Tag: Peaches

Accepting Fall & A Giveaway Winner

First up, the winner of my Oloves Giveaway thanks to Random.org is commenter #2: Lauren G.! Send me an e-mail with your shipping information and the olives will be on their way!

****

My favorite season is summer, and I have no problem admitting that each year as fall creeps up, I get a little sad. Sure, fall means apple picking, cider, cooler (but not cold) weather, pretty foliage, etc., but it means we’re that much closer to winter, which I dread. It probably doesn’t help that I’m not into the whole pumpkin obsession either (except for pumpkin beers) since I don’t really love the flavor. Despite my love affair with summer, I don’t loathe fall – I appreciate all the things that come with it, especially when it comes to food and fashion.

Even though peach season is almost over, it’s perfect weather for apples here in New Jersey. So my fresh box the last few weeks has included peaches and apples, resulting in an overflowing crisper drawer full of the two fruits. My sister is a baking fiend, and any time she’s home, she’s in the kitchen just throwing together desserts on a whim. While she was still home during the summer she made a phenomenal peach and blueberry crumble, so I decided to try an recreate it with peaches and apples.

I love cooking, but baking still intimidates me. Some people (like my sister) just have a knack for baking and can throw things together easily; that definitely isn’t how I roll. I’m extremely comfortable in the kitchen cooking savory dishes, but for whatever reason, baking requires a different level of confidence I just don’t have, so I rely heavily on recipes when it comes to baking. But this past Sunday, I went a bit out of my comfort zone and threw together this simple peach and apple crumble, that is perfect for breakfast, a snack, or dessert!

Peach & Apple Crumble | FoodosaurusRex.com

Peach & Apple Crumble
– serves 4 – 

Ingredients:
2 apples, seeds removed and sliced (I used Gala, but you can use your favorite type)
2 peaches, pitted and sliced (I used white peaches, but same applies here – any kind will work)
2 Tbsp butter, cut into little pats (8 squares)
2 tsp flour
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt
For Crumble:
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp butter, cut into little pats

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the apple and peach slices, flour, sugar, cinnamon, and pats of butter.
3. Spray a a cake pan with cooking spray, and add in the fruit mixture. 
4. In the same bowl you had the fruit, add the remaining flour, sugar, butter, and oats. Use a fork to mix everything together, slightly mashing the butter in the process. Sprinkle the crumble on top of the fruit. 
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the crumble is golden brown.

Peachy Keen

There’s no other way to say it: I made peach salsa on Sunday and it was awesome. Using ingredients from my fresh box, I threw together a flavorful peach salsa that took a total of 10 minutes to prepare. The great thing about salsas like this, is that the longer they sit around, the better they taste.

While this is the case for salsa, the same principle cannot be said for my running. On Sunday I had 12 miles scheduled. The temperature was deceptively cool; I figured it would be easy to get through and I’d be ready to really up my mileage this week. I’ve been struggling trying to slow myself down on my long runs, so my goal was to stay within the 9 minute mile pace – I didn’t care if it was 9:01 or 9:59, I just wanted to be slower than 8, but faster than 10. Because it rained so much the day before, the tow path alongside the Raritan River was super muggy which made the run much harder than it seemed at the time. By the time I finished 7 miles and was back in the park, I was dripping with sweat and had to stop at a water fountain (I mean soaked to the point where the brim of my hat was dripping!). The next three miles were not so fun.

I got through another 3.5 miles, but called it quits at 10.5. I knew I needed to get my 12 for the day, so 5 hours later after preparing the oh-so-delicious salsa, I set back out for another light jog. It was misting and looked like it could downpour at any moment, but I managed to get through 2.5 miles with an 8:05 average to round myself out to 13 miles for the day. It’s nice to know that only a few hours after a run I struggled through, I was able to not only run again, but do it in a somewhat fast manner. And, I saw two rainbows on the run!

But back to the salsa. I decided to use the salsa as a topping for some simple grilled salmon. I didn’t season the salmon at all – I threw it on the grill for about 10 minutes on medium-high heat (about 5 minutes on each side) and the salsa provided the rest of the flavor. Paired with some grilled corn on the cob and mashed potatoes, this meal was a serious winner.

The recipe is really easy and straight forward, and it’ll last you a few days. As long as it’s stored in an air-tight container, you can keep it refrigerated for about a week… if it lasts you that long!

Spicy Peach Salsa
– Makes about 3-4 cups – 

Ingredients:
3 large tomatoes
2 large peaches
1 jalapeño (deseed it if you don’t want it spicy)
1/2 medium white onion
1/4 cup cilantro
Juice from one lemon

Directions:
1. Dice tomatoes, peaches, jalapeño, onion, and cilantro and combine in a medium sized bowl. 
2. Squeeze the lemon juice and mix to combine. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes – but the longer, the better!