Peach Cobbler on the Grill

   I love peaches. Except for watermelon, peaches has to be my all time favorite summer fruit. I don't even let the fuzzy skin bother me, the taste of a fully ripened peach cannot be beat. Of course, that is just my opinion, so you may have other favorites, but then point me to your blog and I can enjoy what you have to say about your favorites. Deal? Great!
   I haven't gotten around to making any peach jam just yet, but my mouth is watering for some good homemade peach jam, so I am scanning all the fruit stands and markets for a good price for peaches.  My craving was so strong that I found myself digging into the pantry and lo and behold I found one more jar of canned peaches from last year. I could not resist, so I pulled out my trusty cast iron Dutch oven, fired up the grill and made some peach cobbler. Probably the best peach cobbler recipe I have ever tried is courtesy of Paula Deen, with the Lady and Sons version of peach cobbler. Of course, she makes it in her kitchen, but because I do not use the oven indoors on 90 degree days I adapted the recipe to make it on a covered gas grill. I figure I do all my cooking outdoors when I go camping, so why not use the same mindset to adapt all cooking methods to make all of our favorites and avoid heating the kitchen. Great idea.
   The main difference with grill top cooking is that you do not usually get the grill to reach temperatures over 300 degrees, and once you open the lid, most of that heat is gone, so it takes more attention than just popping your dish in the oven setting the temperature and timer and going off to do other things until the timer rings. Not so cut and dried with grill top adaptions of indoor oven recipes. You need to expect that the timing will be longer, as the temperature is considerably lower, and you need to pay attention to whether you are cooking over direct or indirect heat, as that also makes a huge difference in how your dishes are going to come out.
  Okay, turn on three of the four burners on your gas grill. Preheat the grill, covered while you prepare the cobbler. I say three of four burners because we are going to use the indirect heat method, so you need an area where there will not be flame under the pan.
You will need:
 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
 1 quart home-canned peaches or 28-ounce canned peaches from the store
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
2-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 cups milk
cinnamon (optional)

    Put the stick of butter in your 5 quart Dutch oven. Put the Dutch oven on the grill, not over a direct flame to melt the butter. Meanwhile prepare the batter.
   In a batter bowl or large bowl mix flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Slowly whisk in milk, whisking constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Remove Dutch oven from grill using heavy duty pot holders so you do not burn yourself. Pour batter into Dutch oven over the melted butter. Without disturbing the batter spoon the peaches out of the jar and arrange them on top, then pour the syrup from the jar atop the peaches. DO NOT STIR OR MIX. Sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired. I have made this both with and without the cinnamon and both ways it is awesome. Gently slide the Dutch oven back onto the grill, not over any lit burners, lower the burners to low. Close the hood and time 20 minutes. In 20 minutes and every 20 minutes turn the Dutch oven 1/4 turn so all sides of the Dutch oven eventually is closest to the heat. It will take approximately 2 hours to get the cobbler to rise up through the fruit and form a deliciously moist cobbler topping that is golden brown. You will see the fruit juice bubbling up around the sides of the Dutch oven and the topping will begin to pull away from the sides. Turn off all the burners, and let it set on the grill as it cools, or if you need to use the grill to cook dinner, move it someplace where it can be left undisturbed, taking care to use oven pads to avoid burning yourself. I cover the Dutch oven and put it in my unheated oven in the house so no one is tempted to lift the lid and thereby burn themselves.
 

   Here it is done--the brown funny looking "X" is where the cinnamon came to the top. And you can see over the the right hand side the fruit juice along the wall of the Dutch oven. Best served warm. Spoon some into bowls, top with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream and you will have a hit every time. Refrigerate leftovers, and warm in the microwave (in individual bowls, not in the Dutch oven) for about 45 seconds for future servings.
   Here is a link to the original version of The Lady and Sons Peach Cobbler including a video by Paula Deen herself.Paula Deen making peach cobbler.
   Of course one of the kiddies does not "like" peaches, so I am going to see if this will work with apples, as I still have some left from last fall. So I will try the same method with apples but I will add cinnamon, ground cloves, and some nutmeg.
   So why not give this one a whirl and add one more dish to your outdoor cooking repertoire? Love to hear how yours comes out!

