Joey's Pineapple Peach Salsa

 

 Every summer, I always look forward to diving deep into the canning season, preserving all of my favorite Jersey produce. Of course I can never get enough of my Jersey corn and tomatoes, but the other favorite is PEACHES! I love to do jars of peaches in syrup, peach jam, spicy peach chutney, and of course I can't let the summer end without making jars of fabulous peach pie filling. 

 But just when I thought I was finished with all of my peach canning, I went to my favorite farmers market, and the peaches looked so gorgeous and so fabulous, I just knew I had to find yet another something to make. And then I thought, "wait.. why have I never canned peach salsa??" THIS was the thing I had been missing!!

 So then I wondered how I could switch it up a little, just to add a little spin to make it fun and new. I looked at a few of the other ingredients I happened to have on hand. And then I thought aha! Pineapple! Here's the thing.. I always like to keep fresh pineapple at the ready because I use it just ALL the time. Very often, when I'm making jam, I like to pair different fruits together, and the one fruit that goes with literally everything is .. you guessed it.. pineapple!! Not even kidding.. I've paired it with all kinds of berries, mangoes, tomatoes, and even fresh basil (yes, pineapple basil jam is amazing!) And so I figured... since I had made pineapple peach jam before, why not put them together again to make salsa! Perfect. 

 Next thing you know, I had a giant pot simmering on the stove, and it turned out to be one of my favorite things I've ever made! So much so that I ran out of it in less that two weeks, and needed to make another batch. Who knows, I might even need to make a third one! Either that, or I need to make bigger batches!

 So if you like a fruity salsa that's both spicy and sweet, give this one a try. It's great on everything! Yes, of course, you can serve it with a bowl of tortilla chips... or on a cracker with a schmear of cream cheese... but it's also fabulous on grilled chicken.. or pork chops... or better yet.. try it poured over some air fryer salmon. Absolutely DELICIOUS! Time for another trip back to my favorite farmers market!

 

 

 

4 cups fresh peaches, diced
2 cups fresh pineapple, diced
2 cups tomatoes, diced
2 cups red, yellow, and/or orange bell peppers, finely diced

2 jalapeño peppers, finely diced
1 red onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup lime juice
1 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tbs ground cumin
1 tbs paprika
2 tbs corn starch (or Clear Jel if canning)

Place all ingredients in a large stock pot over medium heat. 
Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. 
Let it continue to simmer for about 20 minutes. 

For canning:
Fill pint jars leaving 1/2 inch head space. 
Use the waterbath or steam canning method to process for 15 minutes. 
Note- this exact recipe was not officially tested, but was based on an officially tested canning recipe. 


Tips:
The peaches, pineapple, and tomatoes should be a slightly larger dice, the peppers and onions should be more finely diced, and the parsley and garlic should be very finely minced. I also included the jalapeño seeds. I just think it tastes better that way. But hey, you do you!
If you're canning, you definitely need to let it simmer for a good 20 minutes. It helps remove the air that is in the peaches, which leads to more successful canning endeavors. Also, cooking it down really mellows the heat factor. Time will do that too. After a while, the heat will dissipate quite a bit. So if you want to keep the heat, go a little heavier with the crushed red pepper flakes and maybe add a little cayenne pepper. 
Yes, I know I didn't explain all the canning how-to. If you'd like to learn, Youtube is your best friend. 
You can also read all you need to know from the National Center For Home Food Preservation. 

Peach Pork Picante

 

  Here’s a fun new recipe I saw bouncing around the tick tocks. As soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted to try it. It’s sweet, tangy, spicy, and only uses a few ingredients. Perfect, right? Give me something sweet and savory, and I’m in heaven!
 It started out as a recipe using cubed pork loin in a skillet. 

The video that I saw used boneless pork chops in a slow cooker. 

And I decided to use boneless pork chops and bake ‘em in the oven. 

Clearly, this is one of those recipes that just works, no matter how you slice it. And It’s REALLY tasty! I just made it last night, and I literally already want to make it again. Not even kidding. 

I’ve listed the recipe as it was originally written on Allrecipes.com, but feel free to use whatever cooking method you like.
 If you’re all about sweet and spicy and quick and easy, this one’s for you!


1 packet taco seasoning mix
1 pound boneless pork loin, cubed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup salsa
1/4 cup peach preserves


Sprinkle taco seasoning over pork.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add pork and saute until browned, 5 to 7 minutes.
Add salsa and peach preserves and mix well.
Cover the skillet and reduce the heat.
Let simmer gently for about 10 minutes.
Serve over rice.

