Peach Cobbler for a Crowd

We had the pleasure of spending several days at the ranch last week. 

The flood waters have finally subsided, leaving the lakes full and the vegetation lush.

But this is Texas and it is June, that means it's also hot.
So while we're fishing, our beloved Dixie decided to go for a dip.

That crazy dog swam back and forth for a good fifteen minutes.
Can't say I blame her, though. I was half tempted to jump in myself.

This time of year in Texas also means, peaches. And peach cobbler.
 Normally, I use fresh peaches, but the grocery store I went to only had California peaches and they were hard as rock. Not good for cobbler.
So, realizing I didn't have time to run by the market that had local peaches, I opted to go with frozen peaches. I'll discuss the results later.

Okay, let's get started by preheating the oven to 400 degrees.

While the oven is heating, to 3 - 16oz bags of peaches (that would equate to 6-8 cups of sliced fresh peaches) I added:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
If I were using fresh peaches, I would have also added a couple teaspoons of lemon juice, but the frozen variety already have ascorbic acid to prevent browning.

The butter decided to photo bomb the other ingredients.

Pour the dry ingredients over the peaches and toss until the peaches are coated.

Since the peaches were frozen, much of the dry stuff sifted to the bottom, but that's only.

Now pour the peach mixture into a buttered baking dish and set aside while you make the topping.

Mix together:

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 Tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

Then cut in 2/3 cup COLD unsalted butter that's been cubed.

It should look like course meal.

Now add 5-6 tablespoons milk and combine until everything comes together.

Because there's so much butter in this dough, the easiest way to roll it out is between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. 

You simply peel off the top sheet, lay the dough atop the peach mixture, then peel off the other sheet.

Why do I have two separate sheets of dough?
Because while I doubled my recipe for the peaches, I forgot to do it for my dough and had to make a second batch.
The ingredients I listed above are for a double batch.

What I did here is a very rustic version. But you could cut the dough into strips and do a lattice top or, say for the 4th of July, you could use a star-shaped cookie cutter and line the top with stars.

For this version, I cut a few slits in the top, then baked for 30-35 minutes, until the top is golden and the peaches are bubbling.

 Served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream is darn near perfection.

 Now, about those frozen peaches. Passable, but not near as good as fresh. While most of the slices were tender, some weren't ripe to begin with and were still hard, even after baking.
That said, I didn't hear any complaints from those who partook in this seasonal treat. Matter of fact, most of them went back for seconds.

Bottom line, fresh is always best, but frozen works, too.

One last shot of Walnut Hill lake, one of our favorite spots.

Believe it or not, that downed tree is partially submerged, but the reflection makes it look as though it's hovering above the water.
Nature at it's best.

Salad - The Ultimate Use of Leftovers

Hello, my name is Mindy and I was inspired by Tina.

Yes, after reading Tina's post on Friday about Crab Louis Salad, guess what I wanted for dinner?

Here is north Texas we've gone full throttle into summer. And though we're not experiencing 100 degree temps, our humidity has been hovering between 95 and 100%, making our 90 feel like 100+. Who wants to cook in that?

 Not me.

Well, I didn't have any crab and had no intention of making a store run, so I decided to wing it with whatever I had on hand.

Shrimp was a good idea and I had that in the freezer, so it was a go. And hard boiled eggs are a great source of protein. Then I added some sliced green onions and a little bit of tomato I had leftover.

Talk about a great dinner. YUM!

But guess what happened the next day for lunch?

I wanted salad.

Now that may not seem like a big deal to you, but I'm not a big salad person unless it's hot outside. Guess God decided I wasn't getting enough roughage. Can't you just hear it. "Cue the heat and humidity. Mindy needs more greens."

Once again, I didn't feel like running to the store for any special ingredients. And I didn't feel like cooking up anymore shrimp either. So what's a lazy cook to do?

Check the fridge.

So while the eggs boiled, I searched for salad additions.

Bacon! Bacon goes with everything. So I put a slice in the microwave to cook.

Lunchmeat! I have tons of deli-sliced ham, so I chopped up some of that, along with some more green onions. 

Then I went to the pantry. Pine nuts!

I could eat those things by the handful. How could I have forgotten them.

The result...

