Eliza and Eric

Peach Days

Eliza and Eric came down to visit this weekend. It is so much fun to hang out with my sister!!  She and Eric were kind enough to be my models. These were taken impromptu, they didn't expect to have their pictures taken until later, but I thought they both looked great and so I grabbed my camera and asked them to take a few minutes with me. The "Hurricane Peach Days" Parade had been held that morning, and some nice farmer with really cool trucks had taken the liberty of parking them in front of my house (fine with me!) We grabbed a few shots there before we went down the street to the Heritage Museum.  I'll post more pics of my beautiful sis after I get more edited... but here's a sneak peak.

Before they came down, I was busy making Butterscotch Peach Pie. Ry doesn't like a "regular" pie crust, and I'd been thinking about making a crisp, sweet oatmeal crust and adding caramel to the pie for a few days. After combining a few recipes and taste testing three pies, we liked this combination as the best result.  Warning -- best eaten fresh and hot with some Breyer's Natural Vanilla ice cream - or sweet cream whipped at home.

Enjoy!!

Oatmeal Cookie Crust
1 cup oats
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 c. butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp white sugar

Butterscotch Filling
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 c. butter
2 tsp lemon juice
dash salt
1/4-1/2 tsp cinnamon
dash nutmeg
1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions:
Prepare the pie crust. Pack it in thick in a 8-9" pie pan and bake til slightly golden. (Approximately 400 degrees for 8 minutes?)  (If you'd like some extra oatmeal topping for the top of the pie - make an extra batch of oatmeal crust to sprinkle on top of the pie.)

While the crust is cooking, grab a saucepan. Combine all the ingredients for butterscotch filling except the vanilla and lemon juice. Continuously stir with a wooden spoon and cook until bubbly and all the sugar is dissolved. It may look a bit too thick - but never fear, add the lemon juice.  Dip a spoon in, let it cool a bit, and taste it -- then add the vanilla (optional). Does it need another sprinkle of salt to bring out the flavor? Cook until it's a rich caramel color and you can tell it's the consistency of a heavy syrup or thicker.  Pull off the heat and let it sit for a minute while you peel and slice the fresh peaches into your baked pie crust.

To assemble the pie, place the sliced peaches into the crust and pour the butterscotch all over the peaches, taking care to cover all areas. Your butterscotch and crust should still be hot, so no need to rebake the pie.  Enjoy it with ice cream or whipped cream on top!

Fresh Basil

Originally posted March 25, 2010

If you’ve never eaten fresh basil and don’t already know the sensuous aromatic flavor those tender green leaves hold - let me be the one to tell you it is delicious. 

My sister Danielle used to say it was “food of the Gods”. And every time I eat it, I think of her - and that she is right.  It is heavenly. Few things can hold up to the simple yet ethereal combination of toasted sourdough bread with a thin layer of cream cheese, fresh basil leaves, and sliced tomatoes - topped with a sprinkle of sea salt and freshly ground peppercorns.   If you have a better cheese than cream cheese -- by all means substitute that instead. 

Sandwiches aside, basil holds so many memories for me. Strange that a green leaf with a decadent aroma can be nearly as comforting as chocolate... but it is. It reminds me of cooking with friends, of eating meals with a huge extended family, of working side by side, and of learning.  And even though there are times when learning is painful, the work was stressful, relationships with extended family and friends are strained... basil brings me to a happy place. 

It also reminds me of going to the opera with Danielle. Walking side by side with my graceful, tall, and beautiful sister. Proud that she would invite me to go with her.  My heart was filled because she chose me as a friend to spend her season ticket with. Though the opera should have been a memory in itself, I don’t even remember the name of the opera we attended. I do remember the opening chorus of mens voices piercing my soul, but it is the stillness of the moment walking up main street by her side that I remember.

And that memory, is part of why basil is so sweet.

BTW... Jonnie Bear is the one in the picture.  It has nothing to do with this blog entry -- but since I’ve skipped for the past year I thought you might like to see what he looks like now.