Goodbye July, Hello Peaches!

July is one month I hate to see end.  It's the ultimate summer month.  June is an introduction, and August is the prelude to summer's swan song.  So, good-bye July, but know that I will love you as much  next year as I do today, and for as many more renditions as I am fortunate enough to enjoy.

August 1st, though, is a notable day.  It is the birthday of three lovely women:  Jan McCoy Ebbets, Donna Jordan Malkowich, and Beckie Platt.  Happy birthday to all of you, who've been a part of my life since forever.  I hope it is a joyful birthday for each and every one of you!  Jan has been my friend since we met in 1997 and instantly became life-long friends.  I met Donna while we were in high school (me, Saratoga High, and Donna, St. Peter's) and we scooped ice cream at Stewart's together (along with her sister and my good friend and now fellow-blogger Carol) and it feels the same today as it did in 1972!  And Beckie has been my sister Patsy's best friend since my family moved to MacArthur Drive in 1955!  There's so much richness and longevity to these friendships, something you just can't put a price on.  They are the kinds of friends, as the saying goes, where a lot of time can go by but when you see them again, it's like it was yesterday.  No tallying of who called whom last, no keeping tabs, just happiness at seeing each other once again.  Good friendships...

So, about those peaches.  I had hot pants to make peach ice cream as the ripe peaches started dropping off Katie's tree yesterday.  Last year they had a bumper crop, but this summer's drought and some other issued limited the number of peaches to about 20 (like gold, these peaches) while the cherry tree produced NO cherries, and the same with the apple tree.  So, kudos to the peach tree for producing 20 fine peaches and better luck next year, cherry and apple.   I used the ugliest peaches of the bunch for my ice cream, figuring they were getting peeled and chopped up anyway, and Katie's saving the prettiest peaches (see photo above) for her husband Bill, who will be home Thursday night to enjoy them.

The recipe I used is from The Food Network (linked here).    It's really pretty simple.  There are a few steps, but I found it very do-able and not at all difficult.  I stopped at Stewart's on my lunch hour to pick up two half-pints of heavy cream, and since the recipe called for peach brandy which I couldn't find in a small bottle, I bought a 99-cent bottle of peach vodka at East Side Liquor store next to Stewart's.  The recipe only called for 2 tablespoons, so vodka it was!

This ice cream is made from a cooked custard that is strained and cooled, and then churned in an ice cream maker for about 15 minutes before adding the peaches, and then churned a bit more.  I knew when I tasted the custard that it was going to be incredible.  I put the soft ice cream into a glass container and it froze for about 2 hours when I just couldn't wait another minute.  It was frozen around the edges but the middle was still too soft, but I dished out a bit anyway, just to taste.  It was delicious, creamy and sweet with great peach flavor.  I'd call it a success, though I have to let it freeze longer to get the best photo.  Meanwhile, here's what it looks like, not quite frozen:

I'll add a photo of a nice scoop once it's firmed up a bit more in the freezer.  So come back, and take another look!

Fast forward and here's the finished product!

Taa Daa!!!!  (and yes, it's sooooo good!)

Buttermilk Ranch Marinated Chicken Breasts

My sister-in-law Carolyn and her husband Billy are great cooks.  They used to have a restaurant, The Hayner House, in Ballston Spa.  Carolyn comes from a long line of great Italian cooks, and Billy cooked professionally for a while before becoming part-owner of the family business, Quality Hardware in Saratoga and Hudson Falls.  He's since retired and turned the reigns of the business over to my super-capable and energetic niece Louise.  Their family is all about good food, and they often host their kids and grandchildren for the traditional Sunday dinner, much like the one my family enjoyed when my children were little, at "Grammy Eddy's" house.  For years, we'd all show up Sunday afternoons, the kids eager to play with their cousins, and stay long past a wonderful dinner, give all the kids a bath and get them in their p.j.s before heading home.  I looked forward to it every week.  The kids loved it, and still speak very fondly of all the fun they had together growing up with Sunday dinners at Grammy's....  She went through every towel she owned on those Sundays, first as make-shift capes for their super-hero adventures, and later to dry off more than a dozen grandchildren (three in the tub at a time!).  Lovely memories.

