Crafty Crap and Lunch with SS

Last week I was invited over to SS's house to do crafty crap with her and her friend. The conversation was great, lunch was fabulous, and the crafty crap was pretty fun too. For lunch, SS made Easy Fruit Salad, her friend made Frito Pie, and I made Lemon Bars with Lemon Glaze and Candied Lemon Peel.

The Lemon Bars were VERY lemony--not for the faint of heart on the lemon front. Although, one bar was plenty. I will make them again, but I will cut the glaze recipe in half next time. The Easy Fruit Salad was very easy and delicious and the Frito Pie seemed like it was ready in no time as well.

~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~

Lemon Bars with Lemon Glaze & Candied Lemon Peel
from Cooking During Stolen Moments
Print Recipe

2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, about 1 large lemon
1 1/2 tsp lemon zest
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Glaze:
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1-2 Tbsp lemon juice

Candied Lemon Peel:
lemon peel cut into thin strips
water to cover peels
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
powdered sugar

In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, sugar and butter together on low speed until crumbly. Press into the bottom of a 13×9 dish and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, until golden brown around the edges. While the crust bakes, mix together the lemon juice, lemon zest, 2 c. sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder and salt until fully mixed and frothy. Pour the lemon mixture over the hot crust and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until top is lightly browned.

For glaze: whisk together powdered sugar and vanilla. Slowly add lemon juice until desired consistency. Drizzle glaze over cooled lemon bars.

For candied lemon peel: Peel off all that was left on the lemon after the zest. Cut peel slices into thin strips. Placed a small pan, cover with water and boil for 8 minutes. Drain that water off, add sugar and water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the peels with a fork and roll in powdered sugar. Spread on a plate to dry. Sprinkle on bars.

~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~

Easy Fruit Salad
from SS
Print Recipe

1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks with juice
1 (11 oz) can mandarin oranges, drained
1 (17 oz) can fruit cocktail, drained
1 small box instant lemon or vanilla pudding
2 bananas (optional)

Combine canned fruit. Stir in dry pudding, mix well. Refrigerate. Just before serving slice bananas and add to salad.

~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~

Frito Pie
from SS's Friend
Print Recipe

1 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (8oz) can tomato sauce
1 tsp oregano
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 dashes Tabasco Sauce
2/3 cup rice, uncooked
1 large bag Frito Scoop Chips
shredded Lettuce, chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, shredded cheese, sliced olives, sour cream, ranch dressing, and salsa

Sauté chopped onion and minced garlic in butter. Add ground beef to sautéed onion and garlic; allow ground beef to brown. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano, sugar, salt, pepper and Tabasco to browned ground beef. Cook rice separately, as per box directions. Add cooked rice to ground beef mixture just before serving. Serve rice & ground beef mixture over a bed of Fritos. Top with chopped lettuce, chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, grated cheese, sliced olives, sour cream and salsa.

~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~

A Little Post Ketchup. . .I mean Catch Up

Nope, no ketchup made. Just several other things. I made more applesauce, then I made dinners from my menu plan. I made the Chicken Tortellini Bake for dinner and I made the Enchiladas and Chicken Cordon Bleu Bake to eat tomorrow and Saturday or Sunday.

~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~

Chicken Tortellini Bake
adapted from Mmm...Cafe
Print Recipe

16 oz pkg of cheese tortellini, thawed
2 cups chicken, boiled or sauteed and cut into bite size pieces
8 oz chicken broth
1 (4 oz) can green chilies
3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook tortellini for 2-3 minutes . Drain and set aside. Mix the monterey jack and mozzarella cheese together. In a separate bowl, whisk to combine chicken broth, sour cream, and green chilies. Spray a 8x8 pan with cooking spray. Pour cooked tortellini in bottom of pan. Sprinkle half the cheese over tortellini. Scatter chicken over the top. Pour sauce mixture over the chicken/tortellini/cheese and sprinkle remaining cheese over the top. Bake covered with tin foil at 375 for 15 minutes, uncover and bake for additional 15 minutes until bubbly and golden brown around the edges.

++I assembled everything then placed in the refrigerator for a couple hours. I added about 10 minutes to each bake time (covered and uncovered).

++This was delicious. I served it with steamed broccoli. I think the broccoli could be baked in the casserole and that would be delicious as well.

