Quick Peach Crisp

The calendar may not say it's summer yet, but here in the South {Florida, specifically} it sure is feeling like it!  Being a major foodie, one of my favorite parts of summer is the flavors!! ; )

This past week, we excitedly cut into our first watermelon of the year, and arrived home from a beach day on Monday to find a surprise waiting for us on our doorstep!  One of my favorite flavors of the season happens to be peaches......and I am convinced that there ain't nothin' quite as sweet as a juicy Georgia peach!!!  With family in The Peach State, I've got connections and get them straight from the packing shed every summer.  My mom was coming home on Memorial Day from a weekend visit with my Granny and delivered a huge box! =)

If you live within driving distance or happen to be passing through close enough to Musella, GA, you should consider making a pit stop at Dickey Farms, visiting their packing shed or shop and picking some up!  Trust me.  They grow the BEST peaches and have been doing it since 1897!!  Visit their website for lots of interesting facts and tons of recipes as well!

We've been going to town on these peaches all week, but I spotted several that needed to be used ASAP.  I whipped up a double batch of Quick Peach Crisp because I will never, ever let a precious peach be wasted if I can help it! ; )  You can use another type of fruit if you don't have peaches {or, (gasp!!!!) if you don't like them}.  As always, I'm posting the original recipe with my whole grain substitutions in parenthesis.  Alas, no picture for you.....I took it out of the oven as I was leaving for my Thursday evening choir rehearsal and it was not picture-worthy the next time I saw it!  Greedy little beggars.......but I gotta love 'em! =)

Quick Peach (Fruit) Crisp

4-5 cups sliced fresh apples, peaches or pears 

 Tbsp. lemon juice

2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour (or freshly ground soft wheat or oat groats)

1/2 cups regular oats, uncooked

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Dash of salt

1/3 cup butter or margarine

Vanilla ice cream (opt)

Place fruit in a lightly greased 8-in. square baking dish; sprinkle with lemon juice.  Combine sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon and salt; cut in butter with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Sprinkle crumb mixture over fruit.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until fruit is tender and topping is browned.  Serve with ice cream, if desired. 

Yield: 6 servings {haha! not in this house ; ) }

**When I double this, as I usually do, I often lower the fat by not doubling the butter.  If your fruit is very juicy (like my peaches were), the juice from the fruit makes up the difference in the moisture content.  I feel less guilty with less butter, and it's still oh-so-yummy!  We want-to-be-healthy-but-really-like-to-enjoy-our-food people have to use all the tricks we can find! ; )

Speaking of Summer, make sure to stop by and visit me every Monday beginning June 6 ~ Sept. 7.  I am so excited to have been asked to collaborate along with

 Ticia at Adventures in Mommydom,

Ann at Harvest Moon by Hand,

Tiffany at Sweet Phenomena  

and our host, Nicole at Mama to 4 Blessings' "Fun in the Summer Sun" Blog event! 

We'll be posting some super fun summer activities that our families enjoy, crafts, recipes & keeping it cool in the summer heat tips and ideas! ; )

Tasty Thursday

Cinnamon Crackle Cookies

I got this recipe from Taste of Home, and the only think I've change is the flour ~ I often use freshly ground soft wheat or a combination of freshly ground oat groats & all-purpose flour. =)

The tantalizing aroma that fills your home when these are baking is reminiscent of the things of Fall, but I personally see no reason to limit our enjoyment due to the season. ; )

Above, you have a pic I snapped in a rush due to what seemed like an army of hands eager and impatient to snatch one {or two} up while they were still warm.  They beg for a cup of coffee and a few stolen moments in time on the back deck to relax and enjoy with them ~~ or, maybe that's just me! ; )

Cinnamon Crackle Cookies

photo from Taste of Home

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or 3 to 3 1/4 cups freshly ground soft wheat; or, 1 cup freshly ground oat groats plus 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour)
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon salt
Additional sugar

 Directions:

In a mixing bowl, cream butter, shortening and sugars. Add egg and extracts; mix well. Combine the next eight ingredients; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Shape into 1-in. balls; roll in sugar. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Apple-Cranberry Wheat Muffins

Posting one of our favorite muffin recipes today ~ as far as my kids are concerned.....any day that begins with warm, homeade muffins is a good day indeed!  As always.....my fresh whole grain substitutions, as well as any others, are in parenthesis.