 

 

 Tips:
As I said, you can choose whatever cooking method is most convenient for you. Small group? Use a skillet. Larger group? Use a sheet tray and bake at 350. And you KNOW how much I love a slow cooker. Actually, I was thinking this would make a great summer pulled pork using a pork shoulder and slow cooking it on low for 8 or 9 hours.
I bet this recipe would also be pretty fabulous on chicken or even a fillet of cod.
Want to make it REALLY spicy? Choose your favorite spicy salsa. Add some chopped jalapeños. Add some Sriracha. Or crushed red pepper flakes. How hot do you like it? You do you!
Also, for the best tasting rice, sauté a little bit of chopped onion before adding dry rice. Then use chicken broth instead of water. 2 cups broth for one cup of dry rice. Boom.

Sweet-as-a-Peach Chicken

  Have you made Pantry Pasta lately? Or a Pantry Omelette? Or a Pantry Sandwich? Basically, this means using what you already have on hand, whatever's in your pantry, to cook a meal. I've noticed that it's been a recent trend in cooking, lately. So I decided to look up a few "pantry" recipes to see what I could find. Then I remembered this recipe that I recently got from my dear friends, Bill and Tina, and it seemed like just the thing! It has ingredients that one might find in a well-stocked pantry, and it's an easy throw together dinner. Perfect! So I gave it a try and it's absolutely delish! At first, you might think that this will wind up tasting like a peach pie, but nope! It's just tasty good eatin'!
 BTW, I should say that the recipe is actually from the Land O' Lakes Recipe Collection Cookbook, but I'll still give Tina the credit, because she's the one who brought it to my attention! It was ready in a snap, and it will definitely feed a crowd, especially if you serve it with a nice green veggie on the side. It's the perfect weeknight dinner and it's just as good as a Sunday Supper.  And the easiest thing about it is that you just might already have all the ingredients in your pantry!



Chicken prep:
1/3 cup butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 lb pkg boneless chicken breasts
2 10 oz cans refrigerated biscuits

Peach topping:
6 tbs butter
2 tbs cornstarch
2 cans sliced peaches (29 oz and 15.4 oz, 1 large and 1 medium), undrained
3 tbs honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon

In an ungreased 9x13 pan, melt 1/3 cup butter in preheated 350ºF oven for 5-7 minutes. Add salt and 1 tsp cinnamon. Stir to blend. Dip chicken pieces into melted butter. Place chicken back in the same baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes,  Place biscuits on top of chicken. Place bake in the oven, and bake for another 15 minutes or until biscuits are lightly browned and chicken is tender.
Meanwhile, in a sauce pan, melt 6 tbs butter. Add cornstarch. Whisk to blend. Add remaining ingredients. Heat over medium heat until it boils. Boil 1 minute. Spoon peach topping over biscuits.



Tips:
Now, you know I can't just leave a recipe alone, right? As good as it is, I'm still gonna play around with it, just a bit.
To brighten up the flavor of the peach sauce, I added just a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and it definitely needed salt. I also think it needs a burst of something fresh, like maybe freshly chopped parsley, or maybe some fresh thyme leaves. That was my only thought.. it just needed a little green!
A few other notes...
 I used one can of grand biscuits instead of two of the smaller ones, and I cut each biscuit into quarters. Turned out to be exactly the right amount. Speaking of things and amounts... the peach sauce was WAY too much for the dish, I thought. I only used half of it! Maybe I'll pour the rest of it over ice cream or a nice slice of toasted pound cake!
The original recipe said to pound the chicken thin. I just sliced the large pieces of chicken in half horizontally. So be careful with your thin pieces of chicken.. you don't want them to be overcooked! And finally, when I baked the chicken, it made a lot of juice in the pan, so I drained a bunch of the liquid before pouring the peach topping over it.

Joey's Pickled Peaches

   Have you ever had a pickled peach? Did you even know that you could pickle a peach? Actually, you can pickle just about anything, but even so, who knew that pickled peaches were such a big thing?
 I must confess that they're not the most common thing in my neck of the woods. If fact, as I was searching recipes and asking for feedback, most of my friends and family had never even heard of them let alone tasted them. Quite honestly, the idea of a pickled peach didn't really go over too well with everyone I asked. (Frankly, it sounded pretty good to me!) And then I read one recipe that said "In the South, it just isn't Thanksgiving without a cut glass bowl of pickled peaches on the table." I thought "well, that settles it. Clearly it's a THING, so I need to try it."
  Of course that brought me to my next question: Which recipe??  I found MANY recipes that were very similar. Vinegar, sugar, and warm spices like cinnamon and cloves. Hmm.. I'm not so sure that's the way I want to go. Earlier this summer when I made pickled watermelon rind, I used cinnamon sticks, and the rind came out tasting very little like watermelon, and very much more like apple pie. I mean, I guess it makes sense.... You have a surplus crop of peaches or watermelons, you preserve them with warm Autumn spices, and then you enjoy them for the rest of the year through Fall and Winter. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but that's not what I wanted this time. I wanted something more like a PICKLE than a spiced peach, know what I mean?
  So then I found a recipe that used regular pickling spice, which is a blend of mustard seeds, coriander seeds, bay leaves, and allspice, among other things. Hmm... maybe that could work? I also saw a youtube video where they added shallots and cardamom to the brine. This basically showed me that you can really go any way you want with it and it'll still work. So I thought, ok lets think.. what exactly do I WANT? Well, I want them to have a strong hit of sour to go with the sweet, I don't want them to taste like apple pie, and I do like the idea of adding some kind of spice. And that's how I landed on this recipe. I decided to go with cider vinegar. Why? Because I like it! And I also upped the vinegar to sugar ratio for that stronger hit of sour I was after. I went with the regular pickling spice because that seemed to be a departure from apple pie, but then still added a cinnamon stick, just to get the best of both worlds. It turned out great!!
 So now that you know about pickled peaches, you should give them a try! Go out and buy some deliciously juicy ripe peaches while they're still in season, and then preserve them to enjoy throughout the year. Come to think of it, I think I've just discovered this year's Christmas gift! oooo now there's a great idea!!



