My grandma made the best peach cobbler. She used just picked peaches, real butter and authentic vanilla… no imitation extract for her, she didn’t believe in the stuff.

Although you don’t have to be a rocket scientist, to make good peach cobbler, I’ve never been able to make mine taste like hers. Believe me, I’ve tried!

If you are a piecrust whiz, it’s always best to make your own. But if you haven’t mastered that talent, refrigerated piecrust or even a boxed mix (like Jiffy) can be substituted.

This isn’t my grandma’s recipe, but it yields yummy results. As you will notice it doesn’t require a rolled out crust. It can be enjoyed warm or cold. Top with homemade vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, for a heavenly dessert.

• 4 large fresh peaches, peeled and sliced
• 1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 dash nutmeg (fresh is best, grind your own)
• 3/4 cup milk

Mix peaches with ¾ cups sugar. Set aside.

Pour butter into square (8 inch) baking dish.

Stir together flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and the remaining sugar. Add milk and stir to combine.

Pour mixture over the butter. Top with peaches. Sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired.

Bake at 375° for 45 minutes or until lightly golden brown.

Do you have a favorite cobbler recipe? Feel free to share it here. Desert junkies are waiting!

Photo by: Rick Harris

I’ve never owned an electric knife, but I want one. The Cuisinart Electric Knife with Holder looks as though it just might do the trick. Since I absolutely love my Cuisinart ice cream maker, I have no doubts about this particular brand name.

The main reason I want an electric knife is because I’m tired of eating squished bread. I cannot, for the life of me, slice a decent looking piece of homemade bread. (Thank goodness it still tastes the same, after my attack.)

This knife comes with a meat blade and a bread blade. The nifty wooden storage tray completes the package.

After reading several reviews, I am convinced that the Cuisinart Electric Knife with Holder is the one for me. Those who own it say that it is powerful enough to cut through bone and still exhibits the ability to slice bread perfectly. They also go on to say that even though this knife may seem to be a bit pricy to some, it is well worth the investment.

Electric knives just aren’t for holiday dinners, anymore… especially one of this quality. But, if you find yourself serving turkey more often, just so you can use it, that’s ok too!

I am fast becoming a pineapple ice cream junkie. Homemade ice cream is very addicting, especially during the dog days of summer. There is a HUGE difference in taste between the ice cream you make at home and the commercial stuff. There really is no comparison.

It’s easier for me to justify my addiction, to this high calorie treat, by adding fruit to my creations. After all, fruit is very healthy, right? I also like to add it for purely selfish reasons. My husband rarely eats ‘fruity ice cream’, so that means more for me!

What follows is the recipe I use, for pineapple ice cream. It’s very easy to prepare and works well with any ice cream maker. Actually, it’s a recipe that I came up with myself and I’ve always been more than pleased with the outcome.

Easy Pineapple Ice Cream

2 c. whipping cream
1 c. milk
2/3 c. sugar
1 T. vanilla extract
1 can crushed pineapple, drain (or slice and chunk fresh pineapple)

Simply add everything to your ice cream machine and process. What could be easier? The hardest part is waiting for the finished product.

You can add additional ingredients, as well. I’ve added malted milk powder, shredded coconut and chopped pecans. (But, not all at once.)

What’s your favorite ice cream flavor? Feel free to share it will all of us.

Photo by: Faris Mansor

Technically, I need a new toaster. Mine still works, but it’s older than the hills and burns toast in the blink of an eye. The problem is I happen to love the toast it produces, while at the same time my husband hates it. (So, you see HE’S the reason I TECHNICALLY need a new toaster.)

Now, I have the job of buying a new one. Because of all of the great choices, available today, I’m afraid the task is going to be more difficult than I anticipated.

I kind of have my heart set on a retro-looking model. (I think I’ve mentioned in previous posts that I love all things retro.)

A four slice toaster is a must… especially when it’s homemade bread that’s being toasted. I think I should opt for a wide slot model, as well. No point in being skimpy when slicing the bread, right?

Since my son is all grown up now, I guess a Pop Art Toaster is out of the question, huh? I wonder what my husband would say if I served him toast emblazoned with a snowflake on it?

Do you have a toaster that you’d like to recommend? If so, feel free to leave a comment. I can use all of the help I can get, choosing a replacement. Boy… am I going to MISS my morning burnt toast fixes!

I have a T-Fal Chicken Fryer and I absolutely love it! Perfect for so much more than chicken, it really is a versatile piece of cookware. I guess this is where I should interject the fact that it produces WONDERFUL fried chicken, as well.

This is a huge pan with a heavy-duty clear glass lid. Capacity-wise it holds 5 quarts and features a ‘helper handle’, which makes it a little easier to take out of the oven, should you choose to bake in it. (The T-Fal chicken fryer is oven-proof, up to 350 degrees.)

I have a separate set of T-Fal cookware, in addition to this piece. But, this one is the pan I use the most… so much in fact that I store it on my stovetop instead of in the cupboard.

The pan is 12 inches in diameter and is non-stick, inside and out. I hate to admit it to the world, but I always had a problem making pancakes, until I used the fryer. Honestly, Mrs. Butterworth would have been horrified… as was my son, Alex, at times, by some of pancakes I attempted to make.

I’ve also used the pan to make chili, macaroni and cheese and even lasagna. I just had to adjust the baking time, because of maximum baking temperature.

Do you own a set of T-Fal? If so, please feel free to share your tips with the rest of us.

My husband recently purchased a year-round tomato kit. My way of thinking tells me that since tomatoes are edible… I can get away with talking about his purchase, here.

