Everything is Peachy Keen

It’s peach season and there are peaches everywhere. The best place to buy fruit is at the roadside markets and vendors.  This weekend, we went to Lane Southern Orchards in Fort Valley, GA to pick strawberries and we bought a bag of peaches there, too, along with Scuppernong Cider and Sweet Peach Wine.  Hey, when in Georgia...

So, what’s a girl to do with all these peaches? Make Peach Crisp, of course!

Peach Crisp

Serves 8| Hands-On Time: 20m | Total Time: 1hr 15m

Ingredients

• 5 pounds peaches (about 12), each cut into 8 wedges
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup almonds, roughly chopped

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350° F. In a large bowl, toss the peaches, granulated sugar, and 1 tablespoon of the flour. Transfer to a shallow 3-quart baking dish. 
2. In a separate bowl, combine the brown sugar, salt, and the remaining 3/4 cup of flour. Using your fingers, incorporate the butter until coarse crumbs form. Mix in the oats and almonds.
3. Squeeze the topping into marble-size clumps and sprinkle on the peaches. Bake until the top is golden and the fruit is tender, 45 to 55 minutes.

I topped mine with homemade whipped cream (a little more work than store bought but so worth it). 

Homemade Whipped Cream

1. In a chilled mixing bowl, combine 1 cup whipping cream, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.
2. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form.

This recipe is clearly categorized as a dessert but I made it for breakfast anyway.  I’m glad this recipe has a realistic portion estimate, it can easily feed eight people or more, but you’ll still want to eat half the pan and count it as a serving.  

My Favorite Part of Georgia is Florida

Oh, I am a ruined woman!

Mexico Beach, Florida has ruined me. 

I have heard rumors that there are beaches more beautiful than the ones in California but, up until this weekend, I had never experience such a marvel myself.  I think I secretly figured that all beaches are created equal and the rest of the hype was marketing.  I was so wrong!

After a “joyous” 5-hour drive, we arrived at Mexico Beach just in time to catch the end of the sunset.  It was breath-taking.  We found ourselves splashing in the water…in the MUCH warmer water than I had anticipated…and we hadn’t even changed into bathing suits or even brought in our bags.  Yes, the sand is soft and white.  Yes, the water is clear. And yes, the Gulf water is much warmer than the Pacific.

Our hotel was right on the oceanfront and we had quick and easy access to the water.  Ahhhh! On Saturday morning, we were out in the water swimming before breakfast.  The waves were so mild, and the water so warm, that we felt we could float and splash around out there for hours.  We were having so much fun.  Well, all of us except Sienna.  Somehow that poor child is traumatized by the ocean and has a deep-rooted fear of waves and hates the sound of the waves crashing.  She spent most of Saturday crying and finally on Sunday (after I basically threatened her) she sat, grudgingly, on the sand and played.  As you can see, Grant had no qualms about it…

To sum up the whole weekend, we swam, we ate, we swam, we ate and then we went to bed.  It was glorious! 

For all the “nature” (my term) we saw over the weekend, you’d think we’d arrived at Galapagos Islands. We saw fish jumping out of the water, schools of fish swimming around us, a gazillion different types of birds, someone caught a puffer fish right in front of us, we witnessed a dolphin jumping out of the water less than 100 feet ahead of us, and I can proudly say, I have gone swimming with sting rays.  Ok, it wasn’t exactly swimming at that point, it was more like running/swimming as fast as possible in the other direction, but I’m happy to say that I survived and it was hopefully an experience I will never have again. Still, it was kinda cool to be so close to them.

It was the perfect way to kick-off the summer. We were happy to our core. The weather was perfect, the beach wasn’t too crowded, the sand was so soft, the water so warm (have I mentioned that the water was warm?!). And the sunsets…oh, the sunsets…

By the end of the trip, I told Bill we need to retire to Mexico Beach.  Sorry, Chicago.

Cozy Wednesday

It's a sunny but cold morning and it's feeling like the perfect morning to be nice and cozy at home.  The kids are both at school and the house is quiet except for the hum of the laundry machine.  That poor machine never gets a break! It's the last week of school before summer break and I'm a little nervous about having the kids full-time again.  I can't remember how I did all my chores and errands with two kids in-tow? Anyway, I'm excusing myself from my to-do list this morning, and I'm going to make myself a cup of hot chocolate and start Beth Moore's "Here and Now There and Then" study on Revelation.  With all the craziness happening in the world, I'm feeling the urge to learn more about the things to come. 