5 lbs peaches
2 1/2 cups cider vinegar
3 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp pickling spice blend
1/2 tsp salt
1 cinnamon stick



First prep your peaches:
If your peaches are ripe, cut a small X on the bottom of each peach, then carefully drop them into rapidly boiling water for a minute or two. Then plunge them into ice water. The peels should easily slip off. If your peaches are not quite so ripe, just use a peeler.  Cut your peaches into halves or quarters, depending on the size.

Make the brine:
Add all remaining ingredients to a large pot. Bring to a rolling boil. Continue to boil for about 10 minutes. Add prepped peaches to the pot. Let them cook for about 5-10 minutes, until they are just barely tender.

Fill and process:
Spoon peaches into hot sterile quart-size jars and ladle enough of the hot brine until you reach about 1/2 inch from the rim. Wipe the rims with a clean damp cloth, and seal with lids and rings. Process in a hot water bath for 20 minutes. Remove from pot to a towel-lined kitchen counter or tray. Allow to cool for 12-24 hours before moving them to insure a proper seal. Properly sealed jars will last for easily a year. If you don't plan to seal your jars in a water bath, they will last up to 3 months in the refrigerator.

 Serve them on sandwiches, with ham, chicken, pork, turkey, anything you want! They're also fabulous poured over vanilla ice cream. Yes, really!



Tips:
I like to wait at least a week or two after filling the jars before opening them. The longer the peaches are in the brine, the more they'll absorb that delicious sweet and sour flavor.
I didn't want the peaches to be over cooked, so I only poached them in the brine for about 5-10 minutes instead of 20 minutes or even longer, as with some recipes. I figured the jars have to process for 20 minutes in the boiling water anyway, so that would cook them further. I also used peaches that were not over ripe.
I literally quintupled the recipe and pickled 25 lbs of peaches. But I still only threw one cinnamon stick in the pot. Feel free to add more, though, if that suits your fancy.
This recipe is also... dare I say it... LIFE CHANGING when you do it with pineapple. Like, seriously, if you like fresh pineapple as much as I do, you MUST try pickling it. You won't even believe how delicious a pineapple can be.

Slow Cooker Peach Cobbler

 At this time of year, I always feel a little bummed out that our summer produce will be gone for a while. Since I live in The Garden State, every summer I'm lucky enough to have access to some of the best produce you'll ever taste! And then come September, I have to say goodbye to them and spend seemingly endless months looking forward to next summer's crop. Honestly, if you've never had Jersey Corn and Jersey Tomatoes, you are not living your best life. And the peaches... OMG THE PEACHES. Frankly, I've never met a peach ANYTHING that I didn't like, and I'm forever looking for new and different things to make with them. So, as this summer comes to a close, I find myself wanting to do one more peach recipe before saying goodbye to them until next summer. But what to do? I've already done cakes, pies, jams, and cobblers, but I wanted to do something NEW! (or at least new to me!). 
 And then I thought of my slow cooker. This was definitely the way to go! Seriously, if you don't have a slow cooker, you NEED to get one! I literally have 4 of them (in different sizes) and I use ALL of them! So it made perfect sense to find a peach recipe that uses one. This is a recipe that I found on a blog called Recipes That Crock, only I tweaked it to use fresh peaches.
 It turned out just as perfectly as I had hoped! SO GOOD! (and it made my whole apt smell HEAVENLY!) When I sent out a text to my gang of friends asking if anyone would like to have some cobbler, my friend Nate's response was "Oh God, YES.". LOL He was an immediate fan! And of course, you MUST serve it with vanilla ice cream. I'm pretty sure that's a law.
 So if you love fresh peaches as much as I do, give this recipe a try. It's really crazy simple to throw together, and I know you'll love it!!


