Recipes

Overripe Peaches?

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I had a couple of peaches that were overripe and about to go bad. I absolutely did not want to throw them away- especially since they smelled so good! So- I made peach muffins! And seriously- they are so, so, so good.

I found the recipe from All Recipes - but will share here just to make it easier for you.

Peach Muffins

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

3 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups white sugar

2 cups peeled, pitted, and chopped peaches

Directions

  • Preheat over to 400 degrees Fahrenheit

  • Grease the bottoms and sides of 16 muffin cups, or line with paper liners

  • In a large bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt

  • In a separate bowl, mix the oil, eggs, and sugar

  • STIR the oil mixture into the flour mixture, just until moist

  • Fold in the peaches

  • Spoon into prepared muffin cups

Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center of of a muffin comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Nutrition facts

351.1 calories; 3.6 G protein; 44.3 g carbohydrates; 34.9 mg cholesterol; 238.3 mg sodium

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I hope you enjoy them as much as I do! The cinnamon flavor combined with the sweet peaches made for the most perfect afternoon treat.

Before you go- a couple of tips!

  • Wash your peaches even though you’re going to remove the skins. My wrinkly peaches made peeling the skins off with my fingers easy

  • Crack your egg into a separate bowl just in case a shell sneaks in! That way, you’re not sifting through other ingredients for the egg shell

  • The oil/egg/sugar combo seemed like a huge volume of liquid- and a weird consistency. I stirred it well so that it was thoroughly mixed. When I added it to the dry ingredients, my batter was very thick and sticky. I double/triple/quadruple checked the measurements because I was positive I had mixed something up. … I had not! The lumpy batter made it somewhat challenging to put into the muffin cups, and I think I overfilled them a little bit. But, my muffins came out perfectly with the 25 minute time and taste delicious!

  • As most of you know, I’m not a fancy baker- I used cupcake tins, I know there are real muffin tins out there but my little cupcake pans worked just fine

Happy baking! Don’t let your summer fruits go to waste. What are your recipes/tips for overripe fruit?

Minestrone Soup Recipe

Hello! It’s that time of year again where the leaves start to change, cooler weather arrives, and we start to prepare for … SNOW! Being raised in Western NY, I’m no stranger to snowy weather. Last year, I was surprised that Maryland had barely any snow. Either way- here’s a delicious Minestrone Soup recipe for those cozy evenings at home. I’ve made this recipe twice in the past two weeks! It is easy, easy to make (once you chop your vegetables) and it is delicious. I will admit- my mother’s side of the family is Italian and we don’t always measure all of our seasonings according to the recipe… a little dash here, a sprinkle here… you get the picture. I did try to follow the recipe as closely as I could. Enjoy!

This recipe was taken from: https://cookieandkate.com/2018/classic-minestrone-soup-recipe/

YUM. YUM. YUM.

YUM. YUM. YUM.

CLASSIC MINESTRONE SOUP

  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped

  • 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

  • 2 medium ribs celery, chopped

  • 1/4 cup of tomato paste (TIP: I froze the extra tomato paste for next time)

  • 2 cups chopped seasonal vegetables (I used yellow squash and frozen green beans- you can use butternut squash, potatoes, peas… anything you want)

  • 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced (TIP: I use a small cheese grater to mince my garlic, it’s much easier)

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

  • 1 large can (28 oz) diced tomatoes with their liquid

  • 4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable broth (I used chicken broth)

  • 2 cups water

  • 1 teaspoon sea salt

  • 2 bay leaves

  • Pinch of red pepper flakes (I used a couple of good shakes in mine to give it a little kick)

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 cup small pasta or orcchiette (I used elbow macaroni)

  • 1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained, or 1 1/2 cups cooked beans (Rinsing the beans is important to remove excess sodium. One time I made it with the beans, one time I made it without- your preference)

  • 2 cups baby spinach, chopped kale, or chopped collard greens

  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice

  • Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for garnishing

DIRECTIONS

  • Warm 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat

  • Add ONION, CARROT, CELERY, TOMATO PASTE, and a pinch of SALT. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables have softened and onions are turning translucent (7 to 10 MINUTES)

  • Add SEASONAL VEGETABLES, GARLIC, OREGANO, and THYME. Cook until fragrant, about two minutes

  • Pour in DICED TOMATOES and their JUICES, BROTH, and WATER. Add SALT, BAY LEAVES, RED PEPPER FLAKES. Season generously with GROUND BLACK PEPPER

  • Raise heat to MEDIUM HIGH and bring mixture to a boil, then partially cover the pot with the lid, leaving about a 1” gap for steam to escape. REDUCE HEAT as necessary to maintain a GENTLE SIMMER

  • Cook for 15 MINUTES, then remove lid and add PASTA, BEANS, and GREENS. Continue simmering, uncovered, for 20 MINUTES until the pasta is al dente and greens are tender

  • Remove pot from heat and remove bay leaves. Stir in LEMON JUICE and remaining OLIVE OIL. Taste and season.

  • Serve HOT with PARMESAN garnish

I tasted the soup throughout the cooking process adding salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, etc. where I thought I needed it. I hope you enjoy- this makes enough for my husband and I to have soup for the week! The first time we froze half of it… but took it out of the freezer two days later because it was so good!

Dr. ZK