Simple Peaches & Cream Recipe to Use Up Overripe Peaches

June 20, 2016 by Angie 10 Comments

Last week I decided to renew my Costco membership. I’d let my membership lapse because I’d gotten too lazy to go out of my way to get gas there (it’s much cheaper), and since there was only one person in my household, buying in bulk just wasn’t important. However, since my little household has gone from just dog + me to dog + me + boyfriend + roommate, the resources have been going at a much speedier rate. There are now three times as many people using toilet paper and eating the groceries. Man, I had nearly forgotten how great some of the stuff you can find at Costco is… Including fruit! I bought a huge container of Cotton Candy Grapes (which were eaten pretty quickly) and couldn’t resist the Peaches that were perfectly ripe and smelled amazing as I walked past them. Of course, we couldn’t eat them fast enough, and it was only a few days before I looked at them and noticed they’d gotten too soft and a bit wrinkly… But I hated the idea of just tossing them out and wasting half a package of peaches. My solution? Peaches & Cream!

The riper the fruit, the sweeter it becomes, and during that ripening process it reaches a point where it just isn’t necessarily a desirable consistency and flavor anymore. In this case my peaches were still edible and nutritious, as they hadn’t soured or molded yet, but they were a bit soggy and the texture wasn’t something I was interested in enjoying. I knew if I left them much longer they’d just end up in the trash, so Peaches & Cream was a great way to use up those peaches without wasting them. Well, most of them… I did end up trimming off some of the more ripe parts of the peaches before making them into Peaches & Cream.

Recipe for Simple Peaches & Cream

I’ve been making Peaches & Cream since I was a small child. My mother used to make this very simple recipe with just about any kind of fruit we had that was ripening faster than we could eat it… We had Strawberries & Cream almost as often as Peaches & Cream, and it was just as tasty. It’s such an easy way to use up what overripe fruit with what you have on hand. You really only need three ingredients and you probably already have them in your kitchen.

Also, you can totally do this with fruit that’s perfectly ripe if you just want Peaches & Cream or with underripe fruit to sweeten it up. Just leave it longer with the underripe fruit or add a bit more sugar.

Ingredients

Peaches
Milk (any will work, but I recommend Whole Milk or Half & Half for better creaminess)
Sugar

Step 1: Slice Your Peaches

You’ll want to slice your peaches. The thickness of your slices or chunks will depend on your taste, I prefer thinner slices as they tend to absorb the cream a bit better, but if your peaches are perfectly ripe or overripe you may want to do thicker chunks. Underripe should be sliced thinner because it’s consistency will be less likely to absorb the fruit.

Step 2: Layer Peaches Evenly in a Bowl

Layer the peaches as evenly in your container as possible. I’ve used bowls for this often, but above I used a rectangle container so I could distribute the peaches more evenly. If you use a bowl that doesn’t allow that, you just need to make sure to stir it a few extra times over the course of the soaking.

Step 3: Milk/Cream

Pour the milk or cream over your peaches enough that they’re mostly submerged. You can make sure they’re fully covered if you’d like, it will just end up with more cream in the end (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing haha!). The less submerged they are the more often you’ll want to stir during soaking so that they all get equal time in your mixture.

Step 4: Sugar

Add sugar to your mixture. It’s up to you how much you add… You can have too much, so be careful with the mixing. Remember that if you taste it now while you’re adding, it will be sweeter later as the sugar dissolves into the milk.

Step 5: Soak

Cover your bowl of peaches, milk, and sugar and put it in the refrigerator overnight or for 24-48 hours. You want to give it enough time for the milk sugar to dissolve into the milk, and for the peaches to soak up some of that sugary creamy goodness. If you need to, stir once or twice during the soaking process to ensure that all the flavor is evenly distributed.

Step 6: Eat!

Now you get to enjoy your delicious treat! It’s great for breakfast or dessert, or a nice little afternoon sweet snack. It should keep for a few days, but I wouldn’t leave it too long-especially if your peaches are already overripe.