Peaches (maybe 4 or 5?)
a spritz of lemon juice
1-2 tbs sugar

1 stick butter, melted
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon

Peel and slice peaches. Place them in a bowl with the lemon juice and 1-2 tbs sugar depending on how sweet your peaches are or how sweet you like your cobbler). Toss to coat peaches, set aside.
 Place melted butter in the bottom of your slow cooker. In a mixing bowl, stir together remaining ingredients. It will the consistency of a thin pancake batter. Pour the batter over the butter. Do not stir.  Spoon the peaches (including any accumulated juices) over the batter. Again, do not stir. Place a paper towel or clean tea towel under the lid to catch any condensation. Cook on high for 2 hours or until cobbler is set. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Tips:
This recipe can be prepped in advance, and then kept in the fridge until it's time to bake. It's a great way to free up the oven if you have other things to bake!
I purposely didn't specify how many peaches to use. Just add as many as you like on top of the batter. (or as many as will fit, depending on the size of your slow cooker). If you don't have fresh ripe peaches, you can definitely use canned peaches, including the syrup. Just omit the sugar and lemon juice.
Although I haven't tried it yet, I'm sure this recipe will work perfectly with other kinds of fruit. Of course, apples would be my first choice, but I bet you could use any variety of fresh or canned fruits or any combination of fruit.  Be creative!!

Joey's Ginger Peachy Pulled Pork

  Do you love peaches as much as I do? Seriously, when peaches are at the peak of their season, I just want peach EVERYTHING. I'm forever making jams, cakes, pies, you name it, I love it all.
 So with that in mind, here was my flight of ideas....
I was recently trying to think of new ideas to cook in a slow cooker (which is often my go-to during summer). And then I thought, ok lets come up with a new version of a classic... hmmm...how about a pulled pork? And since I was already in peach mode, I thought, ooo there we go ...pork with peaches...perfect...  now lets see how we can make it work!
 And this is where I landed! I purposely didn't go crazy with a million ingredients. I basically tried to keep it simple and think of flavors that I know go well together. I had made a ginger ale ham (which worked famously, btw) so I knew that it would work with a slow cooker pork, and of course Peach and Ginger are fabulous dance partners as well, so I thought, why not put them all together! I must say I'm thrilled with the final result. It's a perfect summer dish because the peaches are gorgeous and juicy and ripe, and you don't have to turn on the oven. It's also a time saver because you can prepare it the night before, and then let it cook all day while you're at work. Dinner's ready by the time you get home! Easy! So if you're looking for a new peach something, I think you should definitely give this one a try! It's definitely a new favorite!


1 large onion, peeled and sliced
1 3-4 lb boneless or semi-boneless pork shoulder
3 or 4 fresh ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, sliced
1 cup ginger ale (not diet)
1 cup peach preserves
1 tbs balsamic vinegar (can use other kinds, such as apple cider or red wine)
Salt and Pepper


 Place onion slices in a slow cooker and spread them out to cover the bottom. Trim any excess fat from pork, and place on top of onions. Places sliced peaches on top of pork. In a small bowl, whisk together the ginger ale, preserves, and vinegar. Pour over all. Season generously with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. (can also cook on high for 4-5 hours).
 Carefully remove cooked pork from slow cooker to a large bowl. Using two forks, pull the pork into shreds, discarding any undesirables, such as bones and/or excess fat. Using a slotted spoon, remove the peaches and onions and add to the pork.  If you like a thin gravy, just add some of the liquid from the pot until the pork is as saucey as you like it. If you like a thicker gravy, make a quick slurry of flour and cold water, (a couple tbs of each), then whisk it into the crock pot and turn it onto high. Continue to stir until the gravy thickens. Adjust the seasoning if needed. Serve on fresh bakery rolls.

Tips:
Be sure to add the vinegar. You definitely need a little acid in there to brighten everything up. I used balsamic vinegar, but I think next time I'll use apple cider vinegar. You could even just use lemon juice. Also be sure to season it very well. I added salt and pepper in the beginning, and it still needed more salt at the end.
You can use apricot preserves instead of the peach, or a combination of the two! And another fun AHA moment was when I discovered that Duck Sauce works just as well! (Makes sense, since it's made with peaches and apricots!)
Even though you have the ginger ale and the preserves, this dish is not very sweet at all. The pork juices and the onions temper the sweetness in a big way, and it turns out more on the savory side. If you'd like to pump up the ginger, go ahead and add a little grated fresh ginger root. If you'd like it to be sweeter or peachier, just add more preserves!

Peach Cobbler Bake

 Have you ever seen those Tasty cooking videos that pop up all over Facebook? Sometimes I don't really give them a second look, but other times I think "ooooo that looks pretty awesome, I need to try it." Such was the case with this one! It's REALLY absurdly easy to make and it's absolutely delicious. I made it for some friends, and they LOVED it, but tbh it seemed to me that it needed a little extra love. So I made it again and just tweaked it ever so slightly. OMG so much better! Clearly, the Tasty Video people should have called me first. LOL
 So this is my version of the recipe. Thanx again, Tasty Video, for the idea, but I think I'll stick to making it my way from now on! It's still absurdly easy to make, and I know you'll love it!

