Georgia Peach Pie with Strawberries

Memorial Day marks the first day of Summer, and here in Georgia that means many things. 

Within the next month... the heat will become practically unbearable...  all fashion sense will be out the window replaced by the constant adornment of tanks tops and breezy skirts... everyone’s faces will be kissed pink by the sun... sweat beads will make wearing makeup pointless... steam will rise off of the pavement every night after sun set... there will be an abundance of annoying bugs with wings...

and there will be so many peaches! 

The best peaches!

The peaches that you buy from a little roadside stand.  

Peaches that are that so juicy that not only does the juice run down your chin, but it also runs down your hand all the way to your elbows. 

In July I am going to be leaving this dull Georgia heat and replacing with the milder coastal breezes of Annapolis, Maryland. For my entire life I have loathed the Georgian summer, but now that I’m moving I really think I might miss a little. But only a little. 

Oh man, I am really going to miss those fresh, juicy Georgia peaches though! 

So as a tribute to what may be my last summer in Georgia I made a peach pie, but not just any peach pie. 

I made a pie with a light and flaky crust filled with fresh peaches and big plump strawberries sprinkled with delightful medley of sugar and spices. 

This pie is definitely not going to taste like the one your grandmother used to make (that is if your grandmother made peach pie, because mine never did) because I cut out some of the sugar and the butter to really let the fruit stand on its own which makes this pie have a nice natural tartness. 

What You Need:

For the Crust:

• 2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup of (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
• 5 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons ice cold water
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

For the Filling:

• 3 pounds ripe peaches (About 6 peaches)
• 1 cup fresh strawberries
• 1/2 cups granulated sugar 
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• scant 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash
• 2 tablespoons sugar for topping crust before baking

What to Do: 

To make the crust...

1. In a medium bowl sift together flour, sugar, and salt.  
2. Add cold, cubed butter and, using your fingers, work the butter into the flour mixture.  Some butter pieces will be the size of oat flakes, some will be the size of peas. 
3. Stir together the ice cold water and vinegar   
4. Create a well in the butter and flour mixture and pour in the water and vinegar mixture.  
5. Use a fork to bring to dough together, moistening all of the flour bits.  
6. On a lightly floured work surface, dump out the dough mixture.  It should be moist and shaggy. 
7. Divide the dough in two and gently knead into two disks.  
8. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

To make the filling...

1. Slice peaches and berries.  
2. In a medium bowl, combine the fruit.  
3. In a small bowl, combin sugar, spices, flour, and cornstarch.  
4. Pour the sugar mixture over the fruit, and gently toss together.  
5. Stir in the lemon juice.  
6. Place bowl of fruit in the fridge to rest while you roll the crust out.

Assembling the pie...

1. Preheat oven to 400º F.  
2. Place a rack in the center of the oven, and place a baking sheet on the lower rack to catch any pie drippings so that you don’t make a mess of your oven.
3. Remove one of the pie dough disks from the fridge.  
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out into about a 13-inch round.  Roll the dough a few strokes, then use your fingers to move the emerging circle around the floured surface. This ensures that the dough isn’t sticking to the work surface. The circle may not be perfect. Try not to get any tears in the rolled out dough, but if you do, they can be patched together with extra dough.    
5. When you roll the dough and you can see it start springing back, that means that the butter is warming and the crust shouldn’t be rolled out anymore.  
6. Gently lift the 13-inch round from the floured surface and center in the 9-inch baking dish.  
7. Place in the fridge while you roll out the top crust.
8. Roll out the top crust just as you did the bottom crust, moving the dough across the floured surface every once in a while, and creating a roughly 13-inch circle.  
9. Remove the bottom crust and fruit filling from the fridge.  
10. Gently pour the fruit filling into the pie dish.  
11. Carefully remove the top crust from the work surface and drape over the fruit in the pie dish.  
12. With a small knife, trim the crust, leaving about 3/4-inch overhang.  
13. With your fingers press the top and bottom crusts together and fold under.  
14. Use a fork or your fingers to crimp the edges of the dough.  
15. Cut five small slits in the top of the crust so the juices and steam can vent.  
16. Brush lightly with beaten egg and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture.
17. Place pie in the oven and bake at 400º F for 15 minutes.  
18. Reduce the oven heat to 375º and bake for 40-45 more minutes.  
19. Remove from the oven when crust is browned and golden, and the juices are bubbling.  
20. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 2 hours before serving.  
21. Place covered in the fridge to store.  Pie lasts up to 3 or 4 days.

Original recipe can be found here.

