Simple Summer Supper- Homemade waffles with peaches & ice cream

This is such a delicious summer treat! Not nutritious and thus not something to be served very often. Perhaps once a year? But it's tradition in my family. Story goes that back in the 40s when my grandpa was at BIOLA he went to a diner with a friend one evening. He was wanting waffles, but also wanted some vanilla bean ice cream and some peaches. So he asked the waitress to combine them into one dish by putting the peaches and ice cream on top of his waffles. Since then, almost every summer, people in my family have enjoyed at least one dish of what my mom calls "Grandpa's Special".

What you need:
a waffle iron
waffle batter (or pre-made waffles)
peaches
sugar (optional)
vanilla bean ice cream
an appetite

What to do:

Wash and slice your peaches. If necessary sprinkle them with sugar and set aside to macerate. This pulls all the juices out if they're not quite perfectly soft already and gives you a little syrup for your waffles & ice cream.
Prepare waffles as directed by your favorite recipe.
Place prepared waffles on your plate. Top with a scoop of ice cream and spoon on peaches.
Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday: 30-some years of love fresh as summer rain

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Very Cherry Smoothies

This was my breakfast. Refreshing.

 A couple cups of cherries. Mine were out of the freezer.

Add ice.

                                                                     Spoon in yogurt.

Add honey and blend.


As I said before, the smoothie is very refreshing. The honey adds just the right bit of sweetness to counterbalance the cherry & yogurt flavors. I'm sure you could even use cherry yogurt if you wanted your smoothie sweeter still. It was perfect for a warm summer day.  The texture wasn't super smooth as there were bits of the cherry peel as you can see by the flakes in the picture below. The ground up ice also added a bit of crunch to the smoothie. If you used milk instead of ice cubes you'd get a creamier consistency. Something for me to try in the future I suppose. Everyone who tried it loved it, from my sister to me to my 2 year old toddler.

Cheesy Chicken Enchilada dinner :)

Mon: Enchiladas
Weds: Chicken with basil & tomato salsa
Thurs: T-bone steaks and baked potatoes
Fri-Sun: TBD

 This evening's supper was rather savory. I made cheesy chicken enchiladas.

I just love these enchiladas. The day before roast a chicken, then shred the leftovers to use. Or, if you'd rather not, take some bone-in chicken and cook in water or broth until it falls off the bone. In the water be sure you put: some onion, garlic, oregano. Then shred.
After shredding the chicken, add it to a skillet on medium-high heat with some green enchilada sauce, a touch of taco seasoning, a chopped onion and a small can of green chiles.
Make a mixture of your favorite cheese and swirl some sour cream with salt, pepper, and chopped chives.
Soften some corn tortillas.
Pour green enchilada sauce in the bottom of a glass baking dish. Moisten both sides of a tortilla in it, fill with a spoonful of meat mixture, a spoonful of the sour cream, and a sprinkling of your favorite cheeses. Repeat until the baking dish is full. Cover with remaining sauce, grated cheese, olives (they're also good inside), and some more chopped chives. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes or until bubbly. Yum!

Instead of the usual refried beans and rice on the side we had my mom's Tangy & Spicy Carrots & Potatoes with some easy sauteed Garlic'n'Onion Spinach. With some crunchy tortilla chips on the side it made for a very good meal.

 Garlic'n'Onion Spinach

Wash a bunch of spinach.

Chop a small onion and mince 2-3 cloves of garlic.

Saute garlic & spinach in olive oil until they just begin to turn golden. Add spinach and continue to saute until wilted. Season as desired with salt pepper.

 

Tangy & Spicy Potatoes & Carrots

 My mom's made this dish since back in our Mississippi days- long time before moving to the southwest. She found the recipe in what has become a favorite cookbook of hers- and now of mine as well. It's called Authentic Mexican by Rick Bayless. The basic idea behind the recipe is:
Wash and dice:
Carrots
Potatoes (peeled)
Place in large stockpan with just enough water to cover.

To the boiling water add a bit of apple cider vinegar. Here you see it being measured the "fancy way"- using the cap.
Reduce from a boil, and continue cooking until tender. Drain the vegetables and put them in a skillet with a little bit of oil. In the original recipe you add a little enchilada sauce (red) to the root vegetables, but my mom has changed it and made it her own by adding salsa instead. Garnish it with cilantro and serve.