Peach Pie and Real Peaches

One of the earliest memories I have of my maternal grandmother is her giving my brother and me fresh-baked peach pie and vanilla ice cream for breakfast.

Grandma was one of those old-fashioned grandma's who made everything from scratch, canned her summer fruits and vegetables,  and eschewed "convenience" foods.  She ate real food and served us real food.

Fast-forward to my sister Arlene... She lived on a peach orchard for years and kept me supplied with absolutely perfect peaches.  The kind you had to eat standing over the sink because the juice would run everywhere.  I'd get a lug of peaches and head home to make homemade peach preserves, peach upside-down cake, peach salsa... you name it.  When she moved a few years back, it was pretty much the end of the perfect peaches.

I have bought peaches constantly and have always been disappointed.  Nothing has come close to those peaches grandma made her pies with, or Arlene supplied to us - until yesterday.

We had a pallet of peaches come into work a few days ago.  I didn't pay much attention, because... well... I've been pretty disappointed with the peaches I've bought this year.  I should have paid closer attention sooner!

These were Colorado peaches (who knew peaches grew in Colorado?!?) and OMG they are the closest thing to those peaches of yore I have had since moving east almost 8 years ago.  UInbelievably good.

I brought home a box and after careful consideration, decided that a pie was in order.

The peaches didn't need anything but a bit of sugar, a sprinkling of flour, and a few pats of butter.  No cinnamon, cloves, or any other spices.  Totally unusual for me, but these peaches were just too damned good to cover up with anything.

I think I came close to grandma's pie tonight.  Probably as close as I'll ever get.  I am so glad I grew up with real food before the onslaught of chemical-laden-processed junk.

I'm glad I was able to taste a real peach pie before peaches were bred to be shipped thousands of miles and not eaten locally and know what a peach is supposed to taste like.

And I'm reall really glad I made that pie tonight.  And I may just have a piece tomorrow morning for breakfast.

Grandma would approve.

by Tim Dineen

Scarlet Snapper

I love it when Victor cooks dinner!  It's been a bit of a Saturday Tradition since my schedule changed a few months back.  Tonight we had scarlet snapper and a scalloped potato that was just perfect!

He floured the fish and cooked it in olive oil and a bit of butter.  He topped it with browned butter and capers.

The potatoes were thin-sliced and baked with butter and parmesan cheese.  Peas.  Perfect.

by Tim Dineen

Dinner For Two

Yes, we're cooking (and eating!) more than just desserts.  Granted, I could probably live on pies, cakes, and ice cream, but I also really do like the spicy and savory side of life...

Last night was a bit of a spicy chicken stirfry.  Thin-sliced chicken, broccoli, water chestnuts and bamboo shoots in a sauce of General Tsao and Sriracha...   Served over rice.  Pie for dessert.

Tonight, Victor made a fantabulous pasta dish that had me diving for more!  It was rigatoni in a cream sauce.  With cheese, asparagus, mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, and bacon.

It was freakin' awesome!  It was pretty much a heart attack on a plate, but I loved every fat-laden calorie of it.  It was one of those things that he just threw together, and would never have tasted as good had he used lesser ingredients.  There were only a few ingredients - but every one of them stood out.

And we still have pie.....

by Tim Dineen

Apple Pie

Butter, flour, sugar, cinnamon, raisins...  Excellent.

by Tim Dineen

Apples Fresh From The Tree

Remember my post on Sunday that said Amanda and Melissa were out picking apples?!?  Well... Amanda brought me some of the fruits of her labor today!  Talk about psyched!  There is just nothing better than fresh fruits and vegetables.  And I do mean "fresh" - not the stuff that passes for fresh in the grocery store...  Picked way before its time in some faraway place.  Fresh.  As in you picked it yourself or know exactly when and where it was grown and harvested.  The difference in flavor is just unbelievable.

I had puff pastry and was toying with the idea of apple turnovers when Victor said "Can I make an Apple Pie?"  I immediately said YES!!!

So... as I write this, a fabulous-looking apple pie is in the oven.

I can't wait.

Thanks, Amanda!  :)

by Tim Dineen

Sausage and Bleu Cheese

Dinner is often cooking that which needs to be cooked.  I don't plan meals ahead of time - I don't know on Monday what I'm going to want to eat on Friday - but often on one day or another, I'll open the fridge or look at the vegetable bin and realize I should do something with something.

Last night was a case in point.

I had sausages I had bought on Sunday that needed cooking.  I had a large sweet potato that was taking up space.  I had rolls.  Dinner concept figured out.

I grilled the sausages, and then addded them to the fried onions and peppers (salt, pepper, and garlic, of course!)

The sweet potatoes were cut into fries with my trusty mandoline and I baked them off in the oven.  Victor then amde a GREAT sauce with mayo, bleu cheese, and honey!  he saw it on one of the many TV cooking shows (Tyler?!?) and it was really good!

Another fun 20 minute dinner!

by Tim Dineen

Chicken Chili

I won't bore you with my feelings on we the little taxpayer bailing out corrupt Big Business - again - but it's definitely time to economize if we're going to be able to afford heating oil this winter.  This is the time of year that food-wise, it's easier to economize.  It's soups, stews, and casserole time!  And with just a little bit of planning, you can be eating well for a lot less.

Years ago when I worked at UCSF, I enetred a white bean chili in the university chili cookoff.  I actually won the People's Choice Award and we put a bastardized version oif it in the hospital cafeteria.  It's pretty good stuff.

