Ode to the summer peach

I feel a little rusty being back in the blogging saddle after taking a needed break over the summer. I am finally back in a routine though and will be updating much more frequently. Thank you all of you who stuck with me and continue to read my little ramblings.

This time of year always comes with some trepidation for me. When my husband and I first moved to Washington six years ago from Sacramento, CA, people assured us that winter would be "mild". But in the six years since, I have realized that no winter is mild in comparison to a California winter (unless you're from the south I suppose) and that first crisp morning, when everyone else is rejoicing over a break in the heat, my mind immediately flashes with horror to short, cold winter days and long, long, frozen nights. Because of this, I must take a minute to mourn the passing of summer before I can begin to live life to the fullest and embrace fall. Hence, my ode to the summer peach...

With school back in session, and a slight chill in the air, we must bid goodbye to our sweet summer friend, the peach. Goodbye sweet friend, you will be missed.



Stay tuned for upcoming posts on Dutch oven cooking while camping!

Sunday dinner with the folks

Sunday is the busiest day of the week for me.  I wake earlier than any other day to set up my classroom for Sunday school before choir practice starts at 8am.  It's these days (oh, who am I kidding, it's everyday!) that I relish using my crock pot to get dinner prepared and not have to think about it.  This past Sunday, we had my in-laws and my husband's uncle over for dinner so having the ability to make a lot of food in the morning, without having to check on it all day was a plus as I scurried around making the house presentable.  I happened upon this recipe in the Fix in and Forget it Big Cookbook, as I do periodically in order to try fresh ideas, I randomly opened to a page in the book and made what was on that page.  I opened to Reuben Chicken Casserole and it was a winner.  Leftovers were equally delicious last night.  

In a second crock pot I made something called Just Peachy, from the same cookbook, which was an easy cobbler type recipe.  I had my mother-in-law bring vanilla ice cream to top this with and we stored it outside during dinner since I was running out of freezer space and it was colder outside than it was in my freezer!  Both recipes follow.  Enjoy!

Reuben Chicken Casserole adapted from Fix it and Forget it Big Cookbook

Makes 8 servings

Prep time:  20 minutes

Cooking time:  4-6 hours on LOW

Ingredients:

2- 15 oz. cans sauerkraut, rinsed, drained and slightly squeezed to remove excess moisture, divided

1 cup Russian salad dressing, divided

8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, divided

3 Tbls. dijon mustard, divided

1.  Spray slow cooker insert with non-stick cooking spray.

2.  Place half the sauerkraut in the slow cooker.  Drizzle with 1/3 cup Russian dressing.

3.  Top with 4 chicken breast halves.  Spread half the mustard on top of the chicken.

4.  Top in order with remaining sauerkraut, another 1/3 Russian dressing, the remaining chicken and the remaining mustard.  (save the remaining dressing for serving)

5.  Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours.

6.  To serve, place a breast half on each plate.  Divide the sauerkraut over the chicken.  Top each with a drizzle of the remaining dressing.

Just Peachy adapted from Fix it and Forget it Big Cookbook

Makes 8 servings

Prep time:  2-3 minutes

Cook time:  4-6 hours on LOW

Ingredients:

4 cups sliced canned peaches, drained, reserve juice

2/3 cup rolled dry oats

1/3 cup all-purpose baking mix

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup reserved peach juice

1.  Spray inside of slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.

2.  Place drained peaches in slow cooker.

3.  In a separate bowl, mix together all dry ingredients.  When blended, stir in 1/2 cup reserved peach juice until well mixed.

4.  Pour batter into slow cooker and stir into peaches.

5.  Cover and cook on LOW 4-6 hours.

6.  Serve warm topped with vanilla ice cream.

Golden Glow Pork Chops with Sauteed Greens

In my opinion, there is no more useful kitchen appliance than the crock pot.  I know I have been talking a lot about crock pots recently (be prepared, I'm making taco soup in my crock pot as we speak so tomorrow will be another crock pot entry!), but that faithful workhorse is kitchen magic to a busy mom.  Yesterday, I again tried out my new cookbook, Fix it and Forget It Big Cookbook, and found a winner of a recipe.  I was first drawn to this recipe because it was a good way to use some of the peaches I had canned this past summer.  But oh, it was so much more than just a good way to use canned peaches.  The sweetness of the peaches perfectly complimented the cinnamon and the cloves.  The pork chops were more tender than any I had ever had in my life.  I didn't even need my knife to cut them because they just fell apart with the touch of a fork.  It did have a relatively short cooking time for a slow cooked meal, just 3-5 hours, so those of you who work outside of the home may have trouble making this for a weekday dinner, but it was perfect for me and I got it in the slow cooker while my boys were eating their lunches.  If you do work outside the home though, don't miss this one.  Save it for a Saturday, it was well worth it.  Mmmmm.....

