Fresh Peach Cobbler

My friend, Jill, has a peach tree. A prolific peach tree. Today she posted that she was bringing peaches to her office and anyone who wanted some could come by with a paper bag and help themselves.



I called her right after five to see if she was still at the office and still had peaches. The answer to both questions was "yes" so I ran by on my way home.



This called for getting out Mama's recipe. At some point when I was a kid I typed some of her recipes. Of course, now I wish I had the original recipes, but I do have a lot of them in her handwriting.



I had a little over two cups of peaches once they were peeled and cut.



It was a little too much for the dish, but I put a cookie sheet under it and let it run over the edges. I love those crusty edges.



Thanks for sharing, Jill!

Chocolate Cupcakes

It may not look that good, but trust me, it tastes good.

You know I wouldn't hold out on the recipe, so here it is!

Chocolate Cupcakes

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk

Cream sugar and butter. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Bake for 15-18 minutes at 350 degrees. Makes 18 cupcakes.

I used my new favorite chocolate frosting, but you can use whatever you prefer.

Frosting
1 c. sugar
1/3 c. milk
5 tbsp. butter
1 c. chocolate chips

Mix sugar, milk and butter in saucepan and boil for one minute, stirring continuously. Add chocolate chips and stir until melted. Po

You can dip the cupcake into it upside down when it's freshly made. Or let it cool a bit and then frost as normal.

Cherry Chocolate Cake

Tonight was Creative Sisterhood and it was a very nice evening.

Last night I baked a new cake to share with Creative Sisterhood. I'm not generally a big fan of cherries, but I love this cake. It's wonderful.



Cherry Chocolate Cake

1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 3/4 cups cake flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling

Cream butter and sugar, then mix in eggs and extract. Add remaining ingredients and mix. Pour into 9 by 13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Frosting
1 c. sugar
1/3 c. milk
5 tbsp. butter
1 c. chocolate chips

Mix sugar, milk and butter in saucepan and boil for one minute, stirring continuously. Add chocolate chips and stir until melted. Pour over warm cake.

Peanut Butter Fudge

I've made peanut butter fudge a couple of times lately. Last night I whipped some up while I was cooking dinner so I could take it to my mechanics this morning.

Every once in awhile I just drop in with goodies of one sort or another, but I haven't ever taken them peanut butter fudge before. I hope it was enjoyed. Here's the recipe. It's very easy and practically no-fail.

Peanut Butter Fudge

1/2 cup butter
2 1/4 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat, then stir in brown sugar and milk. Bring to a roiling boil, and let it boil for two minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add peanut butter and mix well. The peanut butter will melt into the hot liquid. Pour over powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Pat into an 8 by 8 pan and let cool. Then cut into squares and enjoy.

Herb Roasted Potatoes

Don't those look yummy? I can't lie, they were. But I've eaten them all now so I can't share. Sorry about that. But I can tell you to make them and they're super easy.



You gotta start with some basic red potatoes, of course. I just cut them into forths but if you like them crispier, slice thinner.



Then pick the fresh herbs of your choice. I used (clockwise from bottom) rosemary, thyme, French tarragon and pistou basil. These were just things I had growing in my herb garden but you could use whatever you want.



Mix them in a bowl, with a little olive oil and spread out on a cookie sheet. I think sprinkled some sea salt and freshly ground pepper on them. Of course, you could leave that off it you prefer.

Cook at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, more or less depending on the size of your potatoes and the level of "crunch" you want.
________________

Subscribe for free to Patsy's Ponderings in email or your choice of a reader.

Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, cooking and more. Find me on Facebook, Twitter, Plurk and other social media sites of your choosing.

All text and photos on this website are copyright Patsy Terrell, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. None are to be used without permission. Thank you.

Tea on a Fall Evening

It's a wet, chilly autumn evening here. I decided to made some mini pumpkin bread loaves. I want some for one of my holiday gatherings and pumpkin bread freezes with no ill effects, particularly in this sort of a time frame. So, I thought I'd whip up a batch. I need to make three more batches to have enough.

Of course, as soon as they were coming out of the oven I had the urge to make some tea and have a couple of little loaves. Then I remembered these dishes I had bought at Goodwill a few months ago. They're just perfect for an autumn evening I think. For some reason, tea always tastes best from a pretty cup.