Here's the apple version I tried on the grill as well. See below for my comments:

Summer off?

    Well, summer is here and in full swing. I have not completely caught up to the realization that summer is here, however, with my classes being over until September, I am finding that I do not seem to have enough to keep me busy throughout the day.
    Oh, I know, I can hear it now, "not enough to do? really?"
    But it is not that I don't have things TO do, just not enough of what I WANT to do. There is a difference, you know.
    One thing that takes a beating in the summer is cooking--or at least cooking in my kitchen. I live in an old, VERY old, farmhouse, that has no ventilation in the kitchen other than a few windows and a ceiling fan. No exhaust fan at all. It makes for a quite toasty kitchen when the temperature outside is over 80 degrees, and you are running the oven at 350 degrees, or higher. The kitchen heats up very quickly and does not like to cool off. So to avoid working inside an oven, I tend to use my gas grill and  side burner for the side dishes; I have found even just boiling macaroni or potatoes for salads in the kitchen rings the temperature up to unbearable levels. My grill also has an oven in it...yes, my husband likes his cooking toys, as well, but the oven is rather small so most of my cookware do not fit inside the oven (he should have done a little more research before he invested in this particular grill--or he should get us a set of smaller roasting pans to fit). Of course, I could probably use those foil things you can pick up in the grocery store, but until this minute I had not thought of that option. Hmmm. I will have to reassess my position.
    Well, for the purpose of this post, let's forget I thought of that and tackle some things I do on the grill to fight overheating the inside kitchen.
     I make just about anything on the grill that I can make in the oven, except I have not tried cakes just yet, but the wheels are turning, so maybe before the summer is over I will attempt some of those on the grill, not in the oven part. Hmmm. Grilled cake? I am going to have to do some research or rethink my position on that as well.
    One technique I use quite often is indirect heat cooking on the grill. I light all four of the burners, close the top, and bring the grill up to about 325 degrees. Then I shut off the two left side burners, lower the other two, and place my roast or chicken or whatever, over the two burners that are off, usually in a roasting pan. Close the top of the grill and let it roast. The temperature will go down somewhat and that's okay. Depending on what you are cooking, and the preferred "doneness" of the food, it can take an hour to three hours to cook, but remember, "low and slow" makes for delicious moist meats.
    I make an eye of round beef roast in a roasting pan, usually about 5 lbs. and it can take about an hour and half to two hours, but ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS use an instant read thermometer to check the internal temperature of your meat--especially foul--undercooked chicken and turkey makes for many sick family members. And always use the USDA recommended guidelines for internal temperatures which you can find here: USDA Kitchen Companion. This guide covers all the food safety issues we all should be aware of to keep our friends and family safe so be sure to check it out and save a copy to your computer so you can have it handy whenever you need it.
    I found it beneficial to read the entire guide because sometimes you don't know you don't know something, so reading all the available information before you need it helps avoid problems later. And if you remember you read something about a food safety issue, having a copy on your PC alleviates the hassle of having to search the internet for it in the middle of preparing something. That's my tip for today, I guess.
     I use the same indirect cooking technique for chicken, in a roasting pan, or a loin of pork, or pork tenderloin. With the chicken I finish it on direct heat with barbeque sauce, to crisp it up, but the primary cooking is over indirect heat.
    And I use a dry rub for just about everything. My newest love is smoked paprika. It smells like barbeque all by itself, and I realize that that must be the "secret" ingredient in all those prepared barbeque mixes...ha..I knew sooner or later I'd find what gives things that BBQ aroma! Now I can mix up my own mixes and still get that BBQ flavor that I like.
    I mix about a cup of  brown sugar with  2 tablespoons smoked paprika, 1 tablespoon granulated garlic, and 2 tablespoons of Emeril's Essence ®, or instead of the essence stuff I just grab a few pinches of this and that. If I am doing fish I add grated lemon peel. Just rub a few tablespoons of the rub into the surface of the meat (or sprinkle over fish), add no liquid or salt. Lightly oil the grill if you are putting the meat directly on the grate, or lightly grease the pan just to keep things from sticking.
   How about you? You have a great rub recipe you'd like to share? Love to hear from you!
 