~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~

Enchiladas
adapted from What's Cooking in the Orange Kitchen
Print Recipe

1-2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 lb lean ground meat (beef, turkey, or chicken)
1 medium onion chopped
1 clove of garlic, pressed
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheese
enchilada sauce
8-10 8 inch tortillas (corn or flour)
1/2-1 cup shredded cheese

Preheat over to 350 degrees. In a large skillet heat the vegetable oil and then cook the onion and bell pepper for about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Next, add the meat to the pan and brown. If the meat is too greasy then drain and return to the pan. Finally, stir in the sour cream and cheese. Then pour into a pie plate. Dip each tortilla into the sauce and coat on both sides. Spoon 1/4 cup of the meat mixture onto each tortilla and then roll the tortilla around the filling. Place in an ungreased baking dish. Repeat until you've used all of the filling. Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas and then top with the cheese. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until the cheese and sauce is bubbly.

++I assembled this and it is in the refrigerator waiting to be eaten tomorrow or the next day.

~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~

Chicken Cordon Bleu Bake
adapted from The Sisters' Cafe
Print Recipe

homemade croutons (recipe below)
1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of chicken soup or Homemade Cream of Chicken Condensed Soup (recipe below)
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp pepper
3/4 lb sliced deli ham, cut into 1 inch strips
1 cup swiss cheese, shredded
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups cooked chicken

Combine soup and milk. Put chicken in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with pepper. Layer with ham, swiss cheese, and 1 cup of cheddar cheese, soup mixture and croutons. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese. At this point you can freeze. Thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes longer.

++I assembled this and it is in the refrigerator waiting to be eaten tomorrow or the next day.

~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~

Croutons
from Sparky
Print Recipe

1/2 loaf sliced bread
1/4 - 1/3 cup olive oil
garlic powder
onion powder
seasoned salt

Cut bread into cubes. Heat oil on medium heat. Add bread crumbs. Stir to coat bread cubes with oil. Add seasonings (any desired seasonings could be used). Stir occasionally until croutons are toasted. Use right away or set aside to allow them to become stale and crunchy.

~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~

Cream of Chicken Condensed Soup
from Everyday Food Storage
Print Recipe

1 cup Magic Mix
3/4 cup chicken broth (either from a can, bouillon, or liquid from canned chicken)
1 tsp dry parsley
dash of onion salt

Mix together with wire whisk over medium heat, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.

~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~

For dessert Moo made Fantastic Fudge. Mmmmm, chocolate.

Everything's in Apple-Pie Order. . . Not so Much

What a fun couple of days. Again, not so much. Bob has been sick since Tuesday. I thought he was on the mend today then this afternoon the fever came back. He did sleep for five hours so that gave me some time to make some meals and applesauce. All of those recipes will come later. Right now I have the recipes from Monday. I took a vacation day to finish my cards and to juice more grapes and make Freezer Apple Pie Filling (recipe below). For dinner I made Tortilla & Black Bean Pie, it was a big hit with everyone.

~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~

Apple Pie Filling
adapted from Home-Steeped Hope
Print Recipe

24 cups sliced, peeled baking apples (6-7 lbs)
3 Tbsp lemon juice
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 cup cornstarch
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
10 cups water

In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice; set aside. In a large kettle/pot over medium heat, combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Add water; bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add apples; return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until apples are tender, about 6-8 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes. Ladle into freezer containers or freezer bags, leaving 1/2 inch head space. Cool at room temperature no longer than 1 1/2 hours. Seal and freeze; store for up to 12 months. Yield: 5 1/2 quarts (enough for about five 9-inch pies).

++I borrowed an Apple Peeler/Corer/Slicer from SS which made quick work of the getting the apples sliced. I wouldn't want to do it any other way.

~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~

Tortilla & Black Bean Pie
adapted from taste buds
Print Recipe

4 flour tortillas (10 inch)
1 lb extra lean ground beef
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 large onion; diced
2 garlic cloves; minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
salt & pepper
1 can (15oz each) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups water
1 pkg (10 oz) frozen corn
4 green onions, thinly sliced; plus more for garnish
2 1/2 cups (8 oz) shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Trim (if necessary) tortillas to fit a 9-inch spring form pan, using bottom of pan as a guide. Set aside. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef, onion, garlic, and cumin; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, 5-7 minutes. Add the beans and water to the skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until the liquid has evaporated, 8-10 minutes. Stir in the corn and green onions and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper. Fit a trimmed tortilla in the bottom of the spring form pan; layer with one quarter of the beans and sprinkle with cheese. Repeat three times. Bake until hot and cheese is melted, 20-25 min. Unmold pie, sprinkle with green onions. Slice into wedges and serve immediately with salsa and sour cream.

