Grilled Honey Peaches with Soft, Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

I wish summer could last forever.  I've been sitting at my desk all morning listening to the birds chirp outside the open window, not to mention the snores coming from down at my feet.  My four legged friends are exhausted still from the long walk my daughter took them on yesterday.  I ate a whole basket of blackberries all by my lonesome yesterday without remorse.  I polished off quite a few strawberries and raspberries too, but let's just keep that under our hat.  Despite my schedule being turned upside down by all the extra bodies and activities in the house, I'm enjoying a sense of peace that seems to come over me when the sun amps up around here.

I find myself wandering across town every chance I get to see what new fruits are coming out of the local orchards.  Something about summer that makes everyday feel like a new one.  I'm hoping to see jars of fresh jam on my counter any day now, I'm hoping my daughter is ready to drive me to the farm stand every chance we get since she has her permit now.  I'm hoping the flip-flop tan mark on my feet will get more and more pronounced and I'm hoping we get a chance to go on at least one adventure before the summer draws to a close.

Grilled Honey Peaches and Soft, Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

Bake cookies and set aside.

Oatmeal Cookies:

1 stick (1/2 cup) + 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temp

1/2 cup light brown sugar 

1/2 cup granulated sugar 

1 cup all-purpose flour 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1/2 teaspoon baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1 large egg 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats 

Add butter and sugars to a mixing bowl or the bowl of a mixer and mix until butter looks light and fluffy. Add the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, egg, and vanilla and mix until combined. Add oatmeal and mix until combined. Place dough in fridge for 2 hours or so until cold. (Don't skip this step or your cookies will come out flat and crispy.)

Use a tablespoon or cookie scoop to scoop out 1 1/2" balls of cookie dough, place the balls onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment or a silpat. Press the balls down slightly leaving them at least 1/2" thick. Bake in 350 degree F oven for 12 to 14 minutes. 

Makes about 24 cookies.

Several ripe peaches split and kernel removed

Small amount of honey

Flake sea salt

Drizzle cut side of peach halves with honey and place skin side down on medium grill for 2 minutes and turn to honey side and grill for 2-3 more minutes.  Just want to warm the peaches and soften them and caramelize them a bit.  Sprinkle the grilled peaches with a pinch of sea salt.  Serve in a bowl with cookies and a squirt of whip cream if you so desire.

I'm hoping that summer is being as good to you as this bowl of warm honey peaches with soft, chewy oatmeal cookies was to me.

Enjoy,

Gina

Jam overload and is it possible to relax too much?

Is it possible to have too much jam? Probable, but not possible or is that problematic? These are questions of epic proportion indeed.

I've spent the last week traversing the local cherry orchards looking for the best specimens to cart home and turn into jam. I always find myself in a quandary when each branch has better looking specimens than the last. As if one could make a bad decision in such a situation.

I find myself losing track of time once I venture deep into the fields. There is row after row of trees, just begging for a little of my attention. I also find myself losing all track of time once I get deep into jam making. Perhaps that is what happened to the last week of my life. Who knows? You guys should get lost with me out there sometime, it really is amazing.

A few hours later and a sore hand from cutting, the first jars were ready for delivery to Canciamilla Ranch for sale this weekend.

Getting the work part of my week out of the way was a good thing. It left me some free time to engage in a leisurely weekend. I got to enjoy a bbq lunch with my parents and Aunt, complete with a driving tour of a nearby town and drive by our childhood home. It made me wistful for the carefree days of my childhood (scratch that, I worked even as a kid). Well at least sucking on a homemade cherry popsicle that evening made me feel like a kid again.

I think I got a little too relaxed from the weekend. When Hot Dog Dude stuck a pile of invoices in my face this morning; it ruined my completely relaxed vibe. For some reason I just couldn't get back into work mode this morning and found myself working on a little invoice of my own for him.

You know what; I've decided there will be no more long leisurely weekends this year. Besides there is fruit as far as the eye can see around here and I have jam to make. 

Speaking of decisions to make, I was telling Hot Dog Dude at lunch that I needed to decide on a name for my little jam venture. I think it is the too many choices thing mucking it up for me. Do any of you having any name suggestions that you think might apply. Let me know.

Thanks,

Gina

Spiced Peach & Ginger Tiramisu- Happy Birthday to Me!

I feel so fortunate, not only did I get to spend my birthday here in California enjoying family and friends, but alsoI get to spend it on the only side of the globe with Nancy - Spicie Foodie enjoying it with her.

Even though I can't hop on a plane today and bring her over a piece of the Spiced Peach & Ginger Tiramisu I whipped up for my birthday.  I can easily send her a huge chunk in spirit.  For me one of the best gifts I've received from writing this blog is the fact that I can be there with some of you, even if I can't be there in person.

I pondered, what to bring.  How about a huge, multi-layered birthday cake with rainbow buttercream and sprinkles, oh yes that would be fabulous.    

Until I smacked myself in the head and said, "What are you thinking?" 

It's been a 100 degrees + around here and I don't need that oven on.  My daughter told me she was coming home for a visit Sunday, so I had so shake the cobwebs off my brain and think of a dessert that was smarter, not harder.