As I was looking for things to add to my salad, it hit me that many of the great classic salads were probably created from nothing more than leftovers. I mean, think about it. A Chef's Salad was likely invented by a chef who threw together some hard boiled eggs, leftover chicken or ham and whatever else he had on hand.

The Cobb Salad. Pretty much the same way, but "if we put each of the items in nice little row, it won't look like any old salad."

Once again. necessity is the mother of invention. We could have Salad Ruthy, Salad Jan, Salad Missy, Salad Cate, Salad MaryJane, Salad Tina and Salad Mindy and everyone of them would be different.

So now I'm curious. What would your salad look like?

Mindy Obenhaus lives in Texas with her husband and kids. 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.

Summer Rerun: Jan's Pico de Gallo

Jan here, under the weather with a summer cold. It's been a family affair, passed from one to another, with varying degrees of feeling lousy.

So I'm eating this:

And meanwhile, you can enjoy a rerun recipe from 2012.

Believe me, when I feel like eating again, I'll be making some!



Jan's Pico de Gallo

(original posting August 6, 2012)

We’ve been talking about cilantro quite a bit the past few weeks, and it made me start craving Pico de Gallo. There are tons of recipes for Pico, but one thing all of them have in common is cilantro.

*Rabbit trail warning: Did you know that when the cilantro goes to seed in your garden, the seeds are called coriander? Another delicious spice, and it’s mentioned in the Bible: “Now the house of Israel called its name manna. It was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.” Exodus 16:31 – now doesn’t that sound delicious?

A couple things about the ingredients – 

I use Roma tomatoes because they have more flesh and are firmer when you chop them. I always get rid of the tomato guts when I make Pico – just slice the tomato in half and hollow it out. The flesh that’s left is firm and will hold its shape in the mixture.

If you aren’t familiar with tomatillos, they’re like little green tomatoes wearing jackets. You know a tomatillo is ready to use when its papery jacket is dry and starting to split. To use the tomatillo, take it out of its jacket, wash it, and remove the stem with the point of a knife. Then just slice and chop it.

I used Anaheim chilies in this batch of Pico, because that’s what I had in the freezer. You could use any hot pepper – jalapeno, Serrano, habanero – as long as it isn’t so hot you don’t want to eat it. The Anaheims are a bit milder than the others. Oh, and make sure you wear gloves when handling hot peppers (I keep disposable latex gloves on hand), and remove ALL the seeds.

And the final hint – when I’m chopping veggies like tomatoes (firm skins, tender flesh), I always use a serrated knife – actually an old steak knife from who knows where (I had it before we were married thirty years ago). The serrated knife cuts through the outer skin without crushing the more tender flesh of the fruit or veggie.

Ingredients (makes about 4 cups of Pico de Gallo):

3 Roma tomatoes

2 Tomatillos

1 Jalapeno pepper, Anaheim Chile or other hot pepper to taste

¼ Bell pepper (green, yellow or red)

¼ onion – yellow will be stronger than white

¼ cup chopped Cilantro, or more – I tend to use more like ½ cup

1 Tablespoon lime juice

Salt to taste

Chop the tomatoes, tomatillos, peppers and onions to uniform sizes – I like anywhere between ¼” to ½”.  Stir together. Isn’t it pretty? Like Christmas, or the Mexican flag!

Stir in the chopped cilantro, and then the lime juice. Taste it, and salt it if needed.

Cover the bowl and let it sit in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving to let the flavors blend.

Serve with chips, or on tacos, or as a garnish for enchiladas, or as a topping for salad …

What’s your favorite way to use Pico de Gallo?

A Visit to the Pacific Islands: Kelaguen

Because of my husband's job as a hospital food service director, he goes to a lot of food blogs. And he comes into contact with a lot of different recipes.

Recipes he rarely brings home!

So imagine my surprise when he gave me this recipe a couple summers ago!

He says the guy who posted the original recipe on the blog is from the Philippines. I Googled the dish, and learned that it's found all over the Pacific Islands.

Originally, it seems the islanders used this recipe to ferment seafood - basically "cook" it in acid and salt. When other meat sources were introduced to the islands, the recipe was adapted to include them. Even Spam! Although one of the sources said the Spam version is only popular among beer drinkers.