Later today, Sienna and I are going to bake Brownie Chunk and Chocolate Chip Cookies and package them up for their teachers and crossing guards.  There are two crossing guards at Sienna's school, one of them works the driveway area and the other one works in the parking lot.  The one in the parking lot is the art teacher at the school and she was recently HIT by a car driven by A PARENT.  Talk about an occupational hazard!  I've seen some crazy things happen in the school parking lot, and I'm sure glad they're both there every morning, rain or not, to help with the flow of traffic. And of course, anyone who can handle a classroom of children is a saint to me. I can barely handle my two! I wish we could do more to thank them but hopefully these yummy cookies will bring them some joy. 

PB & J Trail Mix

We love to snack on trail mix.  It's my favorite late-night snack, although, nachos is a close second.  I have to admit, I'm not a big fan of the standard peanut-raisin-M&Ms blends and some of the pre-made mixes use warped-looking nuts (insert warped-looking nuts joke here, I know you want to...). Therefore, the last time we were living in Georgia, I started creating my own trail mix blends. Bill would take large Ziploc bags of my trail mix blends to the field with him and they were always a hit with the guys.  It's the perfect snack: sweet, salty, satisfying. Combine your favorite two nuts, a dried fruit, and chocolate chips. It's practically a no-fail recipe!   I always use Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips because they don't melt and, for some reason, the other brands will. Plus, I think they taste much better than the other options. 

Here's my favorite mixture...(all ingredients can be found at my favorite store, Trader Joe's)

PB & J Trail Mix

1/2 of an 8 oz bag of dried blueberries
9.75 oz whole cashews, lightly salted
12 oz mini milk chocolate peanut butter cups (or chop pb cup candies into smaller pieces)
1/2 cup of raw almonds

Add to a large Ziploc bag, combine and enjoy!  I wouldn't recommend sitting down with the whole bag, though.  Not that I know this lesson from personal experience or anything...

You can play with the amounts, to your preference.  I like A LOT of chocolate in my trail mix.  In fact, "someone" in my household had the nerve to say my last batch had almost too much chocolate.  Blasphemy, I say!  Well, to each his own, I suppose. 

Anyway, what's your favorite midnight snack?

Day Trip to LaGrange

Our time in Georgia is short and we’re trying to squeeze in as many trips as possible. This past weekend we took a day trip to the small town of LaGrange, Georgia.  My main motivation was to see Hills & Dales Estate, a historic home and garden. 

An interesting history note, LaGrange was defended during the American Civil War by a volunteer women’s auxiliary know was the Nancy Harts.  Eventually the Nancy Harts formed an official surrender for the city but because of their tactics and negotiations most of the homes in the city were spared from destruction.  Yay, girl power!  

As we pulled up, we noticed a Zumba class taking place in the middle of the downtown square.  Yep, I was liking this city already!

Of course, the first thing we did was eat!  Hungry kids + hungry mom = no fun.

We ate at Mighty Joe’s Pizza (101 LaFayette Pkwy).  We ordered by the slice and the slices were HUGE.  I can’t remember what I ordered exactly but it had feta, sundried tomatoes, ham and pineapple on it.  It sounded so bizarre that I had to try it.  Then we had dessert at Sugarmeyer’s Sweet Shop & Ice Cream Parlor (2 East LaFayette Square).  

Yum!

Next we headed to Bellevue, one of the homes saved during the Civil War, but unfortunately our tour guide was a little too busy to help us.  And by busy, I mean, this 70-something old man was stripped down to his undies sunning himself in the rocker on the front porch. It was hilarious! We came back later, when he was dressed, but he wouldn’t let us in because of the kiddos.  What we saw of it, it is a beautiful home. 

But, the highlight of the trip was Hills & Dales Estate. In 1841, Sarah Ferrell took her Mother’s garden and expanded it into a lovely garden with fountains, hedged walking paths and many flowers and trees, and it became known as “Ferrell Gardens.”  The garden was open to the community and many couples “courted” in the garden (I had so much fun imagining that when we walked through the gardens).  In time, the Callaway family inherited the garden and cared for and expanded it, and later added an enormous Italian-style villa next to the garden.

It was a beautiful, sunny day and the garden was magnificent. Even the kids had fun!  

Happy Mother's Day

"You're the best Mom because your hands are always cool when I'm hot, and always warm when I'm feeling cold." --Sienna

Honestly, I can't think of a better way to describe what it means to be a Mother, to have that special "touch" in someone's life.

This will be my sixth Mother’s Day celebration since Sienna was born and I still can’t believe that I’m actually a Mom!!  The whole idea still blows my mind.  I wonder if I'll ever stop being somewhat surprised by the thought of it. But, I’m so glad that God had a better plan for me than I had for myself. And I’m grateful that my hubby saw a potential in me that I didn’t see.  Even though some days I don’t feel cut out for the job, I’m sure glad that I’m a Mom to these two amazing, funny and zany kiddos!  We have so much fun together!  