Music to enjoy your summer to... Washed Out- "Feel It All Around"

Vegan whole wheat chocolate chip cookies

Life is filled with uncertainties, but there are some things in my life that I believe will always be certain:

• Marlon Brando will forever be the most handsome man that ever lived

• Socks will always be practical and comfortable during the day, but as soon as I go to bed they will always feel like little foot smothering devices 

• My hair will always be mostly wavy, but still awkwardly straight in random places 

• I will always feel crazy excited when I hear wolves howl or see lightning strike 

• I will always wish that my life was narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, because even the little things would be that much cooler (“...then Katie picked up her m%*&er f#!@ing toothbrush and brushed her m%*&er f#!@ing teeth!”)

• I will always baby talk to cute animals, even though I think its annoying when other people do it 

• Due to exposure to horror films at an early age, I will always be secretly afraid of werewolves lurking in the dark and psychopaths hiding in the closet

• I will always feel like dancing when I hear “This Must by the Place” by Talking Heads

•  I will always make chocolate chip cookies at least six times a year 

Here is a recipe for some whole wheat vegan chocolate chip cookies for those times when you really need a cookie but you’re certain that your thighs would hate you if you ate one. 

What you need:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 2/3 cup canola oil
• 2 tablespoons of cornstarch 
• 1/4 cup unsweetened non dairy milk (I used almond milk)
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 350º 
2. Combine the sugars with the oil and mix until well combined
3. Rapidly whisk in the cornstarch until there are no more lumps
4. Stir in milk and vanilla
5. Add one cup of the flour, the baking soda, and the salt and mix to combine
6. Add the second cup of flour and stir until everything well combined 
7. Fold in the chocolate chips
8. Scoop well rounded tablespoons of dough onto a lightly greased cookie sheet, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart
9. Lightly press down the tops cookies 
10. Bake for 10-12 minutes depending on how crispy you like your cookie
11. Allow to cool for five minutes on a cooling rack before serving 

This recipe was adapted from Vegan Cookies Take Over Your Cookie Jar. 

Music to dance to... Talking Heads. Duh! 

Sweet and Healthy Avocado Pudding

Sometimes, but not often, its nice to take a break from baking. Its nice to wake up and start your day of healthy and continue to finish your day off healthy without any sweet little monsters trying to add inches around your waist line. 

I mean, don’t get me wrong I love, love, love, love, love baked goods! 

(Well, now that I think about it I fell like I actually like baking things and eating the batter while baking more than I like then end result. A little weird, I know.)

But  let’s be honest sometimes its nice to eat things that are guiltless, scrumptious, and won’t lead to a next-day-gym-freak-out, which happen pretty often in my life considering my love for cookies and chocolate. 

When I exercise I don’t feel half as guilty about eating sweets as I do when I don’t exercise. 

That’s kind of a “Duh!” though right? 

So today I skipped the gym which means I am going to skip the baking. However I did make a pretty yummy avocado pudding, and I ate it all for breakfast (that’s right, pudding for breakfast), and I don’t feel bad, and that’s that! 
This pudding is creamy and sweet in all the right ways. The avocado flavor is subtle, if not nonexistent. Don't be weary, just try it! Trust me, you'll love it!  

What you need (for 1 serving):

• 1 ripe haas avocado 
• 1 ripe medium sized banana
• 1/4-1/2 cup of nondairy milk or water (if you want a raw pudding)
• 1/4 cup of ice cubes
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon raw agave nectar
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin coconut oil 
• 1 tablespoon cocoa nibs (optional) 

What to do:

1. Add all of your ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth
2. Add more water if your mixture is too thick. You want the consistency of pudding. 
3. Serve immediately in a bowl. Top with fresh fruit, nuts, granola, or whatever you’d like. 

Tip or Trick: Add one teaspoon of peppermint extract before blending. Once the mixture is blended and smooth pour it into ice trays. Allow a few hours to freeze. Once frozen pop your little avocado ice cubes out into a blender, and blend for a raw mint chocolate chip frozen dessert. 

Music to smile to:  The War on Drugs - "Baby Missiles"

Orange cardamom cookies with white chocolate chip love

            There is a special place in my heart reserved for cookies! I know that my heart is a huge fan of cookies, because when I eat them it goes pitter patter. I have a special heart that’s immune to butter, and in fact butter makes it happy. My heart loves me! No big deal. 

           
           Now we all know that I am talking about my psychological heart, I mean duh! You know, I'm talking about the one that’s shaped like a Valentine’s card. ❤  That’s the heart that loves cookies! My main heart, a.k.a. my cardiac muscle, probably loves cookies a little less than my brain heart. (see what I just did there, main heart... brain heart. mmhmm.) However right now I have no proof of that; so who’s to say that it doesn’t love cookies? Not me! I’m no cardiologist! 

          So today I decided that I would make my heart happy (my brain heart that is) by baking some exciting cookies! 

