Peach Cobbler

I have been Jonesing to cook something for weeks, but we've been living in hotels with kitchenettes so the most I've managed are recipes that only require adding boiled water. So I'm very pleased to have moved into a REAL house with...wait for it...a real kitchen. My new neighbor's have a peach tree in their back yard. Ruben invited me to take as many peaches as I wanted, but I declined because the tree was covered in wasps and it looked like all of the fruit was half eaten by the aforementioned wasps. Ruben must have taken this as a personal challenge because the next day he brought over a HUGE bowl of perfect peaches that he had harvested from his tree. When a man has risks life (or wasp stings) to bring me treasure, I want to make something really yummy. Unfortunately, my peach pie recipe is with my household goods (enroute from Germany). So this recipe is something I'm throwing together....it is part memory and part what I've read in cooking magazines. But it sure smells yummy wafting in from the kitchen...I wish I'd thought to buy vanilla ice cream to go with it.

Peach Cobbler

4 cups of fresh (wasp-free) peaches, skinned and sliced
1 Tbsp lemon juice
3/8c brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp corn starch
1/2 c. water
1 box yellow cake mix
1/2c melted butter
2 Tbsp sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Peel and slice peaches. Toss peaches into a greased casserole dish. Squeeze lemon juice onto peaches. Add the corn starch to the warm water and stir until it dissolves. This prevents lumps. Add corn starch mixture and brown sugar to a sauce pan. Stir over med heat until it begins to thicken (about 5 minutes). Pour over the peaches. Sprinkle the cake mix evenly over peaches. Drizzle melted butter over the cake mix. Sprinkle sugar over cake mix. Bake at 400F for 35 to 40 minutes.

Sorry...can't find the camera so there is no picture for now.

Middle of a Move

I won't be able to post anything for awhile. My kitchen in packed up and we are in the middle of a move. I probably won't be able to cook anything other than top ramen (gag) until the end of September when our household goods arrive.

Shrimp Stir Fry

Typically, when you stir fry beef and chicken you cook the meat at a high heat. By searing the meat first, you lock in the flavor and the moisture. On the other hand, if you stir frying shrimp on a high heat, you will end up with rubbery shrimp. In this recipe, you should cook your shrimp on a low-med heat first, remove the shrimp and turn up the heat stir fry the vegetables. Your shrimp won’t have the lovely brown hue, but it’ll still taste fantastic. You’ll add the shrimp the last thirty seconds or so to toss it with the vegetables. That way you have crisp vegetables and tender shrimp. For this recipe, you will need:

2T butter
2T Olive Oil
4 cloves garlic, pressed
12 whole Jumbo Shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails off
2 whole Zucchini, sliced at a slight diagonal
2 ears of corn, kernels cut off
1/2c grape tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
Salt and pepper

Heat 1T of butter and 1T of olive oil in a large skillet over a low-med heat. Add minced garlic. When the butter and oil are hot, add the shrimp in a single layer and cook for about three minutes, turning half way through. (If you double this recipe, you may have to cook your shrimp in batches because overcooking the shrimp will make them rubbery.) Remove to a bowl, but do not clean your skillet. Add the remaining butter and oil and turn up the heat to a med-high heat. Add zucchini slices in a single layer and cook for one minute, tossing once. Push zucchini to edges of the pan and add the corn to the middle of the pan. Cook for about a minutes. Add grape tomatoes, salt and pepper and toss around. Add the shrimp and cook for about thirty seconds before removing from heat. Serve with rice.

The original recipe said to leave the shrimp tails on, but I have kids so I took off the tails. Why give them an excuse to decide it's nasty before they even try the shrimp?

An aside: I think the recipe tastes better if the tomatos are warm, but not really cooked yet. It's my preference in this house because everyone else just picks out the tomatos anyway.

Sesame Seed Pasta Salad

This is a great salad to take to a picnic or family pot luck. The sesame seed oil gives the salad a slight Asian flavor without being too strong or foreign. My sister gave me this recipe awhile back. I love using fresh cilantro in this recipe, but my husband doesn't like the taste of cilantro. Did you know that about a fourth of the population thinks cilantro tastes like soap? I heard that on the radio awhile back. I substitute dried cilantro. My husband says it's not so overpowering when it's dried. Fresh shredded chicken tastes best, but sometimes I substitute canned chicken without complaints from the family.

Ingredients:

1/4c. sesame seeds
16 oz bow tie pasta
1/2c vegetable oil
1/3c soy sauce
1/3c rice vinegar
1t sesame seed oil
3T sugar
1/2t ginger
1/4t black pepper
3c shredded chicken
1/3c cilantro, chopped
1/3c green onion

Boil pasta and rinse until cold. Toast sesame seeds in skillet. Combine oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame seed oil, sugar, ginger, and pepper in a jar and shake well. Pour dressing over pasta and toss to coat evenly. Mix in chicken, cilantro, and green onions.

Garlic Press

I bought my first garlic press a few years ago. It was a cheap thing that only cost a few bucks. I had no idea what I was doing. I tried to press a clove of garlic with it and the darn press wouldn't work. It turns out that I got what I paid for: a cheap piece of trash. I tossed it away and used minced garlic in a jar for a few more years. Secretly, I wondered what was wrong with me that I couldn't figure out how to press garlic. A few months ago, not to be defeated by a kitchen utensil, I decided to try again. Only this time I spent a little more (twelve bucks). I love my garlic press! I just peel the garlic and press it through. No mincing, no guessing how many teaspoons of garlic from the jar equals a clove of garlic, but more importantly, no bite of pasta that contains a bit of garlic that wasn't quite minced small enough. (Willard, it's safe to eat at my house again!)

There is a bit of a difference in the taste of pressed garlic and minced garlic. Pressed garlic is a little stronger. When you press the garlic you break up more of the garlic cells so there is a burst of flavor. Minced garlic is a little more subtle. If you don't really care for the taste of garlic the garlic press is probably not for you. But if you are looking for a more even flavor of garlic throughout your recipe, the garlic press is the way to go.

Hot Artichoke Dip

1 (14oz) can artichoke hearts, drained
1/3 c. grated Romano Cheese
1/4 c. grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 t. minced garlic
1 (10oz) package Spinach (thawed and drained)
1/3 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. sour cream
1 c. shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 350F, Grease 9X13 in baking dish
Chop and mix artichoke hearts, Romano, Parmesan and Garlic
Mix Spinach, heavy cream, sour cream, and mozzarella. Stir in artichoke mix. Spoon into dish.
Bake for 20-25 mins--until cheese is melted and bubbly

Rosemary-Sage Kebabs

Marinade:
3T red wine vinegar
1/2c olive oil
3/4T dijon mustard
3T chopped fresh parsley leaves
3/4t dried rosemary
1/4t dried sage
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2t salt
1/4t black peppers

For Kebabs:
1 1/2lb cubed chicken breast
1 pint cherry or grape tomatos
1 container small mushrooms
1 red pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 red onion, cut into 1 inch pieces
8 skewers

Mix all the ingedients for marinade and put into quart sized ziploc bag. Add chicken and marinate overnight. Alternate chicken and vegetables (except tomatos) on skewers. Grill until chicken is cooked. Add tomatos to end of skewer before serving.