Crisp Flatbread with Goat Cheese and Peaches

Last summer, while I was studying abroad, I missed the entirety of NC peach season.  No biggie, you say, they're just peaches.  But what you don't understand is that peaches are my favorite food.  Hands down.  There isn't anything I would rather eat (except maybe chocolate... then I would just put some chopped chocolate on my peaches!).  So this summer I've been making up for last year's lost peach time, and I added peaches to my CSA order.  So I get 12-18 peaches every week.  Yummy!

But what I don't know is why I've been obsessed with the combination of peaches and goat cheese this summer.  I feel like any time I want a quick lunch, I smear some crackers with goat cheese and slice a peach.  Maybe its because I have an abundance of peaches this summer...  Whatever the reason, I keep trying to find different ways to combine these flavors.  

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

I know, that last thing you guys want to hear about in the middle of bathing suit season is an indulgent dessert.  But this is DELICIOUS.  Its chocolate and peanut butter.  Its crunchy and creamy.  How could that go wrong?!?  And because this is so rich, you don't need to eat much, just a few bites will do.

This is a 3-layer dessert bar.  It has a crunchy caramel-y crust, topped with a creamy chocolate peanut butter layer.  Then that is topped with a final layer of chocolate.  YUM!

Summertime Treats

With high temperatures topping out over 90 every day, I've been in the mood for frozen goodies.  And it doesn't help that every recipe resource I look at has tons of recipes for popsicles and ice creams and frozen yogurts (oh my!).  But I don't have an ice cream maker or popsicle molds.  So I've been wondering if I could take any recipe for a frozen treat (popsicle, frozen yogurt, ice cream) and make it in a different format, as a popsicle or granita.  It would give me a lot more flexibility

So I took 2 recipes, one for a popsicle and one for frozen yogurt, and made granitas out of them.  I would say that, overall, the experiment was a success.  One recipe was chunky, and it didn't do well as a granita (which is sorta what I expected), but it froze into a nice texture being stirred occasionally.  The other worked out very well as a granita.  Both would work great as popsicles.

What I learned from all of this is that I could take any recipe for a frozen treat and make in a format other than what was suggested in the recipe.

Summer Fruit Cake

One of the interesting things about CSAs is that I have to figure out a way to use up all the produce I get each week.  In the past, I've planned meals for a couple of days then gotten just what I needed for those meals.  But now, I have some produce leftover that either I haven't found a use for, or I am unfamiliar with.  This week, my elusive "leftovers" have been beets, peaches, and blueberries.  The beets I will get to tomorrow.

But the peaches and blueberries I could take care of tonight.  A couple of days ago, I saw a recipe for a strawberry cake that looked absolutely dreamy.  I didn't have strawberries sitting around.  So I used the peaches and blueberries I had in the fridge.  I changed up the cake recipe a bit too - added some cinnamon and brown sugar.  I LOVE the combination of cinnamon, brown sugar, and peaches.  With this combination of fruit, I would add some cornmeal into the batter.  It would make it a bit heartier.  Cornmeal cakes make me think of southern food, and it makes me think of a blueberry corn muffin that I really like.  This also makes a delicious breakfast!

Fro Yo

During beach vacations, I always want ice cream.  They just go together.  But I want something a little healthier, as I'm trying to get in better shape for the summer.  So here's a good substitute (thanks Meredith, for the idea!).  And I love that's its tangy, fat free, and super easy to make.

Strawberry Frozen Yogurt
Makes 1 quart
2 c strawberries
1/2 c sugar
1 lemon
1 big container Greek yogurt (I use fat free)
1 T vanilla
1/2 c chocolate chips
Chop strawberries and mix with sugar and lemon.  Let sit for 2 hours.  Use a potato masher or fork to slightly mash strawberries.  Stir in vanilla and yogurt.  Pour into prepared ice cream maker and let set.  About 5 minutes before frozen yogurt is ready, add chocolate chips.

Apology + Tidbit

Sorry I fell off the face of the earth for the last month!  As many of you know, I have a new four-legged addition to my family, and she has demanded a whole lot of my time the last few weeks.  It is also the end of the semester, so I've been busy with my course work.

But I thought that if anyone is still checking this regularly (can't blame you if not... its been a little boring for a while), I'll throw up a simple recipe to keep you checking back.  No pictures or anything, since I didn't think about this until after I already ate dinner.  I had marinated grilled chicken breast, with a simple pasta salad.  Its simple and healthy, both of which have been meal goals of mine lately.  Simple because Callie doesn't allow me much cooking time, and I think the healthy part is obvious.

Grapefruit Granita

Granita is something I've always wanted to learn to make.  I always see it on the summertime episodes of Food Network shows - a frozen shaved ice dessert similar to Italian ice or sorbet.  What makes granita unique is the process used to make it.  It isn't labor intensive or complicated, but it requires a little bit of babysitting.  The basic process is to freeze a flavorful liquid (whatever you are using to make your granita) in a shallow dish and scrape it with a fork every half hour.  This scraping creates fine ice crystals in the final dish.  So its like eating grapefruit flavored snow.

Making a granita with a little bit of alcohol makes it more forgiving to the timeline.  It isn't as important to scrape it every half hour.  I used vodka here, but am excited to try it again with some sparkling wine (a not to an interesting cocktail I saw on a restaurant menu that I also can't wait to try out!).  

Birthday Cupcakes

I really have no excuse for the delay in posting this.  I had it written a week ago!  I was just waiting to upload the pictures, and apparently that took me an entire week.  Because these recipes are a little complicated, I'm trying something new with the post.  Let me know what you think of this format!  Well, better late than never...

There are a lot of things my dad and I don't see eye to eye on, particularly when it comes to food and drinks.  Cake is a perfect example.  We were recently discussing what kinds of cupcakes I should bake for our joint birthday party.  The recipe he wanted me to make has probably been in my family since before I was born (and its entirely possible my grandma has been making them since before my mom was born, I really have no idea).  I guess the way he sees it, if it ain't broken, don't fix it!  I prefer to experiment with flavors and textures, which is just lost on him.

My family was visiting this past weekend to celebrate my birthday and my dad's birthday.  My dad (reluctantly) agreed to let me cook whatever cake I wanted, as long as I got him a little chocolate frosting and kept the booze away from his cupcake.  But I decided, since its his birthday too, to honor what he really wanted me to make.  The result?  I made 2 kinds of cupcakes.  Thats 2 full batches, both of them super rich, for a total of 48 cupcakes.  Who wants to help me eat leftover cupcakes!?