Peach Galette

This girl . . . she keeps growing (one inch in the last month) and I love this age with the juxtaposition of almost adultlike abilities, childlike humor, and a body somewhere in the middle.  She has the best sense of humor and is always cooking up something new.  Her obsession with slime continues so I see remnants of her slime experiments in the garage sink but sometimes she channels that energy into things we can eat. 

She tried to make homemade boba for her cross country team and rolling all those little boba balls was incredibly tedious and time consuming but she stuck with it.  The end result disappointed her a little because she didn't realize the right way to make it ahead of time and serve it later, but I love that she had a vision and tried to make it happen.

One day in September, my friend traded me some late season peaches for fruit from my mother in law's farm and Middle immediately wanted to make a peach pie.  This turned out amazing and she did it all.  I like the style of galette because it's a lot less fussy than other pies with the same delicious taste.

Peach Galette

1 pie crust (your favorite recipe or a premade one)
3-4 peaches
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 T lemon juice
2 T cornstarch
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/8 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup water

Wash and slice your peaches and set aside.

In a large saucepan, combine the vanilla extract, lemon juice, cornstarch, sugar, cinnamon, and water.  Bring it to a boil and stir it frequently until it starts to thicken - about 2-3 minutes.

Add the peaches to the mixture and stir to completely coat.  Let it simmer for about 5 minutes.  You  want the peaches to soften but not become mushy.  If your peaches start out firm, this may take slightly longer.  If your peaches start out really soft, this may be less than the 5 minutes.

Roll out your dough into a big circle and place the peach filling in the center, leaving about 2 inches of dough all around the edges.  Fold the edges in, leaving the center exposed.  Brush the edges with the beaten egg (add maybe 1/2 T water to the beaten egg), and sprinkle with a little sugar.

Bake at 325 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until the filling is bubbly and the pie crust is cooked.

Fall Update

It's been a busy, fun-filled fall for our crew.  Here are some highlights & what we've been up to. 

National Charity League - volunteering & cultural events with Big & Middle

Substitute teaching at the middle school and high school (mostly to hang out with my kids)

Going to all the assemblies & field trips - Little was Molly Pitcher in Walk Through the American Revolution

Spectating all the fall sports . . . Middle did awesome as the number 1 runner on her middle school cross country team and team MVP.

Little continued gymnastics and joined the Running Club that I started this fall.  I think maybe I'm having the most fun out of all these awesome kids.

Big & her tennis team went to CIF semi-finals and had a great season - I loved every minute of living vicariously through her tennis team matches.

I wanted to share a versatile recipe / cooking method for fish.  The idea came from Half Baked Harvest and I've made it with both salmon and halibut.  One key for success is to make sure your fish filets are all similar in size / thickness so they cook evenly since it's hard to check on them when they are wrapped in the parchment packets.  You can substitute the packet ingredients - I have made them with shredded Brussels sprouts on the bottom instead of the thinly sliced potatoes.  Your picky eaters can even customize their own packets with what they prefer to eat.  I think the addition of the feta, dill & arugula at the end really make the dish delicious.

Baked Fish in Parchment Paper (serves 4)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

juice of 1 lemon

2 tsp smoked paprika

1 T fresh dill (plus more for serving)

1 small russet potato very thinly sliced into 1/4 inch rounds

1 small zucchini thinly sliced

4 fish filets, skin removed (6-8 oz each) - we like salmon or halibut

1 lemon thinly sliced

1/3 cup pitted Kalamata olives

crumbled feta cheese

fresh arugula for serving

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, chopped dill, paprika, and one pinch each of salt & pepper.

Tear off 4 pieces of parchment pieces about 12-16 inches in length.  On one half of the packet, arrange one -fourth of the potato slices in an even layer (about the size of your fish) and season with salt and pepper.  Layer on the one-fourth of the zucchini slices and season with salt and pepper.  Place one fish filet on top of the zucchini and drizzle with the olive oil mixture and top with two lemon slices.  Scatter a few olives around the fish.

Repeat that layering with the remaining parchment & ingredients.  To seal the packets, fold the bare half over the fish & fold the open edges twice.  Place packets on a rimmed baking sheet.  Bake until the potatoes are tender, 18-20 minutes.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer packets to plates.  Open carefully & serve with crumbled feta, arugula, and more dill on top.

Cheesecake for the Birthday Girl

 

Well, my oldest daughter turned 16 this month!  The years have flown by . . . one of the best parts of this blog is that it's helped me document family life and my kids growth in one place.  I'm not consistent about journaling, scrapbooking or anything else like that and I'm grateful to have a space where I can look back and reflect.

For her Sweet Sixteen, she wanted a day at the beach with her friend group and it turned out to be a blast.  From a picnic and pictures in sundresses to huge waves and a beach slip and slide, it was a memorable day that turned out (almost) like she had been planning.