I love evenings like this. It's chilly enough to want to be indoors, but not so cold that the wind has found every spot not covered three different ways to get inside with me. It will be no time until my evening's uniform will include long underwear so my legs don't freeze. In fact, I think I'd better order a couple more pair so there's always one clean.

I'm one of those people who gets cold the first time there's a cold snap and I just stay cold until spring. The one time I'm warm is when I first wake up under my electric blanket. But the first moment I stick a toe out from under I'm cold again. Last night I got out my electric blanket but decided to not put it on until I change the sheets again. But, very soon it will be time. I consider electric blankets to be one of the great inventions of our era.

Well, I'm going to stop writing on the blog and work on the book some more. I'm writing one of the complex scenes now so it's going much slower, but it's coming along. However, not a darn thing happens unless I stay at the keyboard and work on it so I suppose I'd best do that.
________________
Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

I am looking for book clubs willing to read and critique my novel when it's completed. If your book club is interested, please email me at patsyterrell@gmail.com. Thanks!

Fried Green Tomato Demonstration

This afternoon I did a cooking demonstration on Fried Green Tomatoes at Apron Strings downtown. I was wishing these were a bit more complex, because people had come out to see me make them and I wanted to make it worth their time. But, fried green tomatoes are very easy.

Fried Green Tomatoes
green tomatoes
yellow corn meal
salt
pepper
oil (I used vegetable oil, but bacon grease is much better!)

Wash and core the tomatoes, and slice. Mix salt and pepper into cornmeal to taste. Dip tomato slices in cornmeal and then fry.



I made three batches today and used the same oil. This was the last batch and you can see the crumblies in the skillet. Turn them with a fork or egg turner until they're brown on each side.



Greg came to take photos for me. I swear, he's the best ex-boyfriend a girl could have.



I always put paper towels on the plate to drain the fried green tomatoes a bit before serving. Needless to say, they are greasy!



Lynette, who I've met there before, said she had been waiting for this demonstration. Her parents are both from the south so we had much to talk about after the demo. I'm looking forward to getting to know her better. I think everyone enjoyed the goodies.


________________
Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

I am looking for book clubs willing to read and critique my novel when it's completed. If your book club is interested, please email me at patsyterrell@gmail.com. Thanks!

Chocolate Cake with Caramel Frosting

Tonight was Creative Sisterhood and I decided to try a new recipe. It seemed perfect weather for some caramel. I hunted around and found a recipe for a Chocolate Cake with Caramel Frosting.

The cake is OK, but the frosting is great. I am still looking for the perfect chocolate cake recipe. I've been hunting for years. I guess the hunt goes on.

Chocolate Cake
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup boiling water

Put baking soda in milk and set aside. Cream butter and sugar, then add eggs. Add milk with baking soda in it and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients. Add boiling water last and mix.

Pour into three pans and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Note: The batter is very thin - don't think you've left something out.

Caramel Frosting
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup butter
2/3 cup milk
2 pounds powdered sugar

Bring sugar and butter to a boil. Then add milk and bring to a boil again. Set aside and let cool. Then beat in powdered sugar.

Spread on cool cake. This is enough frosting to cover all the sides of the cake, and you'll probably have a bit left over. If you just want to put between the layers and on top, halve the frosting recipe.
________________
Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

I am looking for book clubs willing to read and critique my novel when it's completed. If your book club is interested, please email me at patsyterrell@gmail.com. Thanks!

Scones and Tea

I've been in a real scone mood lately. I just love having scones and fresh lemon curd. Yum!

I've been experimenting with scone recipes. I want something that's a little sweet, but still with that biscuit-like texture. Below is the recipe I've made up that I'm using now. I think I might lower the amount of butter in it just a tad next time and see how that goes. These are a little more cake-like in texture, but I LOVE the flavor.

I prefer my scones plain. I don't want chocolate chips or some other abomination in them. I just want the scone - flakey and buttery. I contend if the scone itself is perfect it doesn't need anything added in. However, watch me quickly and happily consume a scone of any sort that someone sits in front of me.

I think I like them plain because I love them with fresh lemon curd, and I just want those two flavors. But, if there's only butter for them, it's nice to have some additional flavors in them. I'm still experimenting to find the perfect lemon curd recipe. I'll share here when that happens.

In the meantime, here's my recipe for scones.

Patsy's Scones
1 3/4 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
2/3 cup milk

To brush on top:
one egg
1 Tablespoon milk
sugar to sprinkle on top

Mix dry ingredients and cut in butter with pastry blender. Add milk and mix just until blended. If you over-mix your scones will be tough.

