Crepes

These are fresh peaches from our backyard orchard... 

we made a cobbler from some and then had a few leftover for breakfast the next morning.  

I decided on crepes.  

I cooked the peaches and sugar down and then used them as a filling for my crepes.  

I drizzled a little of the peach syrup over the top.

 Peach crepe

 The kids had other plans for their crepes

 If there is Nutella in the pantry this is what they do with it.... 

 Crepes with banana and Nutella!

and I washed it all down with coffee.  

This is a charming little mug I got on my honeymoon 23 years ago.  I love the flowers... they are called Columbines and they are the state flower.  

I am thinking there might be crepes again soon... and this time I am thinking berries.  They are also fabulous as a dessert if you just add ice cream or whipped cream along with the macerated fruit.

You do not have to make crepes with sweet fillings... they are also amazing with chicken and mushrooms and a lovely Veloute sauce.

Some celebrations...

 I made this cobbler for a friend who got married Friday... she wanted it to celebrate with her new husband for Father's Day.   I was thrilled to help her out in this way.  Best wishes to Kellie and Carl!!!

 Graduation cake for our oldest.

Fruit Salad tip...

Here I have apple, strawberry, grapes and banana.  I will often add green grapes instead and kiwi and blueberries but did not have them on hand today.  To keep the apple and banana from turning brown I add an acid.  Lemon tends to be too tart and I don't often have orange or grapefruit to use.  

 I will keep cans of pineapple on hand to use in such an instance and the pineapple juice does nicely to keep the brown away plus the pineapple is a nice addition to the salad.  It also gives a little shine to the salad.  If you want even a little more shine you can sprinkle some powdered sugar over the top and stir it in for a nice sheen.

Pineapple

Still drinking juice...

I am... really... every day.  LOL  I am just at the end of a month and am relying on what I have in the house to sustain us to a payday.  I have apples, carrots, plums, grapes, limes, lemons, beets and oranges and a grapefruit left.  I used the grapefruit, two oranges, two apples, two plums and purple seedless grapes this morning.  Over the next few days I will make a plain apple juice to use  up the apples left and might have to try a lemonade or limeade or a combination of the two as a treat for girlie weekend.  My daughter and I are doing a women's retreat together and might need to enjoy some lemonade for movie night on Saturday before the guys come in from their events.  

Here is today's picture... complete with my favorite jar glass.  

Day 13... Apples and Pears

Got a little swamped yesterday so I did not post but I had one of my favorite breakfast smoothies that I posted the recipe for on SparkPeople.com.  It has a five star rating from fellow sparkers!  How cool is that?

Today's recipe...

2 organic Gala apples

2 organic Granny Smith Apples

2 organic pears

Love the golden color of this one... such a fresh apple juice taste!

If I had some sparkling water it would have been nice in this one as a spritzer.

Day 11... Breakfast for Dinner

 It has been so warm this week and we are eating smaller meals already in the evenings.

This evening we had a banana/pecan encrusted French toast with homemade syrup.

I simply dredge bread in a mix of egg, mashed banana, whipping cream and a pinch of nutmeg and then dredge it in finely chopped pecans.  I use a cast iron skillet with coconut oil to cook it and then finish them off in a warming oven to keep them warm for service.

 Tonight's juice that we served with the French toast...

4 organic apples cored and seeded

a pint of strawberries with tops cut off

blueberries

2 plums pitted

Another winner!

 Note the frothy top of the fresh juice.  It is normal to have that.

Day 10 and Tea Season...

 I am huge tea drinker in the summer months.  I quit drinking sweet tea years ago but still indulged in the caffeine varieties but that is changing.  I have found a great alternative... Celestial Seasonings Fruit Zingers are fabulous!  I have been drinking them for years but now they will be on my daily tea agenda through the summer months.  I made the Raspberry Zinger today... YUM!

Today's juice recipe...

4 organic apples cored and seeded

1 orange peeled and seeded

2 plums pitted

1 small box of blueberries

On fruits like pears, plums and apples I leave the skins on when putting them in the juicer.

