When life gives you peaches.......

....you get to make some yummy dishes. We picked up some fresh Ontario peaches at the farmers market last weekend and here is what I did with them.

I grilled them.

Fruit is so good grilled. I cut each peach in half and grilled them flesh side down over medium heat on the BBQ. I flipped them when they had nice grill marks and were a bit soft. Then I topped them with a pat of butter and some brown sugar. Then I let them continue to grill for about another 5-7 minutes. Just until they were nice and tender.

I served them with vanilla icecream ontop. Man alive was it good.

This morning for breakfast I had a few grilled peaches leftover so I chopped them up (without the skin) and add them into my waffle batter. Delish.

Biggest Pancake EVER

Okay maybe not ever, but the biggest one in our house. It's no fancy recipe or anything. Joey just used pancake mix. But as you can see he really really enjoyed it. I think it is because it was big. Kind of like putting a big steak infront of a guy or a small steak in front of him. You know he is going to go for the big one and you know he is going to like it better.

Vegetable Pancakes

I decided to try and clean out the fridge. I had a lot of vegetables to use up and I was in the mood for a new way to eat them. I had this recipe in my googlereader for awhile now and thought I would give it a try.

I changed the veggies up a bit but got a bit impatient waiting for the cucumber to "dry" and I think that affected the way that these cooked. I had to bake them in the oven for 20 minutes to get them to be cooked all the way through. I should have known when I could see the liquid collecting at the bottom of the glass bowl.

I really enjoyed them though. They are even really good cold the next day! Next time I think I may even add some corn to them.


Pepper added by Joey - The response to "hey you want to try one of these veggie pancakes" was "ewwwww"

Ingredients
2 cups grated carrots
2 cups grated cucumber
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1 Egg
Salt and Pepper
1 cup grated cabbage
1/4 cup bread crumbs
Vegetable oil

1. Take grated cucumber and squeeze out liquid with hands. Put between 2 paper towels and press down. Sprinkle with a dash of salt and allow to sit on a dry piece of paper towel for 15 minutes. Blot again to remove any remaining liquid.
2. Combine carrots, cabbage, cucumber and green onion in a bowl.
3. Add egg, salt, pepper and bread crumbs. Mix to combine.
4. Heat vegetable oil in a pan and spoon 1/4 cup of the shredded vegetable mixture to the pan.
5. Press down with the back of a spoon until round and flat.
6. Allow to cook until brown on one side and then flip and cook the other side.

Vegetable Quiche

I have seen alot of quiche recipes lately like these three:

Closet Cooking
Whole Foods
Noodle Nights Muffin Mornings

Since I had some fabulous tomatoes from Rita I decided to add them into the quiche. I am not sure that I would do that again. They were just too juicy and left the quiche slightly wet and barely held together.

I decided to do it without a crust to make it a little lighter. I liked the result and the taste. It was definitely light and fluffy.

Pepper added by Joey - 1st piece none, 2nd piece some

Ingredients
5 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup cream
Salt and pepper
5 mushrooms, sliced
2 small tomatoes, sliced
3 green onions, sliced
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded marble cheese

1. Sautee the mushrooms and green onions until they are both soft.
2. Prepare a pie plate with cooking spray. Place tomatoes, mushrooms and green onions in the plate.
3. Beat the eggs and the milk in a bowl. Add in the mozzarella cheese, salt and pepper.
4. Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables.
5. Sprinkle the marble cheese on top.
6. Place in a 375 degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until the center is cooked.
7. Turn on the broiler if you want the cheese to brown.

Cheese & Tomato Strata Muffins

Since my mom was coming over to help me can I thought I would make her breakfast. The recipe (source - homebasics summer 08) I had found called for ham but I don't like ham so I replaced it with tomatoes. Other things that I think would be good add-ins are bacon or broccoli.

Pepper added by Joey - I made special one's for him with extra pepper in them.

