Grandma Vernon's Fresh Peach Pie

I discovered this recipe at a friend's cabin just weeks after getting married. Grandma Vernon herself made the pie and I still have the old, scribbled notebook sheet on which I wrote down her recipe. (yellowed and covered in bits of dried peaches, of course)

I usually make 2 at a time, so I double it.
Here's the recipe I used for pie crusts, but use your favorite.

Glaze:
1 C peaches, crushed (I blend them with all the ingredients except water)
3/4 C sugar
3/4 C water
3 T cornstarch
1/4 t salt
1/2 t lemon juice

Directions:
Bring to a boil and simmer 3 minutes (about half the time, I burn the first batch. To minimize chances of burning, stir CONSTANTLY, with a nonstick pan and a silicone scrapper)
Push liquids through a sieve. (Like I said above, I just blend it. The color is darker, but I use all of the peaches, and there is plenty of glaze)

Slice fresh peaches into cooked pie shell (till full). Pour cool liquid over peaches. Top with fresh whipped cream.

(I also used a recipe that included covering the bottom of the pie crust with a sugared cream cheese. That's a bonus if you've got extra time)

I'm loving my box of peaches, but it's almost gone!

Buttermilk Syrup

In a medium saucepan bring the following 3 ingredients to boiling while stirring.
1c sugar
1c butter
1/2c buttermilk
Then remove from heat and add the following.
1/2tsp baking soda
1tsp vanilla

I got this recipe at Enrichment last week, one woman called it liquid gold and I have to agree.

Whole Wheat Pear Granola Muffins

I would guess many of (ok, at least the Arizonans) you are following the sad plight of the Nielsens (btw, there's a fundraising event for them tomorrow). In addition to her family blog, Nie Nie also has cooking blog (vegetarian and healthy--gosh, is there anything she doesn't do?).

Lots of tasty looking dishes. We tried this one last week. I'll admit, I actually did 1 c all-purpose flour and 3/4 cup whole wheat flour because I don't love whole wheat. These muffins were so goog, that I think next time, I'll flip the ratios to back to Nie's.

Orange French Toast

I recently stumbled upon a treasure trove of yummy recipes (through a friend's blog) at ksl.com. We loved this one... for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert! The orange flavor really made it extra tasty. (My substitutions are in parentheses.)

ORANGE FRENCH TOAST
Ingredients:

• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup half and half (whole milk)
• zest and juice of 1 large orange (1 c. orange juice)
• 2 T. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 8-10 thick (1”) slices Italian or French bread (white sandwich bread)
• 2 T. butter
• powdered sugar
• warmed maple syrup or ORANGE MAPLE SYRUP

Method:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, half and half, orange zest and juice, brown sugar, vanilla extract and cinnamon. Dip the bread in egg mixture and cook in the butter in a large skillet for 3-4 minutes per side. Serve with powdered sugar and warmed maple syrup or ORANGE MAPLE SYRUP.

ORANGE MAPLE SYRUP
Ingredients:

• 2 T. water
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup orange juice concentrate
• 4 oz. (1 stick) butter
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• zest of 1 orange
• ½ cup honey

Method:
In a medium saucepan, bring water, brown sugar and orange juice to a simmer. Add the butter, maple syrup, orange zest and honey. Cook on low heat for 5 minutes. Serve warm over pancakes, French toast or waffles. Refrigerate any left over syrup and then reheat as needed. Makes about 1 ½ cups syrup.

Caesar Salad Tacos

Ingredients
*10 ounces romaine lettuce
*2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
*1 avocado
*1 (4-oz.) can diced green chiles
*1/2 cup canned black beans
*1/4 cup frozen whole kernel corn
*1/3 cup Caesar salad dressing
*1/4 cup Medium Taco Sauce (that's the green stuff in a bottle in the mexican food isle)
*12 Taco shells or tortillas
*2 cups diced tomato

Directions
COMBINE lettuce, 1 cup of the cheese, avocado, chiles, beans and corn in a large bowl.
COMBINE dressing and taco sauce in a small bowl; mix well. Pour over lettuce mixture; toss well to coat.
FILL each taco shell with salad mixture; top with remaing cheese and tomatoes.

Credit goes to my good friend Deb but this recipe is great for when it is too hot to cook!

Vegetable Lasgna

Here's another recipe site I love that I got off of my cousin, Summer's blog (gotta love Jenny, a fellow SAHM from Arizona with a cheery disposition). Jenny is a woman after my own heart, who favors recipes with peanut butter, chocolate, bananas, goat cheese, and bacon (um, but not all in the same recipe).

We had this delicious Garden Vegetable Lasgna tonight. As I was shopping for the ingredients, I wanted someone to see all the vegetables I was getting. Because I'm a sucker for parenting magazines and all their rules, I felt like my load of eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, baby spinach, and bell pepper pretty much made me the best mom ever.

Unfortunately, the two grocery stores I went to didn't have fennel or marscapone cheese. So, I left out the fennel and put in goat cheese instead. I loved the flavor of the goat cheese, but it only made me wonder what it would have tasted like with the marscapone. I'll definitely make it again with ALL the ingredients.

I've been trying to get our family to lighten up on the meat, so Nate was less than thrilled when he found out it was a vegetarian lasgna, but he really liked it. ("But, you'll still make a meat one once in a while, right?")

Pei Wei Salad (Copy)

My sister showed me this blog, which inspired me to start our recipe blog. It has some lovely easy recipes on it (and lately, I'm ALL about easy--hmmm, I guess I'll find out if Nate reads this blog because he's certain to add some comment here)

We had this for dinner tonight. I only used 1 bag of the Costco orange chicken (which is delicious on its own, btw) and halved the salad part. Next time, I think I'll leave out the carrots and add bell pepper instead, maybe some ginger to the vinagrette. I feel snotty adding my additions because really, this recipe is a great one and quite a lovely change from the usual chicken salad.

Incidentally, I've also strong-armed my brother, Dave, and my sister, Rachel, to join our recipe blog. Since I'm always using their recipes, I figure I ought to get them to post and save me a bit of trouble.

Red, White, and Blue Potato Salad

After watching this slideshow on Epicurious.com, I had to try the Red, White and Blue Potato Salad. I love blue cheese in my potato salad. This recipe has been a long time favorite.

I tried this version because it had the fancy red, white and blue potatoes. I'm glad I took the picture before I put the dressing on the potatoes because they don't really look red or blue once the dressing is added.

While I still love my original version, I think the red, white, and blue one is more of a crowd pleaser. The sugar and the peas take off the "edge" many people find with blue cheese.

I halved the recipe and had enough as a side dish for two dinners.