2 cans cinnamon roll dough
5 large ripe fresh peaches, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Heat oven to 350ºF.
Spray a 9x13 (or comparable size) casserole with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
Open the cans of dough. Cut each roll into 9 pieces. Place half of the pieces of dough in the prepared pan in a single layer. In a large mixing bowl, toss the peaches with the cinnamon and sugar. Place on top of dough pieces. Place the rest of the dough in a single layer on top of the peaches. Take the cups of icing that were included with the cinnamon rolls and microwave them for about 10 seconds, then drizzle over the cobbler. Place in oven and bake, uncovered, for about 30 minutes or until the peaches are bubbly and the dough has baked up and is slightly brown. Let it cool for a bit. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Tips:
I doubled the original recipe so that it would feed a crowd, but if you have a smaller group, you can absolutely cut it in half and bake it in an 8x8 pan.
Seems to me that this recipe would work perfectly with other fruits too! Berries, apples, pears, all good!  I bet you could even use canned peaches, in a pinch. Just be sure to drain them really well!

Fresh Peach Jam

 Ok, so, lately I've been diving head first into the wonderful world of homemade jams and jellies. I love the whole process of taking fabulously delicious ripe fruit and turning it into the most delectable spreads anyone has ever tasted. Since I'm in The Garden State, I have TONS of fresh produce at every turn and I just LIVE for it all summer long, from strawberries and blueberries to apricots and plums. One of my absolute very most favorite fruits is definitely a juicy ripe PEACH! There's seriously nothing like taking a bite of a plump perfectly ripe peach and having the juice drip down your chin. It's one of life's simple pleasures!
 So of course, since I'm newly obsessed with jamming and such, I decided to make a batch (or three) of delicious peach jam. It's like capturing summer in a jar. SO amazingly good! It's possibly one of my favorite things I've EVER made. I'm not even kidding. One of these days (if I ever get around to it), I'll do a video of how to do the water-bath preserving etc. In the meantime, definitely make a batch of this jam and enjoy the last peaches of the season.
It just doesn't get any better than this!

4 cups prepared fruit (about 3 lb. fully ripe peaches)
2 tbs fresh lemon juice
1 box powdered fruit pectin (6 tbs)
1 tsp butter
5 1/2 cup sugar

 Peel and pit peaches. Finely chop fruit. Measure exactly 4 cups prepared fruit into 6- or 8-quart sauce pot. Add lemon juice and fruit protector; stir until well blended. Stir in pectin. Add butter to reduce foaming, if desired. Bring to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar all at once. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon. If you are not planning to preserve in jars, simply let it cool, then store it in the fridge and have it on hand, ready for you to enjoy.
If you'd like to do the canning, prep your jars before you make the jam:
Bring boiling-water canner, half-full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain well before filling.
Ladle hot jam immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with 2-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. (Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary.) Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 10 minutes. Remove jars and place upright on towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger. (If lid springs back, lid is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)

Tips:
It's really not difficult to make your own jam. The thing that seems a little daunting is preserving the jam in jars. If you're planning on eating the jam right away, there's no need to do the jars!

Peach-Whiskey BBQ Chicken

When I first saw Ree Drummond making this recipe on her show, Pioneer Woman, I thought oooo I bet that tastes good. So I immediately looked for an excuse to make it. So I decided to make it and bring it to Daniel and Emma's Memorial Day BBQ (just because I knew this was right up Daniel's alley). Of course, he loved it! But now the only problem was that now I was left with the other half of the bottle of Jack Daniels. Clearly, I needed to find an excuse to make it again! So I did, only this time it was for Chris and Claire on Fathers' Day (since this is right up Chris's alley too!). Needless to say he LOVED it. He even took a couple pieces out of the pot and put them on the grill, just to give 'em a little char. (Big thumb's up, btw!)
 So there you have it. Who would have ever thought to put peaches and whiskey together in a BBQ sauce? Well, Ree Drummond, apparently. It's ABSOLUTELY mouthwateringly good. The chicken just falls off the bone, and you're gonna want to pour the sauce over anything and everything. If there's ONE new recipe you decide to try this summer, this is the one, hands down. It's just that good. Guess I need to find another excuse to make this again!


12 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs,
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 whole yellow onion, diced
1 1/2 cups whiskey
1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce
1 small jar peach preserves
1/2 cup water
4 peaches, pitted and sliced
2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
4 cloves garlic, peeled


Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Heat oil and butter in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Place chicken thighs, four at a time, in the pot, skin side down. Brown both sides, then remove to a plate and repeat until all chicken is browned.
Pour off half the grease, then return pan to stove. Add onions to pan and stir, cooking for 2 minutes. Pour whiskey into the pot, being very careful if you're using an open flame. Stir and scrape the bottom of the pan, allowing whiskey to reduce for a minute or two. Pour in barbecue sauce, peach preserves, water, peaches, and Worcestershire sauce. Throw in garlic cloves. Stir until combined, then return chicken to the pot, skin side up. Cover and put pot in oven.
Cook for 1 1/2 hours, then remove from oven. Serve with grits or mashed potatoes and a sprinkle of chopped green onion, if desired.


