Fresh Peaches and Cream Pie

I am finally trying so may recipes I bookmarked a LONG while back.  This one was dated 3 years ago, if that gives you any indication!  I have looked at it many times since then, and am not sure why I haven't made it yet.  Oh well...now I have.  I will definitely be placing this on my "to make" list every year, it is soooo good!!

We got some peaches at my local store that looked very promising, so I bought quite a few and have been enjoying when for breakfast with some cottage cheese and Stevia (one of my favorite breakfasts!).  I look forward to peach season around these parts so I can load up on a lot more and continue making delicious treats!

Fresh Peaches and Cream Pie

Time: 1 hour + 1 hour chilling time
Yield: 2 pies

Peach Topping:
1/2 C water
3 T cornstarch
2 large peaches, peeled and smashed up
1 C sugar
1/2 t almond extract
2 T butter
8 peaches, peeled and sliced

Crust:
3 C graham cracker crumbs (about 2 packages)
7 T butter, melted
1/2 C sugar
1/8 t cinnamon
dash salt

Filling:
2   8 oz packages cream cheese, softened
1   16 oz cool whip
2 C powdered sugar
2 t vanilla
dash salt

PEACH TOPPING

1. Place your cornstarch into a small bowl. Pour the 1/2 C water over the top and stir it around until it’s all combined.
2. In a separate bowl smash up the 2 peaches.

3. Put your smashed peaches, sugar, almond extract, butter and cornstarch mixture into a medium sized sauce pan. Stir it all up.


4. Heat up the mixture over medium high. Let it come to a boil while you stir it. Let it cook for about 2 minutes or until it’s nice and thick. Set it aside to cool. Give your self a high five.
CRUST

1. Put all crust ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Stir them around until well combined.

2. Divide the mixture in half. Press each half into a 9 inch pie tin. I like to use a measuring cup to press it in. 

FILLING

1. With electric beaters (or with your stand mixer) beat the cream cheese until smooth.
2. Add the sugar, vanilla, dash of salt, and beat until nice and smooth.
3. Add your cool whip,  Blend it up until it’s fluffy-ish. 

4. Put half of the filling into each crust. Spread it out evenly with a knife.

5. Add the rest of your fresh peaches to the your cooled topping glaze. Stir until combined and pour over the top of each pie. Wrap each pie with plastic wrap and let it chill out in the fridge for at least an hour. 

Recipe Source:  Jamie Cooks It Up

Pioneer Woman's Sloppy Joes

I'm not gonna lie, when I was younger I wouldn't touch a sloppy joe with a 10-foot pole!  The last few years I have definitely come to appreciate them a lot more and even really like them!  They are a great weeknight meal, easy to throw together, and generally a crowd-pleaser.  This version was very good, although I do think I like this version a bit better.  You decide what your favorite is!  

I like this topped off with a little slice of cheese, french fried onions, or some regular old potato chips put right on the sandwich.  Yum! 

Pioneer Woman Sloppy Joes


2 Tablespoons Butter
2-1/2 pounds Ground Beef
1/2 whole Large Onion, Diced
1 whole Large Green Bell Pepper, Diced
5 cloves Garlic, Minced
1-1/2 cup Ketchup
1 cup Water
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
2 teaspoons Chili Powder (more To Taste)
1 teaspoon Dry Mustard
1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes (more To Taste)
Worcestershire Sauce, To Taste
2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste (optional)
Tabasco Sauce (optional; To Taste)
Salt To Taste
Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
Kaiser Rolls
Butter

Add butter to a large skillet or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add ground beef and cook until brown. Drain most of the fat and discard.

Add onions, green pepper, and garlic. Cook for a few minutes, or until vegetables begin to get soft.
Add ketchup, brown sugar, chili pepper, dry mustard, and water. Stir to combine and simmer for 15 minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste. Also add tomato paste, Worcestershire, and Tabasco if desired. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Spread rolls with butter and brown on a griddle or skillet. Spoon meat mixture over the rolls, topping with a slice of cheese.