Brush the top with the egg and milk mixture and sprinkle a little sugar on top.

Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.
________________
Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

I am looking for book clubs willing to read and critique my novel when it's completed. If your book club is interested, please email me at patsyterrell@gmail.com. Thanks!

Tomato Basil Soup

One of my favorite summer treats is tomato basil soup. I love dinner taking less than an hour from garden to table.

I have a variety of tomatoes growing, and I like the flavor of mixing them together. But, of course, you can do it however you wish. I scald them first to make them easy to peel, but you can skip that if you don't mind the peelings. I generally put the water on to boil before I go out to pick and by the time I'm back and the tomatoes are washed, the water is ready.



I just dump the peeled tomatoes in a pot, and I go ahead and put the basil in early. Chefs say the flavor isn't as intense if you do that, and I don't disagree, but I like having the milder flavor throughout the soup. And I use a generous amount.

You can see there are some yellow tomatoes, large red ones, and smaller roma ones in this mix, as well as the basil. The only other thing I add is a pinch of salt.

I don't add any water as the tomatoes are juicy enough on their own. I let them cook down until their water is cooked out and then I puree the tomatoes and basil. I put them back into the pot and add some cream to taste.



The final thing I do is sprinkle a little sugar on top. It will turn a darker color, and I then swirl that around just to make it look pretty. You can also garnish with fresh basil if you want.

The sugar cuts the acid of the tomatoes, and helps blend the flavors together.

Voila! Tomato Basil Soup! Yummy!
________________
Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

I am looking for book clubs willing to read and critique my soon-to-be-finished novel. If your book club is interested, please email me at patsyterrell@gmail.com. Thanks!

Ginger Cookies for Tea

I'm busy preparing for the MHA's tea on Saturday. Today I made ginger cookies. Lots of ginger cookies.

I have a somewhat unnatural love of ginger cookies. They are the perfect accompaniment to tea as far as I'm concerned. Oatmeal cookies and ginger cookies are my two favorite kinds. Chocolate chip just doesn't do it for me in the same way.

This recipe is my favorite for ginger cookies. I've been making it since 1992. How do I know this? Because I wrote the first time I made it on the recipe. I do that sometimes - particularly if I make something for a particular person or event. These made their debut at the 1992 Christmas party.

Oh... and speaking of Christmas... I bought some ornaments at Hobby Lobby today. They're 40% off this week and I know from experience that they usually don't get additional shipments. So, if there's something you want it's the time to pick it up.

I'm sure I'll be making these cookies again before the holiday season is over. Enjoy!

Ginger Cookies

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger

Cream the butter and sugar, add in egg and molasses. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Shape the dough into balls and roll in sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes. These cookies will spread out as they bake, although less if you keep the dough chilled.

This recipe makes about 60 cookies or normal size, more if you're doing bite-sized tea goodies.

I like to mix them the night before and chill overnight in the fridge, but that is not necessary. I just find the dough easier to work with when it’s cold. Today I mixed them this afternoon and baked tonight.
________________
Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

Fresh Tomato and Mozzarella Salad

Fresh Tomato and Mozzarella Salad is one of my summertime recipes. It's incredibly easy.



Start with some goodies from the garden



wash the basil, chop coarsely and pour some olive oil over it to flavor the oil



Fresh Tomato and Mozzarella Salad

2 tomatoes, peeled and sliced
1 ball fresh mozzarella, sliced
one bunch fresh basil
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Wash basil and chop coarsely. Pour olive oil over and let sit.

Layer tomatoes and mozzarella and drizzle olive oil over all. Garnish with basil. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

This is plenty to serve two, or four if you're using it as an appetizer.

Powered by Qumana

Zucchini and Tomato Dish

I had a fresh zucchini out of the garden, and some tomatoes, which seemed like the perfect thing to make a dinner with. So... here's what I whipped up. It was pretty tasty - of course, most things fresh out of the garden are.

Zucchini and Tomato Dish

1 clove garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 zucchini, sliced

Saute garlic and onion in olive oil. Add tomatoes and zucchini. Let simmer on top of the stove, stirring occasionally, until the water is cooked out. Dish up and eat as is. Or, sprinkle some cheese on top for another taste.

You can adjust the amount of ingredients to suit your taste, of course.

I think some tofu cooked in it, or some chicken, would also be delish.