July She will Fly

   Just love July, but she flies by so fast. Hey, wait, don't I mention that about every month? It is true, I do, however, I hate how fast July goes by, because up here in rural NYS it is summer, and summer upstate NY is way too short.
   We just went through a rough patch of hot, dry weather. A statewide burn ban has been issued--that means you cannot have any open fires--no campfires or bonfires to sit around toasting marshmallows and telling ghost stories, one of my most favorite things to do in the  summer. Oh, bother.
   It has been too hot to do a lot of cooking, also. Living in a very old farm house I do not have sufficient ventilation in my kitchen to keep it cool enough, so for most of July and August I do most of my cooking out on my back deck--on the grill and side burner, which does not allow me to bake bread or make many of the usual meals I make the other ten months of the year. It is both a welcome respite and a dreaded sentence. I have only one side burner on the grill and the oven that is with the grill is not working correctly--it is blowing out big blue balls of fire, so we have refrained from using it--I do not care to blow the place to kingdom come, although some days.....but that's a topic for another blog.
     So what about July? Besides being the month of my birth, making it my all-time favorite, many many foods I love are celebrated this month. July is National Baked Beans month, National Hot Dog month, National Ice Cream month, National Culinary Arts month, and it is National July belongs to Blueberries month! Mmm, Mmm, Mmm, right there is enough to keep this blog up and running for well--a month! But wait! On the 6th it was National Fried Chicken Day, the 7th was National Strawberry Sundae Day, and the 9th was National Sugar Cookie Day. Yum!
   National Blueberry Muffin day was the 11th, and anyone in central NY will know blueberries are ripening, so start picking and concocting some awesome things with blueberries--one of the super-fruits for the amount of antioxidants they are loaded with. Packed with vitamin C and dietary fiber, blueberries belong in everyone's diet. Click here for blueberry information.
   Today I mixed up some blueberries with quartered strawberries and 2 sliced up peaches, a spoonful of sugar (that is optional) and just tossed it a few times before I served it along with dinner instead of a vegetable. My husband asked for pineapple as well, but I did not have any but I think I'll grab some pineapple tomorrow and toss it in. On a hot night serving cool crisp fruit adds a little refreshment to the dinner table, and that is a nice change. But I digress.
    July 13th was Beans n' Franks day, which only seems reasonable being Baked Beans and Hot Dog month; the 14th was Pick Blueberries day  but I bought them from a farm stand that picks their own, how fresh can you get? The 14th was also National Macaroni day; the 17th was National Peach Ice Cream day, that is a double love for me! The 19th was both National Daiquiri day and National Ice Cream Day, but I have never had Daiquiri ice cream...hmm, maybe something to work on? The 20th does not let us forget about ice cream, as it is National Ice Cream Soda day, oh, boy, I'm beginning to salivate! July 23rd celebrates National Vanilla Ice Cream day, the 25th is National Hot Fudge Sundae day, the 26th is National Coffee Milkshake day, the 28th is National Milk Chocolate day, the 30th is National Cheesecake day, and the 31st celebrates Cotton Candy day, Jump for Jellybeans day, and National Raspberry Cake day. Now if that isn't a month of awesome food celebrations, I don't know what is!
     Other notable days in July are: July 2nd was National Anisette day, July 4th was National Barbecued Spare Ribs days; July 10th was National Pina Colada day; the 18th was National Caviar day; the 24th was National Tequila day--I shall leave my comments out; and the 27th was National Creme Brulee day and National Scotch day. Now THAT is a diverse month!