Perfect on this warm spring day!

Blueberry Syrup...

I love making fruit syrups...

they are simple and delicious and they add a little nutrition to the plate, too.

LOL .... a little

I start with pureed fruit - 1 to 2 pints of blueberries or strawberries

1 to 2 cups of sugar

1/2 a cup to 1 cup water

a squeeze of lemon

2 Tbsp corn syrup

Bring it all to a boil and let it cook down to thicken a bit.

Then, I finish it off with 2-3 pats of butter and then strain and serve warm over French toast, pancakes or waffles. It is a Saturday morning staple in our house

Thought I would also share with you guys that I am on Facebook now with a business page... Family Table Personal Chef and Catering. Come and see me there if you get a chance. :)

Apple Salad...

Today's recipe...

Today's smoothie is so much like drinking applesauce/peach flavored smoothie. I used...

1 medium sized banana
2 small organic gala apples cored but not peeled
1 large peach pitted but not peeled
1 Tbsp orange juice concentrate
1/2 cup apple juice
2 Romaine lettuce leaves
1 cluster of Kale leaves
About 4 ice cubes

OH.MY.GOODNESS...

Green Smoothie Challenge...

There is a challenge starting on February 25th over at Sara's place (Happy Foody)

I made my first green smoothie today just to see if I was going to be able to make it through a month of this stuff. It was DELICIOUS!!!!! I mean, like, sorbet delicious!!!!! I added...

2 bananas
5 large strawberries
1 tablespoon orange juice concentrate
5 ice cubes
about 2/3 cup water
and 1 giant leaf of Kale

I am HOOKED!!! :)

From my little orchard...

My orchard consists of two peach trees, two apricot trees, a plum tree, a pear tree, a pecan tree and an apple tree. I picked peaches yesterday and here is what I brought in. I needed to pick them a few days early so the birds would not get them picked clean. I lost about 7-8 waiting this long. :)



The tree was so heavy with peaches it was hunched sideways. One of the peach trees is a June bearing tree and the other is an August bearing tree so I get peaches twice in the summer! It is cobbler time!!!!!!

Look at that beautiful coloring!!!!! YUMMO!!!!!!!!!!!

Apple Salad

Apple Salad

1 Red Delicious apple
1 Golden Delicious apple
1 Granny Smith apple

(I used a Gala, Braeburn, Red Delicious, Yellow Delicious for mine this week)

Peel and core all the apples.
Cut them into cubes and place in a bowl.
Add the following to the apples and mix together:

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup golden or regular raisins (or ¼ cup both if you like)

Dressing mix:
1 Tbsp orange juice concentrate
1/2 cup to 2/3 cup vanilla or plain yogurt

Blend together and stir into the apple salad and serve.

Fruit and Cream Cheese Braid

The Braid pt3
Originally uploaded by academy252.

I made this yesterday for the Boy Scout dinner we had. I use a basic dinner roll dough and roll it out into a large rectangle. I use a pizza cutter to cut the strips on the side. Then I put a cream cheese mix with 8 ounces cream cheese, vanilla extract and a bit of honey down the middle and top it with a jar of fruit preserves (here is the apricot/pineapple preserves from Walmart but I also use peach or strawberry and even blueberry sometimes.) After it is spread I start braiding and tuck in the ends. I let it rise for about 15 minutes and then bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 to 40 minutes or until completely done and golden on top. I drizzle a powdered sugar, water and vanilla extract glaze over the top and cut into strips to serve. Makes a great dessert or breakfast for a crowd.

My New Comfort Food...

Let's just say I had a really bad afternoon and leave it at that, shall we? That being spoken out loud I really really REALLY deserve that Blue Bell Cookies and Cream ice cream in my freezer but, being the good girl that I am, I had a smoothie instead. I will often have a banana, peanut butter, and cocoa smoothie blended with yogurt and rice milk but today I shook things up a bit and put a new concoction together. Shall we say it was yummy? Well, it was and here is the recipe...

