I think I may possibly have the best boyfriend there is. Yesterday he managed to figure out I was in grumpy mode without me even saying much about it, and before you know it, he is taking me out to dinner at my favorite thai place, where we got the usual spring rolls with peanut sauce, and I got my favorite curry. He even let me take his extra spring roll with my leftovers to work. What a guy. He sure knows how to improve my mood! Him cuddling with me the rest of the time we got to spend together didn't hurt either. :)

Well, it's late August again. In my kitchen, that means peach pie made from fresh local peaches! There is nothing like sweet juicy peaches, accented with some cinnamon and nutmeg, inside of a crisp, flaky crust. A scoop of vanilla bean ice cream on the side doesn't hurt either! You can use a 9" frozen pastry shell, but I prefer to make my own crust, and this recipe has ALWAYS gotten rave reviews (thanks, Aunt Bon!), so that is included below.



I always start by slicing and peeling the peaches, since that seems to take the longest. This bowl had about 20 peaches, but we were preparing for 3 pies! I find, depending on the size of the peaches, 1 peach equals roughly a cup sliced. Each pie calls for 5 cups of sliced peaches, so I usually slice 6 just to make a nice full pie. Just adding two extra to the batch above, we not only had FULL pies, but extra peaches after. Don't forget to splash them with a little lemon juice to keep them from turning brown while you slice.



When I'm done slicing and peeling, I move on to adding the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the peaches, so they can sit while I make the dough for the crust. This is what they look like after a while- this batch of peaches was extra juicy! They were just a little firm, so they held up well, but still released a lot of juice.



A close-up of the juicy goodness!




Then it's time to make the dough! This is the easiest dough in the world, and it turns out GREAT! Just add your flour, shortening, salt, and COLD water, then blend with a pastry blender just until combined. The recipe is for an 8" pie, but most pie plates now are about 9"-9 1/2", so I definitely double the recipe, and since this has an upper crust, I tripled it. I'm no good with conversions, and there are a million ways to use that extra dough!



This is what your dough should look like when you're finished mixing. Nice and flaky.



Charisa was a PRO at rolling this out. I haven't used a rolling pin in so long, I didn't know what to do with it! I have gotten so used to patting out everything I make. Also, lucky for me, she knew the fold-the-dough-over-the-rolling-pin-to-lift-it trick, and it worked beautifully!



Next, get your bottom crusts into the pie plates and egg-wash them, then you're ready to fill! I like a nice high pie, but be careful doing that with this one- this filling is very juicy, and your pies leaking in the oven can lead to smoke, and even small fires (we found out the hard way! Keep baking soda near hot surfaces at all times! It's a life saver!). I recommend trying to strain a bit of the juice off of the peaches before spooning them into the crust, and sliding a cookie sheet wrapped in foil on your bottom rack beneath the pie.



After dotting your filling with butter, apply your top crust, cut a few vents (a fun idea for vents is to use mini cookie cutters!), and prepare your edges (flute, or press with the tines of a fork). Follow with an egg wash, and you're ready to bake! If you notice your edges browning too quickly during the baking process, loosely cover with some tin foil and continue baking.



This is the finished result- a wonderfully crisp and golden peach pie. This first one was gone within an hour, and the second one is almost gone today. I would call that a success.



Pie Crust Dough (for an 8" crust)

2 c. flour
1 t. salt
1 c. shortening
1/4 c. cold water (the colder, the better)

Combine ingredients in mixing bowl and blend with pastry blender just until everything sticks. I like to use my hands to finish mixing it before I roll it out.



Peach Pie

1 egg, beaten
5 c. sliced peaches
2 T. lemon juice
1/2 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. salt
2 T. butter

Preheat oven to 450-degrees. Line bottom and sides of a 9" pie plate with pie crust dough. Brush with some of the beaten egg to prevent sogginess later. Place the sliced peaches in a large bowl and sprinkle with the lemon juice. Mix gently. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg; pour over the peaches and mix gently (this is when I usually make my pie crust, so the peaches have time to sit in the mixture a bit). Spoon peaches into the pie crust and dot with butter. Cover with other crust and fold edges under. Flute or press edges with the tines of a fork to seal. Brush the remaining egg over the top crust. Cut vents. Bake for 10 min. in the preheated oven, then reduce heat to 350-degrees and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes. Let cool a little before serving- warm is better than hot.

These have to be some of the cutest cupcakes ever made! Who could resist a Cookie Monster cupcake?! They are so easy too!

