“One day I would have all the books in the world, shelves and shelves of them. I would live my life in a tower of books. I would read all day long and eat peaches. ” ~ Jacqueline Kelly

I love words.  Perhaps that’s why I have been an avid reader since I was three and pretending to read the newspaper with my parents, reading anything I could check out at the Port St. Joe public library throughout my childhood, and then eventually becoming an English teacher.

I love words. I love grammar and classic literature and Scrabble, though my little sister usually beats me when we play.

 I am gravitating toward words more and more when I look at art; pieces of art, including jewelry,  that have interesting graphics and memorable quotes are so appealing to me lately!

For example:

Instead of a heart or cross, a word to express my heart; one of my favorite pendants:

Another pendant I love but don’t own, which I found on Etsy.com:

And I found this wall art in Marshall’s and fell in love.

And I like this peach-y ice cream-y one for a festival in nearby Louisiana; what a great graphic!

Hey, speaking of peaches, it’s that time of year! I’m so happy!

 

I bought these fresh peaches at the grocery store a couple of days ago, peeled them, sliced them and baked them into a cobbler.  It was TRULY outstanding.  There is just no comparison between a cobbler made with canned peaches and a cobbler made with fresh ones.  I guess that’s obvious, really, but if you can get fresh ones during spring and summer, you really must.

Sorry to be all bossy.  I just want you to have the pleasure of a great peach. 🙂  

And here’s a lovely juxtaposition of well-written words and peaches!

“A Georgia peach, a real Georgia peach, a backyard great-grandmother’s orchard peach, is as thickly furred as a sweater, and so fluent and sweet that once you bite through the flannel, it brings tears to your eyes.” ~Melissa Fay Greene, Praying for Sheetrock

Now, I’ve had many Georgia peaches in my lifetime, and they are truly wonderful, but Texas peaches are nothing to shake a stick at.  I love them!  I’m planning to go to a local peach orchard very soon to get a bunch and to have a little of their homemade peach ice cream. ( Ham’s Orchard near Terrell, Texas) I intend to try more recipes with peaches this year, but in the meantime, here is a great basic that we all need. This one is courtesy of my friend Amy’s blog, Mia Cucina, Su Cucina.  Click on the link to it below and check out her site soon!

Peach Cobbler

from Mia Cucina, Su Cucina
8 Servings

Topping
1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2/3 cup old-fashioned oats
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 pinch of nutmeg
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

Filling
1/3 cup Instand ClearJel or cornstarch
3/4 granulated sugar (Add more depending on tartness of peaches)
6 cup peaches, peeled & thinly sliced
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon Cognac
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

For topping: Mix first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add butter, cut in butter until mixture resembles course meal. Cover and refrigerate.

For filling: Stir together the sugar and thickener in a large bowl. Add the fruit, vanilla, Cognac and spices, stirring to combine.

Spoon filling into a 9-inch deep dish-pie plate. (A regular square baking dish works well too.) Sprinkle topping over top of the fruit. Bake until peaches are tender and juices bubble thickly, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a rack. Cool 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with a big dollop of whip cream (ed. note: or vanilla ice cream! Yummy!)

Notes:  if you don’t have any cognac, just keep going without it; it tastes spectacular regardless! I just added another teaspoon of vanilla extract instead.  Also, I don’t use the topping from the recipe, because one of the guys won’t eat the oatmeal in it.  I use this filling with different crusts, and it works perfectly. I hope you’ll use it your way and enjoy it as much as I do. 

Keep me posted!