   So I have done the beans and the franks, and the beans n' franks, the barbecued ribs, the ice cream, all flavors, the sugar cookies, although I did not make them--no baking in July, thank you, and I have blueberried and blackcap berried myself silly, and oh, my currants are ready--I think I'll pick some tomorrow and probably freeze them to await a break in the hot weather so I can make some scones. I will share that recipe when the time comes, I promise, but I assure you its no secret recipe--it's a Bisquick recipe, although I do use homemade marmalade in it. And you know what else? I have not made fried chicken. I love fried chicken and I love MY fried chicken. So maybe next week I will  fry up a couple of chickens. I think that is a good plan. The leftover chicken can be used for a ton of things, or just eaten cold, but of course, for the dinner meal I will make milk gravy and mashed potatoes, and maybe I'll pull out the electric frying pan to make some biscuits--dang, I wish I had an exhaust fan in my kitchen. I want biscuits!
    I have some research to do. Can I make biscuits in a crock pot or electric fry pan? I am leaning toward the crock pot because suddenly I realize I don't know where my electric fry pan is...hmmm. Now I have to venture out to the garage and see if my fry pan is out there. Dang I cannot remember the last time I used it, but I do recall loving it when I was using it. I wonder what happened there? Til next time!
  

Quick Pepper Steak from Leftover Beef June 29, 2012

    Life sure moves fast. And this blogger forgot to post photos of the easy pie crust, and guess what? The pie is gone, gone, gone. And it was good, good, good!
    Since I continually comment on the speed of life passing me by I think I will share with you a recipe using leftover beef and beef gravy. I like to make an eye round roast beef usually around 5 lbs., which is much too large for one sitting around here, even with 5 of us, 4 being grown men. But using the leftover beef gives you many possibilities.
     One of my favorite possibilities with leftover eye round is pepper steak. You use the leftover beef--sliced thin and then cut into strips about 1/2 inch wide, and you use the leftover gravy, if you have any. If you don't have leftover gravy its no problem, I'll add how to make new gravy from items you most likely have in your pantry.

     Okay, so you slice the meat thin, then cut it into 1/2 inch wide strips, and set it aside. Cut up 2 Vidalia onions into 1/2 rings and saute them in 1-2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet. About 3 minutes into the saute (before the onions get real brown) toss in a tablespoon of minced garlic, the beef, and 3-4 bell peppers that have been seeded and sliced into strips. I like to use all the colors of peppers for a lively looking dish. Just keep tossing and stirring the mix until the peppers are short of the doneness you like. I like a crisp texture in my peppers so it only takes a few minutes, but you may like your peppers to be well done and soft--its  your kitchen and your food so have at it!
   Add the gravy--about 2 cups--and 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of ground ginger. Mix well and heat through. Serve over hot cooked white rice with Chinese-style noodles and extra soy sauce, if you want. Voila!

    
     If you don't have gravy: in a separate saucepan melt 3 tablespoons butter, add 3 tablespoons flour and cook the roux until it is bubbly. Add 2 cups canned beef broth or stock, or make stock from beef base and water or beef bouillon and water, whisking constantly until it is thickened. Proceed with the recipe as indicated. 
      This recipe is so easy it is scary. You have any recipes that are scary easy? Please feel free to share!
     'Til next time Mangia!

No Knead/No Roll Pie Crust June 12, 2012

   Here we are again, weeks since I have posted anything. I should have named this blog "No Time" because I seem to have no time to do anything anymore. Apparently the older you get the more you have to keep up with, the fast time elapses, giving you less and less time to accomplish more things. If that makes any sense. Scary that it does to me.

   In the vein of "no time" I was thinking about more shortcuts I could possibly post here to help all of you with dealing with this "no time" phenomenon. I came up with nothing, nada, zip, zero, nil, none. Oh, this is not good... My mind is a complete blank. However, someone very near and dear to me recently sent me an email telling me they looked on this blog to find a pie crust recipe. Oops, not here. I usually buy the premade ones from the dairy section at the grocery store--you know the ones that are rolled up in a tube and all you have to do is let them come to room temperature, unroll them into your pie plate, fill, cover, flute, and bake. That is very easy, but it is not homemade, which, as all of you know, I prefer.

   I responded apologetically that I do not "do" pie crusts, and you know what happened? My friend found a simple one pan recipe with no kneading and rolling and sent it back to me!  This blog is truly becoming a two-way street! Be still, my heart.

   So, in the spirit of shortcuts, sharing, and no-fuss-no-muss, I am trying out Himanee's shortcut pie crust find. 

