" I think I can, I think I can! "

As I stated earlier, I've really let my blogging go to the dogs, or the garbage disposal! I swear I've been cooking up a storm lately, especially for the dinner's we've been invited to. I made a tasty Paella Salad that E thoroughly enjoyed. I also learned how to make fresh gnocchi, which I've been dying to learn how to for years! I still need to blog about "Julie & Julia" and S's encounter with Julia Child at Macy's in Union Square. Us Lake County folk are also up in a tizzy about the upcoming Pear Festival and currently the pear picking season (it's kind of a big deal around here). When E came home early last Friday, he witnessed a sheriff giving a ticket to some people stealing pears from the orchard across the street.

Getting back to the blog, my last blog was about finding various dishes using peaches from our backyard. I was somewhat unsuccessful and couldn't find too much in my magazines or online. Much to my appreciation, MB sent me a site from the NY Times about a recipe for canned brandied peaches. It looked delicious but I didn't think I had the culinary expertise to accomplish such a feat! After sitting on the idea for a couple of hours, I finally talked myself into actually doing it! It's not like I didn't have 75-80 peaches sitting outside my door! The entire time I spent canning the peaches (which was only about 1 hour 20 minutes) I told myself...... "I think I can.. I think I can .. I think I can.. I think I can can these peaches!!!!" It might be somewhat strange, silly, or weird that I got encouragement from a book that's targeted for children age 4-8, but hey, whatever works right?


It was such a fun task, although very sticky! I misread a sentence and became extremely anxious not knowing some of the lingo. I asked around the neighborhood, i.e. V&S and E's dad looking for the #1 peach fan, and no one knew what it meant. I even e-mailed MB, asking her what the heck it meant. Well of course nobody knew what "fleshing" meant because there's no such thing as "fleshing!" I plan on doing the rest of the canning tomorrow and as convenience would have it, the Times also had a canned poached pear recipe which I will be using!! If you're upset about this being the last encounter with the brandied peaches and poached pears, not all is lost my friend! E and I will be giving these out as Christmas presents! So you too, can experience all the tastiness Lake County has to offer! I thought this would be a good environmentally friendly, economical gift since we're trying to save some money to go on a trip... perhaps Africa!

A special thanks to MB, for which this blog post would not have not been possible (do I sound like PBS?)

Also, you're not hallucinating if you see a bunch of crazy different fonts on this blog.. I have no idea how to control it or get it to the size I want.. it's infuriating, but if I can can peaches I can figure out how to control the font!


Brandied Peaches
recipe by New York Times & MB
time: around 1 hour 20 minutes

3 pounds ripe peaches

3 cups sugar

About 1/2 cup brandy.

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Using the tip of a paring knife, make a shallow “X” in the bottom of each peach. Add the peaches, one at a time, to the boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Remove the peach from the water and plunge into a bowl of ice water. Repeat with the remaining peaches. Peel off the skins, then pit the fruit and quarter the flesh.

2. In another large pot, combine 3 cups water and the sugar and bring to a boil. Add the peaches and simmer until just soft.

3. Have the jars, bands and new lids scalded and ready. (To scald, dip the jars and rims in boiling water. You don’t need to sterilize the jars, as you will be processing them for more than 10 minutes.) Simmer the lids in hot water to soften the rubberized flange. Gently pack the peaches into the jars.

4. Boil the leftover syrup until it thickens slightly, then spoon it over the fruit, filling the jars ¾ full. Use a butter knife to release any air bubbles caught in the jars. Pour in enough brandy to fill the jars, leaving ¼ inch of headroom. Wipe the rims, cover with the lids and screw on the bands fingertip-tight. Place the jars on a rack in a big pot and cover with 2 to 3 inches of water. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to medium and gently boil for 20 minutes. Remove the cover and then, after about 5 minutes, remove the jars. Allow them to cool, untouched, for 4 to 6 hours. Check the seals and store in a cool, dark place for up to a year. Refrigerate after opening.

Makes 2 pints.