Anyway, off on a tangent I go, so back to the chicken.  Carolyn marinated boneless chicken breasts in Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch dressing.  I think it's for a few hours but not much longer than that.  Then Billy grills it on their gas grill and it comes out moist, tender, and full of flavor.  I decided to try it myself the other night.  Russ was here Saturday night for dinner.  Typically, we go out, but we didn't want to leave Jette, his little black dog, who's been having a hard time lately with diabetes and just declining health.

Jette, Russ's little 'ol lady dog... (xox)

She's twelve now and I told Russ that last year, she wasn't an old dog, and this year, she is.  She's still so cute, but she looks like a little old lady dog now, can't get up and down stairs without  help, you know...  Makes me sad.  I can't imagine his life without his little dog.  Don't want to think about it.

Chicken marinating in buttermilk ranch dressing

I decided to make a nice dinner at home.  I marinated chicken breast cutlets (a Purdue 5-pack of individually wrapped pieces) in a zippered bag with enough buttermilk ranch dressing to coat them nicely.  I let them marinate for about four hours and then cooked them over a fairly hot grill for about 6 minutes a side, give or take depending on their thickness.  Two were thinner than the others so I moved them to the other side of the grill and turned off that burner while the rest of the cutlets continued cooking.   I did that poke test to make sure they were cooked through, where you poke to see how firm they are, and it seemed to be an accurate measure because they were really just right.

Nothing like grilled chicken!

To go with the grilled chicken, we had a large tossed salad -- kind of an everything goes in tossed salad -- with everything in my fridge that could possibly contribute.  I added olives, celery, tomatoes, shaved cheddar cheese, dried cranberries, sprinkles of tomato-basil feta, and I don't even know what else!  It was great!  I also made a small portion of ziti (with lines) and a light tomato-basil marinara with a little bit of grated parmesan.  We didn't eat out, but we enjoyed a lovely meal.

Everything-but-the-kitchen-sink salad!

The chicken recipe is really in the little story above, since it's so simple.  Just marinate your chicken in a nice coating of buttermilk ranch for a couple of hours, and grill till it's done.  Pretty easy and very delicious!

I had two left over pieces of chicken, so tonight Katie and I had loaded chicken salad sandwiches for dinner.  I chopped up the left over chicken and tossed it with celery, walnut pieces, and dried cranberries.  I gave a couple of twists of fresh ground pepper, a few grains of sea salt, and a couple tablespoons of light mayo.  Stirred it all up and it made really great sandwiches served on 12-grain bread.  Photos follow, of course!

Chicken salad sandwiches make a fine dinner!

A Gorgeous Summer Sky, Cinnamon Rolls AND Cherry Pie!

Happy Sunday night everyone!  It's gorgeous out there, and I took a photo as I got out of my car around 9:15 pm to capture the beautiful summer night sky.

OK, on to baking:  I promised my sister-in-law Lynn that I'd re-post my recipe for cinnamon rolls, and it's right here,  where it's always been (!).  Just click and it's yours.

Cinnamon Rolls, as requested!

Now, about that cherry pie!  Katie made one today, after buying cherries for $1.98 lb. at Hannaford, and it was dessert to her dinner of home made (and fantastic) chicken enchiladas.  I know, it doesn't seem to go together at all, but I don't care what's served for dinner, if it's followed by cherry pie, it goes!!!

I tried to retain each facet of her pie making today, and I have it here for you.  She used her America's Test Kitchen cook book (one of her old reliables) and the pie was fantastic!!!  You're supposed to wait 20 minutes after it comes out of the oven....That did NOT happen!  Nope, my slice of hot cherry pie melted my Stewart's Philly Vanilla ice cream beautifully!  So, first the recipe, then a collage of photos to show you just how beautiful a pie can be (surpassed only by how unbelievably delicious it was!)...