 Tips:
 Chris and I have decided that this sauce would be AMAZING with pork in a crock pot. In fact, I think I'm gonna try that next time. I'll brown the pork on all sides, then make the sauce in the same pan. Then I'll add half of the sauce along with the pork in the crock pot and cook it on low for 8 or 10 hours. After the pork is cooked, cooled, and pulled, I'll add the rest of the sauce. Doesn't that sound AMAZING?? 
 I used Jack Daniels. You can use whichever kind of whiskey you like. For a little extra flavor bump, add an extra shot of whiskey as you take it out of the oven and just stir it in.
 I like using peaches that are not quite ripe. Their flavor is a little more tart, and they're a little more firm so they won't disintegrate into the sauce.
 The first time I made this, I didn't have any peaches, but I had frozen mangoes. They worked perfectly!

Peach Crumb Bars

 I recently got an email from my sister, Cathy, asking me for menu ideas for her book club get together. She said she was crunched for time and had no time to run to the store. Basically, she wanted something that was quick and easy, using simple ingredients that she had on hand. She also had some fresh ripe peaches that she was hoping to use. At first, I suggested making my Fresh Blackberry and Mango Galette and substituting peaches, but she said she was hoping for "a small picky uppy thing" rather than something that is served on a plate. So I immediately googled a few things and quickly found this recipe. It's from another food blog called Browneyedbaker.com. As I told Cathy, it's one of those "How can this not be good?" recipes, and it has the same technique as the White Chocolate Raspberry Oatmeal Squares, which are super easy to make. Perfect!
 Cathy said the bars were a HUGE success! It was only AFTER everyone devoured them that someone said "oh, maybe we should have taken a picture of them so your brother can put them on his website!' LOL No worries, it gave me an excuse to make them! And now here they are. Thanx to Cathy and her book club for being recipe testers! And thanx to Michelle, The Browned Eyed Baker, for sharing such a fabulous recipe!


For the Dough:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold
1 egg, lightly beaten

For the Filling:
5 cups diced or sliced peaches (about 7 peaches, peeled)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.
2. For the Dough: In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Use a pastry blender to cut in the butter, and then the egg. The dough will be crumbly. Pat half of the dough into the prepared pan. Place the pan and the remainder of the dough in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.
3. For the Filling: Place the diced (or sliced) peaches in a large bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice. Mix gently. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour over the peaches and mix gently.
4. Spread the peach mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble the remaining dough over the peach layer.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Tips from Joey:
Instead of cutting the butter into the dough with a pastry blender, I just threw everything into a food processor and pulsed it until the dough came together.
I also added WAY more cinnamon to the peach mixture because, frankly, you can never have too much cinnamon. I also added a touch more sugar because my peaches were a little bit tart.
My oven bakes hot, so I only baked them for a half hour. Seriously, its a wonder I can get anything to turn out with that oven. But I digress.... Just be sure to check them so you don't over bake them!
Instead of serving it as a "picky uppy thing", serve it warm out of the oven on a plate, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Substitute any other fresh fruits for the peaches. (or any combination of fruits). Cathy made them a second time, and didn't have enough peaches, so she added blueberries to make up the difference. Deelish! I bet mangoes or apples would also be fabulous.

Roasted Cinnamon Plums

This is a really simple dish that throws together in literally just a few minutes, but it tastes like you went to a lot of trouble. I first saw it when I was watching Chuck's Day Off. It looked so yummy and simple I knew I had to try it. Chuck served it with honey butter on pieces of toasted crusty bread (as is stated below), but I think they would be perfect with a little vanilla yogurt and some granola sprinkled over the top. Don't you think? I'm sure you can use this same recipe for peaches or nectarines instead of plums. I'll have to give that a try one of these days. Anyway, it's a perfect little brunch item that isn't the usual fruit salad, and it's SO delicious!
Try it!


6-8 ripe purple prune plums
2 tbs brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch salt
zest of half a lemon

Preheat oven at 350 degrees F.
Cut the plums in half, and remove the pits. Place the plums in a baking dish, skin-side down, and sprinkle with sugar, and cinnamon, and grate a little lemon zest over the top.
Place the baking dish in the oven and roast for about 30 minutes, or until soft.
Serve over warm bread that has been buttered or 'buttered and honeyed.'

Tips:
This type of recipe is perfect to suit to your own taste. I didn't measure anything. I just arranged the fruit and then sprinkled everything over the top until it was enough. If you like extra brown sugar or extra lemon zest, go for it! Like my Mom always said, "do you like a lot? Add a lot." When I made them, I added a little orange zest in addition to the lemon zest over the top.You could even drizzle them with a little honey. Yum!

Oh, btw, I borrowed the picture from the cooking channel because I just couldn't seem to get a nice photo of the ones I made! What can I say, sometimes the photo just doesn't turn out right!

