Peach Almond Shortbread Bars

Peaches are here. YAY!!! Peaches are for sure one of those fleeting fruits, one that once in season, you need to eat as many fresh as you can because once they are out of season, they are not good. Not good at all. And me being me, I see peaches, I buy a shit load, and now I have a fridge drawer full. Not complaining in the slightest, but peaches cannot sit around all summer waiting to be eaten. So if you are going to buy a shit load, know what you are going to do with them all.

My peaches, well they haven’t had to wait long. I have been eating at least a peach a day and… I made these bars with a few. Sharing my peaches, thats what I do. HA.

These almond peach shortbread bars. Fantastic A+ on all fronts. Easy to make, not a whole heck of a lot of ingredients, make the house smell amazing, and really kick off the peach, summer vibe thing that goes on around here.

'“Millions of peaches, peaches for me. Millions of Peaches, peaches for free” 🎶 (Peaches by The Presidents of the United States of America. If you have’t head the song, look it up. I don’t think I can even look at a peach without hearing the song in my head.)

Now to the peach almond shortbread bars!

The stuff. Peaches, almonds, vegan butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder.

Easy peasy. Almonds go in to food processor first. Blend and pulse for a minute or two until they turn into a medium fine almond meal. (Don’t over blend or you will end up with almond butter.) When almonds are ground, add in the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and sugar. Pulse until combined. Then add in the butter in chunks and pulse until dough just starts to come together.

Almond shortbread dough.

Half the dough goes into a 9x9 baking pan. Smooshed evenly all over the bottom poke it with a fork. Then it just needs to go into the oven to bake. 15-18 minutes or so, just until it starts to brown a bit.

Peaches need to be cut so cut them up. !/2 inch thick slices, after the pits be removed of course.

Blinded baked bottom. Looks good yeah? Let it cool for a few minutes and then it gets peaches. Three rows, all over lapping and nestled together.

The top gets the remaining half of dough and is now it’s ready for the oven. Another 40-ish minutes or so to really seal the deal.

Taken from the oven when golden brown, cooled, cut up, and placed on a pretty plate because pretty is nice.

I am pretty sure you figured out what to do next…. EAT IT!

-C

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Peach Almond Shortbread Bars

makes a 9x9 pan which can be cut Into the sizes of your choice

• 1 cup vegan butter

• 1 cup packed brown sugar

• 2 cup cup all purpose flour

• 1 cups raw almonds

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 3 large firm peaches

• 1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven 350

Place almonds into a food processor and pulse and blend until a fine meal has formed. It should take only a minute or two and stop half way and scrape the edges and sides do the almonds don’t start to form a paste. Add in the flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon,and sugar and pulse until combined. Add in the vegan butter in a few chunks and pulse until the mixture turns into a crumbly dough. Stop pulsing and dump mixture into big bowl.

Take half of the mixture and place into a 9x9 baking pan. Evenly distribute and press the dough into the bottom. Take a fork and poke the dough all over then place the pan in the oven. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until the dough just starts to lighly brown. Remove from oven.

While the bottom crust is cooling off for a few minutes, slice peaches into 1/2 inch slices. Obviously make sure to remove pit.

Now take your half baked crust and layer peaches evenly on top. It is easies to start at the top, make three rows across and then layer the peaches down (like in the picture above). Once peaches are layered, grab the remaining half of dough and evenly distribute on top. Place back into oven and bake for another 40-45 minutes or until the crumble on top is a nice deep golden brown.

Remove from oven, let coo completely (or as completely as you can) cut into pieces, and then you eat it.

Left over pieces should be placed in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. They freeze well individually wrapped too.

blind back for about 15 minutes of until the crust is starting to brown around the edges

bake for another 30 minutes

Sunday Happy

A well placed porta-potty. Enough said. HAHAHA

Summer is really just coming along nicely. I have heard many a people complaining that it is not warm enough yet, but I would like to completely disagree. It is plenty warm and I am loving this not to hot start of summer. Even the rain. The only downside I see to it is the late start planting for farmers. But talking to a few farmers made me feel better about my rain loving self. The are alright and getting things in the ground. They will good. So I can go back to be happy about it again.

Besides the wonderful weather, the week had been pretty good. The mr got to go fishing a couple of different time, I have been biking all over the world (within the surrounding 20 mile radius). We had dinner with Barb which always makes me happy. Miley also came over for her own dinner night. We talked about dealing with mean girls (so hard to not go track each one down and flip the F out on them) and her summer bucket list. Then she ate a gallon of ice cream because why not. I worked the studio, the mr worked the work, and being fully functional adults we did all the doings that needed to be done. We are good like that.