           For a 9-inch crust:

           1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

           2 teaspoons sugar

           1 teaspoon salt

           1/2 cup veg oil

           2 tablespoons milk. 

 Mix the dry ingredients together in the pan, then add the liquid and work it into a dough. Using your hands is not a problem since there is enough flour to absorb the oil without making a mess. No rolling necessary. Just pat it out with your hands. Bake it at 400 degrees for an hour and it's good to go (Gupta-Carlson).

  I plan on making my world-famous apple pie using this crust recipe, but I guess I will have to find a Dutch crumb topping since this recipe is only for a bottom crust, but we will see what happens. This would work great for pumpkin pie that only uses a bottom crust, and alleviate having an un-matched pie crust from the package.

Photos posted 11/22/2022 Finally  made it!

Source:

Gupta-Carlson, Himanee. Excerpted from a personal email on file with author. 2012.

Neighborly contributions

     When my father passed away on Long Island last month I spent three weeks at my brother's helping make arrangements and taking care of Mom, who, although knew it was time for him to go, was very, very sad, and not faring too well physically herself.
   I have to say my brother's neighbors were, each and every one, a Godsend. You would not believe the amount of food that showed up on the doorstep. Their timing was impeccable, as who could think about preparing meals for so many people while we all were reeling from the shock of losing our husband, Dad, Grandpa, and Great-Grandpa? Not many. My brother did have the presence of mind to grab a bunch of steaks and toss them into a marinade--we'd pick up macaroni and potato salads from the deli--oh, yeah, I'm back in civilization--real macaroni and potato salads that I didn't have to make! And we were going to go grab a few bags of prepared salads from the supermarket. 
   But two of the neighbors stopped by bearing gifts- that were sent by at least ten families that are my brother's neighbors-- a large peace lily, and two very large baskets of food stuffs. One basket had corn muffins and blueberry muffins, English muffins, a few boxes of cereals, a couple of boxes of Entenmen's doughnuts, granola bars, and breakfast bars. The other basket had a gallon of milk, orange juice, apple juice, 2 liter bottles of Coca-Cola and Sprite, and four bottles of wine. Wow!

     I was about to head out to go pick up the salads when I got called back to the kitchen. No need for the salads. My brother was packing up the steaks and sending them to the deep cooler out back. Apparently the neighbors bought us dinner, too. Five minutes later a delivery van was in front of the house. Trays and trays of food starting pouring in the front door. Eggplant Parmesan; chicken, tomato, fresh mozzarella, and artichoke salad; chicken tenders; baked ziti, with ricotta and mozzarella cheeses and baked until bubbly; sausage and peppers; a mountain of garlic knots; and two huge tossed salads with Italian dressing on the side. This was awesome! Most of us did not even realize just how hungry we were. There was something on the menu for everyone--even the picky eaters.
    I cannot say enough for the thoughtfulness of my brother's neighbors in Stony Brook. The selections Sal, the owner of Ole Solo Mio, made to make a complete and special meal for all of us were perfect, as was the quality of the food. I love the idea of the baskets of food and plan on using that idea in the future, when, inevitably, someone passes, to help one of my neighbors through a rough patch of life. 
   Let's just hope that the need does not come too soon, nor too often.

Eggplant Parmesan

Mountain of garlic knots

     What about you? Do you have a special dish you send to a neighbor in need?

