Bourbon Infused Peaches

Boozy Peaches from Food Network 

Toasted pecans add that extra crunch!

For a quick seasonal dessert~

Slice 3 or 4 peaches, depending on size, with 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
Add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Set aside and keep cool for 30 minutes or more

Whisk 1 cup of heavy whipping cream until it just starts to thicken. Beat in 4 teaspoons of brown sugar.
Add 4 teaspoons of bourbon and beat the whipping cream until soft peaks have formed.
Layer the peaches and cream in dessert glasses.
Top with toasted pecans.

Serves 4 ~so easy and beautiful to serve!

Refrigerator Pickles from Savoring Time's Mom!

Sweet, sour and crisp!

Can make in less than a half hour!

Refrigerator Pickles from Savoring Time Blog

Here is a great recipe from a fellow blogger over at Savoring Time. If you have a garden this summer and planted some cukes, put them in the frig!

Recipe
1 cup of white vinegar
1 cup of granulated sugar
1 cup of water
1-2 teaspoons of celery seed (she used 2 and so did I)
1 teaspoon of salt
3 cups of sliced cucumbers, baby ones for pickles
3 small onions, thinly sliced

Place the sliced cucumbers and the onion in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, stir in the vinegar,sugar,water and salt together until it has dissolved. Add the celery seed. Pour the mixture over the onions and refrigerate.

This took no time at all to prepare. I am going to leave them in the refrigerator for two days to marinate and then will serve them as a side dish or throw them on my turkey burgers!

Fresh Peach and Cream Pie

This pie is so delicious and easy to prepare!

A great dessert to serve to your guests at a cookout or summer get together.

Ingredients
4 cups of fresh peeled peaches
1 cup of sugar
1 unbaked pie crust
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1/3 cup of flour
2 beaten eggs
1/2 cup of sour cream
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of flour
1/4 cup of  butter
additional fresh sliced peach for garnish, if desired

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Place the 4 cups of fresh peaches into the unbaked pie shell. I chopped mine up. In a medium bowl, mix 1 cup of sugar along with 1/3 cup of flour and the salt. Add the beaten eggs and the sour cream. Blend all the ingredients well with a whisk. Spoon this mixture over the peaches.

In a separate bowl, combine 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup of flour and 1/4 cup of butter until the mixture resembles a course mixture. (You can use a pastry blender or forks for the flour mixture.) Sprinkle the course mixture evenly over the peach mixture.

Bake the pie for one hour or until golden on top. Garnish with fresh cut peaches and whipping cream!

Island Fun and Food~San Juan Island,WA

Freshly caught Dungeness crab~right from the trap!

Two crabs were more than we could eat!

Dinner on the deck!

Our search for the Orcas was worth the effort and wait!

Prawns for dinner the next night, available for sale on the dock!

Miss Ariel, Portuguese Water Dog, faithful and devoted.

Typical Ferry getting us around the islands. A trip to the islands is worth every minute~lots of sights and wonderful food!

Almond Biscotti~tozzetti

This recipe makes about forty cookies. I did cut some in half.

Traditionally dipped  into a class of vin santo.

However, these are very light and great for eating alone.

There is just a subtle anise flavor from the flavored liquor that was added.

Almond Biscotti

1 cup of sugar
1 whole egg
3 yolks of eggs
1/3 cup of Anise flavored liquor
3 cups of sifted four
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1 cup of blanched almonds
3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cut into small pieces at room temperature
grated zest from 1/2 of a lemon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a bowl, combine the butter and sugar. With a mixer, beat in the whole egg and then add the other yolks one at a time. Beat until light and creamy. Stir in the anise and lemon zest. In another bowl, mix the flour and the baking powder together. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix until blended and a dough consistency forms. By hand, mix in the almonds.

Shapes the dough into two loaves, 3 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick. Transfer to a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for thirty minutes. Remove the sheet from the oven. Cool just for a few minutes and cut the loaves with a serrated knife into slices about 3/4 inch long. Turn the cut slices on the baking sheet, cut side down.