Ingredients
8 slices of whole-wheat sandwich bread
Cheddar cheese (enough for 4 sandwiches)
6 slices of tomato
1/4 cup margarine
6 eggs
1 cup of milk
Salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 green onion, finely chopped (I omitted this sine my mom doesn't like onions)

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a muffin tin.
2. Lay out bread slices and place cheese on top of 4 of the bread pieces.
3. Add a slice and a half of tomato ontop of the cheese.
4. Place a piece of bread on top of each of the bottom pieces.
5. Spread margarine on the outside of the bread.
6. Using a serrated knife cut each sandwich into 12 cubes.
7. Lightly pack 4 cubes into each of the 12 muffin cups.
8. In a bowl mix together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper, mustard, onion and worcestershire sauce.
9. Spoon the egg mixture over the cubes and let stand for 10 minutes.
10. Bake for 30 minutes and then let stand for 15 minutes.

Fancy Poached Eggs

We had a day of patio furniture shopping planned so I decided to make us a nice breakfast before we headed out. Whew knew that that one decision would make the difference between us getting what we wanted and us having to go to 2 other stores to get it. I saw this recipe on The Way The Cookie Crumbles and through it looked interesting.

Pepper added by Joey - they are eggs, so alot.



Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large button mushrooms, sliced thin
½ small red onion, sliced
3-4 cups of spinach, chopped very coarse
Salt and pepper to taste
6 potatoes, peeled and shredded
4 eggs, poached

1. Add olive oil to a non stick pan. Add in onions and mushrooms. Cook until onions are clear.

2. While onions and mushrooms are cooking shredded the potatoes and then wash and pat dry.

2. Add spinach to the mushroom/onion mixture and cook until slightly wilted.

3. Place mixture in an oven safe dish and into an oven on a low heat setting.

4. Add olive oil to the same non stick pan. Add the dry shredded potatoes.

5. Season with salt and pepper and allow to cook, turning occasionally to ensure golden brown.

6. While potatoes are cooking poach the eggs (I use an egg poacher).

7. Once eggs are cooked to your liking and potatoes are done remove the spinach from the oven.

8. Put a layer of the potatoes on a plate, then the spinach mixture, then an egg.

Eggs and Toast

I have no clue what these are called but we used to always make them as kids. Joe had no idea what I was talking about when I mentioned it to him so I made some to show him how awesome they are. I don't think he believes me. Umm hello toast and egg all in one, what is not to like.

Pepper added by Joey - None, he didn't try any



Ingredients
2 eggs
2 pieces of toast
Small bit of margarine

1. Butter bread on both sides.
2. Find something round that you can use to cut a whole out of the bread. Make the cuts.
3. Place bread in a greased pan and crack an egg into each hole.
4. Allow to cook over medium heat until the bread is browned on the one side. Flip bread.
5. Cook until eggs are you like them.

***If you want the bread cut outs cooked as well then just have them in the pan at the same time.

Toad in the Hole

I remember my mom making this as a kid and Joe had never heard of it so I got the recipe from her and gave it a whirl. Joe loved it, I think it is because I used spicy italian sausage.

Pepper added by Joey - Nadda



Ingredients
6 sausages
1 onion, sliced
1 mushroom, diced
1 tomato, diced
1 cup flour
1 egg
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter

1. Cook sausage either in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes or on the BBQ.
2. Heat butter in a pan and add onions. Cook until soft.
3. Add mushrooms and tomatos and cook for 3 minutes.
4. Mix flour, eggs and milk in a bowl until smooth.
5. Add sausage to a pan and spread vegetables over the top.
6. Pour batter on top of vegetables.
7. Place in a 400 degree oven and cook for 30 minutes.

Blueberry Muffins

Blueberries were on sale and the only way Joey will eat "heated" fruit is in muffins (I don't get it either).

Pepper added by Joey - None but I was thisclose to adding some into half of them to see if he could taste the difference and if he would like it or not.

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup half and half

1 pint fresh blueberries - rinsed, drained and patted dry
2 tablespoons white sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray the top of a muffin pan with non-stick coating, and line with paper liners.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, cups sugar and salt until light and fluffy.

3. Beat in the eggs one at a time.

4. Mix together 1 3/4 cup of the flour and baking powder.

5. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the half and half, mixing just until incorporated.