Joey's Peach Blueberry Bagel Pudding

OK, so, true story....
I recently saw my niece, Terri, who had just been to a farm market. She's become quite the pie maker lately and she had tons of fresh peaches. As soon as she offered to share, I said "Are you kidding? I LOVE peaches!" Thanx Ter!
 Hmm...What shall I make? So off to grocery store I went, just to see what looked good. I happened to see my friend Laura, who works in the produce section. I told her I wanted to do something with peaches, but I didn't want to do just a regular Peach Pie. How about a Peach Cobbler? Nope, already did that. Peach Cake? Nope, already did that too. As soon as she suggested making a bread pudding, I knew that this was the answer. Ooo maybe I'll add some blueberries to it. YUM! Thanx Laura!
So I made it. It was REALLY yummy, (as Daniel Boone and the group from Hat Night will attest) but I wanted to tweak the recipe just a little more. The first thing I wanted to change was the bread. I used a loaf of Italian bread, which was fine, but it still didn't hit the mark for me. Then I thought of using blueberry BAGELS instead. This was the AHA! moment. It would no longer just be a bread pudding, it would now become a BAGEL pudding! Isn't that fun? Next, I decided to add more custard to it, because I like a wetter bread pudding. (Marie agrees that a more puddingy pudding is the way to go. Is that a word? Puddingy? Well, you get the idea.) Anyway, I finished tweaking a couple other parts of the recipe, spices and things, and here we are! It's delicious and warm and comforting and just wait'll you try it. It's sheer heaven on a plate!
I know you'll love it!
 

4 medium peaches, pitted, peeled, sliced
1/2 pint fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp cinnamon, or more
pinch of nutmeg
1 tbs flour
tiny pinch of salt

4 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon, or more
1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup whole milk
6 tbs butter
2 cups (1 pint) half and half
4 large blueberry bagels, preferably stale

In a small mixing bowl, gently toss together the peaches, blueberries, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, flour, and salt. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter with the milk. Remove from heat. Stir in the half and half. Add to egg mixture and stir well. Cut bagels into small one-inch cubes. Add to large mixing bowl and toss to coat with the custard mixture. After the bagels absorb a lot of the custard mixture, add the fruit mixture and gently toss everything together. Be careful not to muddle the fruit too much. Pour into a lightly buttered 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle the top with a little more cinnamon or cinnamon sugar, if desired. Let it sit for a while until all of the custard liquid has been absorbed by the bagels. Bake for about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it sit for about 10 minutes so that it has a chance to set up. Serve warm with vanilla sauce.


Vanilla Sauce:
1 cup whole milk
2 tbs butter
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbs flour
pinch salt

In a small saucepan, over medium heat, whisk together all ingredients.
Continue to stir until it thickens, about 5 minutes. Pour over warm pudding.

Tips:
-If your bagels aren't stale, cut them up as directed, place them on a baking sheet, and bake in a 350F oven until they crisp up like croutons. This helps them to absorb the custard more easily.
-You can never have too much cinnamon.
- This can be made and assembled up to a day in advance, and then baked right before you're ready to serve.
-Of course, you can vary the recipe as much as you like. Use different kinds of bagels and/or fruit. Cinnamon raisin bagels with bananas would be heavenly!

Old Fashioned Peach Cobbler

How is it that I've gone this long without posting a recipe for peach cobbler? One would think that I'd have made one at some point. What's up with that?
Well, hopefully this was worth the wait. It smells HEAVENLY while it's baking and tastes even better. Oh, and in case you're wondering why it's called a 'cobbler'...
As the crust bakes up from the bottom, it gives the top a 'cobbled' appearance. So now you know!

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup milk
3 cups sliced fresh peaches
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar


Preheat oven to 350°F.
Melt the butter in a small saute pan over medium-high heat until it bubbles and turns golden-brown. Pour the butter into a large shallow oval casserole dish. (9x13 also works well). Swirl it around so it coats all sides. In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and milk. Pour the batter on top of the melted butter. Do not stir. Arrange the peaches evenly on top of the batter. Evenly sprinkle the brown sugar over the peaches. Sprinkle a little more cinnamon over the top, if you like. Place the casserole dish on a baking sheet and bake the cobbler for about an hour or until the top is set and golden brown. The batter will bake up from the bottom of the pan to partially cover the peaches. Serve warm with vanilla or peach ice cream.

Tips:
Be sure to place your casserole dish on a baking tray, just in case your cobbler decides it wants to bake up over the sides of the dish.
To peel peaches, use the same technique as when you peel a tomato. Simply place your peaches in a pot of rapidly boiling water for about 30 seconds. Remove them and let them cool for a few minutes. The skins slip right off!
This recipe works beautifully with other kinds of fruit. It would be absolutely delicious if you combined flavors. How about apple rhubarb?? or peach blueberry? Use whatever fruit is the freshest!