Return the slices on the sheet bake into the oven for an additional 25 minutes at a reduced heat of 275 degrees. Bake until they are dry and lightly colored. Remove from oven and transfer to a rack to cool.
The biscotti will keep up to 2 months in an airtight container. But, good luck with that~they won't last that long!

Next All Girls Trip to Italy Full!

I organize two trips a year to Italy for my friends and their friends. Anyone can join!

We do fun things that gals like to do, meaning our trips are for women only!

We visit many famous places in Italy, some you may not have visited yet.

We eat at wonderful restaurants and visit my friends on their farms and in their shops!

We take the time to meet the local people and enjoy their company.

We get out of the city and visit the countryside for most of the trip.

We take the time to stroll through the gorgeous villages and towns.

Yes, we take time to smell the flowers along the way. Get more information from: www.travelingfoodlady.com 

From Drying To Drinking-a fresh coffee experience

Red beans are ready to be picked from a Tanzania Coffee Planation

These beans have been sun-dried and sorted

Ladies from Arusha Coffee Plantation sorting the unwanted beans 

Ladies quickly moving the beans in netting for bagging

Bags ready and waiting

Bagged and ready for destinations around the world

Un-roasted coffee beans filled to the rim

 Ready to sample some local coffee

Good to the very last drop

Always fresh flowers from dinner to coffee

Summer Bridal Shower ~Al Fresco

Glasses were ready to be filled for the celebration!

The colorful handmade table top.

The herb pots were given out as prizes which were donated by a dear friend.

I made a special bouquet with the  wedding colors.

The bride-to-be wanted cheesecake for dessert, so guess what I prepared!

I found the little bottle topper dress at Michael's and added the small purple flowers.

The bride-to-be had her special seat!

Many of my friends, including myself, all have grown children who are now at the ripe age of thirty and are beginning to"think" about marriage or they are planning to wed soon. This is frightening! (not really)
 One will be married at her home this July, outside of Seattle. Another follows in August.......a summer has never been as beautiful and filled with excitement! The extensive preparations have been made and come rain or shine, the weddings will go on.
 The photos above are from a bridal shower held at one of the bridesmaids home. The grounds of the home are the perfect setting for any celebration. The owners are devoted to their gardening and love sharing it with friends. When the weather turns, all entertaining goes outdoors to the wide lawn. The evergreens and ferns were in full bloom, the sun was low and the shadows were soft. The table, made by the owners, was placed outside to add that "al fresco"touch to the event!

Cherries for the 4th!

Cherry Clafoutis-serves six

Cherry Clafoutis can also be made with other varieties of soft fruits.

Ingredients-for six servings

3 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/4 cup of milk
1/3 cup of sugar
1 tsp. of vanilla
3/4 cup of flour and two more tbsps.
1 1/2 pounds of sweet pitted cherries
1 tbsp. of unsalted butter to butter baking dish
Confectioner's sugar

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the baking dish. (Use a shallow ovenproof dish.)
Spread all the cherries in the dish and set aside.
Mix the flour and sugar together in large bowl and add the three well beaten eggs.Whisk altogether. Add the vanilla.Whisk to combine.Whisk until well blended.
Slowly pour the mixture over the cherries.
Bake for 40 minutes or until the batter is golden and firm to the touch.
Before serving, sift powdered sugar on top and serve warm.

Peaches with Creme Anglaise

Cornstarch and sugar added to thicken cream sauce.

      

Half-and-half cream is used. Mix the sugar and cornstarch together.

Fresh juicy peaches from Georgia! You will need three!

Finished dish with sauce just on bottom of peaches.

Creme Anglaise is poured over top of fresh peaches.

Recipe ~
Whisk together 2 cups of half-and-half, 1/3 C. of sugar, 1 Tbsp. of vanilla, 3 egg yolks, 1/8 tsp. of salt and 1Tbsp. of cornstarch in your saucepan. Cook over medium heat. Keep stirring and bring to boil. Whisk for one minute. Remove from heat. Serve sauce on peaches warm or cold.
 I broiled the peaches after brushing 1 tsp. of melted butter to each half and sprinkled each with 1/2 Tbsp. of sugar. Broil until they start to get brown on edges, about 5 minutes. I served this dessert directly  from the broiler then added the sauce. Delicious warm!