The day before her birthday, we had a small celebration at home with friends & family and for her birthday dessert, she chose cheesecake.  I hadn't made one in awhile, but this recipe is tried and true and turned out great.  We had fresh figs on our tree so I made a fig sauce to go with it (and sliced strawberries for the people who aren't fig fans).

Recipe notes:  It takes a LONG time so plan ahead.  The link below to the original recipe has a lot of troubleshooting information (cracks, water bath, underdone cheesecake).  I leave off the sour cream topping but if you want to make that, again look at the original recipe.

Happy birthday sweet girl!  Your mama loves you :)

Perfect Cheesecake

recipe from Simply Recipes

Ingredients:

Crust - 1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 15 graham crackers)

            2 T sugar

            pinch salt

            5 T unsalted butter, melted

Filling - 2 lbs cream cheese, at room temperature

              1 1/3 cups sugar

              pinch salt

              2 tsp vanilla extract

              4 large eggs, at room temperature

              2/3 cup sour cream, at room temperature

              2/3 heavy cream

To prepare the crust, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor until finely ground.  Put in a large bowl, stir in the sugar and salt, and stir in the melted butter.

In a 9 inch springform pan, press down the crumbs into an even layer.  I used a measuring cup to help press the crumbs down and give a little bit of an edge going up the pan.

Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven, and let the crust cool.  While the crust cools, you can lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees and put your oven rack on the bottom of the oven.  Then, start making your filling.

Beat the cream cheese in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed for 4 minutes or until soft, smooth, and creamy.  Add the sugar and beat for 4 minutes more.  Add the salt and vanilla, mixing until just incorporated.  Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs, one at a time.  Scrap down the bowl paying attention to any thicker bits of cream cheese that may have stuck to the bottom of the mixer.  Add the sour cream on medium speed and mix until incorporated.  Change the mixer to low speecd and add the heavy cream.

Once the pan is cool, wrap it in a triple layer of foil.  Boil some water in a kettle to prepare your water bath.

Scrape the filling into the crust, place the springform pan (wrapped in foil) in a large roasting pan, and carefully add water to the pan so that it goes about halfway up the side of the springform pan.  Place the roasting pan in the oven.  

Bake at 1 1/2 hours at 325 degrees.  Then, turn off the oven and crack the oven door and let it sit there for another hour.  After that, cover the top of the cheesecake with foil (don't let the foil rest on the cheesecake - make a tent), and chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours (overnight is fine).

Serve with toppings of your choice - we like whipped cream and some sort of fruit.

Another Island Inspired Fish Dish

 One night on the Big Island, we enjoyed an amazing meal at Meridia with some excellent company (and delicious freshly baked bread).  When we got home, I asked my husband what he wanted for dinner one night and he said "a mediterranean fish dish" and I came up with this meal inspired by what Middle and I shared at Meridia.  Hope you enjoy!

Some recipe notes:  If you have the time, marinate the fish for about 30 minutes - 1 hour before you make the rest of the meal.  This sheet pan method will work with other combinations of protein (chicken thighs are great) and vegetables.  I have had bad luck when I use too much of the marinade/vinaigrette because the veggies are also going to release some liquid and when it all sits in too much liquid, it's mushy.  Leave out anything your people don't enjoy, add other vegetables, whatever - it's very versatile.  The feta gets melty of you sprinkle it on during the last 5 minutes of cooking but I have picky people so we put it on the side.

Mediterranean Halibut (serves 4)

4 halibut filets (mine did not have skin)

Marinade/vinaigrette ingredients:
1/2 cup olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

Vegetables:
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 small zucchini, cut into smallish pieces (see photo)
asparagus
1 cup kalamata olives, drained
1 can garbanzo beans, drained

For serving:  
feta cheese
arugula

Start by heating your oven to 425 and whisking your marinade ingredients together.  Divide the marinade in half and put half in a pan and add the halibut.  Put the other half in a large bowl and add your chopped vegetables, beans, and olives.  Stir to combine.  

Remove the vegetables from that bowl with a slotted spoon and spread them in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.  On another baking sheet prepared with olive oil spray or foil, place the halibut.  Put it all in the oven for 10-12 minutes.  If you have thicker vegetables, they may need to stay in a little longer but your halibut should be just cooked through in that amount of time.  Adjust cooking times according to your preference of how "done" you like things.

We like to eat the fish and veggies over a bed of arugula and with a sprinkle of feta cheese on top.

Blackened Red Snapper

During the time we spent in Hawaii this summer, I realized how much my girls love eating fresh fish.  I make salmon on regular rotation at home, but don't venture into many other kinds of fish but in Hawaii, they order fish on the menu all the time.  I know we don't always have access to fresh out of the ocean (hours ago) fish here in CA, but we have friends who fish and we have Sprouts and I am determined to make more kinds of fish dishes for my family.  A friend of my husband's fishes off the coast of Baja CA and Mexico and gave us some amazing looking fish filets and this is what we did with the red snapper.  I think it could be easily adapted to other kinds of fish  and it's nothing super creative or outlandish (I had every ingredient in my pantry minus the fresh fish) so I hope you experiment and enjoy!