CHERRY PIE
(memorized from watching Katie as she used her America's Test Kitchen Cookbook)
Preheated oven 425 degrees for 1st half  hour; 325 degrees for 2nd half hour)

Pie crust for a 2-crust pie
6 cups pitted and halved fresh cherries
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
dash salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. almond extract

Line pie plate with bottom crust.

Mix together cherries, cornstarch, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and almond extract.  Let mixture sit for 20 minutes.  After 20 minutes, pour into pie shell.  Top with top crust.  (Katie used Pillsbury pie crusts, and made a lattice of the top crust).  Crimp edges.  Spritz top with water and sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Bake pie on cookie sheet at 425 degrees for 30 minutes.  Turn oven down to 325 degrees F and bake an additional half hour.  Remove from oven, and let sit 20 minutes for the juices to thicken (we did NOT do this!).

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, and be thankful for simple pleasures!!!

Katie's cherry pie!

and finally, to get the new week off to a good start,  here are a couple of my favorite guys:

My boys...(my loves)

Orange Cranberry Muffins, Deja Vu All Over Again

Hello again my friends.  I am very happy to be writing about muffins again (especially after posting a potentially explosive opinion on facebook) realizing that my time is best spent discussing the finer points of baking!  I do thank Anna, though (one of my daughter Meghan's best and beautiful friends from forever) who reminded me, when I decided to exit the conversation, that it is important to "...speak your mind, even if your voice shakes." (Maggie Kuhn)  I so love that quote, in its simple empowerment.  So, thanks Anna, and on to the orange cranberry muffins I promised my fb friends... 

Well, no sense reinventing the muffin wheel, and in excavating this site to see if I had ever written about such a muffin before, guess what?  I had, back in November of 2009.   I read it as if someone else had written it -- sounded brand new to me, like I'd never even seen it before!  Here it is again, with all its seasonal flavor -- kind of like Christmas/Thanksgiving in July!  Just click the link to find it.

http://adirondackbaker.blogspot.com/2009/11/orange-cranberry-muffins.html

(Photo credit indicated on original post)

Lake Dippin' in the Adirondacks!

If I was forced to choose, I'd have to say that my favorite summer place to be is by the Atlantic seashore, anywhere from Maine to Florida, though I have really only experienced a handful of beaches along the coast.   As children, we spent summer weekends on Long Island (Fire Island, Robert Moses State Park), and the Jersey shore (Stone Harbor, Avalon, Spring Lake).  My favorite memories are of family vacations to Stone Harbor in NJ and also to Robert Moses State Park in Long Island (with our Cella/McGeehan cousins). Our parents and all seven kids would load into the station wagon and join the hoards of people heading south and east to do the same thing -- enjoy the sun, sea, and surf that only a beach vacation can provide, whether it's for a Sunday afternoon or an entire week.  There's nothing quite so revitalizing. There are still many east coast beaches on my list, and hopefully I'll be visiting them in the not-too-distant future!

Because we are inlanders now and live hours from the nearest low- or high-tide, the very next best thing to the waves and dunes is a trip to Lake George, or any Adirondack Lake, where I can travel to in an hour or less and feel as though I'm far away from home.  I especially love Lake George.  It pulls me with such magnetic force on any summer day with warm temperatures and bright skies.  Within the past week, I spent time in Fourth Lake in Luzurne with my daughter Katie and her husband Bill, and grandsons Hank and Pete, and the next day took off for a solo and beautifully peaceful morning on the beach of Rogers Memorial Park in Bolton Landing (Lake George).  Then Tuesday I spent the afternoon with friends on the dock of Wiawaka's boat house (also Lake George).

I so love the Adirondacks and its lakes, but especially Lake George, a true gift to those of us who live close enough to enjoy visiting often.  Tomorrow I'm back to writing about muffins (orange cranberry to be specific) but in the meantime,  here are some photos of this week's lake visits...  Can't wait to dip my toes into the lake again, as soon as possible!!!