         
         These orange cardamom cookies have a bright summery flavor that would make anybody’s heart pitter patter! With their supple texture and little bits of white chocolate, these babies practically melt in your mouth. They are everything heart could desire... and then some! 

What you need:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick butter or margarine, softened
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1-2 tablespoons orange zest
• 1 teaspoon cardamom 
• 1 cup white chocolate chips 

What to do: 

1. Preheat oven to 350º
2. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt
3. In the large bowl of a stand mixer beat together butter and sugars together until well combined and fluffy 
4. Beat in egg, vanilla, cardamom, and orange zest until well combined
5. Slowly add in the flour mixture until everything comes together to form your dough
6. Using a rubber spatula fold in the white chocolate chips 
7. Scoop out well rounded tablespoons of dough onto a greased cookie sheet. Space each cookie about two inches apart. 
8. Bake for about 10-12 minutes. The cookies are done when they have begun to brown around the edges.
9. Allow your cookies to cool on a cooling rack for about ten minutes.

Music to bake to... because this song is cute! 

Finding comfort in baking, and a vegan friendly recipe for banana scones

            I believe that honesty will get you very far in life. You should always stand up for your values, you should always be yourself, and you should follow your heart, even if people advise you not to.  You will never be able to please everyone! But if you maintain a positive and honest relationship with yourself and constantly strive for goodness; then I believe that it just might be possible to have a great a deal happiness in your life. 

          So there’s an old idiom that you might have heard maybe once or twice in your life that goes a little something like this, “Practice what you preach.” You know this saying? Well so do I; but I don't always practice what I preach. Especially when it comes to living a life that’s free of judgment and insecurity. Sometimes I find it hard feel comfortable in my own skin. Sometimes I back down from my opinions because I am afraid of the judgment I might face, and sometimes I find it hard to do things in public that make me look silly (well except after a few glasses of wine, because then I just don’t care about of any of that).  

         Then sometimes there are just those days when all of this just makes me feel really sad and angry with myself! I mean its my life! There are so many good things in it, and I should be happy living it everyday, no matter what. 

But sometimes I just let things get the best of me. 

So what if my pants don’t fit the same everyday! 

And so what if I like to eat chocolate when I’m stressed out! 

And so what if my hair cut makes me look like Justin Bieber! 

And so what if this mean lady told me that she’s glad there are vegetarians in the world, because they will give the omnivores something to eat after the apocalypse! (True story, I met a potential cannibal.)

I should just be happy to be alive!

There is noting wrong with being a Justin Beeber look-a-like who likes to eat sweets and may potentially get eaten alive by some scary lady one day!

There just isn’t! 

Everyone should just feel comfortable with who they are. 

         Whenever I start to feel like this I like bake, it clears my head. So today I made some banana scones. I like to consider this my go-to comfort recipe, probably because its simple and I always have overripe bananas on hand. I have made it several times without fail, and I am sure that as long as I have bananas there will be plenty of these scones made in the future. I mean I’ve got to find comfort in something, even if it is just my tried and true recipes. Food makes me feel happy, and that's perfectly okay! 

What you need: 

This recipe yields about 8 scones.

• 1 stick vegan butter, very cold and cut into cubes
• 1/2 cup nondairy milk of choice (I like almond milk)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 2 Tbsp sugar, plus more for dusting
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 bananas, cut into rough cubes

What to do:

1. Preheat your oven to 400º.  
2. In a food processor combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  
3. Add the butter and pulse until the chunks of butter are roughly pea-sized.  
4. Add the milk and pulse a few more times until it starts to come together.  
5. Add in the bananas and pulse until the dough comes together, adding a little more flour if your dough is too wet from the bananas. 
6. Using a greased 1/4 measuring cup scoop out the scones onto a greased baking sheet.
7. Sprinkle the tops with sugar, and maybe a little cinnamon.  
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes.  
9. Serve warm or at room temperature with honey, butter, jam, peanut butter, or just plain. 
10. Enjoy yourself! 

Music that makes you feel good about yourself... Nina Simone! 

This recipe was adapted from this website.

Basic White Bread

                

             So my car is broken down, but I’m not complaining. I actually think that it may be a blessing in disguise. You see, without a car I can’t drive around town wasting gas and buying things that I don’t need. Now don’t get me wrong, relying on people for rides is a bit of a bummer, but its not the end of the world. I live close enough to school and to work that if worst came to worst I could probably just walk. And now that I think about it, I’m not really sure why I felt that the need to drive a whopping mile and a half to school everyday in the first place! I am happy to be embracing a “European” habit, and I am happy that I am leaving less of a carbon foot print!