Recipe Source:  Ree Drummond (the Pioneer Woman)

Poppyseed Chicken Salad

Nothing says summer lunchtime like a chicken salad sandwich.  I am continually on a mission to find one that can be my go-to chicken salad recipe, and this one is right up there...but still not exactly what I am looking for.  My favorite one I've ever had they wouldn't give out the recipe...so the search continues!

The Greek yogurt gives a little tang in this salad, which was yummy difference.  The nuts were also a yummy addition that I think my perfect chicken salad would have as well.  Not to mention how visually appealing the poppy seeds make this look! It is a good change to the salads I've had recently and definitely worth a try!

Poppy Seed Chicken Salad

2 cups cooked chicken, cubed
½ cup slivered almonds, toasted
¼ cup celery, finely chopped
1-2 tablespoons poppy seeds
⅓ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup Greek yogurt, unflavored (may substitute more mayo)
½ cup mayonnaise (I use reduced fat)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Pinch of sugar
Salt

Stir all ingredients together in a bowl until combined.
Chill.

Recipe Source:  Salad in a Jar

Peach and Blueberry Crumble

 Can I just say that I am a little baffled on the amount of money I have spent on fruit in the last week?!  We pitted and froze about 30 pounds of cherries, 18 pounds of blueberries, and I don't even know how many peaches...and I'm not done yet!!  Oh well, when I live in the setting I do, it's worth investing and having yummy fruit all year long without paying a crazy price!

This crumble is just what I was hoping it would be...the flavors combined so well and it totally fulfilled my craving for some cobbler.  Not to mention I got to use up some of my newly-purchased berries and peaches!  This is originally an Ina Garten recipe, and I have found that ALL of her baking recipes have been winners, this one included.  
 
Peach and Blueberry Crumble

2 lbs firm, ripe peaches (about 6 - 8 peaches)
1 tsp lemon zest
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 pinch salt
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
Crumble Topping
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
6 Tbsp butter, cold and diced into cubes
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Fill a large mixing bowl with ice water. Carefully drop peaches in boiling water and allow to boil 30 seconds - 1 minute, just until their skin easily peels off. Immediately transfer peaches to cold water. Peel peaches and slice into chunks or wedges. Place diced peaches in a large mixing bowl along with lemon zest, lemon juice, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup flour and pinch of salt. Toss mixture to evenly coat. Fold in blueberries and pour mixture into an 8 by 8-inch baking dish (I used one a bit bigger, about a 7x11-inch and am glad I did...I think it might have bubbled over if I hadn't!) and allow to rest 5 minutes while preparing topping.

To prepare the topping:

In a food processor, combine 1 cup flour, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, butter, and vanilla, and pulse mixture just until it appears moist. Press mixture into crumbles with your fingertips and sprinkle evenly over top of peach mixture (alternately you can do this in an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combining all topping ingredients and blending until butter resembles small peas, then rub with your fingertips until it's in crumbles and sprinkle over top. You could also do it in a mixing bowl just using your fingertips to blend). Bake in preheated oven 45 - 50 minutes, until tops are nicely browned. Serve warm with vanilla bean ice cream if desired.

Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

Aunt Annie's Style Pretzels

My son and I used to have the tradition of going to Sam's Club on a weekly basis (it was right behind our condo) and after we shopped, we would ALWAYS get a cinnamon sugar pretzel to share.  Since we moved to our current place, the nearest Sam's Club is 3 hours away...let's just say it isn't a weekly tradition anymore!  We have a Costco about 30 minutes away, but they only have churros...which my son likes but always mentions he misses the pretzels.  Granted, I could go into the mall and grab one every now and again, but dragging my small children into the mall for just a pretzel seems silly.

So today for our summertime activity, we made our own soft pretzels.  I must say, these turned out much better than any other recipe I have tried. Give them a try, SOON!  