6. Crush 1/4 of the blueberries, and stir into the batter.

7. Mix the 1/2 the blueberries with the remaining 1/4 cup of the flour, and fold into the batter.

8. Add the remaining 1/4 of the blueberries into the mixture.

9. Scoop into muffin cups. Sprinkle tops lightly with sugar.

Lemon Berry Smoothie

Another smoothie day.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 teaspoons crystal light lemonade drink mix
1 cup fat free mixed berry yogurt
1 cup frozen (or fresh) raspberries
1 cup icecubes
1 tablespoon sugar

1. Add all ingredients into the blender and mix.

The sugar is added because the lemonade drink mix makes it really tart. Taste it first and if you like it without the sugar then don't add it.

Potato and Cheese Frittata

Brunch. What is better than brunch on a cold Sunday morning.

Pepper added by Joey - 2 shakes



Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large potatoes, peeled and shredded
1 medium onion, diced
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
6 eggs, beaten
Splash of milk

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Add oil to a skillet and heat over medium high heat. Add shredded potatoes and cook for about 15 minutes until brown.
3. Add onion and lower heat to medium. Continue to cook until onions are soft.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
5. If your skillet can go in the oven then add the egg right on top, if it can not then move the potato/onion mixture to a oven proof dish and cover with the eggs.
6. Cook for 15 minutes, or until egg has cooked.
7. Add shredded cheese to the top of the egg and continue to cook for 5 more minutes.

Mixed Berry Smoothie

I used to make smoothie's all the time and for some reason I haven't had one if a long time. Tonight I was craving something sweet so I decided to pull out the blender and mix up something yummy.

I eyeball it when I add the ingredients in so the amounts listed below are a guestimate.

Ingredients
1 cup mixed berry fat free yogurt
1 banana
1 cup frozen (or you could use fresh) mixed berries
1 cup of ice (add more if needed to thicken)

1. Add all ingredients together and mix in the blender until smooth.

Sometimes I make a double batch and but the leftovers in the freezer for the next morning.

Buttermilk Pancakes

I bought buttermilk for a recipe and I can't remember what it was for. Perhaps for something I was going to make and then decided not to. Who knows. So now I have some to use up. I asked the girls what to make with buttermilk and the consensus was pancakes. Joe was apprehensive because he had no clue what buttermilk would taste like. I enjoyed them, Joe preferred the "regular" version of them.

Pepper added by Joey - ummmm gross

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar.
2. In a separate bowl whisk together the egg, buttermilk, and melted butter.
3. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture, all at once, and whisk just until combined. Make sure you do not over mix the batter or the pancakes will be tough.
4. Heat a frying pan or griddle over medium high heat.
5. Pour about 1/4 cup of pancake batter onto the pan, unless you want them bigger - which we did :)

Note: Ours made 5 pancakes about this big ::makes circle with hands::

Strawberry Muffins

Strawberries were onsale so I decided to make some muffins. This recipe is good but a bit bland(not enough strawberry flavour). Next time I will add a bit of strawberry jam to the batter, or mush up a banana and add or even let the strawberries sit for a bit to let the juices release before adding them in.

Pepper added by Joey - None - even though pepper and strawberry are supposed to be awesome together.



Ingredients
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup white sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped strawberries

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. In a small bowl, combine oil, milk, and egg. Beat lightly.
3. In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. Toss in chopped strawberries and stir to coat with flour.
4. Pour in milk mixture and stir together.
5. Fill muffin cups. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the tops bounce back from the touch.
6. Cool 10 minutes and remove from pans.

Chocolate Stuffed French Toast

I have had my eye on this recipe for years and finally decided to make it Christmas morning. I would eat this every morning if I could. Seriously.

Pepper added by Joey - I would hurt him if he even tried to add some

Ingredients
1 loaf of italian bread (something nice and thick)
1 Jersey milk bar
3 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Cut thick slices of bread from the loaf
2. Insert a sharp knife through the top crust of the bread. Carefully cut almost all the way through the bread (making a mini pocket) to the opposite crust. Wiggle the knife around to make the pocket
3. Gently insert a square of chocolate into the pocket (don't let it break through the bread)
4. In a pie plate beat the eggs, milk and vanilla
5. Dip each slice of bread in the mixture, turning to dip both sides (don't let it soak)
6. Over medium heat cook the stuffed french toast until golden brown on both sides
7. Dust with icing sugar and serve with maple syrup

I went through 2 slices of bread that I broke through. Other than that I just took it slow and was able to make the pockets without a problem. Next time I plan on adding in banana with the chocolate.