Kristin bakes a peach pie...or not

My dear husband brought home a sack full of Georgia peaches last night. There are more than we can possibly eat fresh, so I'm going to bake them into something delectable.


11:20 First thing first, I need to clean up the kitchen. This should take a good 30 minutes. Last night's dinner dishes have been joined by this morning's breakfast and it's a mess!


11:42 My kitchen is no longer a health hazard so I can get to work. Eep! I forgot the water is on in the vegetable garden....brb.


11:47 Water is off. Husband is mowing the lawn. I offered to carry the grass clippings up with me. Dear husband asked that I rake all the leaves the chickens scratched out of the grass. I declined. Leaf blower is roaring outside. I'm sweaty and need a Diet Coke.

11:49 Let's get started. I use the pastry recipe and pie recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. Copyright 1968. I bought it in an antique store for $10. My mom has always said that women should know how to make homemade pastry and real mashed potatoes. I'm inclined to agree with her.


The recipe calls for:

• 2c sifted flour
• 1t salt
• 2/3 c shortening (I usually use 1/2 lard 1/2 Crisco, but I don't have any lard today)
• 5-7T icy cold water

Grr, looks like I don't have any Crisco either. Sooooo......


Kristin bakes a peach cobbler

12:01 For this, I'm going to prepare the fruit first since the topping won't take that long to whip up.


12:07 I'm scalding the peaches so their skins slip off easily. While I wait for the water to boil, I'll sift the dry ingredients for the topping. Let's double the recipe while we're at it.

• 2 c flour
• 4T sugar
• 3t baking powder
• 1/2 t salt

Cut in 1/2c butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. When the fruit is ready, combine 1/2 c milk and 2 eggs. Pour over crumbs and stir until mixture is just moistened.



12:16 Preheat oven to 400.

12:18 Yell at the kids to stop standing everywhere I need to be. Where is Daddy!? Then I break up the use of a braided belt as nunchucks.

12:24 I need 8 cups of sliced peaches and I just discovered that these peaches are cling-stones. This is going to take a while.

12:42 Halfway there and I am cursing the existence of cling-stone peaches. Not only does all the flesh stick to the pit, but all the pits crack in half leaving bits of nut on the flesh that I have to cut away to avoid a crunchy surprise in the cobbler.


12:59 That officially qualified as Not Fun. Now what do we add to these things?

In a saute pan, cook the following until thick and bubbly:

• 3T corn starch
• 1/2 t ground mace
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 1 c water
• I added 1/2 t vanilla too. What could it hurt?
  

Add peaches, 2T lemon juice and 2T butter. Cook til hot, about 5 minutes.


Pour fruit in 9x12 pan. Spoon topping over and bake 20-25 min.


1:24 The thing is finally in the oven! Yes, it took me 2 hours to prepare a peach cobbler. *incomprehensible muttering about cling-stone peaches*

1:30 The chickens enjoyed the scraps. Who knew they'd eat peach skins? Back to square one...cleaning up this kitchen.

1:49 And it's done! Who says dessert can't come before dinner?