Aunt Annie's Style Pretzels


Makes 12 pretzels

1 3/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. warm water
1 Tbsp. + 1 1/2 tsp. yeast
5 2/3 c. All-purpose flour
1 1/3 c. powdered sugar
2 1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Bath:
4 cups warm water
1/2 c. baking soda

Cinnamon Sugar:

1 c. granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. cinnamon
or

Pretzel Salt

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Let is sit for a few minutes. In the Kitchenaid, with a paddle, combine the flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Switch to a dough hook and add water with yeast and vegetable oil. Mix for 5 minutes on medium-low speed. Dough will be nice and smooth when done.

Place dough ball in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray. Let rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes, or until double in size.

When dough has risen, preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Make a bath for the pretzels by combining 4 cups warm water with the baking soda. Stir until soda is mostly dissolved.

Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it into 12 even portions. Roll each portion on a flat, non-floured surface until it is about 2 1/2 feet long. Pick up both ends of the dough and give it a little spin so the middle of the dough spins around once. Lay the dough down with the loop nearest to you. Fold the ends down toward you and pinch to attach them to the bottom of the loop. The twist should be in the middle. Holding the pinched ends, dip each pretzel into the bath solution. Blot pretzel on a paper towel to remove excess liquid.

Arrange pretzels on a baking sheet that is either lined with a Silpat mat, parchment paper, or sprayed with Pam. If you want salted pretzels sprinkle with Kosher or Pretzel salt.

Bake the pretzels for 4 minutes, then turn the baking sheet around, and cook for another 5 minutes.  For cinnamon sugar pretzels, immediately brush them with butter, and coat them in the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Recipe Source:  See Jane In the Kitchen 

Baked Potato Salad

I cannot even tell you how happy I've been to be back in the kitchen, as well as blogging again.  I dread those first few months of pregnancy when eating/cooking/looking at food makes me queasy.  I am glad all that passed so I can now enjoy all the fabulous summertime BBQs with all the excellent side dishes that accompany them!  

This is super  simple as far as potato salads go, and is great served warm or chilled.  If you love these flavors, try them in this yummy Loaded Baked Potato Dip.

Baked Potato Salad

4 large russet potatoes

1/4 c. mayonnaise

1/2 c. sour cream

1/2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese

1/4 c. freshly chopped chives, divided

8 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled

1/2 tsp. seasoned salt

pepper, to taste

Wash, peel and cube potatoes into bite-sized pieces.  Put in a large pot, cover with water and boil until fork tender, about 15-20 minutes.  You do not want mashed potato consistency.  Drain and let cool a bit (or a lot if you plan to serve chilled).  

In a separate bowl, stir together the mayo, sour cream, cheese, half the chives, about 6 strips worth of crumbled bacon, seasoned salt and pepper; mix well.  Add mixture to potatoes and fold together until all the potatoes are completely coated.  Taste and add more seasoned salt and pepper, if needed.  Garnish with remaining chives and crumbled bacon.  Serve immediately or refrigerate if serving later.  Serves 4-6.

Recipe Source:  Eat Cake For Dinner

Blueberry Banana Cream Pie

I hope you are all ready for some serious recipes!  I'm sure I've mentioned before that I live in a MAJOR agricultural area.  I'm talking asparagus, corn, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, apples, cherries, grapes, hops, peaches, apricots, etc.  My intentions are to fully take advantage of the bounty of the land this summer/fall!  So here's my first blueberry recipe of the year since we just made it back from the berry farm (we picked lots of these babies and are planning on going back for more.  We also got somewhere between 25-30 pounds of cherries.)

This pie turned out super delicious...while eating it, my husband kept saying "this is so good!"  It is an easy one to make, especially since the pie crust was pre-made.  Enjoy!

Blueberry Banana Cream Pie

6 ounces cream cheese, softened (I used reduced fat)
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup cold water
1 package (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix
1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped (just whipped, DO NOT add any thing else to it)
2 medium bananas, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 prepared Nilla wafer crust
additional blueberries for garnish, optional

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the condensed milk until smooth.  Then beat in the water and pudding mix. Fold in whipped cream.