Power Packed Smoothie

1 cup rice milk
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
2 Tbsp frozen orange juice concentrate (right out of the freezer can and dumped right in)
1 whole banana
1/2 cup goat's milk yogurt (plain natural unsweetened)

I just chunked it all right in the blender and blended together nicely. Pour in glass and there you have the quickest and healthiest thing you can imagine right there in your glass in 30 seconds or less. The orange juice was the perfect compliment to the blueberry and the banana added sweetness without having to add honey or sugar. SCRUMMY!!!

Scrumptious...

Scrumptious...
Originally uploaded by academy252.

Homemade bread made into French Toast with homemade strawberry syrup on it.

Here is the link to that Strawberry Syrup recipe.

The Peach Cobbler

I made peach cobbler while I was home. My Dad brought fresh peaches from a local farmer for me to use. Here is the recipe and some pictures for you to enjoy...

Melt one stick of butter or margarine in a casserole dish. In a mixing bowl combine 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, four teaspoons baking powder and one cup milk. Mix them well and then pour them into the baking dish with the melted butter. DO NOT STIR TOGETHER JUST POUR IT AND LEAVE IT ALONE. Then add your peaches, which have been macerating in sugar and a bit of flour to thicken and form juice, into the batter mixture and DO NOT STIR THAT EITHER. It will cook in such a way that the batter will form a crust all the way around the peaches and up to cover the top. Place baking dish on a baking sheet and put into a 350 degree oven for about 40-50 minutes or until golden brown on top. You can use canned fruit pie filling for this recipe, too. Serve with ice cream or whipped topping. Here are the results...

Strawberry Syrup...

Would show you a picture but the family already devoured it! LOL Here is the recipe...

Strawberry Syrup

1 pint fresh strawberries, halved
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tblsp. corn syrup
1-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon butter or margarine

Place strawberries in a blender or food processor; cover and process until smooth. Transfer to a saucepan; add sugar, corn syrup, lemon juice and butter. Bring to a boil; boil and stir for 1 minute. Skim off foam. Strain seeds if desired. Serve warm over waffles, pancakes or french toast. Refrigerate leftovers; reheat before serving. Yields: about 1-1/2 cups.

Apple Crisp

I promised you an apple crisp and you shall have the recipe. I really cut back on sugar and add no salt to my version so I will give you both...

The full version:

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup AP flour
8 apples, cored and sliced
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a very large bowl combine butter (softened at room temperature) and both kinds of sugar but not until creamed. Add the oatmeal and flour - mix until crumbly. Place the apple slices in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan and add salt and cinnamon - toss lightly then add the crumbly topping. Bake for 45 minutes or until the apples are tender adn the topping is golden brown.

A Healthier Version:

1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup turbinado sugar (you could probably go with honey or a honey/molasses combination if you don't have turbinado)
1 cup 7 grain flakes (I buy these from Wheat Montana)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 cup freshly milled soft white flour
8 apples, cored and sliced (I use Granny Smith apples)
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
Pinch of allspice and black pepper (doesn't take much of either)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a very large bowl combine oil and sugar but not until creamed. Add the 7 grain flakes, walnuts and flour - mix until crumbly. I will add a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg to both topping and apples. Place the apple slices in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan and add all spices - toss lightly then add the crumbly topping. Bake for 45 minutes or until the apples are tender adn the topping is golden brown.

In the fall I often add fresh cranberries to this and make and apple/cranberry crisp. You could add dried cranberries or raisins if you like, instead. It is a favorite in our house.

Ooooo.... this is an apple crisp for tonight!

Ooooo.... this is an apple crisp for tonight!, originally uploaded by academy252.

There are other things we will be eating up today. I am always seeing the raw and picturing a recipe in my head. This is going to be an apple crisp. I'll have to share the recipe with you when I type it into my files on the computer. You see, I keep a running notebook where I write stuff down and then type it in when it is just like I like it. This is a heart healthy recipe...