Canned Peaches

This is what I am doing today!! We picked peaches yesterday and I am so excited to have canned peaches again. If only they could peel and slice themselves!

original post 9/26/09

You will need peaches, sugar, water, clean quart jars with rings and new canning lids and a hot water bath canner.

To prepare jars, clean them and fill with 1/3 C. sugar and 1 Cup boiling water. Stir sugar around until it is dissolved. Rinse peaches and blanche in boiling water for approx. 1 minute 10 seconds (I don't have a minute timer so I just guess on the time). Put peaches into a bowl of cold water. Peel skin off peaches using a paring knife. Slice and drop into jars. Fill to 1" from the rim. If more water is needed to fill in around the peaches- pour boiling water in. The lids should be in boiling water. Wipe the rim of each jar with a clean wet cloth. Put lid and ring on jars and tighten. To seal, place jars in hot water bath canner. Water should be 1" above the jars. Bring water to a boil and keep it at a boil for 37-40 minutes (varies with elevation. We are at 6,800ft.). Turn off heat and remove jars from water. Place on a towel. Let the jars cool for 12 hours. They should seal. Clean sealed jars with soap and water before storing. Refrigerate peaches before eating- they are best cold.

Grape Salad

This recipe comes from Kathy Gerlach. She made it at a dinner for the stake high councilors and their wives. I loved it and asked her for the recipe. After Laurie was born her daughter stopped by with a gift and this grape salad. I thought that was the sweetest thing- she remembered how much I liked it.

Cream together:
1/4 C orange juice
1/4 C sugar
1 8oz softened cream cheese

Stir 1 large bunch of green or red grapes

Add: 1/2 C. chopped pecans

Chill before serving


Originally posted 9/16/08

Overnight Apple French Toast

I originally posted this in 2009. I made it for company a few of weeks ago. I thought it was delicious without any additional sauce. And french bread is better than Texas Toast.

This is a recipe from one of my cookbooks (Gooseberry Patch).
I don't make it often but it is DELICIOUS!
A great breakfast to make ahead- makes the morning easy!

1 C. brown sugar, packed
1/2 C. butter

3 eggs
1 C. milk
1 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. vanilla
4 Granny Smith Apples peeled and sliced thin
9 slices day-old French bread

Combine brown sugar, butter in saucepan and heat until thick. Pour into an ungreased 13”x9” pan. Arrange apples slices on top of syrup. Mix eggs, milk and vanilla together in bowl and dip French bread in mixture. Arrange bread on top of apple slices. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove 30 minutes before baking and uncover.
Bake at 350˚ for 35-40 min. or until the top of the bread is browned.
Sauce (optional):
1 C. applesauce 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
10 oz. jar apple jelly 1/8 tsp cloves
Combine and heat, serve over french toast

Easy Peach Blackberry Cobbler

I needed a quick dessert for company...this is what I made. It was super was easy and delicious!

1 yellow cake mix
1 stick butter
6 Cups Peaches (if using canned- partially drain them)
6 oz blackberries

Melt the butter and mix into cake mix until moist. Spray 9x13 pan with nonstick spray. Pour peaches and blackberries into pan. Crumble cake mix topping evenly over peaches. Bake @ 350˚ for 30 minutes. Option: cook in crock pot on low for several hours. Option: add chopped walnuts to cake mix.

Fruit Leather

I know these look yucky- I threw a handful of BLUEBERRIES into this batch.

18 apricots
1/2 C. applesauce
3 Tbs. honey

Puree in blender or food processor. Pour 1/4" deep onto flat dehydrator trays. Dry- over night if possible. Cut into quarters (if you have a circular dehydrator) and roll up in plastic wrap. Recipe can be used for other fruit (peaches, strawberries, kiwi, pineapple, etc). I added a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice to help keep the color bright- I'm not sure if it helped or not.

Fruit Pizza

1 recipe sugar cookie dough (can use refrigerated roll of sugar cookie dough)

1/2 C. butter
3/4 C. sugar
1/4 C. milk
1/2 tsp. baking soda in 1/2 T. water
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 C. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
Divide dough into 6 sections and chill.
Roll out and cut with cookie cutters.
Bake @ 375˚ for 8-10 minutes.

1 8oz pkg. lowfat cream cheese
1 C. powdered sugar
1Tbs. milk
Fresh fruit (bananas, strawberries, kiwi, apples, peaches, blueberries, grapes, etc.)
Roll 3/4 dough onto pizza stone (can use remainder for cookies). Bake @375˚ for 12-15 minutes- make sure you don't over bake- you want it to be soft! Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar and milk together until fluffy. Spread on cooled cookie. Arrange fruit in circles on cream cheese mixture. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Strawberry Freezer Jam

Dallin helped me make jam this afternoon. Be glad that none of you will be getting any because he licked the spoon a few too many times while he was stirring everything together.
This is the BEST pectin for making freezer jam! It uses much less sugar- so you taste more of the fruit. Unless fresh strawberries are on sale I buy a big bag of frozen ones at Wal-Mart. The strawberries are already stemmed and cleaned.
This is best used on homemade whole-wheat bread. Yumm! That brings back a lot of memories. My Dad has always called it 'red jam' and it is an essential for Thanksgiving rolls. Sometimes he adds raspberries to it.