Short-cuts

   Being away from my kitchen for three weeks has presented me with a challenge or two. Not having my own equipment like my Kitchen Aid stand mixer, is driving my a little crazy. I miss not making homemade bread, and with these hands of mine, and my wrist being sore for the last month, I cannot see myself even attempting to knead dough for bread. It's just not going to happen. Period.
   But, wait! Nowadays many bakery departments of grocery stores sell already made pizza dough. How easy can that be? Yeah, I think I'm in.
   Okay, so I'll grab a few pounds of pizza dough. I will let it thaw out in the refrigerator in its original bag. Then put it in a greased bowl, turn it once, cover it with greased plastic wrap and a kitchen towel, and let it rise for about an hour to an hour and half. Punch it down. Let is rest for 10 minutes. Okay, now what?
   Well, here's where we can get creative: to make Italian bread, roll out the dough into a rectangle about a foot long by 8 inches wide. Roll it tightly starting from the long edge. Dampen the edge of the dough and pinch it together, then roll it back and forth on the counter a few times to shape it into a nice looking long-ish loaf.
    Paint the dough with a beaten egg yolk, slash the top about 1/4 inch deep about every two inches across; sprinkle with granulated garlic, and/or sesame seeds. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Cool on wire rack for about 20 minutes and serve warm with soft butter.
   I can hear the nephews munching now!
   What else can you do with pre-made pizza dough other than make your very own pizza? A few things. But always start with thawing it out in the refrigerator in its original bag and then letting it rise in the greased bowl as previously described.
   Okay, the dough is ready. What do to with it? Hmm. I got a hinkering for some Zeppoles, you know the pieces of fried dough sprinkled with powdered sugar you can get at the Italian restaurants or carnivals and fairs during the summer? Oh, yeah.  The nephews are jumping up and down. Oh, yeah, touchdown without even starting to cook. I could get used to this!
   Okay, not being home, I have a small problem: no deep fryer, so I pull out a deep 3 quart saucepan, fill it about 1/3 full with canola oil and put it on high on the electric stove, turning the exhaust fan on to attempt to keep the aroma of hot oil from overwhelming the house. Actually I was trying to keep the evidence of this foray to a minimum, what my brother and sister-in-law don't know I pulled off in their kitchen is a good thing. Except, as you will learn, it was an effort in futility.
   The oil finally gets heated to 350 degrees, or thereabouts, as I do not have a candy thermometer to test the temperature. One little trick I have picked up over the years is how to determine if your oil is hot enough is to "drop a 1 inch square of bread into the oil. If it takes 60 seconds to brown, then the oil is at 365" (Rombauer, 1047). When the oil reached temperature I pulled a wad of dough, about 3 inches worth, off the edge of the lump of dough and gently dropped it into the oil. It sank to the bottom. 5-4-3-2-1-BINGO! The dough rose to the surface and was frying away in record time. Using a slotted spoon I gently moved the dough ball around and flipped it to make sure it browned evenly on both sides. Drained the little bugger on paper towel. Let cool about 2 minutes then liberally sprinkled powdered sugar over the top and tossed it. I cut into the little test piece--it was perfect-light and airy. I made the full two pounds of dough with the nephews gathered close by to scoff up the little beauties as soon as they were cool enough to handle. 
   I was able to send a few in to Grandma while she watched TV. She sent out her plate for "a few more". Not bad, for being out of my own kitchen, I thought. The boys just loved them, they immediately told their mother over the phone that "Aunt Barbara made Zeppoles" to which she asked, "in my kitchen?"
   I was afraid I might have started something Karen would not be happy with me about. Time will have to tell. In the meantime I found myself on the "favorite Aunt on their Father's side" list...cool.

   The story gets a little funny here. Karen and Tony arrive back home from our sister's down south after the memorial service for our sister's husband that passed away unexpectedly, just days after our Dad passed. Karen sends the boys out to the car to bring in the big box from the trunk. Into the house comes an Indoor Butterball Turkey Fryer. Really? You can fry a turkey in the house? Who would have thought? Now Karen didn't plan on frying a turkey, but had never owned a deep fryer, so when Julie was giving hers away, Karen grabbed it, figuring I was at her house, we could play. 
    And play, we did! We made Zeppoles two more times and french fries, but we all agreed we had been having way too much fried stuff and this piece of equipment was too big to leave out on the counter. So we emptied it and cleaned it and nicely packed it up for its next use--probably in a year or so. It took quite an effort to get the smell of fryer oil out of the house, and off us, too. but it was fun, and I can honestly say, I do not plan on getting an indoor turkey fryer--that's one kitchen gadget I plan on skipping!

    So that's about it, for now, on some shortcuts I used while I was away from my beloved kitchen. How about you? Do you have any tricks to share? Love hearing from all of you!


Reference:
Rombauer, Irma, Rombauer, Marion, & Becker, Ethan. The Joy of Cooking. 75th Anniversary Edition. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, Inc., 2006.Pg. 1047. Print.