________________
Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

Tea Sandwich Demonstration

Today I did a cooking demonstration on tea sandwiches at Apron Strings. Amy helped me, for which I was incredibly thankful.



Greg came and took pictures of the occasion. As usual, his photos are great. We did cucumber sandwiches...



And my own creation of an herbed mix on carrot chips. I've been making this for a few years for the MHA teas and it's always a hit.



As an afterthought this morning when I was picking herbs from my garden for this, I grabbed a bunch of other things on the spur of the moment - just to show different herbs. I used some of this red veined sorrel in the herb mix, as well as some rosemary.



Whenever I have occasion to see a bunch of photos of myself I learn something. What I learned today is that I don't look good talking. At all. Fortunately, Greg caught me a couple of times where I was between words.



Anne Dowell is the owner of the store. Her husband, Mike, and kids Tyler and Leah, were so helpful today. That Mike and Tyler - wow - they are troopers. They were washing dishes for us nonstop. Leah was helping up front with her mom and coming back periodically to see if we needed something else. They were all wonderful.



We did a lot of prep work and had the sandwiches all ready to go before we even started. I wasn't sure we'd be able to get them all done in advance, but we did. Amy was such a big help.





We were wearing the gloves when we were working with food, but as soon as I was done mixing food during the presentation, I took them off so my hands could breathe. They were hot!



Greg joked that he never has to wait for me to gesture to take a photo, because I'm always animated.











After the presentation, where I talked about not only the specifics of these sandwiches, but also tea in general, everyone got to have some samples.



Some of the ladies suggested scones would be a good thing to demo another time. I couldn't disagree with them! That would be a good thing for my friend, Teresa, to demo. She makes delicious scones!

A big thank you to Amy and to Greg for their help. And to Anne, Mike, Leah and Tyler for their assistance today too.
________________
Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

Creative Sisterhood and Cucumber Sandwiches

Tonight was Creative Sisterhood. Only four of us were here, and two had to leave before eight, but it was good to connect. Teresa and I chatted for quite some time afterwards, which was lovely.

I mixed up my often-used recipe for brownies, which I know I've posted here before so won't bother with again. But, tonight I also made a surprise - cucumber sandwiches.

I had an ulterior motive. On Saturday I will be doing a cooking demonstration of tea sandwiches at Apron Strings. Because I always just do it by taste I decided I'd best experiment and come up with a real recipe. Here it is:

Cucumber Sandwiches

1 8 ounce pkg. cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon minced dried onion
1 teaspoon dill
1/4 cup sour cream

Mix those ingredients.

Cut white bread into circles. I use a biscuit cutter. Spread with cream cheese mixture and top with slice of cucumber. As you can see I leave a little peel on the cucumber for color.

If you're going to let them sit for a long time before using, spread the bread with butter before you put the cream cheese mixture on. It has to be real butter and you have to cover the bread completely or it won't work. It's the whole oil and water don't mix theory.

Garnish with fresh herbs. I used some French Thyme. Dill is my usual. You can use whatever you wish.

If you're local, come and join me at 2:00 Saturday at Apron Strings for the demonstration. I'll be making these and also carrot chips with herbed mixture. I understand there are a few slots open, but it is almost full. So, if you want to go, call Apron Strings. However, I'm sure you could just slip in and watch even if you haven't registered.

Of course, this is just good practice for me since I'll be making them for the MHA Victorian Tea on August 9. www.mhatea.com for more info on that.

Well, in the midst of all of these cooking and planning and such I am also trying to get more written on the novel. I've been plotting in the back of my mind all day as I've been working. I think this weekend I'll be able to write another chapter at least - maybe more.
________________
Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

Squash Recipe

I hadn't been out to the garden in a couple of days. Tonight I found a normal and a monster zucchini, and two squashes. I decided it was time to cook something up. I've been giving things to my neighbor because I haven't had time to cook them. But, tonight I whipped up some squash for dinner and it was mighty tasty, if I do say so myself. And, it's easy!

Squash a la Patsy

2 squash, sliced
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
garlic
salt
pepper
cheese

I put the squash and onion in an iron skillet with a little olive oil and let it cook very slowly while I was cleaning up a bit in the kitchen. I added some garlic, salt and pepper to taste. When it was soft, I dished it out and melted some cheese on top. You could mix that in, too, if you wanted.

It was very good, easy and quick. And, it's a great way to use some of the squash which will, no doubt, be plentiful all summer.
________________
Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more.