Last summer Jim and I were gifted a bottle of Peach Whiskey. Fast forward to this summer and still a full bottle of whiskey. Jim came across a recipe using plain whiskey so I made a number of changes and out came this summer filled, delightful peaches and cream cake. Calling it a cake is a bit of a stretch but we are going to go with it.
This is great for a snack, dessert, or with your morning cup of coffee. I did not overkill it with the whiskey but if you want to have more whiskey in your loaves go ahead and add some to the batter by adding extra whiskey and less cream in the glaze. I made this in 3 four-inch loaf pans, you know the little aluminum ones you find in the supermarket. I like using the smaller pans as most of the time it’s just Jim and I home and I like to share with family and friends. This would be great to share around the holidays as well! UPDATE- this is my own creation I submitted to taste of home and won in a contest! It’s a keeper!
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup brown sugar plus 2 Tablespoons
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoon of Peach Whiskey
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup (2 large peaches) peeled and diced peaches (see below)
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
FOR THE GLAZE
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 4 Tablespoons of heavy cream or milk
- 3 Teaspoons peach whiskey or to taste
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 3 mini loaf pans and set aside. To make peeling the peaches really easy simply bring a large pot with water to a boil. On the bottom of both peaches using a sharpie knife score an X through the skin but not too far just enough to break through the skin. When the water is at a boil put the peaches in for 2-3 minutes depending on the size of your peaches but you will be able to see the skin where you sliced it to pull away just slightly, that’s when you know it’s ready. Put the peaches in an ice bath to stop any further cooking of the softening of the peaches. Once cooled simply peel with your hands or you can use a knife to help get the skin off but it usually comes off very easy. Once they are peeled cut into small dices and add to a small bowl with the 2 Tablespoons of peach whiskey and the 2 Tablespoons of brown sugar and set aside.
In a large bowl combine vegetable oil, sour cream, vanilla, and two eggs. Fold in the remaining dry ingredients and stir until combined. Add the peaches and whiskey mixture along with the pecans. Stir to combine. Divide evenly between the loaf pans and bake for 30-35 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes and then remove the loaves from the pans and continue to let cool completely.
FOR THE GLAZE
Simply add all of the glaze ingredients together and stir well. When the loaves have cooled drizzle or coat the top of the loaves with your glaze.
Enjoy!
This was the last event I attended prior to the state being shut down due to COVID 19. This event has become hands down my favorite event of the year. You may remember last year I wrote about the event that was hosted by Alex Guarnaschelli, Jim and I had an amazing time. This year Jim was unable to go but my friend Ann was happy to take his spot along with our friends Michele and Rich. Now don’t get me wrong we loved seeing and meeting Chef Alex BUT Micheal Symon was the host of this year’s event and let me just say Chef Symon is my all-time, hands-down favorite chef on the planet. I could not wait for this event on March 9, 2020, at the Doubletree Hilton in Manchester NH.
If you have not heard of the NH Food Bank’s Steel Chef Challenge,, it is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the food bank. This event brings in four well-respected chefs throughout the state who get a basket of ingredients, a couple of which are selected by the audience and the chefs then have 20 minutes to create the best dish they can. Those dishes are then tasted and judged by three judges. There 8s only one winner so these chefs work hard for that title of champion!
If you buy the VIP ticket to the event you are able to attend the event early and dine on appetizer portions from restaurants throughout the state along with drinks. My favorite part of the night the “Meet and Greet” where you have a few minutes to have your picture taken with the famous chef and also have a small conversation with him! Let’s just say I was beyond happy to meet chef Symon.
Gnocchi in Alfredo Sauce
Once the VIP portion of the night was over we made our way to the main ballroom where we found our seats and looked at some of the items up for auction. Everyone who attends receives a goody bag from various companies that sponsor the event, along with a signed cookbook from Chef Symon.
While the chefs are cooking and competing we are all fed dinner that was created by Chef Symon with of course inspiration from our local ingredients and seasonal items. I should mention all of the bread and rolls at the table we’re all made fresh by the Nashua High School Culinary program.
Although the salad was very good, the beef short ribs were fall-off-the-bone delicious and that dessert with the cinnamon whiskey mousse was fantastic. This event is filled with fun, excitement, and delicious food! Little did we know how important this year’s event would be with COVID-19 knocking on our door and the state about to shut down. This event helped feed many, many families that typically do not get assistance but due to the circumstances the need for food this year haD been greater. The biggest auction item for this year was generously donated by Micheal Symon himself. He donated a dinner for 8 guests that he would be cooking at his East Hampton NY home. That auction item alone went for almost 16,000.00 dollars. That will feed a lot of families!
A huge congratulations go out to Chef Brendan Vesey the chef-owner of Botanica Restaurant and Gin Bar.
I am looking forward to next year’s event with Jim, Ann, Michele, and Rich!
This is another favorite dish of ours from last summer. We made it many times over the summer and it never failed to disappoint. As you can see in the picture I served it as a side dish with st.eak and shrimp but this would make a fantastic dessert served over vanilla ice cream!
INGREDIENTS
- 1 pineapple cut into spears
- 1/2 cup of pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl whisk the pure maple syrup and the cinnamon together. Turn your grill onto medium heat and place the pineapple spears on the grill. Grill the pineapple for 7-10 minutes turning the pineapple.and basting the pineapple with the maple cinnamon sugar mix until the pineapple is just heated through and slightly softened. Remove from grill and serve warm.
