Peachy Keen

(The Hubs so kindly agreed to professionally document our session this morning.  All photos in this post are his work.  I want to make sure to give credit where credit is due.) 

Meet my friend Shannon.  She's the girl on the right.  That's me on the left.  No, we weren't mad at each other, we were simply "divinding and conquering".

No, we weren't mad at each other, we were simply "dividing and conquering".

Shannon really likes to cook too.  That makes it really easy to be friends with her.  Well, that and the fact that she is one of the kindest (and funniest) people I know.  This girl has a heart of gold. 

The last 2 Wednesdays we have gotten together to cook and it's been a blast!  Last week was biscotti, homemade nutella and nutella panna cotta.  So basically, chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. 

This week Shannon wisely suggested we be a little healthier and chose this fabulous menu:

Peach and Brie Quesadillas  

Served with Grilled Peaches over Arugula with Goat Cheese and Prosciutto.

(For dessert I picked another recipe from Real Simple - Irene's Peach Surprise...but more about that tomorrow.)

Anyone picking up on a theme here? 

Since we really didn't vary from the way each of the recipes were written, I won't worry with typing in detail about steps and procedures.  Instead, I will let the Hubs' pictures explain it all.  Enjoy!

The Prep Work:

Of course there were peaches to deal with.  Lots of peaches.

There were also ingredients other than peaches to prep -

Chives

Brie

Limes and Eggs

And sauces / dressings to make -

Honey Balsamic Syrup

Honey Lime Dipping Sauce

Cooking and Assembling:

Quesadillas first -

Now for the salad -

 

(a sprinkle of crispy prosciutto)

(a drizzle of honey balsamic syrup)

I'm not sure if there was more laughing or cooking going on -

Lunch is Served:

My favorite Taste-Testing Neighbor joined us for lunch.  (She is a professional taster, you know.) 

Both dishes paired nicely with the Riesling I had chilling in the fridge.  The recipe also said a Chenin Blanc would work well. 

All 3 of us agreed there was not a thing we would change about the salad.  To say it was delicious would be an understatement.  A definite keeper. 

We also all agreed that while the quesadillas were good, they fell a bit flat in the flavor department.  Even with the dipping sauce (which was very good) they still lacked pizazz.  Georgia suggested adding cinnamon to the peaches mix and Shannon suggested cilantro.  Either (but not both at the same time!) would make a delightful addition.

Coming tomorrw: Dessert re-cap and why we re-named it Baked Georgia.

Summer Soup

If you love sweet corn, or any corn for that matter, or just need a way to use up all of those ears of corn you purchased on impulse just because they were 5/$1, I have the recipe for you. 

Corn Soup with Poblano Puree
(adapted from Real Simple, July 2010)

2 poblano peppers
3 1/2 c chicken broth
2 T butter
1 small onion, chopped
5 c fresh corn kernels (about 8 ears; can cheat and use frozen corn in a pinch)
S & P
1/4 c heavy cream
Cilantro (for garnish)

Get the corn off of the cobs.  This is a chore, yes, but it is so worth it to use fresh corn.

Use a bundt pan - keeps things much neater.

Under the broiler, char the peppers on all sides. 
 

After they are charred, put them in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let them cool for about 10 minutes.  Once cooled, pull the skins off the peppers and remove the stems and seeds.

In a blender puree them with 3 T of the chicken broth.

In a large pan (I used my dutch oven) over medium heat melt the butter and then cook the onions until they are translucent and tender. 

Add in the corn, the rest of the chicken stock and some S&P.  Bring it to a boil, then simmer for 10 - 15 minutes.

Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until it's at a consistency you're good with. 

To serve:
After filling a bowl with the corn puree, carefully add a spoonful of the poblano puree and then drizzle a little of the heavy cream on top. 

You really should garnish it with cilantro, but I forgot.

Oh, and I may or may not have thrown in a little creme fraiche as I was pureeing it.  So bad, I know, but oh so very tasty.

Variations:

If the soup is too thick for your taste, it can easily be thinned with a little more chicken stock. 
Stirring in a little milk or half and half would definitely make it a little richer.
Some leftover roast or rotisserie chicken would be delightful in this soup.

Monday Morning Muffins

Two dear friends are heading to China for a 2 week visit and needed a ride to the airport.  Their flight left at 6 am. 

Which meant they needed to be at the airport no later than 4 am. 

Which meant they needed to leave their house no later than 3 am. 

Which meant I needed to be up and out of the house by 2:35 am.  I was so nervous about not hearing my alarm that I didn't really sleep much.  I think I got a 45 minute nap in some time between 11 pm and 2:15 am. 

When I finally made it back home I was absolutely exhausted, hence the slightly blurry picture. 

Pretty cool how I got the camera to mimic my vision, huh?

Needless to say it was time to actually get some sleep.  I crashed sometime around 5am and slept until 9am when the monsters my sweet babies decided that the best bird watching could be done from where I was sleeping.  And bird watching, mind you, involves talking and chattering to the birds on the other side of the window pane. 

If I was going to have to be awake I might as well make it enjoyable.  So after a quick read of the paper I began working on breakfast.

I have no idea on what blog I found this recipe. For whatever reason I did not bookmark the site. Instead I wrote it down on paper. How 'old-school' of me, right???

Homemade Blueberry Muffins
This is not my recipe, I just cannot remember who should get the credit.

Preheat the oven to 350F.
 
Toss 1 cup of blueberries with 1/4 c flour and set aside.
 

In a separate bowl whisk together 1 3/4 c flour, 4 t baking powder and 1/2 t salt.  Set aside.
 
Measure 3/4 c milk.  Set aside.
 
Cream 4 T butter with 1/2 c sugar 'til fluffy.  Add in 1 egg.  Combine thoroughly.
 
Add in the flour mix and milk, alternately, until the batter is smooth. 
 

Gently fold in the blueberries. 

 

Divide the batter amongst 12 greased or lined muffin cups and bake for 15 - 20 minutes.  Use the 'toothpick test' to check for doneness.

These were every bit as good as I hoped they would be.  They were different (and much better) than the box mixes.  Very similar in flavor to a strawberry shortcake, but with blueberries. 

All these needed to achieve perfection was a little pat of butter. 

The only changes I would (maybe) make would be to fold in the zest of 1 lemon, along with the blueberries, to the batter and/or brushing the muffins with melted butter and then sprinkling them with a little sugar right when they come out of the oven.