In a resealable plastic bag, add bananas and lemon juice; toss until bananas are coated. Drain and discard lemon juice.
Spread with half of the cream cheese mixture into Nilla wafer crust. Top with bananas and blueberries. Spread with remaining cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate for 3 hours or until set. Refrigerate leftovers. 

Yield: 8 servings. (Next time I’m going to do 2 pie crusts and double the bananas and blueberries to make 2 pies and top them off with some sweetened whipped cream.  As you can see in the picture these was tons on filling for just one pie)

Recipe Source:  Real Mom Kitchen

Mango Lassi

I have never had a pregnancy like this one...I am out of the "sicky" phase, but I still can't think of anything that ever sounds good.  Therefore, I have been trying to make myself eat a few healthy things at least since nothing sounds good.  This was my lunch today.  I've had it saved in my files for a very long time, and am glad I finally gave it a try!  I gulped down this entire 32 ounce smoothie by my lonesome, and it's probably all I will eat all day...but hey, at least I got in my daily fruit intake :)

It was very tasty, and now I am excited to keep the smoothie thing going and hopefully it will continue to taste good!  I had to improvise on a few things that I was out of, but it turned out well in the end.  Enjoy!

Mango Lassi

2 ripe mangoes, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks

1 1/2 cups plain yogurt (didn't have enough, so I used half peach)

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk (ooops...ran out of milk this morning, water worked well in it's place)

6-8 frozen (or fresh) strawberries

handful of ice (or to taste)

Blend all the ingredients until smooth.

Recipe Source:  Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Creamy Berry Salad

I have had this recipe in my files for a long time...I'm talking like 3 years! I am really glad I finally tried this, it is super yummy! It reminds me a lot of a sherbet ice cream I had growing up that had raspberries and bananas in it.  The filling alone is yummy enough to eat on it's own!

I halved this recipe to eat with just my small family, but the full recipe will fill a large bowl, enough for any potluck or party.

Creamy Berry Salad

2 instant cheesecake jello pudding mix
1 8oz cool whip
1 large carton of strawberry yogurt (The big one, 36 oz I think it is)

Mix these ingredients together and refrigerate.

Just before serving, Add:

1 sm. bag of raspberries
1 sm. bag of mixed berries (thaw the berries before adding)
bananas

OR use all fresh berries:

2 containers fresh strawberries, 1 pint blackberries, 1 pint raspberries and 2 bananas. Add more as desired.

Mix gently and serve right away!

Recipe Source: Oh Sweet Basil

Baked Oatmeal

Baked Oatmeal

3 c.  rolled oats
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. honey
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/2 c. melted butter or low-fat butter alternative (such as coconut oil)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 c. Craisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, mix together oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.  Beat in milk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla.  Stir in dried Craisins.  Spread into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish.  Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes.

Top with fresh fruit, peanut butter and jelly, or whatever else you like on your oatmeal!  Serve warm freshly out of the oven or warmed in microwave. 

Recipe Source:  my friend Rachel

Bacon Wrapped Green Bean Bundles

This poor recipe got lost in the mix the last few months...between me being prego and not wanting to cook, or blog about food...these babies have been sitting in my file since Easter!!  They were so yummy and got gobbled up super fast by our friends we shared Easter with.  Try them with those yummy green beans growing in your garden...I bet they are even better that way!

Bacon Wrapped Green Beans

1/2 Costco bag of fresh green beans (frozen) or 3 cans whole green beans.  Boil with salted water until barely soft (unless using cans) 
  
1 lb bacon cut in half 
  
**Wrap 7-8 green beans with bacon.  Secure with toothpick and place in baking dish.  Drizzle topping over beans and sprinkle with garlic salt 
  
Topping: Dissolve 1 C brown sugar in 1/2 C melted butter.  Pour over green beans.  
  
Cover with foil.  Bake 45 min at 350.  Remove foil and return to oven and broil 15 minutes more to brown bacon until crisp.

Recipe Source:  It's Dinnertime

S'mores Brownies

Have you made s'mores yet this summer?!  We have definitely had our fair share.  My son makes me cook them up even in the wintertime, they are definitely his favorite treat.  That's why I knew these brownies were right up his ally!  