To accompany the pork chops, I sauteed the beet greens and kale that came in our very last CSA basket for the season.  If you have never made greens before, heat a couple tablespoons of oil in a large pot with a lid.  Add the stems of the greens and saute for a few seconds over medium-low heat.  Put the lid on the pot and cook for a few minutes.  Give the stems a stir and add the leaves.  Again, give a stir and put the lid on.  Check on your greens every few minutes, giving them a stir each time.  When the greens are tender, add a clove or two of minced garlic and stir until fragrant.  Add a couple of tablespoons of red wine vinegar to cut the oiliness and serve.  Enjoy!

Golden Glow Pork Chops by Fix it and Forget it Big Cookbook

Ingredients:

5-6 pork chops

salt to taste

pepper to taste

29 oz. can cling peach halves, drained (reserve juice)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

8 oz. can tomato sauce

1/4 cup white vinegar

1.  Lightly brown pork chops on both sides in a saucepan.  Drain.  Arrange in a slow cooker insert.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  

2.  Place drained peach halves on top of pork chops.

3.  Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, tomato sauce, 1/4 cup reserved peach syrup, and vinegar.  Pour over peaches and pork shops.

4.  Cover and cook on Low 3-5 hours.

Basil ice cream

I am under the sadly false impression that if something sounds strange, and it's in a cookbook, it must be worth trying.  I mean, why would they go to the trouble of printing it if it's not good?  This serves me well most of the time, hence my foray into cabbage galette (delicious), but not so well if I'm reading cookbooks for 50's housewives (turkey-souffle salad - contains lime or lemon jello, mayo, cooked turkey, pimento, onion and pepper.  Anyone?)

However, my instinct proved right this weekend when I was flipping through Rick Stein's French Odyssey for ideas on what to do with some of the 50 lbs. of peaches my sons and I had just picked.  He had a recipe for grilled peaches with lemon verbena ice cream and raspberries.  This sounded perfectly lovely so I started reading the recipe.  In his notes, he says that he got the idea for his recipe from a restaurant called Eugenie-les-Bains in southeast France and the only difference was they poached their peaches and served it with fresh basil ice cream.  "What!?" my curious mind exploded, "Rick Stein!  No recipe for basil ice cream?  How can you say that to me and not include the recipe?!"  It sounded just weird enough that I had to try it.  

While searching for recipes, it turns out this is not weird at all and several of my fellow food bloggers had blogged on basil ice cream.  Now I had to try it.  I happened upon a recipe from Southern Living that I adapted to fit me.  I was not disappointed with this one.  The basil ice cream was beautiful and delicious.  The creaminess and herbiness of the basil contrasted perfectly with the sweet, juiciness of the peach.    It was so good and a perfect dessert to celebrate end of summer peaches.  You must try it and let me know what you think.  Enjoy!

Basil ice cream with Grilled peaches by Joie de vivre

2 cups 1% milk, divided

2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves

2 cups whipping cream

1 cup sugar, divided

7 egg yolks

Peaches (1/2 peach per person)

1.  Cook 1 cup milk in a heavy saucepan over low heat until bubbly.  Stir in 2 cups basil leaves and remove from heat.  Cover and let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.  After 20 minutes, pour basil mixture into a blender and blend until smooth.  Strain mixture (otherwise it will be gritty) through a wire-mesh strainer into a bowl discarding solids.  Set mixture aside.

2.  Cook remaining 1 cup milk, whipping cream, and 1/2 cup sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, just until mixture is bubbly.  Remove from heat.  Beat egg yolks and remaining 1/2 cup sugar until thick and pale.  Gradually stir about 1/4 of hot milk mixture into yolks;  add to remaining hot mixture, stirring constantly.  Stir in basil mixture.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 6 minutes or until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon.  Cover and chill 4 hours.

3.  Pour chilled mixture into freezer container of a 1-gallon electric ice cream freezer, and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

4.  For peaches:  Cut in half and remove the pit.  Place on a pre-heated grill over high heat (cut side down to start) for 4 minutes each side.  Let peaches cool a little before topping with basil ice cream so ice cream doesn't melt.  Garnish with a basil sprig and serve immediately.