We enjoyed it with a rice pilaf, steamed green beans, and white wine.  Perfect summer treat!

Blackened Red Snapper (serves 4)

Ingredients:

 

1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne (more or less depending on how spicy you like it)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 red snapper filets, halved
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup butter
1/4 - 1/2 cup minced parsley 

Combine the spices in a bowl to make a rub and spread evenly over the red snapper.  Put the lemon juice in a sauce pan and heat until simmering.  Remove from heat and add butter and stir until melted (can add the pan back to the heat if the butter doesn't melt).  Add a little salt to the butter & lemon mixture, especially if using unsalted butter.

Heat the grill to 500+ degrees and oil the grates.  Add the snapper and leave about 4-5 minutes to blacken with the spices.  Flip and cook the other side 4-5 minutes.  Adjust cooking times accordingly based on the thickness of your fish filets.  

Plate the fish, drizzle with the lemon butter mixture and sprinkle with parsley.

My middlest is a Teenager!

We had so much fun celebrating Middle's 13th birthday and stretched out the fun over about a month.  We did a Hawaii birthday party with our girls' best friends there (Hawaiian themed escape room & sushi lunch) and a home birthday party with school friends (Dinosaur themed escape room & frozen yogurt & a sleepover).  I'm so proud of the beautiful young woman she has become, especially her caring spirit, sensitive heart for others, and love for the Lord.

Middle would almost always rather eat at home (and help cook!) than eat out so on her birthday, she requested corn chowder at home and she asked me to "make one of those crazy desserts like you make for dad."  

Coconut & Lilikoi Ice Cream Pie

I put a layer of coconut shortbread cookies at the bottom of a pie pan and then spread lillikoi jelly on top.  Next I put a layer of coconut gelato and then more lillikoi jelly.  I topped it with cool whip and stuck it in the freezer - delicious!

North Country Corn Chowder (serves 4-6)

3 T vegetable oil
3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 medium onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 bay leaves
1 T Old Bay Seasoning
salt & pepper to taste
3 T flour
10 oz corn kernels (I buy the frozen ones, thaw & drain them)
15 oz. chicken broth
1 quart whole milk

Ideas to garnish:  green onions, chives, cilantro, parsley, hot sauce, oyster crackers

Heat a deep pot over medium heat.  Add oil and potatoes.  Cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add onion, celery, red bell pepper, and bay leaves.  Season with Old Bay, salt & pepper.  Cover and reduce heat a bit.  Cook a few more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Uncover and whisk in flour.  Cook a minute more.  Add corn, broth, and milk.  Bring soup to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer about 10 minutes to thicken.  Adjust seasonings as needed.

Moroccan Beef & Sweet Potato Stew

I was given this clay pot early in our marriage as a gift from a friend.  It has sat on a shelf in my kitchen as a decoration and a few months ago, my husband said I should make something in it.  I had to do some research about how to use it and it involved prepping the clay pot (rubbing with oil, soaking in water, drying in a barely warm oven for a day).  Then, I looked through a bunch of recipes to find something that sounded good to us.  The blend of moroccan spices was really good and it smelled great throughout the day as it cooked.  This isn't a last minute recipe and takes awhile, but it was a big hit with my husband and I thought it was delicious.  The kids were so so on it but we made it 2-3 times last winter.  I wanted to share it here so I can find it again and remember what I did!

My directions below are for a dutch oven.  For the clay pot, I did the searing and sautéing in another pan on the stove and then dumped it in the pot before I put it in the oven.  I imagine being a braised meat dish, you could easily adapt this for the instant pot.

Moroccan Beef & Sweet Potato Stew (serves 4-6)

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 ½ lbs chuck roast, trimmed and cubed 
1 tsp cardamom 
½ tsp cinnamon 
1 tsp cumin 
1 tsp ginger 
½ to 1 tsp freshly ground pepper 
1 large yellow onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
28 oz Diced tomatoes
3 cups beef broth 
2 medium sweet potatoes (peeled and cut into 1 -2 inch chunks)
15 oz canned garbanzo beans 
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper

Heat oil in dutch oven over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Add meat and sear or brown, tossing occasionally to get sear on all sides (about 5 minutes). While meat is browning, measure out the spices (cardamom through pepper mix) and place in small bowl.

Remove meat to platter when finished browning and add onions to the pot. Saute the onions over medium heat 3-5 minutes until translucent and then add garlic for 1 minute (don’t burn garlic). Add ground spices and stir into the onion-garlic mix. Saute spice-onion mix for 1-2 minutes

Add the meat back into the pot, along with the tomatoes and broth and bring to a boil. Turn the pot to a low simmer and cover. Simmer for 1 hour.

Add the sweet potatoes to the pot and simmer for another 1/2 hour or until sweet potatoes are fork tender.   Add the garbanzo beans and simmer for another 15 minutes.