              So today marks my last day of studying for finals, and of course I am studying at my apartment since I can’t drive. Plus its raining, so even if I wanted to get out of the house I couldn’t. Well I guess technically I could, but who wants to walk to school in the rain when they don’t have to?! You know, to be honest I actually find it very cleansing and relaxing to walk in the rain, but I don’t really find it relaxing or cleansing to hang out on campus soaking wet. 

           Okay so to sum this up and relate it to baking, I decided that today was the perfect day to bake some fresh bread! I am a big fan of the kitchn.com, and recently they posted this recipe for basic white bread. I have made it twice so far, and I must say that both times it has turned out amazing! 

I didn't include the recipe in this post because I didn't modify it very much from the original. However there is a link to the original recipe in the above paragraph.


(Just on a side note: I did use unsweetened almond milk instead of cows milk when I made this bread and it turned out just fine!)  

But anyhoo... here are some bread photos for you!  

Kneading the dough in my Kithcnaid stand mixer... Thanks Mom! 

This recipe yields two loafs, so here are two dough balls resting after first rise. 

Bread fresh out of the oven!

Perfect.

Here’s a tip for if your bread if rising slowly: Go ahead and preheat your oven to 425º, then place your loaves on the stove with the oven door left cracked open. The heat from the oven should help your dough rise faster. Today it took my bread almost an hour to rise.

Music to bake to... because I listened to Bombay Bicycle Club all day while I was studying.

Tres Leches Cake

  This is the first real cake that I have ever made, and I must say I am pretty pleased with the result

               I have never understood the American obsession with treating foreign holidays as an excuse to wear ridiculous costumes, consume unhealthy amounts of alcohol, and act foolish.  Like many Americans, I will celebrating the anniversary of the Battle of Puebla with a Dos XX in one hand and some nachos in the other. However under the shade of my sombrero I will act as a social critic in disguise infiltrating the masses with the hopes of understanding why people enjoy Cinco de Mayo. In my opinion today is the most baffling of all of the get-drunk-and-act-stupid holidays. I am pretty sure that a large majority of people have no idea why they celebrate Cinco de Mayo. According to popular belief Cinco de Mayo marks the day that Mexico gained its independence, but that is false. If people really wanted to show some love for the freedom of our downstairs neighbors they would toss back a margarita on Diez y Siete de Septiembre... But now I can see why they don’t.  Diez y Siete de Septiembre. Not as catchy.  

Well if ignorance is bliss (which in this case it clearly is), then why not get wasted and celebrate? Better yet, why not make a cake to make the occasion really special and then get wasted?! Well that’s what I did! Because if I am going to celebrate pointless holidays then I might as well go the extra mile and add a cake. 

                    Tres Leches Cake is a yellow sponge cake soaked in a generous amount of sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream.  Top it with a little whip cream and fresh fruit and you’ve got yourself a sticky sweet cake that has nothing to do with Cinco de Mayo (besides the fact that it is origins are believed to be based in Latin America). This chilled cake is light and airy, and perfectly sweet without being too rich. I am not going to lie, the first bite of this cake was a little underwhelming; yet I finished my slice and couldn’t even wait twenty minutes before I went back for another. 

I am considering not taking this cake to the party and keep it all to myself instead. “What cake?” 

Cake prior to icing... notice the pool of sweet milk around the bottom.

What you need:

• 1 cup All-purpose Flour
• 1-½ teaspoon Baking Powder
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• 5 whole Eggs
• 1 cup Sugar, Divided
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• ⅓ cups Milk
• 1 can Evaporated Milk
• 1 can Sweetened, Condensed Milk
• ¼ cups Heavy Cream

Whipped cream icing:

• 1 pint Heavy Cream, For Whipping
• 3 Tablespoons Sugar

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9inch cake pans or one 9 x 13 inch pan with cooking spray.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. 
3. Separate eggs.
4. Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow, the stir in milk and vanilla. 
5. Pour egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until well combined.
6. Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. 
7. With the mixer on, pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry.
8. Fold egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined. 
9. Pour into prepared pan and spread to even out the surface.
10. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 
11. Turn cake out onto a rimmed plate or platter
12. Combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream in a small pitcher. 
13. When cake is cool, pierce the surface with a fork several times. 
14. Slowly drizzle all but about 1- 1.5 cups of the milk mixture until the cake is completely saturated 
15. Allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture for at least 1 hour. Some people let their cake sit over night. 
16. Make you icing by whipping 1 pint heavy cream with 3 tablespoons of sugar until thick and spreadable.
17. Spread over the surface of the cake. Decorate cake with whole or chopped maraschino cherries, berries, cinnamon, or whatever you’d like. 

Music to play at your fiesta... because that's what I did. 

This recipe was adapted from here.