Draw your own conclusions :)

The version I make uses cooked chicken.

Kelaguen

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked, diced chicken

1 hot pepper, diced

1 small onion, diced

1/4 cup lemon juice (or juice of 2 lemons)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut - dried or fresh

Mix all the ingredients together and refrigerate for at least two hours. Serve with warm tortillas or with a green salad.

Since this is an ancient recipe, pretty much anything goes.

Use whatever meat - or even tofu - you choose. I use diced, cooked chicken breasts. You can also use seafood, beef, canned tuna...whatever!

Use whatever pepper you want - or even none. I like the zing a hot pepper gives the dish - although I don't like too much of it. I used one of these - I think it's a Serrano?

Green Bell Peppers would work well, too.

And, of course, for the coconut I used some of the huge bag that I dug into last week to make my Delightful Coconut Dreams (recipe here).

Paired with a green salad, this makes a wonderfully quick, nutritious cold dish for summer!

Someone else thinks so, too!

What's your favorite go-to dish for hot summer days?

Copycat Cracker Barrel Grilled Chicken Recipe

Hi everybody! The Fresh Pioneer is back and I have a tasty little recipe for summer! I found this recipe on this silly girl's life and it's delicious... but I adjusted it a little bit. So, check out the original and then you can decide whether you want to go with mine or hers. (Don't worry. I won't get my feelings hurt!)

 1 lb chicken tenderloins
1/2 cup Italian dressing
1 tsp lime juice
3 tsp honey (originally 1 1/2 tsp)
2 tsp minced garlic (none in the original)
a splash of soy sauce

Ok, so I mixed it all together and gave it a taste. I know it's just a marinade but I thought it needed just a bit more honey. Then I thought.... it needs garlic. Maybe it would have been more awesome without, but I LOVE garlic.

 Ok, put in the chicken and let it marinade for an hour or two.

 Then, plop it all in a skillet and let it cook on high until almost all the sauce is gone and the chicken is cooked through. At this point I added 1 1/2 tsp of soy sauce and it started to smell really, really good.

 And now I make a confession. I've never been to Cracker Barrel.  We don't have them around here. So, really, this recipe should be called "Copycat Cracker Barrel Grilled Chicken Recipe By Someone Who Has Never Eaten There". Since I'd already fiddled with it, I decided to go all the way and start adding more things... like broccoli!

 While I was waiting for the broccoli to finish steaming, I was treated to a lively show by the construction crew. Pretty sure one of them is a pirate, but we won't tell the policeman pushing the red wheelbarrow with a giant pancake inside.

 And this little guy told me a long, long story about his racer man. I asked about the ninja mask and was corrected: that is his "bug wrap". You know, to keep out the bugs while he's zooming along. He also wants one for his birthday which is THIS WEEKEND. Can you believe it? My baby is FOUR. I don't think I'm ready for this. We've always been the house in the neighborhood that had a baby. Sort of a community service we provided friends and family. "Need baby snuggles? Come on over! Fresh baby always available!"  Oh well, I guess if they teen snark, preteen discipline issues and little boy lego stories, we're the place to go.

 Ok, so the chicken is out and placed on a bed of fluffy white rice. (Stop zooming in. So it's not exactly fluffy... More like sticky. Or clumpy. I still haven't mastered rice.)
                                      
Verdict? DELICIOUS! Hubby needed a bit of convincing since it wasn't burn-your-face-off hot. But he added a few red peppers and was perfectly happy.

I love summer. I get out all my little bottles and fill them with roses and lavender. 

                                          A close up of this vintage ink jar. Isn't it pretty?

 By the time you all are reading this, we'll be headed down to grab a spot at the local drive in. Not sure if anyone else has one of these, but I've got some great childhood (okay, and teen and adult) memories of our drive in. And now my kids love it, too. It costs our whole family about $20 to get in and besides the super fun atmosphere, there are tasty snacks like homemade pizza for the intermission. YUM.

 I pulled this picture from their facebook page. This is the way you watch a movie at the drive in. But we'll just bring the Tahoe and our lawn chairs. And some blankets and some candy. :)

 A nice shot of the sunset...