Then there is this thing that I have noticed this week with my brain that is driving me crazy. I think that I might have summer brain fog. I’ll be thinking about something and all of a sudden I forget what I am thinking about. I don’t know if it because I have so much I want to think, and so many little things I want to do, but it keeps happening and is driving me nuts. There is a rabbit hole of reasons for why this is happening that I am trying not to go down. I am not a hypochondriac per say, but I am definitely staying off any web based medical sites that will tell me I have all and any brain diseases possible. I don’t need help visualizing my demise, thank you-very-much.

Today is a day for home stuff. After I bike into town to go to the gym and drop off a hundred library books, I am coming home, throwing on my overalls and spending a good amount of time weeding the garden, mowing the lawn, and lets be honest, sitting around drinking coffee and reading. The mr, I think he is going to finish making a picnic table for me to sit at. I am excited for that picnic table.

Oh, and call my dad cause it’s Fathers Day. #1 Daughter here!

The stuff on the internet that I looked at and am now sharing with you.

-Labels can be tricky and misleading.Good to know what they all mean. Why Food Reformers Have Mixed Feelings About Eco-Labels

-I have been in Love with Keanu Reeves ever since I saw him jump off that bus. And knowing he is not an asshole, only makes me love him more. Keanu Reeves Is Too Good for This World

-The Invention of the “Beach Read”. Sometime a good, easy read is what we (I) need.

-I love the idea of the Prefab Treehouse, but it seems a little sketchy.. Who checks if the trees are safe? But still cool.

-Meet the Coolest Inflatable Pool Ever from Mylle. My kind of kiddie pool. I want one.

-What your grip says about your odds of surviving a health crisis. Now whenever I shake someones hand I am going to crush it. HA

-It is true. Behold, the Age of ‘Salad Frosting’ Is Upon Us. And I kind of think it is brilliant and also wrong.

-I used to hate arches but now, well I am kind of obsessed with them. THE ART OF THE ARCH.

-In love with these Found Leaves with Delicate Crochet Embellishments by Susanna Bauer

-Scientists Are Figuring Out How To Change Blood Types. The things that science and smart people can do is crazy and mazing and scary.

Pictures from the week.

Toasted Coconut And Corn Popsicles

Yes you read that right. Corn. In a popsicle.

What?

No it is not weird or gross or anything. I wouldn't do that to you. These popsicles are down right deeee-lightful. Rich and creamy and sweet. Both the creamy coconut and the toasted coconut pair perfectly with the sweet corn flavor. They truly are delicious and I think that if you give them a try, you will think so too. And really, now that it is like almost summer, who doesn't have a little extra corn laying around. So you might as well just make a batch.

And then you will thank me for introducing you to the goodness that is a toasted coconut and corn popsicle. Heck, the mr even ate one and he (still, after I have proven him wrong on a many occasions) says he hates corn. So if a corn hater likes these, imagine what a corn lover will think. HAHA. Corn lover.

To the popsicles!

The stuff. Corn, full fat coconut milk, shredded coconut, and maple syrup.

First, remove corn from cob and place on a baking sheet. Bake in oven for 10-ish minutes until corn is cooked and all nice and sweet.

And don’t forget to toast the coconut. A few minutes in the oven is all it needs.

Now to blend. Corn and coconut milk go in first to blend until nice and smooth. Then add in the maple and coconut and blend until just combined. That will leave a little coconut texture. If you want it smooth, well just blend until completely smooth. Do what feels right to you.

Thick, rich and creamy popsicle mixture.

Now pour it into the molds and stick into the freezer. You could probably stick the sticks in now or wait a little while for the mixture to set a bit, but just don’t forget to get sticks in those popsicles before they completely freeze. That would suck.

Frozen POPSICLES!

Pop those lovelies out of the molds and there you go.

The anticipation is over. Eat a popsicle

-C

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Toasted Coconut And Corn Popsicles

makes 4 average sized popsicles

• 2 ears corn (about a cup of corn kernels)

• 1 cup full fat coconut milk (the canned stuff)

• 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

• 2- 4 tablespoons maple syrup

Note. If you have left over cooked corn, just use that. You don’t need to recook it so skip the cooking corn step.

Preheat oven to 400

Remove corn kernels from cob and place on a baking sheet pretty evenly. Pop into the oven for 10 minutes of so or until the corn is cooked through and nice and sweet.

Remove corn and dump it into blender and set aside to cool for a few minutes. Place the coconut onto the baking sheet and pop into the oven for 3-4 minutes to just lightly toast. When the coconut is toasted, remove from oven.