Just a few of my favorite memories:

  

Baby Sienna in Vicenza, Italy

Christmas Trip to Slovenia

Our newest addition, Grant!

Baby Blue Eyes in San Diego

 

 

 

Teddy Bear Picnic in California

Being Silly in Savannah, Georgia

Lastly, I’m sending a big “Happy Mother’s Day” hug to all the Moms in my life, thank you for all the inspiration and encouragement along the way.  I love each and every one of you! 

By the way, if you’re looking for a delicious Mother’s Day menu, click here.  

Happy Mother's Day!

It's Chips and Salsa Time!

In honor of Cinco de Mayo (a.k.a Drinko de Mayo) here's my AWARD-WINNING salsa recipe: 

Ginger's White Girl Salsa

Add these ingredients to a food processor:

2 cans of diced tomatoes (I use Hunt's Diced Fire Roasted canned tomatoes)
2 chopped garlic cloves
about half a bunch of cilantro, chopped
the juice from 1 lime
2 jalapeno peppers
1 green serrano pepper
2 stalks of green onions
salt and pepper to taste (I always use sea salt)

Blend and enjoy!
Side note:  More times than I care to mention, I have confused cilantro with parsley (insert dumb blond joke here) but it actually makes an interesting Italian/Mexican fusion salsa that can be used to make bruschetta appetizers.  Take thick slices of french or sourdough bread, drizzle with olive oil, spread "Italian Salsa" on top, top with mozzarella cheese and bake at 400-degrees for about 5-10 minutes or until cheese melts (don't let them burn!). 

My Sprout and Strawberries

It's a historic day for America and the world.  If you're looking for a reflective and meaningful blog about such events, please click here.  I'm proud to call Martha my friend and I truly love her blog.

If you'd like to continue into Ginger's land of happiness and sprinkles, please read on:

So, spring is here and I'm loving every minute of it.  Except the tornadoes, not loving that, but mostly everything else.  Especially the flowers.  Here in Georgia, unlike California, there are flowers, flowers everywhere.  Random purple flowers line the highways.  And no trash, again unlike Calfornia, because of the $1,000-plus fines given to people who decide to litter on the highways.

And look at this pretty bloom I discovered recently:

For some reason, it seems that the kids tend to "grow like weeds" during the springtime. Is it all the sunshine and fresh air?  Not sure, but our clothing allowance is maxed because of all the new shoes and new clothes needed to keep up with our growing kiddos.

Another great thing about spring...STRAWBERRIES!! 

I came across this yummy recipe (in my People magazine of all places!) - see below - and tried it out.  Grant and I gobbled these up but my Miss Picky gave these the "sad face" rating.  Poor Sienna, she really doesn't like strawberries.  In fact, it was about this time last year she told Bill she'd rather have a spanking than eat a strawberry. 

The conversation went something like this:

Bill:  "Sienna, eat those now.  You have to try a bite."

Sienna gets up, grabs Bill's hand, looks him square in the eyes and says: "Let's go upstairs." Meaning, let's just get this spanking business over with because there is no way I'm going to eat those strawberries.

Man, I love that girl. 

Anyway, if you like strawberries, give this recipe a try.  Great for mid-week breakfast or as an addition to your next tea party.

Strawberries and Cream Mini Muffins

** a mini muffin pan is required (I used my Pampered Chef one, yay!)

1	cup strawberries, slightly under-ripe, diced into ¼" pieces
1	squeeze of lemon juice
1	cup flour
½	cup sugar
1	tsp baking powder
¼	cup vegetable oil
⅓	cup sour cream
1	tsp vanilla extract
1	large egg
1	tsp powdered sugar

1) Preheat oven to 400 deg. Line a 24-cup mini muffin tin with paper baking cups.

2) Put diced strawberries into a bowl, spritz lemon juice on them and stir gently to combine.

3) In a medium-size bowl, stir together flour, sugar and baking powder.

4) In a small bowl, beat together oil, sour cream, vanilla and egg. Pour mixture over dry ingredients, stirring to combine with a wooden spoon. Fold in strawberries.

5) Divide batter evenly among the paper cups in the mini-muffin tin. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

6) Place tin on a wire rack and leave for 5 minutes. Take out the muffins and continue cooling them in the paper cups on the wire rack. When the muffins are completely cool, place the powdered sugar in a small sieve. Shake sieve lightly to dust the muffins with sugar.

Happy Spring!