Other ways you could use up overripe peaches include peach cobbler, peach butter or peach jam (try: Fresh Peach Jam, Spiced Peach Jam, or Peach Jalapeno Jam), Peach Pecan Crisp, Peach Bread, or even peach cocktails!

Have you tried Peaches & Cream?

How do you use overripe peaches or any other kind of fruit?

Angie

Angie is a coffee-fueled writer, artist-wanna-be, and over-worker who currently resides in a tiny fixer-upper near Salt Lake City with her boyfriend and 70lb rescue pittie. She works full time in Customer Service/Computers, part-time in retail and fashion, goes to school part-time on and off, maintains this and another couple of blogs, as well as volunteers with rescue dogs. In her free time, what little of it there is, she likes to read, play nerd games, craft and create art, and spend time with all of the awesome people in her life.

http://www.mysocalledchaos.com

Fresh All Natural and Vegan Chunky Guacamole Recipe

February 17, 2016 by Angie 55 Comments

If you asked me what my favorite food in the world was, I’m pretty sure my answer would have to be this chunky guacamole. The funniest thing about it is that it’s SUPER easy to make-in fact, I’m not sure why I don’t make it more often. When you think about it, guacamole is one of those items that should be my favorite thing ever-I love avocados, tomatoes, onions… and lime most of all. Yet, I have a really hard time with nearly every guacamole you find in the store or at a restaurant. So many of them have weird additives that they put in it to keep it from going brown, but I can taste those additives and I don’t like them. They’re gross, and they make it taste kind of rotten-I don’t know how people at them.

So when my friend Julie brought over her homemade guacamole without any of that gunk in it, and without using one of those weird flavoring packets they sell for guacamole at the store, it’s easy to say I became quickly obsessed with it. She taught us to make it, decreed that you’re not allowed to make it without a shot of tequila (though I do often make it without drinking in it’s honor haha), and we’ve enjoyed it and many variations of it for years.

Chunky Guacamole Recipe

Today I want to share with you the recipe. It’s quick and easy, inexpensive (except that you almost need a loan to buy avocados most of the time), and has nothing in it to take away from the delicious flavors these ingredients naturally possess.

What You’ll Need

3-5 Avocados
1 Yellow Onion (or if you prefer, a sweet Vidalia would be good too)
2 Tomatoes (I prefer on the vine, but Roma’s hold up well for Guacamole too)
Several Limes
Salt

You’ll also want to make sure you have a good knife, cutting board, a fork, and bowl to mix it all in.

Step 1: Chop Up Your Onions and Tomatoes

You’ll want to chop up your onions and tomatoes according to your taste. I keep everything pretty big because I like a nice chunky bite where I can taste the onions and tomatoes because I love their flavors on their own too. However, if you prefer more Guacamole to your bite, you can chop them up even smaller or mince them pretty well. Or, if you love tomatoes and are meh on a big hot mouthful of onion, chop the tomatoes large and the onions smaller. It’s totally up to you.

Step 2: Avocados in the Bowl

As long as the avocados are ripe enough, I find the easiest way to get them in the bowl is to half them and then just squeeze the contents out of the peel. This helps them be already partially mashed, and makes it super easy so you don’t have to dig it out. If yours are a little underripe, you can slice them in half and then cut slices inside the peel, then use a spoon to scoop it all out.

How do you pick a ripe Avocado?

I’m glad you asked! The majority of the time I grope them in the store. Just a light squeeze to make sure they’re not too squishy (overripe) or too firm (underripe-and harder to make guacamole with). However, if you pop out the little knob where the stem was you can tell if it’s ripe by color. The brighter green it is, the less ripe the avocado is. The more brown it is, the more ripe. Ultimately you want that stem to be brown, but not black-but you can also combine checking color and the feel of the avocado to be sure.

Pit in or Pit out?

