It’s peach season here in Colorado and my brother brought home a big bag of peaches that needed to be eaten. My favorite way to eat  peaches is cobbler, but I didn’t want to make a huge pan, so this recipe was a match made in heaven. The filling looked just like a can filling after baking, but a thousand times better due to the fresh peaches. All in all I will definitely be making these again.

For the Fruit:

• 2 cups fresh peaches, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

For the Topping:

• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350. Mix together the peaches, sugar and cornstarch in a medium size bowl. Divide the filling between 4 ramekins that have been sprayed with cooking spray. In the same bowl, combine the flour, sugars and cinnamon. Mix in the melted butter with a fork, the mixture will not be completely wet, more sandy in texture, but should still be able to clump together. Sprinkle the topping over the fruit, making sure to leave some bigger clumps. (I then sprinkled the tops with cinnamon sugar, but that’s completely optional) Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes, then take out of the oven and rest for 15 minutes. Serve with ice cream or whipped topping.

As I’ve mentioned before, samoas are by far my favorite Girl Scout cookie. I tried not long ago making them myself and while the result was fabulous, it was very time intensive. We’re talking almost 4 hours. So when I found this recipe for a Samoa Truffle, I hoped it would taste as good as it looked, with a lot less hassle.  Well, it was and I’ll definitely be making it again. The recipe calls for dulce de leche, but I think next time I will try Kraft caramels and see if I like that better. Recipe and photo courtesy of shugarysweets.com.

I made this recipe for Easter brunch and it was so good. Light and refreshing, the perfect finish to a hearty meal.  While the recipe lists this as a salad, I layered all the different elements for a parfait so you could retain as much of the different textures as possible. It looked pretty too! Recipe and photo courtesy of thegunnysack.com

• 1 cup pretzels, crushed
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup butter, melted
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 8 oz whipped topping
• 2 cups fresh strawberries, diced

Mix together the pretzels, pecans, brown sugar and butter. Spread on a large, lined baking sheet with sides (like a jelly roll pan) and bake at 400 for 7 minutes.  Allow to cool completely and break into pieces.  In a mixer, combine the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Fold in the whipped topping. Right before serving, chop up the strawberries. If making a salad, fold the pretzel mixture and strawberries into the whipped mixture.  If making parfait, start with a layer of pretzel, then whipped topping, then strawberries. Repeat til you reach the top of your serving glass.

One of my husband’s favorite pies is cherry, and since I am not a fan of canned cherry pie filling, I decided to go the crisp route.  This recipe is adapted from Pioneer Woman’s Cherry Almond Crisp, but since I also not a fan of almonds/almond extract, I added pecans instead. It turned out fabulously and I will definitely be making it again.

Crumb Topping:

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• dash of nutmeg
• 1/4  teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons butter, salted
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Cherry Filling:

• 1 lb frozen cherries
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350. Spray 5 ramekins with non-stick baking spray and set aside. Combine all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Cut the butter into the dry mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.  In a separate bowl, combine the cherries, vanilla, sugar and cornstarch and toss to coat. Evenly distribute the cherries between the ramekins then generously cover with the crumb topping. Don’t be afraid to pile the ramekin high as it will cook down during baking.  Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until golden and bubbling. Serve warm or room temperature with ice cream.

My husband requested cheesecake for Christmas Day, and when I asked what kind he said, “Cheesecake”.  According to him there is only one kind of cheesecake and it needs no other adornment or flavoring.  In the spirit of that, this cheesecake recipe is the classic Kraft recipe that you can find on the back of the block of cream cheese.  I baked it in a water bath and it turned out perfectly.

Cheesecake

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 4 blocks cream cheese (8oz each)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 eggs

Strawberry Puree

• 1 pint fresh strawberries
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

For the cheesecake, preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter and press into a 9″ springform pan that has been wrapped in foil.  Cream together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth, approximately 3-4 minutes.  Add the eggs one at a time and mix until just incorporated. Pour the mixture into the pan.  For the water bath, place the foil wrapped pan into a roasting pan or large baking pan and add about an 1/2 to 1 inch of boiling water.  This ensures your cheesecake won’t crack. Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until there is only a slight jiggle in the center of the cheesecake.  Take the cheesecake out of the oven and let cool on the counter for about an hour.  Move it to the fridge and let it continue chilling at least 4 hours, or overnight.

For the strawberry puree, combine strawberries, sugar, and vanilla in a saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. The mixture will sizzle for a while, but then juice will begin to form. Continue stirring; mash a few strawberries with a wooden spoon or heat-proof spatula to help produce the syrup. Cook until sauce thickens, about 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and use an immersion blender or normal blender to puree about 1/2 of it, leaving some chunks of strawberry.  Store in the refrigerator.

This was the second of the three pies that I made for Thanksgiving.  The lemon juice really gave the pie a brightness, and helped cut the sweetness a little bit.  I simplified the steps in the recipe because I feel like the Food Network directions make it seem a little more complicated than it needs to be.

Filling:

• 1 refrigerated pie crust
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 pounds pears, peeled and chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds baking apples, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 cup mixed dried fruit
• 1/2 cup honey (I actually only used 1/4 cup so it’s your preference)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 lemon, juiced and zested
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• `1/2 teaspoon salt

Topping:

• 3/4 rolled oats
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 ground cinnamon
• 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Prepare the crust in a greased pie plate, set aside. Preheat the oven to 375.  For the filling, combine the flour, pears, apples, dried fruit, honey, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla, cinnamon and salt and toss to coat. Pour into the crust and then make the topping.  For the topping, whisk the oats, flour, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl.  Using your fingers, or a pastry cutter, work the butter into the dry mixture until small clumps form.  Mound the topping over the fruit mixture and bake until the topping is brown and bubbling, about 1 1/2 hours. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely.