Chilton County Peaches

My Earth Fare post is forthcoming…in the meantime:

Yesterday afternoon I had to run an errand, and on my way home I passed a little produce market that I’ve seen a hundred times.  I noticed a sign that wouldn’t have caught my attention 2 months ago.  Unless you’re a local Alabamian, this won’t mean anything to you – but the sign said “Chilton County Peaches.”  My car turned in to the parking lot as if under a spell and I made my way to the peaches sitting in their little baskets, soaking up the heat of the afternoon…the scent hanging in the air was sublime and I spent a lovely 5 minutes choosing just the right peaches.  The lady at the register sorted through them and declared two of them “too soft” and went to the back to get two better ones.  I love buying from small businesses like this.  Imagine caring about your customers enough to make sure that they are getting the best you have to offer.

When I got home, I added the peaches to my now-overflowing wooden fruit bowl that sits on the corner of the kitchen counter…there are onions hanging in a net bag, garlic and tomatoes, apples, bananas…  I couldn’t resist trying a peach, even though it was nearly suppertime.  I stood at my sink, and took a bite of the best tasting piece of fruit I’ve had lately.  I unashamedly licked my fingers, not wanting to miss even a tiny taste.  I started thinking about writing about eating that peach…and just as quickly I thought, “Who wants to read about you standing over the sink eating a peach?”  But that’s the thing, isn’t it?  I write because I have to write.  I love writing about what I’m doing, what I’m discovering, about the fact that I haven’t had a single Double Stuf Oreo in a month…and I don’t miss them.  Really!  Most of all, though, I feel like I’m ME when I write.  I honor my passions, my interests…the things I value when I take the time to write them down.

So, this morning, dear reader, I had the most delectable breakfast.  I sliced up a peach, poured a couple of tablespoons of organic cream into another bowl and frothed it up a bit with a fork, then…THEN, I drizzled that slightly thickened cream over the peach slices, the cream mingling with the peach juice.  I took a bite and the taste, the scent, the texture was unlike anything I’ve ever had.  I’ve always heard the phrase “peaches and cream” but never thought about actually eating it.  The velvety cream wrapped around those bright saffron slices of peach…it was spectacularly good.

This is a perfect example of how learning to eat real food has changed my life.  A month or so ago, I would’ve grabbed a Toaster Strudel or Pop-Tart, gulped it down with a huge glass of milk, barely tasting any of it.  Now?  Picking out peaches, taking them home, choosing one from my bowl, slicing it, preparing the cream…the whole process felt like a ritual, an homage to the amazing foods that are out there that I overlooked for so long.

Already, the thought of one of those “breakfast pastries” makes my stomach churn.  I can’t fully explain to you what a difference this new philosophy is making, not to mention that while I’m not counting calories, I’m willing to bet that this decadent breakfast would win out health-wise over any of that junk I used to put in my body.  To date, I’ve lost a little over 14 pounds eating cream and whole milk and rich cheese and real butter and fresh local produce.  I feel like I’m getting away with murder!

I hope you can enjoy some lazy summer mornings, delicious meals, and for the lucky few that can get them, some Chilton County peaches.

What we’re eating…

I’m going to run out of titles soon.  How many ways can you say “here’s the food we’re consuming”?  “Here’s the Grub ”?  Umm…no.  “Fancy Fixins’”?  Ewww.  “Food: the Sequel”?

Let’s see.  Last night we had what I thought was a very tasty and satisfying meal.  And, no meat was involved!  I’ve found that buying good quality meats and poultry is what drives up my grocery bill.  So any time I can do a meatless meal that is still hearty and delicious, that’s a great thing.

I cooked Cheesy Vegetable Chowder and Ultimate Cheddar Bay Biscuits (click the names to see the recipes).  The chowder was soooo creamy and good.  It may be my new favorite soup.  I diced the potatoes (Yukon golds, 5 lb. at Organic Harvest on sale, $2.99), the celery, onion and carrots the night before, and stored them in water in the refrigerator overnight.  Once the vegetables were simmering, I made the cheese sauce.  Using whole milk to make the roux really added so much creaminess to the soup.

 

 

Roux thickening on the left, veggies simmering on the right

 

 

 

After the potatoes were tender, but not mushy, the cheese sauce was mixed in.

At first I thought the chowder was a bit thin, but after settling for just a few minutes, it was velvety and just the perfect consistency.

 

Finished product:

The Cheddar Bay Biscuits were also a hit.  Next time I’ll use salted butter (I always keep unsalted on hand because I mostly use it for baking) and I’ll watch to make sure the edges don’t overcook.  This time they went just a minute or two too long.  These are like the biscuits that Red Lobster serves, and I’ve traditionally used this mix to make them:

Oh, they tasted good, these little Betty Crocker biscuits.  Kerry would get all excited when I’d say we were having them.