Enjoy!
Well, what a crazy time we have been in! The world has certainly changed significantly since I posted last. But as you all know with the states shutting down and grocery stores at many times being limited it has certainly slowed my cooking down. But like many of you, I have used the time to work on other projects around the house! I will be posting off and on but I hope this first post back finds you all happy and healthy.
I’m going to start this week’s post off with some of my absolute favorite things before Covid-19 took over. This is hands down one of my favorite Taste of Home recipes and my favorite recipe that I made last summer! This was so easy and no one could stop eating it. Our son-in-law Steve in particular loved this!
I also made this using fresh blackberries (that is the picture in this post) and the result was just as good as the blueberry. I may try strawberries next time. I also added some extra crumble of the graham crackers. You won’t be disappointed with this simple and delicious summertime treat!
INGREDIENTS
- 3/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries or blackberries (I used fresh)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 4-5 whole graham crackers coarsely crushed
DIRECTIONS
in a small saucepan combine blueberries, vanilla, and sugar. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer until mixture begins to thicken about 5 minutes stirring frequently. Remove from heat and cool completely. Refrigerate until chilled.
In a large bowl, beat cream until soft peaks form. Add condensed milk and beat until the mixture thickens. Gently fold in the graham crackers into cream mixture. Transfer to a freezer container allowing headspace to expand. Drop blueberry mixture by tablespoonfuls over the ice cream, cut through the ice cream with a knife,and swirl. Freeze for 8 hours or overnight before serving.
Enjoy!
Last week I told you about our trip to the Natick Mall in Massachusetts. What I did not tell you is that my friend Judy and I went there for a large part to go to the Wegmans Grocery Store. If you have ever been to a Wegmans you understand what I’m saying. If you have not been to a Wegmans it’s worth grabbing a cooler and taking a little road trip.
Wegmans is a family-owned business that opened its headquarters in 1916 in Rochester N.Y. and to this date, they have 101 stores, most of them being in the North East area, although they do have one in North Carolina. I would love to see them in N.H. The first time I went to a Wegmans was about four years ago when we were visiting our daughter and her family in the finger lakes region of N.Y. I was like a ‘kid in a candy store” that day! So much so my family still makes fun of me for it! I have been to three different Wegmans and I can say they are just a little bit different. Some of them have a restaurant in them, some have more than one restaurant and some don’t have the restaurant but offer everything else the larger Wegmans have. Today I am going to tell you about the Wegmans store at the Natick Mall in Massachusetts.
Because we came into Wegmans on the second floor after enjoying our lunch, that’s where we started. The second floor fills all of your senses with all of the sights and incredible smells. They have a huge array of food bars that you can eat in or take out. These include fresh-made pizza, wing bar, salad bar, Asian stir fry to just name a few. Everything looked so fresh and smelled so good, but I have to say I was glad we just had lunch as I think I would have wanted to eat at each one of these food stations! But don’t worry they have much of what they offer in a meal to-go containers for you to have when you get home!
Once we made it past all of the food bars we made our way over to the cheese section. I can just say this is the largest cheese selection I have seen without going to a stand-alone cheese store. The cheese area has everything you would want on a cheese board including a vast array of charcuterie boards and cheese knives. They also have someone there to answer all of your questions and give you information about all of the cheeses. They also have some pre-packed items with cheese, nuts, and meats.
As we made our way around the corner there was a beautiful and very impressive flower area where you can pick out plants and flowers for your own arrangement or choose one already made.
Next to the flower area was a huge array of fresh fruit, they have a large selection of pre-cut fruits to make any meal fast and easy. The fruits and vegetable area were filled with everything you would expect with many exotic fruits as well. This is where I found these sugar cane sticks that can be used in drinks or used to skewer meats for the grill. I’m very excited to try these!
The bakery! Oh my! Some serious sweet goodness here! They had every sweet treat imaginable. Cakes, cupcakes, muffins, cookies, pastries of all kinds and let’s not forget sweet sticky buns. If you are gluten-free, no worries they have you covered! I brought Robby a few treats of his own!
The meat and seafood section is endless. Everything you would expect, but they also offer meat in bulk for larger families or gatherings. I always enjoy the various burgers they offer. The patties are already made up and some of them include cheese and bacon and a number of other options. The marinated meats are also very good and they do tell you if the product is gluten-free. That’s a huge bonus for me as much of the time I make my own marinade to be safe.
This picture below is just a small snapshot of some of the marinated and or take out seafood to go. Lots of breaded fish, lobster mac and cheese, marinated salmon, crab cakes and coconut shrimp. I took home some of the crab cakes and they were excellent. Judy took home some of the coconut shrimp and she too was very pleased.
Next, we had to make our way to the first floor and I have to tell you this is the first time I have been to a grocery store that has an escalator for not only people, but for your grocery carts! Yes! This was awesome!
The first floor is filled with all of your frozen foods, boxed items, canned goods, and even home goods. Lots of gluten-free options here as well. And if you are looking for some spirits as well no need to go to the liquor store as they have a massive array of craft beers, beers, and wine as well as hard liquor. This is an all in one-stop-shop.
There is so much happening at Wegmans I can’t possibly put it into one post. Be sure to check out their website and Facebook pages for more information and information on the closest store to you and what that particular store offers. I should mention that Wegmans works with over 400 farms to bring you fresh and local ingredients. If that is not enough Wegmans, also caters!
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