Fresh Peachy Pound Cake

Sweet fresh peaches and a touch of almond flavor make this pound cake an instant family favorite. It goes great with a nice cup of coffee or tea. It's wonderful just by itself, but try toasting a slice and serving it with a bit of raspberry jam. DELICIOUS! If you want to push it over the top, serve it warm with a scoop of fresh peach ice cream. LOVE it!

1 c. butter
3 c. sugar
6 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. sour cream
2 cups peaches, peeled, chopped
powdered sugar

Heat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 10" tube pan. In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla and almond extracts. In a small bowl, sift together dry ingredients. Add to creamed mixture. Fold in sour cream and peaches. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 75-80 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar.

Berry Berry Peach Pie

In my opinion, you can't go wrong when you're combining flavors in a fruit pie. Clearly, you could do all raspberry or all strawberry or all peach, but isn't it more interesting to have all three? This pie originally started out as a raspberry peach pie, simply because Trish loves Peach Melba. Then I realized I didn't have enough fruit to fill the pie, so I added strawberries to it. The result was delicious! Actually, come to think of it, blueberries would've been a nice addition too. Like I said, you really can't go wrong! What fruit flavors would YOU like to try?

Pastry for 2 crust pie or Easy Pie Crust
1 pint fresh raspberries
1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled
4 peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced
3/4 cup sugar
3 tbs flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp almond extract
1 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs butter

Heat oven to 425 degrees F.
Line a deep dish pie plate with one pie crust, making sure to let it hang over the edges about an inch. Set aside.
Set raspberries aside. In a mixing bowl, place peaches, strawberries, sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, extract, and lemon juice. Using a rubber spatula, gently toss ingredients together. Pour peach-strawberry mixture into prepared pie plate. Top with raspberries. Cut butter into small pieces and place over top of fruit.
Place second pie crust on top. Fold top crust under lower crust to form a ridge. Flute to make a decorative edge. Cut slits in top to allow steam to escape.
Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F. Bake 30-35 minutes more or until crust is golden. Cool on rack.


Tip:
I usually don't stir the raspberries in with the strawberries and peaches because all too often, they wind up getting mangled because they're so fragile. Just add them separately, either first or last or a little at a time as you add the rest of the fruit.
Use as much or as little cinnamon as you like. I usually just get the container of ground cinnamon and do a few shakes across the bowl just before I toss everything together.
If your fruit is extra juicy, your pie might bubble up and over. (As you can see in the picture above). To save yourself from having a burnt mess on the bottom of your oven, simply put a baking tray or a few sheets of aluminium foil on the oven rack just below your pie.
Instead of just cutting slits in your top crust, try weaving the top crust into a lattice as shown in my video How to Make a Lattice Top.
By the way, this is the pie that Paul and I used in the video. I only mention it because I've received several emails from people wondering what kind of pie that was.
Well, now you know!

Peach Lemonade

Thirsty?
How 'bout a nice tall glass of ice-cold lemonade?
It's the perfect thing for a hot summer day!
Adding the peaches makes it amazingly refreshing!

1 3/4 cups white sugar
8 cups water
1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
1-2 peaches, pitted and sliced



In a small saucepan, combine sugar and 1 cup water. Bring to boil and stir to dissolve sugar. Allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until chilled.
Remove seeds from lemon juice (if any), but leave pulp. In a big pitcher, stir together chilled syrup, lemon juice and remaining 7 cups water. Float peach slices in pitcher. Let it chill for a while so the peach and lemon get to know each other a little better. Serve in a tall glass over ice.


Tip:
The key to this recipe is the simple syrup. Dissolving the sugar insures that no sugar will be wasted on the bottom of the pitcher.
For a yummy variation, add some fresh raspberries. They'll turn your lemonade a pretty pink!

Peaches and Cream Cheese Cake

This is a recipe that Harry's wife, Delores, made for us once upon a time. It's really simple to make and people go CRAZY for it! It's Miss Melissa's favorite birthday treat. (Always make one for the birthday party, and then another one for her to take home!) It's also Mat's favorite "Joey dessert". My brother Chris told me "You should be manufacturing these!" I can't claim the recipe as my own, but I'm not gonna lie, I did make it famous! Enjoy!

1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
2 eggs
2 pkgs (3.5 oz) cook and serve pudding mix (not instant)
6 tablespoon soft butter or margarine
2 cans (15-20 oz) sliced peaches, drained, reserve juice
2 pkgs (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
6 tbs reserved peach juice
2 tbs sugar
1 tsp cinnamon


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 baking pan. Set aside.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, combine the first seven ingredients for 2 minutes on medium speed. Pour into prepared pan. Place the drained peaches over the batter. Combine cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and reserved peach juice. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Spoon to within 1 inch of edge of batter. In a small bowl, mix together the 2 tbs sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Sprinkle over entire filling. Place pan in oven and bake for 30-35 minutes until crust is golden. Filling will appear soft. Chill completely before serving. Store in fridge.