~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~

Just in case you were wondering. . . Apple-Pie Order means neat, orderly condition. Nothing in my house is EVER in apple-pie order. The only thing in my life that IS in apple-pie order is my desk at the end of the work day.

Aren't Weekends Grape

Over the course of two days I made four batches of Concord Grape Freezer Jelly, some Concord Grape Juice, Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits, Homemade Butter, and 130 recipe cards. Tomorrow I will be making more Concord Grape Juice and finishing the last three sets of cards that I need to get in the mail on Tuesday. I lead such an exciting life. Not. at. all. But it is a life I enjoy, that is all that matters (oh, wasn't that tender).

On we go to the recipes.

~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~

Concord Grape Freezer Jelly
from Sparky
Print Recipe

8 cups Concord grapes
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 pkg. Ball freezer pectin

Remove stems and wash grapes. Place in pot and crush with a potato masher. Heat crushed fruit to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes (this helps the skins release the juice). Scoop the crushed grapes and juice into a cone sieve (similar to this) to separate the skins and seeds from the juice. Measure 4 cups of juice. Combine the pectin and sugar as directed on the pectin directions. Add the juice. Stir 3 minutes. Ladle or pour into freezer-safe containers or glass jars if eating within a few weeks. Twist on lids. Let stand until thickened, about 30 minutes. Refrigerate for three weeks or freeze up to a year. If you have leftover juice follow directions below for juice.

~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~

Concord Grape Juice
from Sparky
Print Recipe

Remove stems and wash grapes. Place in pot and crush with a potato masher. Heat crushed fruit to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes (this helps the skins release the juice). Scoop the crushed grapes and juice into a cone sieve (similar to this) to separate the skins and seeds from the juice. Once strained through the cone sieve, pour into a fine mesh strainer or a regular mesh strainer lined with a coffee filter and leave over night OR stir mixture around until only the solids are left in the strainer. Discard solids OR make fruit leather (view directions here and repeat until the juice is how you would like it. (I strained mine two times.)

So. . . from this point, I don't have any specific directions. You can either serve the grape juice as is or put about 3 Tbsp of the strained juice in a glass and added a 1/2 tsp of sugar and about 6 to 8 ounces of water to make a grape drink. I poured the remaining juice into ice cube trays and we will just have to see what I think of to do with those.

~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~

Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits
from The Sisters' Cafe
Print Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour (9 ounces)
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
5 Tbsp chilled butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup fat-free buttermilk
3 Tbsp honey

Preheat oven to 400. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Chill 10 minutes. Combine buttermilk and honey, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moist. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 4 times. Roll dough into a (1/2-inch-thick) 9 x 5–inch rectangle; dust top of dough with flour. Fold dough crosswise into thirds (as if folding a piece of paper to fit into an envelope). Reroll dough into a (1/2-inch-thick) 9 x 5–inch rectangle; dust top of dough with flour. Fold dough crosswise into thirds; gently roll or pat to a 3/4-inch thickness. Cut dough with a 1 3/4-inch biscuit cutter to form 14 dough rounds. Place dough rounds, 1 inch apart, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden. Remove from pan; cool 2 minutes on wire racks. Serve warm.

+I served these with Homemade Butter, Concord Grape Freezer Jelly, and honey. Mmm, mmm tasty.

++While delicious mine were not very flaky. I feel very compelled to make these again, maybe tomorrow.

Crisscross Applesauce

I made applesauce today. PE's coworker was so kind to share a box full of apples from his apple tree. I made one batch of Crock Pot Applesauce, three batches of unsweetened applesauce, and one batch of cinnamon sugar applesauce (mainly because the kids let all the water boil out and some of the apples were a bit brown).For lunch Moo made Corn Dog Muffins and then for dinner we had another freezer swap meal. We ate the Hash Brown Quiche and it is basic enough I can share my best guess at the recipe.

