Roasted Peaches

Ingredients:

peaches
ground cinnamon (or cayenne pepper or Chinese Five-Spice)

toppings:
honey (or maple syrup or brown sugar)
yogurt (or sour cream or ricotta or whipped cream or ice cream)
almonds (or pecans or walnuts)
granola


Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Cut peaches in half and remove pit. Sprinkle peaches with cinnamon (I've been using cayenne this summer because I like the heat). Place peaches on baking pan (I do cut side down, unless I'm adding sweetener before roasting).

Put pan in oven for 25 to 30 minutes.

Place peaches in bowls and top with a drizzle of honey and a couple spoonfuls of yogurt, almonds, and granola.


This recipe is also linked to...

Food on Friday: Pears and Peaches

Blackberry-Peach Cobbler

For the filling:
3 cups blackberries
1 tablespoon sugar (use more if your fruit is particularly tart)
2 1/2 cups chopped peaches
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

For the biscuits:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar, plus additional 2 tablespoons sugar for sprinkling
1 cup sour cream


Directions:

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F, position a rack in the bottom third of the oven.

Mix blackberries and sugar in a medium bowl, add peaches and almond extract.

In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and 1 tablespoon sugar until well blended. Fold in sour cream and stir until incorporated.

Turn out dough onto a floured work surface and shape into a log. Cut the log into eight slices, and pat until about an inch thick.

Pour fruit filling into a deep-dish pie pan and arrange biscuits on top. Sprinkle top with remaining sugar, then place the pie pan on a cookie sheet to catch drips.

Bake 25 minutes on lower rack of the oven, until the top is golden.

Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Taco Salad

Ingredients

1 lb. extra lean ground beef
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 can of corn niblets
1 can of pinto, kidney or black beans (optional)
1 head of iceberg lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
2 tomatoes, diced
1 purple onion, chopped (optional)
2 cups cheese, shredded (mozzarella, cheddar, tex-mex, etc)
1 bottle catalina dressing
1 bag tortilla chips, lightly crushed (you could use Doritos or Fritos)
garnish (sour cream, green onions, olives, avacado, guacamole, etc.)


Directions

Brown ground beef; drain fat. Toss with dry taco seasoning, corn, and beans (if using), then set aside until cool.

In a large bowl, combine lettuce, tomatoes, onion, and cheese.

Right before serving, add the beef, tortilla chips, and dressing. Mix well.

Corn and Tomato Summer Salad

For the vinaigrette:
1/2 lemon, juiced, about 1 1/2 tablespoons
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper pepper
2 ounces ricotta salata

For the salad:
5 to 6 fingerling potatoes, about 1/3 pound
1 ear fresh corn, unshucked
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved lengthwise
3/4 cup hearts of palm, sliced
2 large handfuls baby lettuce or arugula, washed and dried
Handful fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped (optional)


Directions:

To make the vinaigrette, combine the lemon juice, vinegar, and mustard in a bowl and whisk to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Slowly stream in the olive oil while whisking vigorously. Set aside.

Bring a small pot of salted water to boil. Ready a bowl of ice water to the side. Add the unpeeled fingerling potatoes to the pot and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until one can be sliced in half easily. Remove the potatoes from the pot with a slotted spoon and put in the ice bath for 5 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Remove, pat dry, and slice into 1/4-inch rounds.

Cook the ear of corn, in its husk, in the microwave on HIGH for 3 minutes. Remove, allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then shuck. Cut the kernels off the cob. Toss the kernels with the sliced potatoes, sliced tomatoes, hearts of palm, lettuce, and basil (if using).


To serve, toss the salad with the vinaigrette, crumble the ricotta salata on top of salad, and season with salt and pepper.