If these tomatoes actually grow as well as the package portrays, it looks like we will have more tomatoes then we can shake a salad at. This little kit is actually quite impressive.

It would make a wonderful gift for the gardener or chef in your life, regardless of age. Younger kids will have a blast with this. The best part is; they won’t get dirty! On the other hand, it would be perfect for older folks who no longer have the mobility to crawl around in the garden.

These plants can be grown inside or out. They will produce tomatoes, in any season… which I guess is why they are referred to as being ‘year-round’.

If you want to grow them indoors, they can be hung in a window or planted in a pot… minus the bag, of course! If you want to grow them outdoors you can hang the bag on a fence post or balcony.

The secret to success when growing these year-round tomato plants is the ‘millennium soil’ included in the kit. Because of these little crystals, which absorb water and release it into the root system, you will only have the water your tomatoes every six weeks! How cool is that?

Please stay tuned for our results. I can’t wait to plant these tomatoes!

In a recent post I reviewed the Ultimate Bisquick Cookbook. As my mom was looking through it, recently, we started talking about Impossible Pies. (Probably due to the fact that there are 30 such recipes listed, in the book.) This discussion lead to an online recipe search that resulted in a wide variety of tasty sounding dishes.

I am fairly certain that the original Impossible Pie recipe was for Impossible Cheeseburger Pie. But, on this particular recipe search I wanted to try to find one that called for an abundance of garden veggies.

I found the following… for zucchini lovers, everywhere! You can even get a bit creative by substituting some of the other vegetables, for your favorites. I added mushrooms to mine. (Note: this recipe is not from the cookbook, itself. It’s an adaption of one I came accross.)

The dish is so easy to make. It even forms its own crust, like magic.

Impossible Zucchini Pie

1 cup baking mix (it doesn’t necessarily HAVE to be Bisquick)
4 eggs
1 clove garlic (chopped… I cheated and used 2)
½ cup sharp cheese (shredded)
½ cup oil (I prefer Canola)
3 cups zucchini (cut into small cubes)
1 onion (chopped)
½ cup green pepper (chopped)

Blend together the first five ingredients. Arrange zucchini, onion and green pepper in a 9 inch pie plate. Pour baking mix batter on top. Bake at 350° until golden brown… approximately 40-45 minutes. Let set a few minutes, before cutting.

Photo by: Michael T. Gilbert

Because of my limited storage space, I am trying to decide how badly I need a chocolate fountain. My husband will probably tell you that I have no need, whatsoever. But I can honestly say that I’m craving one. (Pun intended!)

These fountains are so cool!  If you do a lot of entertaining you will be happy to know that they have really come down in price, over the last couple of years. Although, commercial quality chocolate fountains still tend to be quite pricey.

The neatest thing about this appliance is the fact that you can use it for much more than chocolate. Typically, anything that is used to fondue can be used in a fountain… except of course hot oil.

I’ve read about people using caramel, cheese, barbecue sauce and even ranch dressing in place of the chocolate. Honestly, your choices are only limited by your imagination. It makes me wonder if I could get away with using a combination of chocolate, marshmallow cream and melted peanut butter. YUM!

Smaller chocolate fountains are great for children’s birthday parties. Most kids are more than a little amazed by this nifty machine that produces such a delicious chocolate treat. It is very easy for them to choose their own ‘dippers’, which makes the entire experience even more unique.

July marks National Baked Bean Month. Sometimes I wonder if anyone loves baked beans as much as I do. (The jury’s still out.) This classic dish can be prepared to recipe specifications or ‘jazzed up’, in a variety of ways. Really, it’s just a matter of taste.

You might be surprised to learn that beans are good for you. Recent studies have shown that including beans in your diet may reduce the chance of heart disease and certain types of cancer. The USDA recommends that all of us eat three cups of beans, per week.

I prefer to bake beans in my crock pot… especially during the summer months. I can start them in the coolness of the morning. They slow cook all day without heating up my kitchen.

Why not celebrate National Baked Bean Month, by adding them to your menu this week? They’re quite simple to fix and require just basic ingredients, all of which you probably have on hand.

Lately, instead of starting out with dry navy beans, I used canned beans and add in my extras. Bush’s Grillin’ Beans is my current bean of choice. I mix-in additional ketchup, brown sugar, onions, green pepper and bacon that I have diced and partially fried.

(If I bake beans in a traditional oven, I arrange uncooked strips of bacon on top instead of dicing and pre-frying.)

I just received my copy of Joy of Cooking – 75th Anniversary Edition. Flipping through it took me back to all of the times that I poured over the pages of my grandma’s copy, when I was in my early teens. Those were the days!

This was and still is a WONDERFUL cookbook. Everyone should add it to their collection, regardless of their level of cooking expertise. It is truly in a class by itself.

This particular edition of Joy of Cooking has over 1100 pages. It contains 4500 recipes…500 of which are brand new. It is packed with food history and reference, trivia and countless tips and tricks, as well.

The first edition of the Joy of Cooking was published in 1931, by Irma Rombauer. (Believe it or not, it was self-published. She published 3000 copies, using the insurance money her husband left her.) Her daughter, Marion, was the books cover designer, illustrator and recipe tester.

1936 marked the first year that the Joy of Cooking was published by a publishing house. 10,000 copies were printed and sold for $2.50 each.

There have been several other editions published, throughout the years. This includes leather bound copies, published in 1963 and 1975, marketed as the ‘Bridal Edition’.

Do you own an older edition of Joy? Feel free to share your review.