There is often some debate about whether leaving the avocado pit in the bowl helps the guacamole stay fresher longer or not. I’ve heard that it’s an old wives tale, but the pit doesn’t hurt anything so I tend to leave one in just in case. If I’m not gobbling it all up right away I want to make sure it’ll last an extra day in the fridge.

Step 3: Mix Them Together

Mix all your chopped onions and tomatoes in with the avocado. I find that using a fork is great for this, especially if your avocado is less ripe, because you can mash it down really easily. A Potato masher would probably work pretty well too, but it would also be more cumbersome.

Step 4: Add Fresh Lime

Don’t add lime juice or some weird lime flavoring, you want the full effect of a nice juicy fresh lime. To make your lime more juicy, before cutting it roll it between your hand and a hard surface like the counter. Really smash it down while you roll it so it breaks apart some of the pulp inside. Then simply cut the lime in half and squeeze the juice into the bowl.

You’ll likely need to add more lime juice than you think at first-and that’s okay! Especially if you’re a lime lover than me. I added two limes to this batch, and I still found myself wondering if I didn’t want another half or even whole lime in there. I really enjoy the tang of the lime, and the acid in the lime helps keep the guacamole fresher longer also.

Step 5: Add Salt to Flavor

Then, just add salt to flavor to finish it off. You can add as much or as little to it as you like, but I recommend adding some and tasting it, then adding a bit more. There’s nothing worse than ruining your guacamole because you added too much salt. If you do add too much salt, and you have an extra avocado on hand, you can mash it up in there to help soak up some of the salty flavor and save your dish.

Step 6: Serve It Up and Enjoy

Seriously, enjoy. This is my favorite thing I’ve ever put in my mouth… I think I might have to go get more supplies and make more this weekend. It’s SO DANG GOOD.

You can also get creative. We’ve enjoyed this recipe with things like apple chunks or pomegranates in it and it’s DELICIOUS with those too.

Plus, if you want to be even healthier, skip the chips and dip cucumber chunks, carrot slices, celery, etc. in it.

How do you eat guacamole?

Angie

http://www.mysocalledchaos.com

All Veggie Spaghetti Recipe + #FallForFlavor Giveaway

September 10, 2015 by Angie 12 Comments

I’m not someone who eats Italian style food very often, but when I do I almost always make my sauce from scratch. There’s just something extra delicious about a sauce that you’ve put together yourself and let simmer for hours. Nothing beats it. However, sometimes it’s just not feasible… Sometimes it’s too hot to be standing over your stove for hours, and sometimes you only have a few hours in the evening between getting home from work and going to bed. This is typically my story-and after an entire day home alone, poor dog Bub hates it when I can’t sit down and love him because I’m standing over the stove. He hates it even more when I wont share my food with him though… Ha!

A few weeks back a good friend brought over a nice big zucchini from his garden and I’ve been wanting to eat it with a nice meal for a while, and last night I was craving marinara sauce. For someone who doesn’t eat much Italian food, I do often get a good craving for a nice Marinara. Trick is, I knew there was no way I was going to make it from scratch-so I was pretty happy to find Mezzetta Napa Valley Homemade Pasta Sauce at my local grocer, and there are SO many flavors. It actually took me a good 10 minutes of going back and forth before I finally decided to try the Parmesan, Asiago, and Romano style sauce. I was really debating trying the Sweet Basil or the Spicy one-but the Wild Mushroom and the Roasted Garlic and Caramelized Onion ones also looked delicious. They all looked good… I’m definitely going to have to try the other flavors soon.

I was also extra happy to turn over the bottle and read the ingredients. It’s kind of rare when you can actually pronounce all of the ingredients, and not only that-but you know full well what they are and you use them on a regular basis. I’m always wary of the weird gum and stuff other store-bought sauces put into their jars, but the Mezzetta Napa Valley sauces seem to be mostly whole food ingredients. For instance, the bottle I picked up lists the three cheeses plus California plum tomatoes, fresh whole cream, sweet basil, sea salt, and freshly chopped onions. There isn’t a weird preservative on the list! Love it.