And just look at all we were getting for the low, low price of $1.49:

Enriched Flour Bleached (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Partially Hydrogenated Soybean And/Or Cottonseed Oil, Vegetable Oil (Palm, Palm Kernel), Leavening (Baking Soda, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate), Corn Syrup Solids, Salt, Dextrose, Garlic, Buttermilk Powder, Modified Corn Starch, Whey, Dried Cheddar Cheese (Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Colored With (Artificial Color, Yellows 5&6), Whey Protein Concentrate, Maltodextrin, Reduced Lactose Whey, Citric Acid, Natural Flavor, Disodium Phosphate, Sugar, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Disodium Guanylate, Disodium Inosinate. Contains Wheat, Milk And Soy Ingredients.

Gulp.

Now, I’d love to show you my beautiful pan of made-from-scratch Cheddar Bay Biscuits, made with organic wheat flour, and natural ingredients.

 

Except I forgot to take a picture of them.

 

They DID look like these, and they were savory and moist and full of flavor. 

I had one small biscuit and a couple ladles full of soup, and enjoyed both tremendously, one smooth and delicious bite at a time.  The biscuits are very filling and buttery and kind of heavy (as they should be in this case) so it’s not likely we’ll have these often, but when we do, we shall enjoy the heck out of ‘em.

Which is the whole point!

Otherwise, what else is going on?  Well, I visited Whole Foods yesterday.  Again. Second time this week.  I just love being there, surrounded by all the beautiful food.  I went to get just an item or two…and you know how that goes.  I found a nice pinot noir on sale, so since that’s part of the Mediterranean way that was really a necessity.  I got some beautiful, soft, non-grainy garlic powder that smelled SO GOOD…enough to fill my spice jar at home, $1.29.  I also bought a basil plant and a rosemary plant ($2.99 each) and put them in a container on my deck.  I’m planning to do a little container gardening – maybe a tomato plant, some lettuces…who knows?  I also got a fresh organic demi-baguette, flavored with rosemary, $1.39, and some heirloom tomato salsa, which was my splurge item…a very small container was $3.50, but the guy who rang up my groceries was raving about it, so I think that’ll be a nice treat, to savor….perhaps I’ll slice up that baguette, toast it, add some salsa, and drizzle with olive oil.  Now my mouth is watering!

So…even though our most dreaded time of the year is here (summer…which should be growled through clenched teeth) I am doing my best to stay positive and enjoy the life that’s opening in front of me.  Mine!

I hope you’re enjoying the ideas and recipes I’m collecting.  I hope, as I learn, that maybe you’ll find something new to try – and also, since I’m trying to include prices when I can remember them, you’ll see that you CAN eat better, even with a budget.  When I found those Yukon potatoes on sale, I snapped them up – THEN found a recipe to use them with…sometimes you have to think on your feet.

A quick “programming” note: I’m considering changing the name of my blog to more accurately reflect what’s happening here.  To borrow a phrase from the same Floyd song I’m using now…what do you think of “Coming Back to Life”?  Let me know in comments.  Thanks for reading and, happy eating!

www.blogspot.com Tags: whole food, nutrition, eating well on a budget, soups, biscuits

On the menu

So…I’m so excited about the foods and combinations of foods I’m discovering that I could probably blog daily.

I won’t subject you to that.

I did want to post an update on Operation Creamer Concoction.  Last night I reheated the cream/milk/syrup/vanilla mixture and added in about 1/4 c. raw sugar.  I thought a little sweetness might improve matters.  And, it did…but I didn’t get that “ah-ha” moment I want.  The search continues…

I had some really good Kashi blueberry waffles this morning, with some maple syrup.  Having occasionally eaten waffles or pancakes with good old Log Cabin “syrup,” I am absolutely delighted with the purer taste and the thinner texture of real maple syrup.  You don’t need nearly as much, the flavor is intense, and it soaks in nicely, flavoring every bite.  The hilarious thing about Log Cabin is this - take a look at the label and see what jumps out at you:

See how proudly it proclaims “NOW! NO HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP”?

Well, good on ya’, Log Cabin!  Way to provide a healthy syrupy substance!
Except…

INGREDIENTS: Corn Syrup, Sugar Liquid (Sugar Natural, Water), Water, Salt, Flavor(s) Natural & Artificial (Lactic Acid), Cellulose Gum, Preservative (Sorbic Acid, Sodium Benzoate), Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Caramel Color, Phosphoric Acid

That’s right.  None of that nasty high fructose corn syrup.  Just…low fructose corn syrup?  And, I’m sorry, but… “hexametaphosphate”?  How is that not a drain cleaner or windshield de-icer?  Regardless of what it is, it sounds frightening.

I looked it up.  Blech.  Google it if you want to know…

I got hungry mid-morning and had some sesame crackers, a little cube of Alouette soft cheese, and half an apple.  A good combination, I think.  It tasted really good, regardless.  And I keep saying to myself…why did I think trying to eat better food would be so hard, that I would feel so DEPRIVED?

Tonight we’re having a vegetable cheese chowder and some garlic biscuits…both from scratch.  I’ll post a review of both recipes soon.

Happy eating!