Busy mom tip:  sometimes I'll double the recipe and bake in two loaf pans instead, adjusting the time as necessary.  This saves me time in more ways than one:  loaf pans are easier and quicker to clean, and I can freeze the extra loaf for another time. =)

When I bake it in the loaf pan, my crew also enjoys it warm with cream cheese (Neufchatel - 30% less fat) if we have it!

Apple-Cranberry Wheat Muffins

photo courtesy of Luv2Bake @ food.com

Ingredients :

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

(or omit the 1st two ingredients and use 3 1/3 cups freshly ground soft wheat or a combo of ground soft wheat and ground oat groats)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup toasted wheat germ

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2/3 cup carnation fat-free evaporated milk { 5 ounce can} - (or low fat milk if you don't have evap.)

1/3 cup 100% apple juice, Premium

1/4 cup vegetable oil  (or 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce)

1 large eggs

1 1/4 cups baking apples

3/4 cup dried sweetened cranberries (OCEAN SPRAY CRAISINS)

1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400º F.

Grease or paper-line 12 muffin cups.

Combine all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, granulated sugar, wheat germ, baking powder and cinnamon in medium bowl.

Beat evaporated milk, apple juice, vegetable oil and egg in small bowl until blended.

Add to flour mixture; stir just until moistened.

Fold in apple and cranberries.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling 3/4 full.

Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar.

Bake for 14 to 16 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool in pan on wire rack for 2 minutes.

Remove to wire rack to cool slightly.

Serve warm.

Pumpkin Pancakes

Earlier this week, I walked into the kitchen to clean up breakfast and lunch dishes while pondering what I wanted to make for dinner, and found this on the dry erase board......

The ♥Mom♥ in me was taken by the sweetest of this unexpected note, but the teacher in me had a hard time overlooking the spelling mistakes.  I made a deal with the writer: if he could fix the spelling mistakes without my help, he would get what he so sweetly asked for.

I posted this pic on Facebook, and received a couple of requests for the Pumpkin Pancakes my son was requesting.  If you were one of those people, this one's for you......and anyone else who happens to stop by! ; )  They are indeed delish ~ serve with butter maple syrup for a Fall/Winter taste of Heaven (we actually even like them without syrup)!

Sharing the original recipe, with my substitutions of freshly ground wheat in parenthesis for my fellow wheat grinders.

Pumpkin Pancakes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups milk

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 egg

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons vinegar

2 cups all-purpose flour (or 2 1/2 cups freshly ground soft wheat)

3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. In a bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a separate bowl. Stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.

2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Flax Oatmeal Cookies

Posting this recipe today in honor of my references to oatmeal and flax in earlier posts this week. I thought I might as well have a theme going....and, in that spirit, I chose the most wholesome one in my collection! ; ) 
I got the original recipe from Breadbeckers - the co-op where I order my wheat and bread baking supplies from, and have added my changes/suggestions/addtions.
Posting for any fellow wheat grinders out there! :) **NOTE**Flour amounts will not be the same if using store-bought all-purpose or wheat flour. Use 1/2 cup less flour for every 2 cups if you'd like to make these with all-purpose.

Flax Oatmeal Cookies

 

Ingredients:

1 cup butter (I sometimes replace 1/2 cup of the butter with 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter for a healthier-fat/more protein alternative)

1 cup sucanat with honey (or 1 cup granulated sugar)

1 cup molasses sucanat (or 1 cup sucanat or brown sugar)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups freshly ground hard white wheat flour (I often use soft white wheat)

1 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup flax seeds, Milled

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups almonds, chopped

2 cups chocolate chips (optional)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon (optional)

Directions:

Cream butter, Sucanat, and Sucanat w/Honey making a grainy paste.

Add eggs and vanilla and beat well.

Mix dry ingredients and stir into creamed mixture.

Add almonds and Chocolate chips.

Make into 1" balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet 2" apart.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes.

Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

**Optional Chocolate Chip Variation w/out Oatmeal:

Use 3 ½ cups fresh Soft White Wheat Flour.

Omit Oatmeal.

Use 1 ½ cups of Shredded Unsweetened Coconut in place of chopped almonds.

Use 2 cups of Chocolate Chips (or more).

Mix as directed in above recipe. 



No Bake Granola Bars

Super-de-duper easy granola bar recipe that is one of my family's favorites.  One batch barely lasts one day around here - my little chef and I made a batch this week & I had to make another the very next day because it disappeared so quickly!  Comes together quickly which I  love, and so easy to make that my kids always get to help.  : ) 

No Bake Granola Bars

Ingredients :

2 1/2 cups crispy rice cereal

2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

Optional Add-ins:

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup Craisins

or

1 cup chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips ~ whatever your favorite is, or combo - you see by the pic what our favorite is ; )

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

In large bowl, combine cereal, rolled oats and raisins; set aside.

In small saucepan, combine brown sugar and corn syrup.

Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.

Stir in peanut butter and vanilla; blend until smooth.

Pour over cereal mixture; mix well.

Press into greased 13"x 9" pan.

Cool; cut into 24 bars.

I've tried replacing the corn syrup with honey for a more healthful addition, but they didn't firm up as well and were sweeter than we liked.  If you try another sweetener successfully, please let me know ~ I'd love to try it, too!



 

Cinnamon Rolls ~ Another Requested Recipe : )

Ever since this post, I've had requests for the recipe for the pictured cinnamon rolls that I teased you with, but because I am old and forgetful I kept.....well, forgetting!  I was going to post a healthy recipe this week, but I recently teased my Facebook friends with another picture of my cinnamon rolls  resulting in a few more requests & reminding me that I was supposed to post this recipe weeks ago....oops!  Better late than never (I've been saying that way too often lately) ~ ~ they're worth waiting for, anyway!  ; )

These are made with freshly ground whole grain flour, but you can make them with all-purpose as well.  Just substitute all-purpose for the wheat (you should need a little less of all-purpose and omit the gluten, lecithin or dough enhancer).

Special Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients :

2 cups water

1/3 cup oil

1/2 cup honey (white sugar may be substituted)

1 tablespoon salt

4 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

7 - 7 1/2 cups freshly milled white wheat flour

1 (3 1/2 ounce) package vanilla instant pudding mix

1 1/2 tablespoons dough enhancer or 1 1/2 tablespoons lecithin powder

1 1/2 tablespoons gluten

1 cup raisins (opt.)

Filling:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar, packed (white sugar may be substituted)

2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon

Glaze:

 

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1 -2 tablespoon milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Combine water, oil, honey and salt in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for approximately 2 1/2 minutes. (Temp should be between 130 - 135°F) If you do not have a thermometer, it is easy to get it too hot. and it will kill your yeast. Microwaves can also vary greatly in how fast they heat. Adjust as necessary.

In mixing bowl, combine 3 cups of flour, dough enhacer or lecithin, gluten, yeast and raisins; mix together. Add liquid ingredients and mix until well blended. Continue to mix adding the flour 1/2 cup at a time. When the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl enough flour has been added. Allow to knead 8-10 minutes, or until the dough forms a smooth ball .

Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half.  Roll each half into a 12-in. x 8-in.rectangle; spread with butter. Combine filling ingredients; spread over dough. Roll up from long side;seal seam. Slice each roll into 12 rolls; place cut side down in two greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pans. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, 45 minutes.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over rolls. Cool in pans on wire racks.

Yield: 2 dozen.

*Note: One package of yeast is about 2-1/2 teaspoons of yeast.



Blog Hopping today with:

Granny's Fresh Apple Cake

Good Morning, Fall!  I've been waiting for you!!  In honor of your arrival, I'm linking up Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms for their Apple Theme.......

Granny's Fresh Apple Cake

My favorite apple cake - packed with sentimentality! Granny used to make this when I was growing up - it was one of my favorite flavors of her love! ♥

I have adapted it a little to make it healthier, but am posting the original recipe with my healthy substitutions in parenthesis - I lowered the fat content &  use freshly ground wheat or oat flour in place of the all purpose. **PLEASE NOTE** If you substitute store-bought wheat flour for the all-purpose, you do not need to add the additional amount of flour - just use the same amount as all-purpose (I would use 1/2 all-purpose & 1/2 store-purchased wheat).