I’ve also been watching a lot of food network shows like Chopped! lately-so for some reason I’ve been thinking about food in layers and trying to figure out what I can do with it creatively, while also using my cooking as a way to get healthy and lose weight. This inspired me to grab a few more veggies and make an “All Veggie Spaghetti” with Spaghetti squash instead of noodles. I honestly think I like Spaghetti Squash a lot more than actual noodles, and it’s infinitely better for me-so I’ll run with that!

Well, my dish turned out AMAZING, and while I was still skeptical of this store-bought sauce even with it’s amazing ingredients and it’s homemade mantra, it was surprisingly good as well. A little tart straight out of the jar, but once it was heated up in a skillet and paired with all the veggies it was the perfect compliment. So I’ve decided to share my recipe with you today.

All Veggie Spaghetti Ingredients:

1 Spaghetti Squash
1 Zuchhini, sliced
2 Cups Chopped Mushrooms
1/2 an Onion, sliced thin
1 Tbsp Garlic, minced (2-3 cloves)
1/2 a Red Pepper, sliced
1 1/2 Cups Baby Heirloom Tomatoes, chopped in half or thirds
Marinara Sauce of Choice – I chose Mezzetta Napa Valley Parmesan, Asiago, & Romano
Fresh Basil
Butter or Olive Oil
Mozzarella Cheese (optional)
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

All Veggie Spaghetti Instructions

Step 1: Bake your Spaghetti Squash

The first thing you’ll want to do is get your Spaghetti Squash cooking. Preheat the oven to 375°. Start by slicing off the ends of the squash on each side, and then cut it down the middle. Then using a large spoon (or ice cream scoop) scoop out the seeds and pulp in the middle of the squash. It’s a bit like cleaning out a pumpkin when carving for Halloween.

Put both halves on a baking sheet, give them a thin coating of butter or Olive Oil (Olive Oil is healthier, but sometimes that butter taste is what you need. I actually used a butter substitute for mine-so I’m getting the best of both worlds haha!) and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Stick it in the oven for 40 minutes.

Step 2: Sautée your veggies

While your Spaghetti Squash is cooking, start sautéeing your veggies in your choice of fat-butter or olive oil, etc. You have 40 minutes so this gives you time to cook them slower and get them just the right consistency for you. I used three different pans for the different temperatures and cook times, but you could just throw them all in together if you’d like.

I wanted my garlic, onions, mushrooms, and zuchhini nice and sautéed but I wanted to leave my red peppers a little crispy for a good texture. So after the zucchini finished I tossed it in with the garlic and onions while I threw the red peppers and about half of my baby heirloom tomatoes in for a quick fry-without letting them get too soft.

Add salt and pepper to each of the pans as you cook to taste.

Step 3: Heat up your sauce

If you’re working with homemade sauce, it’ll probably already be warm, but since I was using this tasty Mezzetta sauce I moved the tomatoes and peppers out of the pan and then poured about half of the bottle into the big pan I’d been using to sautée in. This helps bring the flavors together since the pan will have remnants of the different flavors I’d been cooking in it, and it was a quick way to heat up the sauce.

Step 4: Prepare your Spaghetti Squash

By now your Spaghetti Squash should be about done. Take it out of the oven, and then using fork, the insides out of the squash and onto your plate, it will naturally come apart into a shape similar to that of spaghetti. It may seem like it’s still kind of hard, but that’s okay because you want your “noodles” to retain some of their delicious fresh squash crunch. You should be able to eat everything up to the skin, it’s all the tasty “meat” of the squash.

Step 5: Plate it!

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from the Food Network, it’s that presentation is everything. I’m not sure it’s everything, because taste is important, but a well plated dish definitely seems to increase the flavor of the food.

