Fresh Peach Pie

It's peach season! This is a delicious way to use those peaches. I make it every year- at least once. It's easy and yummy.

You'll need:

1 single crust pie crust, baked

6-8 peaches

1 1/2 cups sugar + more for sprinkling over peaches

5-6 T. cornstarch

1/2 cup water

2 T. butter

1/2 tsp. almond extract

Whipped Cream, Cool whip, or ice cream for topping

Slice 3 or 4 peaches into a bowl. Sprinkle with sugar. Stir gently. Set aside.

Mash 2-3 large peaches. Put in a saucepan. Add the sugar, corn starch, and water. Cook on med. high heat for about 5 minutes. It should be a full boil. Remove from heat and add the almond extract and butter. Put the peaches in the pie crust and pour the cooked mixture over the top. Chill for several hours. Serve with the whipped or ice cream.

Asian Burgers

A fun, fresh twist to your usual hamburger. We got this recipe from Parenting Magazine.

1 lb lean ground beef
2 scallions, finely chopped
1 Tbs minced fresh ginger (I keep fresh ginger in a ziplock in my freezer, then grate it)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbs soy sauce
1 tsp toasted sesame oil (we used veggie oil and sprinkled in a few sesame seeds)
6 English muffins, split and toasted
1/2 medium cucumber, thinly sliced into rounds (optional, but we loved this addition)

In a large bowl mix together the beef, scallions, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and oil. Shape mixture into 6 1/2 inch thick patties. Heat a grill pan or large skillet over medium-high heat (we used our Foreman). Cook the patties about 5 minutes per side or until done.
Serve burgers on English muffins topped with sliced cucumber. Makes 6 servings. Yum.

Buttermilk Waffles

1 3/4 c flour
2 T sugar
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
2 eggs
2 c buttermilk
1/2 c butter, melted
1 t vanilla

1. Combine dry ingredients in bowl and make a well in the center

2. Mix wet ingredients in another bowl, then add all at once to dry mix

3. Add mixture to preheated waffle iron

4. Serve with favorite syrup (they're great with Buttermilk Syrup)

5. Don't forget to share with those you love (c'mon, don't hog it all) ;)

Garden in a Bowl Salsa

Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes. I've bottled lots of salsa (a different recipe):

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and made Summer Tomatoes (my husband's absolute favorite!) and every other tomato recipe I can think of. I decided to make some fresh salsa, that stores in the fridge for a really long time. You don't really need a recipe for fresh salsa- you really can't go wrong- but I do have a secret ingredient that I add as we eat it. We'll get to that. So here's what I did for our salsa, but again, if you're missing something or want to change the quantities- just do it. It will be delicious.

Garden in a Bowl Salsa

About 1 quart tomatoes (give or take a quart!), peeled and coarsely chopped

1 coarsely chopped onion (you can dice some of it to put in after it's processed if you like some onion chunks)

1 or 2 coarsely chopped green peppers (same as onions- I like to dice some of it to put in after it's processed)

1-3 or more jalapeno peppers, to taste (Put in the seeds for more eat, don't for less)

1-3 tsps. salt (more or less to taste)

Lots of fresh ground pepper

1/2 cup chopped cilantro (again, to taste)

Juice of 1 lime

1/2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. sugar

Put all in a food processor. If yours is small, you may need to process parts at a time and then mix it in a bowl. Mix it and taste it on a chip. Add more sugar if it's really acidy and adjust the seasonings to your taste.

Now, here's the secret: When Ken and I went to Lake Tahoe last year on vacation, we found a Mexican restaurant that we LOVED! The salsa was SO good. It was owned and operated by a Mexican- descent family. I talked to the son who made the salsa to ask what is in this stuff that makes it so good. He said his grandmother taught him to add cucumber. Yes, cucumber. And why not? I have cucumbers in my garden, too. I was a little afraid that they might not last in the salsa as long as the other ingredients (stored in the fridge), so I just chop one up as I serve it. I'm thinking next time I might just throw one in the food processor to help thicken the salsa. Anyway, it makes it really yummy and fresh tasting. I also sometimes add green onion as I serve it. This stuff is good on anything: with chips, breakfast burritos, tacos- anything Mexican. Adios!

Easy Double-Layer Chocolate Pie

For some reason, this super simple, quick recipe really hit the spot for me this week. Okay, it wasn't just me . . . it got rave reviews from the whole family and all the guests. Even my two-year-old, who rarely finishes ANY food that is set before her, polished her slice off in a jiffy. It literally took less than five minutes to make, and it was oohhh, so yummy. The perfect cool and easy treat for a hot summer's day!

1 1/4 cups cold milk

2 packages (4 serving size) chocolate flavor instant pudding and pie filling

1 tub (8 oz.) whipped topping, thawed, divided

1 pre-made Graham Pie Crust

• In a large bowl beat milk and pudding mix with wire whisk for 1 minute. Mixture will be very thick. Whisk in half of whipped topping. Carefully spread in crust.


• Spread remaining whipped topping over top.


• Garnish as desired. I used a peeler to shave curls from a Symphony bar. Enjoy immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Toasted Marshmallow Milk Shakes

My sister, Joan, just came for a short visit. Her daughter-in-law, Sarah, is a regular recipe contributor to Howdoesshe.com. Sarah recently posted this recipe for Toasted Marshmallow Milkshakes. We decided to try them out. They were really yummy and oh, so easy. That pretty much describes all of Sarah's recipes on HowDoesShe.com. You can go there for step by step instructions, but here's the short version (for my sized blender- big):

Toast a bunch of marshmallows by putting them on a cookie sheet and watching them closely under the broiler

Put 18 cooled marshmallows in a blender

Add 3 cups vanilla ice cream and 1 1/2 cups milk

Blend well. Pour into glasses and garnish with a toasted marshmallow. A yummy summer treat!

Summer Squash Medley

Our garden is going gangbusters, so every night I'm trying to figure out ways to use the delicious produce. This recipe isn't- a recipe, I mean. It's just a combination of ingredients my dad taught Ken how to put together years ago. When we make it, we always think of my Dad and his delicious food.

Yellow squash, pick them tiny

Zucchini, pick them tiny

onion, chopped

tomatoes, chopped

garlic, crushed or finely minced (I'm lazy and use the crushed from a jar), maybe 1 tsp.

olive oil

Salt, pepper, and basil

Put olive oil in a saute pan and add the squash, zucchini, and onion. Saute until the veggies are tender. Add the garlic and tomatoes and saute a minute or two longer. Add salt, pepper, and basil to taste.