Grab the blender with the corn and pot in the coconut milk. Blend until smooth. Add in the maple (start with 2 tablespoons and work your way up to the sweetness you like) and the toasted coconut. Blend quickly just to combine for a slightly more textures popsicle or blend completely smooth if you would rather a smoother popsicle.

Pour mixture into popsicles molds and place into freezer. After the mixture sets up (about an hour) pop sticks into molds. Continue to freeze until completely frozen. Usually 4-6 hours.

And then when it is popsicle time, remove popsicles from molds and eat them.

Creamy Tomato White Bean Soup

This summer has been weird. And when I say weird, I mean too stupid freaking hot and humid and it's screwing up my life. I think I have gone a month, maybe more, without making soup. That is just not right. For as long as I can remember I have made soup, or at least eaten soup, just about everyday, even all summer long. But the terrible heat and humidity this year, I just have had no desire. It has been straight up shredded zucchini and whole tomatoes for some time now. I just don't want to have any residual added heat to my life.  But the other day, oh how lovely. I woke up with a chill,  enough that I needed to grab a long sleeve before leaving the house, and had the very strong urge to return home and get my soup on. And soup on I did!

For my first trip back into soup (oh how I missed soup!), I went simple and used what I, and many, many people have ample supplies of right now. Tomatoes. And beans because I wanted my soup to be thick and creamy and I had the beans so why the heck not.

This soup really requires very little and you get the most thick, delicious, creamy, tomatoey soup. Perfect to eat alone, but is fanatic with some crackers, or a hunk of crusty bread. And it uses a lot of tomatoes which is nice because I am (as are many of you.. My neighbor is bringing me HER tomatoes now too) trying to make a dent in the ever growing pile or these beauties on the counter. This soup dented it, until I went out to the garden a few minutes later. My pile is bigger then ever, which is fine because I am back on my soup game. 

The stuff. Lots of tomatoes, some white beans (I used navy, but any white bean would be good) a large onion, a carrot, salt and pepper, a lemon, some olive oil, and honey (optional).

First off, chop the carrot and onion into chunks.

Toss the chopped stuff into a big ol' pot with a drizzle of olive oil and cook on a medium heat until nice and soft. 

While veggies are cooking, core and cut up all those tomatoes. 

When the veggies have cooked up a bit, add the tomatoes, the beans, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper to the pot and give it a good mix. Return to high heat, stirring even so often, until the tomatoes give off enough juiced to start boiling then turn heat down to medium and cook for a little while, like 1/2 an hour or 45 minutes.

Until it looks lit this. The tomatoes have all fallen apart and the beans, carrots and onions are mushy. 

Blended with the juice of the lemon and a sprinkle of pepper and more salt if needed. 

Now serve into a  bowls. Garnish with a drizzle of honey if you are feeling it. Sliced cherry tomatoes make for fancy garnish. 

Creamy tomato bean soup for everyone!

Hurray for soup!

-C

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Creamy Tomato White Bean Soup

Makes about 1/2 gallon (enough to serve a crowed or enough to serve one for a few days and maybe freeze some for later)

• 10-12 large tomatoes 
• 2 1/2 cup or 1 can of cooked white beans (I used navy but any white bean will be good)
• 1 large onion
• 1 large carrot
• I lemon
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• honey (optional)

Start by chopping the onion and carrot up into small chunks. Grab a large heavy bottom pot, drizzle a teaspoon or two of olive on the bottom then toss in the chopped veggies. Place the pot on a medium heat, stirring occasionally until the onion and carrot start to soften. 

While the veggies are cooking, core and cut up all the tomatoes. Once the veggies are soft, dump in all the tomatoes, along with the beans and all the liquid they are in. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and turn heat up to high, giving it a good stir until the tomatoes start to get super juicy then bring the pot to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and cook for another half hour to 45 minutes, giving it a stir ever so often.  When the tomatoes have completely fallen apart and the carrot, onions, and beans are mushy, you know its done. 

Remove the pot from heat and dd in the juice of the lemon. Using a hand blender, blend until it's a smooth creamy consistency. If you only have a counter belnder, let soup cool a little before handling and  be really freaking careful and blend a few cups at a time, making sure to have the blender lid on. Hot soup in the face is no fun.

Once soup is creamy and smooth, serve in bowls with a drizzle of honey (totally optional, but some people really like a touch of sweetness to their tomato soup) and more pepper to a taste. Garnish with thinly sliced cherry tomatoes if you are feeling fancy. 

Any extra soup can be refrigerated for up to a week. Can also be frozen. 

Sunday Happy

The mr and I have had ourselves a very busy busy week.