For this All-Veggie Spaghetti I topped the Spaghetti Squash with a heaping pile of my sautéed zucchini, mushrooms, onions, garlic, red pepper, and baby heirlooms; and then I took the rest of the baby heirlooms and threw them in as well to add another level of fresh flavor. This ended up being one of my favorite parts of the dish even.

After piling on the veggies I went ahead and topped it with a nice heaping spoonful (okay, maybe I did two spoonfuls) of my delicious marinara sauce. Then I garnished it with a couple slices of mozzarella cheese, a few sprigs of fresh basil, and a cute little baby heirloom on top. I was very pleased with both how it looked, and how all the flavors melded together to make a very delicious dinner with so many levels of flavor and texture. The crunch from the Spaghetti Squash beats soggy noodles for me any day, and the extra shot of flavor from the fresh tomatoes and basil just make it seem so fresh! This was the perfect dish for a “goodbye Summer-hello Fall!” harvest feast. I ate every last bite and made some for the next day too!

Also, in spite of the lack of meat, my crazy canine sat and licked his lips and stared desperately at me while I ate. He must have picked up on all the good smells. I could tell he was super glad it only took me an hour to put this together so I could spend the rest of the evening snuggling with him on the floor-time saved is a great thing when you have bonding to do.

Want to win the Perfect Pasta Night? Mezzetta is giving away one grand prize and a few runner up prizes!

Grand Prize (1): Perfect Pasta Night. Cooking kit includes: Six (6) Mezzetta® Napa Valley Homemade™ Pasta Sauces + Dried Pasta + Apron + Grocery Tote + Chef’s Hat + Cheese Grater + Recipe Cards + $500 grocery gift card

Runner Up Prizes (10): Six (6) Mezzetta® Napa Valley Homemade™ Pasta Sauces + Recipe Cards

ENTER HERE

Angie

http://www.mysocalledchaos.com

Cheesy Curried Mushroom & Onion Stuffed Delicata Squash

October 23, 2013 by Angie 1 Comment

Over the weekend, and after a Trader Joes trip, I decided to try something new and make some stuffed Delicata squash as a side for dinner. I originally got the idea from the little sticker on the squash saying to throw in some veggies and cheese and bake it up, and decided to get a little creative and add a little bit extra flavor. It turned out so delicious, that I decided to share my recipe with you too!

What You’ll Need to Make Stuffed Delicata Squash

2 Delicata Squash

2 cups chopped Mushrooms

1 cup chopped Onions (I used Hawaiian Sweet)

1/2 cup Asiago Cheese

1/2 cup Red Leicester Cheese

2 tbsp Olive Oil

1 tbsp Butter or Butter Subsitute (I used butter flavored Smart Balance)

1 tbsp hot curry paste

Salt & Pepper to taste

Baking the Delicata Squash:

First thing you’ll want to do is take the Delicata squash and poke some holes in them so they can bake through. I took a chopstick and stabbed it a few times. Then put it in a baking pan and stick it in the oven at 350° for 30-40 minutes or until they feel soft.

Sautéing the Stuffing:

Put your Olive Oil in a frying pan and heat it up. Toss in the onions and let them sauté for a few minutes so they’ll soften on their own a bit. Then throw in your mushrooms, butter (for better flavor), curry paste, and salt and pepper to taste. The 1 tbsp of hot curry paste adds just a slight kick, but if you like more heat go ahead and add more!

Stuffing the Delicata Squash

Once the squash has finished baking, pull it out of the oven and cut each one in half horizontally. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and stringy bits inside.Once it’s all set you can put them back in your baking pan and fill each half with your sautéed mixture and then grate your Asiago and Red Leicester cheese over the top of each half. The more the better!

Broil the Stuffed Delicata Squash

Put the Delicata Squash under your broiler for 5-7 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and melty. Once it’s done, it’s ready to eat and be enjoyed!

You can eat these on their own as a meal, or you can add them to another dish as a side!

Angie

http://www.mysocalledchaos.com