Peach Pie

Peach Pie

1 prepared pie crushed (your favorite homemade or store bought works)

6 peaches, peeled and sliced
1/4 teaspoons almond extract

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt
couple pats of butter (to be placed on top of filling)

Slice peaches directly into pie crust. Pour almond extract on peaches and stir to evenly coat the peaches. In a separate bowl mix the remaining ingredients together and pour over peaches. Slice small pats of the butter to lay on top of the pie filling and cover with the top layer of pie crust. Pinch edges together to seal the sides.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, then turn oven to 325 for the remaining 45 minutes. A trick to keep the edges from browning is wrap small strips of tin foil around them.

Pies don't have to be boring.......I used a cookie cutter to decorate the top of my peach pie with cute little stars!

Enjoy!

Peaches...peaches....peaches....

Peaches...peaches....peaches....

It's that time of year again...fresh juicy peaches. We normally can peaches but this year I wanted to try to freezing them. So far it has been a success. The benefit to freezing vs. canning is enjoying the texture of having fresh peach pie and peaches 'n cream this winter!

 This is how I did it. Dip the peaches into boiling water for about 45 seconds. Then transferred them to a sink full of ice water. Once they cool, peel and sliced them in half and disposed of the pit. I let the halves soak in a very lite syrup to avoid them turning brown. The syrup mixture was a 3:1 mixture of water and sugar....(i.e. 3 cups boiling water + 1 cup sugar) plus a splash of lemon juice!

Divided the peaches into freezer ziplock bags. Be sure the syrup covers the peaches to prevent freezer burnt peaches and get all the air out of the bags like so:...

I filled each of my bags with about 5-6 cups of peaches. This is the perfect amount for my cobbler, kuchen, and pie recipe.

I hope you have enjoyed my first time freezing peaches adventure!!

Grape Salad

 It's simple, and simply awesome!

Grape Salad

Grapes

8 oz cream cheese - softened

8 oz sour cream

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

crushed pecans - optional

Beat cream cheese, sugars, and vanilla together. Add grapes (washed) and pecans. Stir until evenly coated. I used a whole bag of grapes and it seemed as though I could have used more. We fell in love with this salad last night. What a treat.

Enjoy!

Broccoli Almondine

This salad is awesome and one of my favorite things to bring to holidays, family gatherings, birthdays, and to just have at home. My mother is the queen of salads and this is her recipe.

 Broccoli Almondine Salad

            2-3 heads broccoli - cut into small pieces

2 cups shredded cheese - any flavor you like

1 lb of bacon - fried and crumbled

grapes - cut in half OR craisins

onion chopped finely - amount varies this is optional

1/4 cup slivered or sliced almonds

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup mayo

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons vinegar

Stir the first 7 ingredients together in a large bowl. In a separate dish blend mayo, sugar and vinegar together. Pour over salad and stir together until it is evenly coated, chill and serve.

*Keep in mind that ingredients such as sunflower seeds, onion etc are optional. Make it to fit your palate!

Enjoy!



Country Livin'

Fall harvest has started and the guys are busy as ever! We live close enough to town to run in when needed, but far enough away to make us appreciate Sam's Club and buying in bulk. Here are a few of our latest purchases!

You are probably laughing by now but the convenience of having orange juice, snacks, chips etc in make like quite easy for my fiance to pack a quick lunch! Of course when I'm off work and get home I prepare a hot meal for supper!

I have to admit the young boy at the cash register chuckled when he saw me buy a case of beans! I assured him they weren't all for me. :-)

If you shop at Sam's Club I have found that not everything is always cheaper in larger quanities. As much as I sound like my high school accounting teacher I often calculate things to see what the cost is per item. If you shop wisely you can certainly save a lot money!

Stir Fry

As a result of planning our wedding, taking engagement photos, and moving I haven't been able to post as faithfully as when I had first started. I took time out over the weekend to make one of my favorite entrees:

 

Stir Fry

cabbage

carrots

peppers

onion

cubed steak - brown and cubed

broccoli

teriyaki sauce

  

 In a large kettle or a wok heat a small amout of oil, add ingredients. You can use as much  or as little of the ingredients as you like. For us I load up on cabbage, carrots and broccoli!



Home raised corn fed beef! (Cubed Steak)



I normally prepare ours over medium heat. Stir quite often. When you notice the vegatables are getting soft, sprinkle teriyako sauce in and continue to fry. Once your stir fry has a nice caramelized look it's ready to serve! 



A few ingredients



Enjoy!







Shrimp Alfredo

Eating healthy can be challenging, then after time you find things that make it easier. I've never been completely crazy about pastas but when I'm not supposed to eat them.....I want them. This isn't your normal aflredo recipe but it's still great.

Shrimp Alfredo

Shrimp

Ronzoni Smart Taste pasta

Butter

Cream

Salt & Pepper

Garlic salt or powder

Onion powder

Boil noodles as directed on the packaging. Saute shrimp in butter, add some cream and spices. I prefer spicy shrimp so I also add cayenne pepper. Add steamed broccoli for more color. This is a simple way to make a hearty meal that is going to stick with you for a long time!

Grocery stores no longer have a just a few types of noodles...they have nearly a whole isle. Somewhere in that area you will find these "Smart Taste" noodles ina  purple box. They are high in fiber and taste amazing and are great for counting Weight Watcher Points!

Enjoy!

Beef Um Ups

A friend had posted that she was making these for her family one night. I thought they sounded quite interesting and asked her to share her recipe! This is the exactly what she sent me:

Beef-Um-Up

1 pound hamburger, browned

Shredded cheese, any flavor you like

Taco sauce

Egg roll wraps

Brown one pound of hamburger, when it's cooked, drain the extra juice if there is some. Turn the heat down to low and then add the shredded cheese. Stir in a half a jar of taco sauce. Place a heaping spoonful or more in the center of each wrap.

I added extra cheese.

The egg roll wrap packaging does a wonderful job showing how to roll them up. I often brush a little egg yolk on the seams to seal them for frying or baking.

Fry or bake them until golden brown or what you think looks good!

Happy 75th Birthday

August 1st is like a holiday in our family as every year we celebrate my grandpa's birthday. This year is a milestone birthday as he turns 75 on August 1st. We will be celebrating with friends and family at a grilling out/watermelon feed and of course...cake! Here's to the best lookin' 75 year old grandpa out there, love you!

As special thanks to my mother for helping make the cake, and Cheyenne for drawing the horseshoe which looks awesome!

The straw bales are made of cake!