I started to think hey maybe older is wiser.

I'm still trying to wrap my brain around the fact that I'm another year older.  The number doesn't bother me so much, but some of the side effects of aging just aren't fair.

Like the fact it takes my eyes an hour in the morning just to be able to see my hand in front of my face or that I have to be home before dark because I can't see to drive at night anymore.

Or that I'm getting birthday texts from random plastic surgeons.  What is there a database for old broads that are ready for a tune-up?

But I suppose for every down side there is an upside.

I feel like I've grown tremendously in the last couple of years not age wise, but wisdom wise.  You know that old saying, "Sometimes you just have to learn the hard way!"  I'm just going to confirm it right now - yes it's true.

I've learned to say what I need to say and mean it.  Tactfully of course, okay well not always but I'm sure to apologize when I'm in the wrong.

Happy Birthday to Me, Happy Birthday to Me, I may not be able to see anymore, but at least I don't smell like a monkey!

Just when I thought my birthday couldn't get any better I got the biggest smile on my face when I saw the cake my dear friend Becky baked for me.  You just have to see this lemon masterpiece for yourself. Becky is way sweeter than this cake could ever be and I feel lucky to call her a friend too

Triple Lemon Layer Cake

Gina

Pizza Recipes - White Peach, Prosciutto and Goat Cheese Pizza - Am I A Pizza Prima Donna

I consider myself to be fortunate, it's because I have access to the best peaches around.  I stopped by my friend's orchard the other day to snoop around.  Of course I have to say hi to my geese friends and give a little love to the chickens too while I'm there.  But let's not kid ourselves; I was there for the good stuff, the white peaches.

Hot Dog Dude and I had the same argument for the first 10 years of our 20 year marriage, he would always say I was too picky when I was in search of something I really wanted and nothing else would do.  One day I looked and him and said, "I'm not picky - I have high standards".  After all being picky implies I don't like anything.  When in fact I love lots of things, I guess you could say I just know what I want.  When it comes to peaches, it's Lenny's peaches I want.  Now when he stumbles and says I'm being picky he usually catches himself and says, "I mean - You have high standards".

When it comes to pizza, I'd say those standards are pretty high up there.  I mean if you love something, don't you want it to be the best it can be.  I began my pizza recipe by re-examining the components of pizza, starting with the crust.  A plain crust just wasn't going to cut it, so I decided to make this one.  Can it really be, am I a pizza prima donna?

Rosemary Parmesan Pizza Crust

1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast

3/4 cup water, 110 degrees

1 tsp. salt

2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tsp. fresh rosemary, minced

2 tsp. olive oil

Place the yeast and warm water in the bowl of your stand mixer and let sit for 5 minutes until foamy.  Add salt, flour, black pepper, Parmesan cheese and rosemary.  Put the dough hook on the mixer and mix until the dough starts balling up.  Let it go for 2-3 minutes more.  You can do this by hand too if you don't have a mixer.

Remove the bowl with the dough and cover it with plastic wrap; let the dough double in size (about 1 hour).

Cover your cutting board with flour and place the dough on it and roll it out into a large circle about 12".  If you insist on being an individualist, make it a square or a triangle or whatever else floats your boat.  I like to make a little edge around the pizza with my fingers to hold in all the goodies that sit on top.

Place the dough on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray, but if you have a pizza stone all the better.  I've been hinting for a pizza oven for forever, so I'm figuring with the amount of time it took to figure out the picky thing, I should have that by anniversary 40. 

Drizzle the crust with a teaspoon or two of olive oil and bake it in a 450 degree F oven for 7 minutes. 

Pizza Sauce

1/4 cup apricot jam, melted

Brush the melted jam onto the crust.  Tomato sauce just wasn't going to work for this pizza, stick with me here I really do have a method for my madness.

Pizza Toppings

1-2 large white peaches, sliced 1/4" thin

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

4-5 slices thinly sliced prosciutto

1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese

Sprinkle the mozzarella onto the crust, then lay the peaches on top of the cheese; add the prosciutto and then sprinkle the whole thing with the crumbled goat cheese.

Put the pizza back into the 450 degree oven and cook for 8-10 minutes, until the crust is nice and golden brown and the cheese is melted.  I baked mine twice so the delicate peaches wouldn't become mushy.

This pizza hit all the right spots, the crust was perfumed and elevated from the rosemary and the cheese, the jam and peaches added the sweetness I was looking for, the salty prosciutto and of course the tang of the goat cheese.  There was something for all my taste buds to enjoy and I was a happy girl.

I've seen some other similar pizzas that piqued my interest, if I missed yours, just let me know:

Peach Prosciutto Rosemary and Goat Cheese Flatbread - Patent and the Pantry

Pear and Prosciutto and Goat Cheese Pizza - Love and Olive Oil

Peach and Prosciutto Pizza - Authentic Suburban Gourmet

Cherry Flat Bread with Goat Cheese - Foodness Gracious

Thanks everyone for your sweet comments, I'm still paying catch up from vacation and my daughter's b-day and can't wait to see what everyone has been cooking.  Maybe you could let me know what you think pizza heaven is!  

Gina