 One of their workers. It's a family business so the workers are from age 7 all the way to... well, we won't say.  :)

At the fiftieth anniversary, the had free admission for classic cars. That was a sight! Lots of Mustangs and 50's Fords.

Blue Sky Studio

We're going to see Rio2 and since I'm not really a movie person, I'm bringing my paper AA's of Persuasion, Captain Wentworth and Cracklin' Cornbread! It will be a working movie date, because that's how this mom of six rolls during the summer!

 Until next time, my friends!

Party time! Mexican Jello recipe

Hi everyone! The Fresh Pioneer is back and I have a fun recipe for you. ( I'm uploading this post in IE, so wish me luck... I've had to use Chrome for a few months. No idea why.)

Anyway, it's getting close to party time at my house. It's not a day, or a week, but more like a season. Most of the little people in this house were born during the summer months. (Cue the jokes on trying to stay warm all winter! It's true!!) So, from now until September, we're going to be PARTY CENTRAL.

But first, I have to say, this is my month for movies. I already went to see Divergent for my birthday, and that was fun! And now the same friend asked to meet for Maleficent. I'd rather see The Fault in Our Stars, but since I still have a head cold and sobbing might kill me, I agreed. I'll let you know how it is! I love a villain remade into a hero (or heroine). I have high hopes.
                                            

Remember the picture I posted on Tuesday? I decided to try it out! It was actually MUCH easier than I thought it would be. So, here is a quick tutorial. I won't bother with the steps on how to make the Jello. We all probably know how to do that. I used the Jiggler recipe on the side of the box.

 I didn't need to clear out a whole shelf in the fridge because I have stacking Tupperware. How great is this?? So, I mixed up the Jigglers, put on the tops, and stacked them in the fridge. I left them overnight but I'm sure it would be fine after a few hours.

 When I brought them out of the fridge, the little guys had to smell each one to see which was the yummiest. Verdict? Black Cherry!

 Carefully cut into cubes and put in a small pan. I wanted to share this with friends so we doubled the recipe. I used the top and bottom plastic pieces of a cookie container from the store. (Yes, I bought cookies. And no, they weren't really good. Live and learn. That's what I get for shopping hungry!)

 Kav, this picture is for you. :)

 Now, after you've placed lots of little squares of different flavors in the containers, get out your plain Knox gelatin. You'll need two small packets for every can of sweetened condensed milk. Since I doubled the batch, I added four packets to one cup of cold water.

                               
Stir until the gelatin starts to come together in little grainy bits. (Like my nails? My daughters' pen pal, Tessa, from Germany, sent them a packet of nail doodads. We're not nail people. But suddenly, it looked like a good time! We had a lot of fun decorating ourselves. And see, they match my kitchen!)

 No, add two cans sweetened condensed milk to 3 cups boiling water (or one can condensed milk to 1 1/2 cups boiling water). Stir until throughly mixed.
   (Now, I've had this before when it was made by friends of ours and I could swear the white jello had a flavor. But the recipe I got from the internet didn't add anything to it, so I didn't. Asking my friend later, she said you can add vanilla or any other flavor or color. I thought so! I'll do that next time.)

 Pour the milk and gelatin mix over the Jello pieces. Make sure they're all submerged.

 Like so. I can see bits and pieces where I wasn't very careful cutting or dropping them in. Uh oh. I hope it works!

 After a night in the fridge, they looked like this!

A small person (who has a birthday coming!) loved this dish! He's a picky eater and although he did pick out all the lime bits, he loved the dessert. Score!

 Close up for effect. It really smelled delicious. Sort of a fruity, milky summer smell.

So, I think this was a winning recipe but something else I saw on the site really caught my attention. Has anyone else wanted to recreate Turkish delight, like in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe?? The same site had a link to Sparkly Fruit Gummies!

Do these look fun or what?? They just scream "summer treat" to me! And our region is famous for our Aplets and Cotlets so I want to try those, too. I've had a recipe for a long time, but I haven't been brave enough to try. But somehow, these look easier!

Ok, we're off to watch the movie. I'll let you know how it is. Anybody else watch a movie lately? Maybe I'll become a movie person and watch a movie every week. Then my posts would be a recipe and movie review, hahaha!

Until next next time!