French Onion Soup & Peach Desserts

Typically this blog tends to create menu's and sensible food groupings, but the number of peaches overtaking our kitchen tosses out all concepts of sense, sensibility, and rational food thought.

 

French Onion Soup: From “The Book of Soups” by Lorna Rhodes

2 Tbsp Butter

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 lb Onions, thinly sliced (I use between 4 – 6 onions depending on their size)

Pinch of Sugar

5 cups Beef Stock

1 Bay Leaf

Salt and Pepper

4 thick slices of a French Style Bread or Croutons

1 cup Mozzarella Cheese

1. Heat Butter and Olive Oil in a large saucepan

2. Add in Onions and Sugar

3. Cook over a medium heat for about 20 minutes or until golden brown

4. Add Beef Stock and Bay Leaf and slowly bring to a boil

5. Simmer for 25 minutes

6. Remove Bay Leaf and season with Salt & Pepper

7. Ladle into bowls and top with bread and cheese

8. If you have oven safe bowls you can place them under the broiler briefly till cheese melts

 

Peach Pie: A Personal Recipe

6 Peaches- cleaned, skins removed, pitted, and sliced

1 Tbsp Sugar

1 Tbsp Brown Sugar

2 Tbsp Flour

¼ Pie Enhancer (Buy it here)

A splash of Lemon Juice

1 premade pie crust

Optional Crumb Topping:

1/3 cup Flour

4 Tbsp Butter, cut into small pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Clean Peaches

3. Press pie crust into pie pan and pinch or roll the edging

4. Add Sugar, Brown Sugar, Flour, Pie Enhancer, and Lemon Juice to the Peaches

5. Stir to combine

6. Pour into Pie Crust

7. In a separate bowl, combine Flour and cold Butter

8. Using your fingers or a pastry blender combine flour and butter till crumbly

9. Spread over the top of the pie

10. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 – 55 minutes depending on how brown you like it to be

 To me- pie isn't worth it if there isn't a crumb topping on it. Also take note of how clear the peaches look and how there isn't any excessive juices filling the plate - this is mainly due to the pie enhancer. It really will change your life. I promise. : )

Peach Cobbler: From Food Network.com

Cobbler Filling:

4 cups Peaches, sliced

¾ cup Brown Sugar

1 tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Vanilla

1 Tbsp Flour

Cobbler Crust:

1 cup Flour

1 tsp Baking Powder

½ tsp Baking Soda

3 Tbsp Brown Sugar

4 Tbsp Butter, cut into small pieces

2/3 cup Buttermilk

2 Tbsp Turbinado Sugar or Brown Sugar

Whipped Cream

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees

2. Butter a medium sized baking dish – I use a square 8x8 dish

3. Place sliced Peaches into dish

4. Sprinkle with the Brown Sugar, Cinnamon, Vanilla, and Flour

5. Mix gently and re-spread again

6. Bake for 10 minutes

7. Meanwhile, combine the following crust ingredients in a bowl: Flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, and Brown Sugar

8. Mix the Butter in with your fingers until it resembles coarse crumbs

9. Add Buttermilk and stir

10. Remove fruit from oven

11. Drop spoonfuls of dough on top of the fruit covering the surface

12. Sprinkle with the Turbinado Sugar or Brown Sugar

13. Bake for 20 minutes

14. Serve warm with Whipped Cream

I'm sorry that I do not have a better photo of the cobbler. This was actually the second cobbler made over the weekend because we devoured the first one so fast. I made this one for a friend. This goes to show just how many peaches we had ... still have... considering making peach ice cream next. 

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As for butter versus margarine, 

I trust cows more than chemists.  

~Joan Gussow

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Salmon - Our Version of Healthy Eating

Every fall at my husband’s job they do a health screening. I guess the rationale is that if you can keep your employees informed on their general health status, then they will work to live healthier lives and it is likely that insurances charges will be lower therefore saving the company money as well as less time lost to sick days … Yes that explanation did get somewhat long.  This year they are offering a money incentive to change your numbers from fall 2011 through fall 2012. These numbers include BMI, blood pressure, and cholesterol etc. Nothing encourages healthy eating like a financial incentive.

So here is an example of one of our healthy meals. Granted this may not be approved by a nutritionist, but we still gotta be able to enjoy it.

Menu:

Baked Salmon

Jasmine Rice

Green Beans with Almonds

Salt & Pepper Tomatoes

I had done another day of canning and today I happened to be starving by the time the meal rolled around. I arranged my food on my plate, hiding where I had already sampled some salmon, and then forgot about taking the photo until I was already three quarters of the way finished. Whoops. Fortunately I had already taken individual photos.

I didn’t actually use any recipes for this meal. I just toasted the almond slivers in a sauté pan, cooked the green beans in boiling water for 3 minutes (we like them with some crunch), followed the instructions on the rice bag, scrambled two eggs and stirred that into the rice topped by some lemon juice and salt and pepper, and the salt and pepper tomatoes are pretty self-explanatory. As for the salmon- it was fantastic! We do love salmon and it is really, really healthy for you. If you are trying for a healthier eating style make fish at least two times a week. It is worth the additional cost in your grocery bill. We buy ours portion sized, which also makes them easier to bake because they are more uniform. I used a McCormick marinating packet – love these things!! – I believe it was Lime Chipolte this time around. They are a fast buy at the grocery store and then store them in your pantry for a spontaneous need. You mix some water, vinegar, oil and the packet together and pour over the salmon. They say to marinate for 15 minutes. Mine happened to marinate for 24 hours because we didn’t end up making supper when I originally intended to use it. The longer you can marinate the better. Do it first thing in the morning and when supper rolls around you’ll be grateful you did.  I bake my salmon at 350 for 10 minutes and then increase to 375 for the last 10 minutes. This made sure it was done because I can't stand undercooked seafood.

Embrace the healthy lifestyle. Give seafood, especially salmon, a try. If you're someone who doesn't like the "fishy" flavor of fish- then by all means by this marinade packet and let it soak for 12-24 hours and you won't have any hint of "fishyness". I promise  : )

Waffles with Peaches - Good Morning!

As a child I never embraced breakfast. I'd eat leftovers from the night before, grab a pop tart, or just skip it all together. I don't know if it is because I'm older, because I'm a mother, or because our increasingly health-conscious world is rubbing off on me, but I really appreciate a solid start to my day through breakfast.

Typically I eat cereal or oatmeal with fresh fruit, but for this post I thought I'd do a little extra work. It was a Sunday when I made this and the little one was with her grandparents so I think that is why I had the early morning energy.

We got a waffle maker as a wedding present and I just used the Bisquick recipe for this set. Super easy with great results. Topped it off with fresh cut peaches, a little syrup, and a dollop of whipped cream.

You can also add chocolate chips, a large variety of fruit, or peanut butter to get a little creative. Or go with ice cream or hot turkey and gravy and take this somewhere else from a breakfast post.

Every once and a while it is nice to mix up our meal routine.

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If we're not willing to settle for junk living, 

we certainly shouldn't settle for junk food.  ~Sally Edwards

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Pulled Pork & Marinated Tomatoes

This menu is a great way to use fresh produce that seems to be popping up everywhere and the pork is a mix up in our typical chicken, beef, pasta line up.

Menu: 
Do-it-yourself Pulled Pork Sandwiches 
Marinated Tomatoes
Breaded Zucchini
Fresh Corn Off the Cob

Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork- From Pioneer Woman.com

1 Onion

1 5-7lb Pork Shoulder/Pork Butt

Salt

Pepper

2 cans Dr. Pepper

1 Eleven oz can Chipolte Peppers in Adobe Sauce

2 Tbsp Brown Sugar

Hamburger Buns

BBQ sauce

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees

2. Cut Onion into wedges and lay in bottom of large dutch oven pan

3. Salt and Pepper the cut of Pork and then set it on top of the onions

4. Pour the Chipolte Peppers over the Pork and include the sauce

5. Pour the Dr. Pepper and Brown Sugar around the piece of Pork

6. Lightly stir

7. Place lid on pot and place in oven

8. Cook for at least six hours, turning the roast a few times throughout the cooking period

9. Meat should be falling apart at end of cooking time

10. Use two forks to shred the meat, discard large pieces of fat as you shred

11. This dish can be stored in the liquid until ready to use- just reheat in a sauce pan

12. Serve in hamburger buns with BBQ sauce

Marinated Tomatoes- From Pioneer Woman.com

1 cup Canola Oil

¼ cup Balsamic Vinegar

4 Tbsp Sugar

1 tsp Salt

Black Pepper

3 Green Onions, sliced

¼ cup Parsley, chopped

18 Basil leaves, thinly sliced

¼ tsp Ground Thyme

2 cloves Garlic, minced

2 lbs Tomatoes, about 8 (this amount is flexible based on what you have)

1. Combine all ingredients except for Tomatoes in a large bowl

2. Use a whisk to mix well

3. Add in Tomatoes

4. Allow to marinate in the fridge for at least 3-4 hours (this can also be made a day in advance)

5. Use leftovers to make bruschetta by slicing baguettes, brushing with olive oil, grilling the bread on a pan, rubbing with garlic, and then topping with tomatoes

Breaded Zucchini My own Recipe

1 large Zucchini

Milk

Bread Crumbs

Olive Oil

1. Clean Zucchini

2. Use sharp knife to slice Zucchini

3. Place sliced Zucchini into a bowl of Milk to soak

4. Pour Breadcrumbs into a separate bowl

5. Heat Olive Oil in a sauté pan

6. One by one take Zucchini from Milk and pat in the Breadcrumbs on both sides to thoroughly coat

7. Fry in the olive oil for a few minutes until golden brown