These are super simple to make and will give any s'mores lover a good alternative to lighting up the campfire to get their favorite treat.  Enjoy!

S'mores Brownies

1 box (1 lb 2.4 oz) Betty Crocker Original Supreme Premium brownie mix (or family size of another brand)
Water, vegetable oil and egg called for on brownie mix box
2 cups miniature marshmallows
6 graham crackers, broken into small pieces
2 giant size chocolate bars (about 10-12 oz. total) coarsely chopped


Heat oven to 350°F .  Cook brownies for 15 minutes.  While cooking, combine graham cracker pieces, chocolate and marshmallows into a large bowl.  Remove brownies from oven and sprinkle graham mixture over top.  Cook for additional 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean.  Let cool completely before cutting and serving.

Recipe Source:  Adapted from Betty Crocker

britni

Copykat Maddox Raspberry Honey Butter

My grandparents lived in Brigham City when I was little, so naturally I've been to Maddox a time or two!  Their rolls are phenomenal (that's my next copykat recipe to tackle), and the yummy raspberry butter that comes with it just makes them that much more special.  Now if only I can find somewhere outside of Utah that sells turkey steaks...

I was trying to think of something different to eat on our "Utah scones" one morning, and this honey butter popped into my head, luckily there are many others out there that had already figured it out and I could just use their recipe.  Unfortunately today I didn't have raspberry preserves, but strawberry preserves were a nice substitute!! Enjoy :)

Copykat Maddox Raspberry/Strawberry Honey Butter

½ c butter, softened
½ c honey
½ c red raspberry preserves (strawberry preserves worked out well, too!)
½ tsp vanilla

Beat butter until soft. Add honey and preserves while mixer is running. Add vanilla and beat for 10 minutes. Store refrigerated, in a plastic container.

Recipe Source:  Norton Family Recipes

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

I know it's June...I promise.  For some odd reason my 5-year old has been asking me for this soup for a few weeks, so I gave in this week on a day that was a little cooler.  It is a very tasty soup...comfort food at it's finest.  It makes LOTS, so if your family isn't huge, you will want to half this baby!

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

6 carrots, peeled and diced
6 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 onion, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
12 cups water
12 chicken bouillon cubes
1-2 cups diced chicken
1 cup butter-remember it makes A LOT
1 cups flour
8 ounce jar Cheez Whiz
2 cups egg noodles-cooked
Instructions

Bring water and bouillon to boil. Add vegetables, partially cook them. In separate pan melt butter and flour on medium heat. When smooth, add to vegetables. Turn heat to medium low. Add cheez whiz and chicken. Simmer 30 min or until vegetables are cooked. Add egg noodles and serve.

Recipe Source:  The Girl Who Ate Everything

Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies

I am finally starting to get out of the sick-y part of pregnancy.  Thank heavens!  My poor family hasn't had a normal home-cooked meal in weeks now.  I also haven't been baking as much as I normally do, and I must say it's been great getting back into the kitchen.  I had some Nutella in my pantry on the verge of needing to be thrown away, and when I saw this recipe I knew it was just what I needed to make.

These turned out really yummy and we gobbled them up quite quickly.  They aren't super puffy cookies, so don't expect that, but they are phenomenal!

Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies

1 cup butter (2 sticks) room temperature
2/3 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy – I like crunchy)
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 2/3 cup flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

heaping 1/3 cup Nutella

Cream butter, peanut butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla together until smooth. Combine flour, baking soda and salt and add to butter mixture. Add Nutella in dollops over the top of the dough.  Use a butter knife to swirl the Nutella through the dough.  Do not over mix.  Chill the dough in fridge for 15 minutes before spooning onto cookie sheet to firm the nutella.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8-12 minutes depending on how big you make your cookies.  Bake until slightly brown at edges.  Let cool a few minutes on cookie sheet before transferring.

yield: 3 dozen (I made my cookies quite large, you could definitely get 4 dozen)

Recipe Source:  The Sisters Cafe