~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~

Corn Dog Muffins
from Sparky
Print Recipe

1 cup yellow corn meal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
5 hot dogs

Preheat oven to 400. Place muffin papers in muffin pan(s) makes 15 or so. Combine corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. Combine milk, oil, and egg in small bowl; mix well. Ad milk mixture to flour mixture, stir just until blended. Add hot dogs and stir until combined. Scoop mixture into muffin papers; filling 2/3 full. Bake for 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~

Crock Pot Applesauce
from A Year of Slow Cooking
Print Recipe

12 large apples, skinned ,cored, and cut in quarters
juice from 3 lemons or 3 Tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp brown sugar
3/4 cup water

Skin, core, and cut your apples into quarters. Plop the pieces into your slow cooker. Add the juice from the lemon (or lemon juice), and the water. Pour in the vanilla, and add the cinnamon and brown sugar. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours. When the apples are super tender, mash with a potato masher or large fork.

++I put mine in the blender and made it very smooth. It is tasty; however, I prefer plain unsweetened applesauce.

~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~

Unsweetened Applesauce
from Sparky
Print Recipe

2 cups water
6 lb apples quartered, unpeeled, uncored
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice

Pour the water in a large heavy pot that has a lid. Add the apples. Add the lemon juice. Cook covered apples on a high until the apples are soft. Remove lid and let some water cook away. Using a food mill, or a colander, press the cooked apples through to separate the puree from the skins and seeds. (I used an old school cone sieve to make the applesauce. If you would like to see what one looks like click here.)

++The peels and cores supply pectin to give the cold sauce a good consistency.

++As I said, I made one batch of cinnamon sugar applesauce. After putting the apples through the sieve I put it in a sauce pan, added about 1 Tbsp sugar and 1/4 tsp cinnamon, and heated it for about five minutes.

++I froze two batches of applesauce for later.

~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~

Hash Brown Quiche
from Freezer Meal Swap
Print Recipe

3 cups shredded hash brown potatoes
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup diced cooked ham
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp seasoned salt

Preheat oven to 425. Press hash browns onto the bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie dish. Drizzle or brush with melted butter. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until beginning to brown. Remove from oven and layer ham and cheese into the crust. Whisk together eggs, milk, and seasoned salt. Pour egg mixture over ham and cheese. Reduce oven temperature to 350. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until filling is puffed and golden brown.

To freeze: Once hash browns are pressed into pie plate and brushed with butter, place in a plastic bag and freeze with ham and cheese measured into separate freezer bags. Defrost overnight then bake as directed above.

~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~

There you have it. . . a day of applesauce and some yummy meals AND I was able to work on the recipe cards for awhile. Boy we sure know how to live it up in our house.

I Should Be Sleeping. . .

So, I totally just winged it with a recipe and I sure hope it turns out. I was cutting up plums and I was going to freeze them like I did the peaches; however, it was not going very well. The plum slices were quite small and I was not having the best of luck pealing them or getting the seeds out PLUS I really didn't know if we would eat them if I just froze them. So, as any normal person would do, I made something we have NEVER eaten in our lives. Smart. I guess that is what comes of being up at 10:30 on a work night. That is what happens when PE isn't here to join me in bed. He had the pleasure of going to work from 4:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. because one of his workers is on vacation. Such a lucky guy! Anyway, I don't sleep well when he isn't here. So I stay up until I can't keep my eyes open any longer and yes, that (for tonight) is going to be 11:00 or so. In my defense, for those that don't know, I am out of bed by 5:00 a.m.

Moving on. . .I made Plum Vanilla Compote. Here is a link to read about compote. I am thinking I will just freeze it and then maybe serve it with ice cream. Who knows?!

~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~

Plum Vanilla Compote
6 cups plums, pealed-pitted-sliced in halves or quarters
2-3 cups sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a pot and heat until boiling. Simmer for 20 minutes. Drain most syrup and reserve. Freeze.

~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~

So there you. I will let you know how it is when we eat it.

I am off to bed. G'night.

Gonna Eat Me a Lot of Peaches

Millions of peaches, peaches for me. Millions of peaches, peaches for free. (Name that song.) Sadly enough, oft times when I start my posts there is a song in my head and the songs are usually slightly lame but I guess that just sort of goes with the territory. Anyway, onto the peaches. . .

