MAGIC Peach Cobbler

Magic Peach Cobbler - by Jane

I realize that there has been quite a dessert streak on the blog, but who doesn't love dessert? Here's another one! I promise to try and get more variety very soon.

My mom purchased the What’s Cookin’ in Washington County Cookbook in 1993 when the county was celebrating its 175^th anniversary. In her words...."I just thought it would be a good reference since there were so many recipes in it from people I knew. Why I didn’t contribute at the time, I don’t know…lazy, I guess. Anyway, there are so many good basic and not so basic recipes in it! I have been using the above recipe every fresh peach season since 1993, and my family loves it. As with other favorites, the girls now make it, too. We have also tried other seasonal fruits in place of the peaches, and it works great. Canned fruit works as well if you do not have fresh."

The photos below were take at my Aunt Sandy and Uncle Lou's river house; mom and Aunt Sandy even used her vintage bakeware and mixing bowls...and now those bowls have been gifted to Lula and me to make our own memories with!

And, I just made this recipe again last week with peaches and blackberries - delish! Love when a recipe is both simple and versatile!

Magic Peach Cobbler

9x9 pan recipe                                                                          9 x 13 pan recipe

1 stick butter                                                                            1 stick butter

1 cup sugar                                                                               1 ½ cup sugar

1 cup flour                                                                                1 ½ cup flour

1 ½ tsps. baking powder                                                           2 ¼ tsps. baking powder

1 ¾ -2 cups sliced peaches                                                       2-2 ¼ cup peaches

¾ cup milk                                                                                1 ½ cups milk

1 cup sugar                                                                                1 cup sugar

Melt butter in pan. Mix together the sugar, flour, baking powder, and milk; pour over the butter. DO NOT STIR. Arrange the peaches over this, and then sprinkle the last cup of sugar over the peaches as evenly as possible. Bake for 30-40 minutes depending on pan used at 350*. The mixture forms a delicious crust on the top of the fruit that is mouthwatering.

Serve with ice cream or a little half and half over it, or, eat it as is! Any way you choose is yummy!

You know how we do it, simple, simple, simple!

Melt butter, then poor the batter over-top. Do. NOT. Mix.....it's MAGIC.

Gently place the fruit in the pan with the butter and batter...
again, don't mix it!

Tick-tock, tick-tock...

The batter bakes up and around the fruit to make the cobbler. Magically.

Could be a photo IN the cookbook! So cute in the Vintage Kitchen!!

Home-made Ice Cream!

Home-Made Ice Cream - A Heape Family Favorite circa 1961

It is HOT. I don't even think that describes it adequately - we need another word for it. Like, cantankerous. Which by definition means "difficult or irritating to deal with." So this weather is cantankerous! It sounds so much more dramatic than just plain, old hot; and no, I have no idea if this is grammatically correct, but I am too hot to care.

So - that being said...due to the cantankerous heat wave, I decided last week to make my mother's home-made ice cream. Traditional vanilla - cool, smooth and refreshing! This recipe, I learned, has been used since the mid-20th century - starting with my Grandma Lula.

Although my grandmother's twin, Luther, had a hand-cranked machine, my mother and aunts remember being lucky to have an electric one (probably from Tru-Value, where grandma worked for years). The recipe, we believe, originated in a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, but we're unsure of the original publication date. When my parents were married, my mom received the 1972 version and began using it going forward since it was virtually identical - and that is pretty much the recipe we have below.

Over the years home-made ice cream became a regular favorite for birthdays and special occassions. Both my grandma Lula and my father's parents enjoyed the tradition of making it on a hot day...even for no reason at all. Grandma Barb always wanted my mom to make it - "she makes it the best," grandma Barb would say!

Vanilla Ice Cream

4 quart recipe                          6 quart recipe

4 eggs                                         6 eggs

2 1/2 c sugar                              3 3/4 c sugar

5 c milk                                      7 1/2 c milk

2 c half&half                              3 1/2 c half&half

3 c heavy cream                         4 c heavy cream

2 1/2 TBLS vanilla                      4 1/2 TBLS vanilla

1/2 tsp salt                                 3/4 tsp salt

2-3 bags 7# ice

ice cream salt

Beat eggs till really light. Add sugar gradually, beating till thick. Add remaining ingredients; mix well. (Eggs could take several minutes to get light. All of the liquid may not go into the mixer bowl so after transferring it to the freezer, add what you have left and stir before freezing.)

This recipe is for a 4-6qt freezer.

Put container in with lid and motor on first. Then begin alternating layers of ice and salt. After first layer of each, you can turn the motor on. Be generous with the salt. As the ice melts, add more, of course. If you are churning this outside, the humidity and temperature will effect how long it takes. It could be anywhere between 20-40 minutes. When it is finished, take the paddle out. Then you can either put the container in the freezer, or, you can drain some of the salt water off and 'pack' the bucket by adding additional ice to the bucket then cover it with a towel or rug. 

 So I totally FAIL on photos of the canister and paddles as I was starting the freezing process...and during the freezing process. But what's really important? The outcome, right? It was delicious!

When the ice cream is done, it is soft serve - just put it
in the freezer if you want it thicker!

DID YOU MAKE IT? LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THOUGHT BELOW!!