Ingredients

2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cup oil (1/2 cup canola oil + 1 cup unsweetened applesauce)
3 eggs
1/4 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour (3 3/4 cups freshly ground soft wheat flour or 3 3/4 cups oat flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup chopped apples (preferably Granny Smith)
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup chopped coconut


Glaze
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup orange juice

Directions

Mix together flour, soda, salt and cinnamon and add to first mixture.

Stir in apples, pecans and coconut.

Pour mixture into greased and floured tube pan.

Bake at 325°F for 1 hour - 1 hour 15 minutes, or until cake leaves side of pan and cake tests done in the middle.

For glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and orange juice, stirring until there are no lumps.


Pour glaze over hot cake, making sure it runs down sides of cake while still in pan.

Let stand for about 15 minutes before turning out of pan onto rack, quickly reversing over on another rack.
 
 
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Enjoy......sit back, breathe in deeply and savor the aromas and flavors of fall, and ~ if you're like me, revisit comforting memories of yesteryear while creating flavorful memories for your family to cherish in their futures.  And....try to resist the urge to eat the entire cake in one sitting!  ; )


♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥



Recipe by Request: Mom, Can You make YOUR Bread? (Using Freshly Milled Flour)

This is my bread recipe that I make twice a week - makes great sandwich bread and toast! If I get too busy and buy bread from the store, it's not long before my children protest and make the above request. No kidding - one has even told me at the store, "You can buy that bread, but I'm not going to eat it! I want YOURS!" There's nothing like the smell of fresh bread baking in the oven - guaranteed to bring the kids running in from outside trying not to miss the moment when I pop it out of the pans. They know if they're there at the right time and ask with those big blue eyes, they're sure to get a warm slice spread with butter.....talk about comfort food!!! Posted for safe-keeping - made public at the request of a friend who calls me "The Bread Lady" - anytime we have a field trip with a picnic, she is always inspecting my kids' lunches trying to figure out my "secret".....she brings her kids over and says, "See how good that bread looks? If I could get my bread like that, wouldn't you eat it?" I don't even know what my secret is.......but here's the recipe for you! Good Luck! I mix and knead this with a KitchenAid stand mixer using the dough hook attachment. **NOTE** Flour amounts will not be the same if using store bought all-purpose or wheat flour.

Mom, Can You make YOUR Bread? (Using Freshly Milled Flour)


Ingredients:



1 cup water
1/3 cup oil
1 cup milk
1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon salt
4 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
6 -6 1/2 cups freshly milled flour
1 1/2 tablespoons dough enhancer or 1 1/2 tablespoons lecithin powder
1 1/2 tablespoons gluten

Directions:


Combine water, milk, oil, honey and salt in a microwave safe bowl.


Microwave on high for approximately 2  minutes. (Temp should be between 130 - 135°F) If you do not have a thermometer, it is easy to get it too hot. and it will kill your yeast. Microwaves can also vary greatly in how fast they heat. Adjust as necessary.


In mixing bowl, combine 3 cups of flour, dough enhacer or lecithin, gluten and yeast; mix together.


Add liquid ingredients and mix until well blended.


Continue to mix adding the flour 1/2 cup at a time.


When the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl enough flour has been added.


Allow to knead 8-10 minutes, or until the dough forms a smooth ball .


Form into 2 loaves.


Place in greased loaf pans.


Let rise until at least doubled in size (about an hour). Yes, that's right - I only let the dough rise once.


Bake loaves at 350°F for 25-30 minutes.


*Note: One package of yeast is about 2-1/2 teaspoons of yeast.


*Note#2: Once, when I was rushed, I skipped the first rising time and just put the dough into my 2 loaf pans, let them rise and then baked. I couldn't tell any difference in the bread, so now I often do it this way.


*Note #3: I also often substitute another cup of water for the cup of milk.


*Note #4: I use a combination of the following: 1 cup soft white, 2 cups hard white, and 2 cups hard white BEFORE grinding.