Our first cupcake recipe (Alton Brown's Chocolate Chiffon cupcake) didn't work out, since I'm apparently no good at converting from ounces- oops. The texture was neat though, I plan to try again!



Since those didn't work, we went with these Peanut Butter Cupcakes (omitting the glaze, of course). We also dyed them blue! We baked them for 20 min. instead of the recommended time, and they came out PERFECT!


Then we made the frosting, using the classic Wilton Buttercream recipe! The bright food coloring worked better than the classic colors, but we still had to use A LOT to get that color. Next time I want to try one of the color pastes.


Then, it's as simple as cutting slits in the edge of the cupcakes (leave about a 1/4" layer for the top, and cut the slit about halfway into and halfway across the cupcake), cutting Chips Ahoy cookies in half, and inserting them into the cupcakes.


Then you ice them using a star tip (I used an 18) and pastry bag. The eyes are made with white chocolate candy melts and chocolate chips glued onto the flat side of the melt with a little icing. Stick them on your cookie monster, and you're finished!

I realize this is a bit premature, as August is only halfway over, but I am so excited for Autumn! It is my very favorite time of year. The past few weeks I have been turning my heater on in the car when I am out really late, and the mornings have been just a little colder than they usually are- the first hints that the season is getting ready to change. I can't wait for the perfect weather- still warm enough to be comfortable, but just cool enough to wear a jacket, or cuddle under a blanket, and just overcast enough to be beautiful and not a mess. Autumn sunsets are my favorite kind- as the days grow shorter, and the weather just slightly changes, there is a special kind of twilight, more golden than other sunsets, and, of course, highlighting the leaves as they begin to change color, sometimes almost over night. The whole season has the most cozy, comfortable feeling. As Autumn approaches, I am starting my yearly grand plans of baking peach pie in September, and decorating and preparing for a Halloween with family and friends (witch hat cookies, ghost sugar cookies, caramel corn- lots of kitchen fun to be had!), and beginning to put together a Thanksgiving menu for November- the best three or four days I spend in a kitchen the whole year, making dozens of homemade rolls, pumpkin pies and apple pies from scratch, salads, side dishes, snacks, and apple cider to keep us warm! There is nothing more rewarding than setting all of this out for friends and family, along with a golden turkey that is just crisp enough on the outside, and moist and juicy on the inside. And amongst all of these good times, there are hearty homemade soups and crusty breads to be enjoyed, a hot cup of cocoa or cider with your love, a late evening drive to enjoy the colors, or a talkative night in the kitchen with friends.

And that is why I cannot wait for it to be Autumn!

It finally happened after a whole year of being together. . . the first real fight.

It was horrible! I don't ever want to do that again! I realize it will most likely happen again at some point, but I hope that will be a long time from now. Outside of fighting, we didn't talk for two days. And I spent most of that time crying and being a total wreck. I felt empty, hopeless, and sick to my stomach. I was a total wreck.

Thank God, last night he invited me to get together. Honestly, we didn't say hardly anything about it. I cried a lot- he held me, and I think choked up a few times. We both apologized in our own way, and we just let things settle. I already felt a million times better when I got to work last night, and, even after a horrible night at work, I feel even better this morning! I don't think anything could ruin my mood. I have been reminded of just how much I love this man, and how much it hurts to even THINK of not having him around. I am a very lucky girl, and am so happy that things are starting to get back to normal. <3

I know I just posted, but Risa just made tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner. She is totally my hero right now!

Risa and I have been busy in the kitchen! We tried making Irish Soda Bread for the first time ever. We realized we didn't have buttermilk, and were not in the mood to run to the store, so we made our own with a little milk and lemon juice (thanks to her for looking that up for me!). I really liked the way the bread turned out. I like the traditional round shape, and the wedges were a fun way to cut it! It was a really pretty golden brown, and it was very dense, almost like a biscuit. Since it was almost all devoured that same night, I'd say it was a success!


Today I made Banana Bread for the first time ever (I know, that's weird with as much as I bake, but it was just something I never got around to). I realized halfway through putting everything together that I had forgotten something very important- we ran out of sugar! Truvia packets to the rescue! The flavor of the Truvia is stronger than I like, but, overall, the recipe is a good one and I am pretty happy with it! Now I just need to remember to get some more flour and sugar before I start on another baking expedition!!

Risa and I actually got to hang out a little bit today! It was nice. :) And, if things go as planned, we might actually get around to watching The Departed tonight. I've been trying to talk her into it for months- I can't wait! :)