the wildflowers blooming - 

The fish biting -

The weather was perfect for taking walks in the woods.

 Down by the creek.

And out to the pasture where we discovered four new calves taking a nap together. Isn't that the cutest thing?

Max didn't spend any time in the woods, but he still did plenty of exploring. He loved the drums, also known as tables, on Grammy's deck.

However, a loud moo kind of startled him. Especially when we looked up to see at least half the herd rushing across the pasture at the front of the house.

Do you remember that little guy I showed you last week? The one that had just been born? This is him now, with his mama bringing up the rear.

Max was ready to move on, though. There were adventures to be had and he wasn't about to let sissy drive the UTV without him.

The riding mower appeared to be right up his alley, too.

He even helped in the kitchen.

With Grammy at his side, he whipped up some of her favorite peach cobbler. You can find that recipe here. 

But at the end of the day, a boy always has time for his dog.

And, sometimes, even goes so far as to crash in the dog's bed.

Yes, it was a busy week here at the ranch. A fun week. One I wouldn't trade for the world. But now it's time to get back to work. There are books to write and, contrary to popular belief, they do not write themselves.

I am pleased to announce, that after a chaos filled year of surgery, moving and renovating, I am finally writing in earnest again, thanks to a new contract with Love Inspired Books. Best of all, I have a new office to do it in. A place where I can close the door and play with my imaginary friends, all while enjoying the view I've looked forward to for years.

Now it's your turn. Have you ever taken a sabbatical from your job, writing or otherwise? Were you eager to return to said job? How did you get back into the swing of things?

Three-time Carol Award nominee, Mindy Obenhaus, lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, the youngest of her five children and two dogs. She's passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more at www.MindyObenhaus.com

 

Individual Peach Cobblers

Jan here, in the middle of a hot summer!

Deerfield Lake, in the center of the Black Hills

We've shared a lot of peach cobbler recipes here at the Cafe.

Here's one I shared last year -

Click here for this recipe

Then there's this one that Mindy shared a couple weeks ago -

Click here for this recipe

And then another one Mindy shared back in 2013, and completely different from the other two!

Click here for this recipe

So do I really have anything new to offer when it comes to peach cobbler?

I sure do!

To start with, you need to understand that hubby and I are on the brink of being empty-nesters. That means learning how to cook all over again!

So I look for recipes that make individual portions, or that I can split into two or three meals.

One of those "individual portion" recipes I came up with is for peach cobbler. Yum!

Jan's Individual Peach Cobblers

ingredients:

1/2 package Pepperidge Farms Puff Pastry sheets (you can also use Puff Pastry shells)

2 peaches; fresh, canned, or frozen

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

This recipe is easy-peasy. :)

Pre-heat your oven to 400°. 

Thaw the pastry sheet according to package directions, then cut it into four pieces.

Line four baking cups with the pastry pieces. I used my 10-ounce Pyrex custard cups, but you can also use a large muffin tin, or other smallish baking dish.

Bake the empty pastry cups for 15 minutes at 400°.

Meanwhile, prepare your peaches and the topping.

You need 1/2 peach for each pastry cup, or about 1/2 cup sliced peaches. I used canned peaches, but you can also use fresh or frozen. Slice them and put them in a medium bowl, ready to spoon into your pastry shells.

For the topping, mix the melted butter, oats, flour, sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl.

When the pastry cups are baked and just starting to turn brown, remove them from the oven. Reduce your oven temperature to 375°.

Fill the cups with the peaches, and then top with the oat mixture.

Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, or just keep them plain!

In other news, we're celebrating our 35th anniversary today!

If you had told me back in 1982 that thirty-five years would fly by so quickly, I would have thought you were crazy! But when you're married to your best friend, some of the days might be long, but the years are short.


Meanwhile, I've been writing as fast as I can!

The first book in "Amish Country Brides" series from Love Inspired will be available next month!

Pre-order here!

And this month, the entire "Journey to Pleasant Prairie" series is ON SALE in e-book format!

Go to your favorite on-line book seller to order!

So let's chat. Do you like peach cobbler as much as we do here at the Cafe?

Jan Drexler loves her family, her home, cooking and just about anything made by hand. But she loves her Lord most of all.

Stop by Jan's website to learn more about her books: www.JanDrexler.com