My lovely sister, Cooking W., so kindly thought of me when a friend of hers had extra peaches. So, yesterday I went home to a half bushel of ripe, fragrant peaches with the intent of getting some in the freezer. Three hours later I had all but seven peaches taken care of. (Those seven peaches are for eating fresh. I told K2 I would bring her a couple peaches and I saved some for peaches and cream.) Most of the peaches are diced and in the freezer with some in the refrigerator. Here is what I did to prep them. . .

~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~

Freezing Peaches
from Sparky
Print Recipe

1 pot boiling water
1 slotted spoon
1 big bowl ice water
3 medium bowls (1 for peaches, 1 for peach skins and bruised flesh--feed chickens or compost, 1 for pits--garbage)
2-3 lemons
very light syrup (1/2 cup sugar dissolved in 5 cups water)**
quart freezer bags
half bushel of peaches

Place 6 to 7 peaches in the boiling water. Boil for 20-30 seconds. Using slotted spoon remove peaches from boiling water and place in ice water. Remove peaches from ice water and peel by pinching the skin and pulling off (most of the skin should come off in one piece). Cut peaches as desired (I diced all of mine), I discarded any bruised flesh, I am not sure if it was necessary or not so if you have input, let me know. Repeat until you have about 8 cups of peaches (I used a container I knew was 8 cups). Slice 1 lemon in half and squeeze each half (cut side up so the seeds don't get in the peaches) over the peaches. Stir to coat all peaches--this prevents the peaches from browning. Scoop 2 cups of peaches (about what would be in a can of peaches) into a quart bag. Pour about 1/2 to 1 cup of light syrup over the peaches. Seal the bag removing as much air as possible. Repeat until you have emptied the bowl. Repeat the entire process until all peaches are ready to be frozen. ALTERNATIVE: After stiring in the lemon juice, place the diced peaches on a Silpat lined baking pan to freeze them. Once frozen place peaches in a freezer bag. (This is perfect for adding peaches to yogurt or smoothies.)

I now have 11 bags and 1 tray in the freezer, I used two cups of peaches to make Peach Bread (recipe below), and I reserved 2-3 cups for making peach cobbler tonight (once I decide on and make the cobbler, I will post the recipe).

**I have been wanting to preserve fruit; however, I have not wanted to get into canning because I thought the sugar in the syrup would detract from the healthiness (oh, and I don't own any of the stuff you use to can). I did a little reading and found that using a very light syrup approximates the natural sugar level in most fruits and adds few calories. This small quantity of sugar also helps the peaches retain their natural colour and texture. So I felt better about it. Yes, I know I could use Splenda, but I like to share food I make with friends and family and I know several who do not tolerate Splenda (it upsets their stomachs or leaves a nasty taste in their mouths). That whole surgar thing is my issue with making freezer jam. Yes, it is delicious but the amount of sugar is re.dic.u.lous.

~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~

I had the pleasure of spending Wednesday evening at KLB's house. We had a delightful time talking, laughing at my kids, and watching SYTYCD and Glee. Then the joy for the week continued when she agreed to come to my house after work last night! Her timing was perfect, I had finished with the peaches and was finishing up the bread to get it in the oven. We had a nice time just visiting. I am really looking forward to our plans of hanging out once a week. I have the kids in a class down the street from her house so it works out great to hang out with her after their class on Wednesdays, so that is the plan until the end of October.

~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~

Why no recipes since Monday? Here is the wrap up from this week:
Tuesday - PE grilled bacon wrapped tenderloin with minced garlic and squash seasoned with olive oil and season salt
Wednesday - Chili Mac from freezer meal exchange (more on that later this month) prepared and served at KLB's house
Thursday - PE grilled hot dogs and Moo served salad
Friday (tonight) - Who knows

~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~

Fresh Peach Bread
from Tasty Kitchen
Print Recipe

3 whole eggs
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup canola oil
2 cups fresh peaches, peeled-pitted-diced
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
1 dash allspice
1/2 cups chopped walnuts (or pecans)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour 2 - 8 x 4 loaf pans. Beat eggs lightly. Blend in sugar, oil, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and spices. Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Gently fold in the peaches and nuts. Pour into the pans. Cook for 1 hour or until tester comes out clean.

~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~

I think that is everything that needed to be covered and as always, if you want more information on something I did, let me know.

Have a great Friday!