Sunday afternoon we packed up the camping gear and headed for the state park. We even brought the kayaks with us. When we got to the camp site, we ditched our stuff and launched the boats for a leisurely afternoon paddle.  It was nice, but not as nice as when we woke up and brought the kayaks to watch the sun come up over the water. That was pretty freaking fantastic, especially with all the birds we got to watch. Good camping, epic kayak ride. 

And then we returned to life for the day and spent an hour waiting in a traffic jam to return bottles. I saw a new side to Winooksi that I don't think I want to see again. pooooof.

Tuesday the mr was finishing up a job so I grabbed Barb and we did a epic bike ride. I biked to her then we biked to the causeway and I bike her home then I biked back home. 5 hours on a bike, oh man was my ass numb, but it was so lovely and fun and the perfect cool breezy day for it.  Once I got home, I had just enough time to run a few errands and get food ready for dinner with  Barb and the little (So, Miley, Judah, and Coco). Spaghetti, corn. watermelon, and ice cream sandwiches, all of which made its way all over my house per usual. What are you gonna do? I can't not feed them, can I? Ha, no, I need them to help me eat all the food, especially the melons, that I have been getting from the farm and garden. They may be little, but they sure can eat. 

After spending half the morning cleaning up the previous days sticky melon mess, I then proceeded to completely trash the kitchen again while blanching, and roasting veggies. I had a few piles that needed to be dealt with before we could leave, so after dong that I then I had to clean up that big ass mess. I was doing that while the mr was ill in bed with something that might have been allergies? We are not sure, but he was not doing so good. So I cooked and cleaned and stocked my freezer and just let the mr be to get over his whatever... He needed to not be sick, to much to do. Ha. 

Lucky Thursday morning he was much better so sticking to our plan we early moring  hopped into car and drove to PA to see Dad. It drive was good except for the slow moving traffic and the something or another that we drove over that ripped a plastic cover thing(?) nearly off the bottom on the car and dragged for a the rest of the drive. Other then that, great fun. And lucky when we got there, the mr an Dad where able to scoot under the car and zip tie it back Ito place. No harm done, or so I am hoping. 

The visit was good. After waking up and walking the neighborhood and seeing a million deer, we headed to the to see my aunt Tina at here farm. Checked out her grain harvest, talked to the chicken and the solar panel fixer guys, and treasure hunted through family heirlooms. After that it was off to see grammy. Talk of peppery peppermints and her trying to get us to take her to the store to buy us beer. What  a broad, that lady. Nearly 98 and still she wants a beer. 

That night after all the visits, we went for a long bike ride then assed the F out. Woke up while it was still dark and ventured into NYC for the day. We basically just walked around for 8 hours, drinking coffee, checking out building, and galleries, got lunch, hung out near the river. Most of the time when we go to the city we have more then whatt is possible on our schedule of things to do. This time we were going to go the a few museums but it was just so nice out that we just decided to walk our butts off and just do whatever. It was a nice change. And after our feet nearly fell off, we hopped back into the car, drove a nice drive home, and passed out.

Now I am awake, still kind of  tired, my feet have a few blisters, but am going to get raring to go. I have a few too many chore that need to be done today, a garden that is overflowing form my being away, a trashed car, plus I told Erin I would cut Cocos hair this afternoon.And  I really must get to library because I am on the last pages of my last book and me without a book when I need it is not a good me. Then maaybe if I get all my shit done  enough today, I'll have a some time to just be home and chill. It was a fantastic, but long week. I am a little worn out.  Good thing I have all the coffee to drink. 

Interesting internet finds.

-Making plans for this bike ride. Lamoille Valley Rail Trail

-I am pretty sure I NEED these joggers. 

-‘We Are All Accumulating Mountains of Things’.... AAAGGGHHH! I am so glad that I hate stuff and hate shopping.

-I say it all the time. The Problem With ‘Hey Guys’

-I never want to fall this far, but I guess it's not a bad thing to know  to not land on your head, you know, just in case. How To Survive A 10,000-Foot Fall

-An unlikely fable, in which Birkenstocks become cool and double sales overnight..I wore nothing but my Birkenstocks between the age of 12-25 (year round, with socks when warranted). I love that they make vegan one now so I can wear them again!

-Got some land and want to make some money? These people will hook you up. Tentrr

-Yas oh yes I am. SO very very much. Obsessed With Cabins? You're Not Alone

When we were at my aunts farm, she showed us a funky corn fungus called corn smut... I guess some people really like to eat it... I don't know if I would be down with it, but hey, never know. 

So rad. Air Guitarists Compete For Fame And Glory At World Championships

All the pictures from the week 

Bye

-C