But even pretty good stuff can get tweaked now and again, and when I saw chicken thighs on sale for 99¢ a pound, a recipe started formulating...  Last week I had picked up a wide assortment of beans and barley at 79¢ a pound, so I was halfway there.

First thing I did when I got home from the store, yesterday, was grind the chicken thighs with a good chili-textured coarse grind.  I had bought about 5 pounds, so I divided it into four packs with three going into the freezer for later...

I then soaked a pound of small white beans overnight.

This afternoon, I was ready to make

Chicken Chili

• 1 pound samll white beans, soaked overnight
• 1 1/4 pound ground chicken
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 green pepper, chopped
• 2 chipotle chilis in adobo, chopped
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp mexican oregano
• 1 quart chicken broth
• 2 cups cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Cook beans until tender.  Drain.  While beans are cooking, brown off onion, peppers, and then add chicken and cook through.  Add spices and chilis.  Add broth, then beans and simmer.

Add about 2 cups of shredded cheese right before serving and top with a sprinkling of cheese and a few corn chips, if desired.

It was tasty, hearty, and filling and the whole batch cost less than $7.00 to make!

And there's still apple crisp for dessert..... :)

by Tim Dineen

Apple Crisp

Amanda and Melissa are out picking apples today and then making homemade apple pies.  I'm taking the easy lazy-man way out and bought a few apples at the store and made an apple crisp.

I browned the peeled and sliced apples in a skillet with butter, added sugar, then a bit of Dekuyper Sour Apple Pucker (someone made Apple-tini's at the last family gathering...)  And cinnamon, allspice, and cloves.  I thickened it all with a bit of cornstarch.

The topping is flour, oatmeal, brown sugar and butter, with more cinnamon, allspice, and cloves.

Into a 425° oven for about 30 minutes.

Yum.

by Tim Dineen

Breakfast Pie

Back when I was a tyke, my grandmother would occasionally do something fun like give us homemade peach pie and vanilla ice cream for breakfast.  When my mother protested, grandma would simply counter that it was no different than a peach danish and a glass of milk.  Needless to say, grandma always won these battles, and as my mom became a grandmother, would do the exact same thing and use the exact same argument.  It's definitely a grandma thing...

Sunday is our big breakfast day of the week. I love bacon, sausage, or ham, eggs over-easy, fried potatoes and a mountain of buttered toast.  Or pancakes with fresh strawberries or blueberries, bananas and walnuts... You get the picture.  Big, calorie-laden, once-a-week decadent delights.

After that strawberry peach pie a few days ago, my pie tastebuds have been going into overdrive.  I've been thinking about any number of pies I want to make this fall.  Which brought me to pie for breakfast today.

While I am definitely the first in line at the dessert buffet, I really was looking for a savory breakfast this morning.  I had all the makings for a traditional breakfast, but I was thinking of putting them together a bit differently.  And then the idea of Breakfast Pie hit.

I cut up and cooked a good-sized russet potato and chopped up and fried about 6 ounces of bacon with 1 medium onion.

I had a frozen pie crust from work (I really do like those crusts!!!) already thawing in the fridge, so into the pie plate it went.

I topped the bottom crust with the cooked potatoes and then the bacon and onion mixture.  I sprinkled the last of my quattro formaggio on top, and then poured 6 eggs whipped with a bit of parsley, salt and pepper over all.  Topped with the second crust, and into a 425° oven for about 30 minutes.

It came out perfect!

Victor ate half of his slice and then spread peach jam on the top crust and finished it off.  i remained a purist, but it did look good.

So, thanks for the idea, grandma.  And thanks for all those years of fabulous, wonderful meals.  I sure do miss 'em.

by Tim Dineen

Fresh From The Garden

I cound never be a farmer, but there is nothing more satisfying than walking out into the backyard and picking fresh produce for dinner.  The tomatoes were fantastic, the peppers excellent.

The favors are just so real.  Even a bad tomato tastes better than one of those things you buy in the grocery store.  And fresh herbs... Just wonderful.

Neighbors have kept us supplied with green and yellow squash, and I've never met a free fresh-from-the-garden-vegetable that I didn't like.  You can drop 'em at our doorstep!

So... next year we're going to be planting a bit more.  We have a small backyard and a huge front yard (I would have loved it the other way around) so we're going to move a few things in the spring and take advantage of the space we have.

I've decided I want to grow a cornstalk.  Just one.  I want to see if we can get a few ears of really, really fresh corn!  I have some tomato seeds from Africa we're going to plant, and more peppers, of course, and all the fresh herbs...

I'm also thinking *a* zucchini plant (cook 'em young with the blossoms!)

Now, we just have to get through fall and winter.....

by Tim Dineen

Working With What You Have

I didn't feel like shopping after work today.  I was reasonably sure there was enough of something to make dinner.  I had pulled a couple of chicken breasts out of the freezer before leaving for work and we had leftover pasta from last night.

Since I knew we were going to be gone for a couple of days, I hadn't done huge shopping, but also figured there was stuff in the fridge.  There always is.

I found a few mushrooms, a bell pepper, belgian endive, and a half of a red onion.  So.....

I browned the chicken in olive oil and set aside.  I put the onion in the pan and cooked a bit, added the rest of the veggies and then a splash of wine.  Placed the chicken on top and popped it into the oven for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, I heated the pasta from last night and made garlic bread from the loaf of Italian Bread I bought at Penn Station yesterday on the way home.  It was from Zaro's.  Really good stuff!

So... in less than 30 minutes, we had a great dinner on the table.

by Tim Dineen