Fourth Lake in Luzurne, New York

Wiawaka, on the south east shore of Lake George

Bolton Landing, New York (Lake George!)

Cupcake Wedding Cake

A few months back, a friend from work, Pat, asked if I would make the wedding cake for her son and his fiance.  She was interested in a cupcake wedding cake, and it just so happens that I have a custom-made-handy-dandy cupcake stand.  It was decided that there'd be 150 cupcakes (yellow and chocolate) with buttercream frosting, and a matching 8-inch top tier.

As the date (today, as a matter of fact) drew closer, I planned the cake in my head.  Pat had provided color swatches of a pretty cornflower blue and an earthy golden yellow.  I decided to make blue fondant flowers for half the cupcakes, and piped yellow flowers for the other half, and then tie those colors into the top tier as well.

Pat provided the cake topper, a very cute (if not foreboding!) sculpture of a determined bride dragging what appears to be a reluctant groom, though I am sure that this whimsical topper is no indication of Dave's attitude about getting married.  I am sure he's thrilled and equally happy/nervous/excited/etc. state of anticipation that accompanies every marriage.  Even though I was only 20 years old the day I was married, I remember manifesting all those emotions, as did everyone present, I'm sure!  Getting married is a very big deal, and when you're 20, I don't think you're capable of knowing exactly  how big a deal it actually is.  Perhaps that's why I am decidedly single now (though very happily attached in a not-so-conventional way to my long-term/long distance --and did I say very handsome?--bf Russ!!!).

I am in awe of those who have succeeded in marriage for decades and who've grown together from young adulthood into their entrance into the golden years.  Geez - how DO they do that???  I am afraid that is one area where I may never know success.  There are great examples in my own close and extended families, and also some of my best friends.  It was especially evident last week at Jack and Kristin's wedding in "Boca" -- with couples dancing and the longest-married the last on the floor after the DJ eliminated those married for shorter periods of time.  My sister Patsy and her husband Don were just about the last to go, looking much too young for such an honor, but a real significant indication of the longest marriage was when my brother-in-law John's mother Shirley danced with all four of her Bishop grandsons, standing in for Shirley's husband Clay who'd already left the reception for the hotel (we partied past midnight!).  When I saw each of my nephews tap the other on the shoulder to cut in for a chance to dance with their Grandma, I got all choked up.  Have I told you 1,000 times yet what great boys they all are?  (Well, they are!)....

Anyway, I digress as I always seem to.  Forgive me for indulging in this year of intense weddinghood for my family.  I particularly feel the significance of commitment, ritual, tradition, and beauty that such a promise brings to not only a couple, but to their families and friends.  In less than 3 months, my daughter Tricia and her fiance Jeff will say their vows in front of family and friends, so the happy anticipation continues!

To wrap it all up, here's a little snapshot of today's wedding cake, for Pat's son Dave and his lovely bride. I so  hope they loved it...

A Prize Awarded...

The third of our monthly prizes was awarded yesterday to my sister-in-law Lynn Eddy.  She won for having her name chosen from all those who posted on the blog in the month of June.  Lynn had posted a number of times, thus increasing her chances and it paid off!  On July 1st, my daughter Katie (Lynn's neice!) drew the winner from a  Gladware container, and it was all legit.  When I told Lynn that she was the winner, she decided to wait until a special occasion to redeem her prize.  Well, that occasion is upon us, and this little 8" round cake traveled with Lynn and her husband Rod to Ohio where it was shared tonight in  honor of:  1) their first visit with their newest grandson Breccan (baby brother to Carraig), and 2) the wedding anniversary of their son Rod and his wife Emily, the proud parents of these two little boys.

The anniversary couple...

Baby Breccan

Here's a photo collage of Lynn's prize as it came together -- a chocolate on chocolate cake using the Hershey cocoa recipe on the back of the cocoa tin (my standard):

So, welcome little Breccan, and Happy Anniversary Rod and Em!  Safe travels home. Lynn and Rod!  Hope you have a wonderful time celebrating, and brush those crumbs off your face!