Peach Salsa

Peach Salsa

Cook's notes: This sauce can be served with grilled chicken or pork chops. I had some extra fruit so added in blueberries, strawberries with some chopped fresh basil. The salsa is enough for 4 pork chops or 2-3 large pieces of chicken

Adapted from Southern Living July 2012
Ingredients:

• 1/2 medium onion chopped 
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup peach preserves
• 1/2 tsp. ginger 
• 1/2 yellow pepper diced
• 1/2 tsp. brown sugar
• 2 large peaches cut in chunks
• 2 TB. balsamic vinegar
• chopped basil
• salt to taste
• optional adding in blueberries and strawberries and 1 TB peach schnapps

Directions:

• Saute in 1 TB. butter onions, peppers and minced garlic until onions and garlic are limp.
• Whisk in ketchup, peach preserves, basil, brown sugar and ginger.
• Cook on low heat till thickened about 15 minutes.
• Add in fruit and vinegar cook 1-2 minutes more adding in salt to taste. 
• Remove from heat and add in schnapps
• Divide sauce in half and use it to baste meat while grilling. The rest of the sauce can be served at the meal. 

Proper Tenting

Tenting meat with foil keeps it warm while it rests. Meat's temperature continues to rise for a few minutes after its pulled from the oven.  Tenting works best when foil is loosely placed on top of the meat in an upside down V. Don't crimp the edges of the foil around the meat or plate meat it's resting on because air should be able to circulate under the foil. Crimping foil on the edges can trap steam and sog out a crust.

North Shore Chicken Salad and A View of the Lake Book Review

Split Rock Lighthouse, Minnesota's North Shore

North Shore Chicken Salad

Cook's notes: The original recipe came from a church cookbook and was supplied by Rita.   

A few adaptations were made. The chicken salad with a vinaigrette is a nice change from usual mayo base. The salad serves 4.  As a time saver purchase a rotisserie chicken from the deli and make the wild rice up a day ahead. Refrigerate rice in a zip loc bag. 
Salad Ingredients:

• 3-4 cups cooked wild rice
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 large chicken breasts, cooked
• 1/2 cup diced green onions
• 1/2 cup diced red pepper
• 2 oz.(1/2 package) sugar snap peas
• 1-2 ripe avocados, skinned and diced
• 1 cup red grapes, cut in half or 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup toasted pecans, chopped
• romaine lettuce or mixed greens

Dressing Ingredients:

• 2 garlic cloves, minced or 1/4 tsp. roasted garlic powder
• 1 TB. Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper 
• 1-1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. parsley flakes
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

• Combine all dressing ingredients in a food processor or blender. Blend thoroughly.
• Toss warm rice with lemon juice. Cool.
• Mix salad ingredients except avocados and pecans with dressing, Refrigerate 4 hours or more. Add avocados and pecans just before serving. Place chicken on mixed greens or chopped romaine.  

"A View of the Lake" is a collection of essays that chronicle the joys and challenges of moving from a city to a rural town and finding one's place.  The book will resonate with anyone who dreams of downsizing and picking up to live alongside a lake. Each chapter captures the nature of the North Shore and the ways in which everything and everyone is shaped by the Big Lake.

Beryl Singleton Bissel is the nationally renowned author of "The Scent of God". See book review http://sockfairies.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-scent-of-god.html

Bissel's latest book shares her personal experiences living on Minnesota's North Shore of Lake Superior. Bissel's prose paints a picture of a beautiful landscape full of endearing characters that surround her in small town life. I could imagine myself being in the midst of all the places the author mentions. Her writing is vivid and the stories and anecdotes are simplistic yet profoundly meaningful. She brings her readers into a world where humanity and nature become one. And one needn't live on the North Shore or be a good Minnesotan to cherish her insights about life. 
Check out her blogsite. http://www.berylsingletonbissell.com/blog.htm
Her blog postings are reflective, thoughtful, spiritual and insightful.  

It's the perfect lunch read enjoying North Shore Chicken Salad. 

  

Summer Campfire Treats

S'mores on a Stick

Cook's notes: Sometimes you just want a small bite of that All-American s'more! This is a great treat when you want to please a crowd! Coconut oil sets up the chocolate so it will adhere better to marshmallow.
Ingredients:

• 1 pack of graham crackers or 1-1/2 cups crushed nuts
• 3 chocolate bars
• package of marshmallows 
• pack of 4- 8 inch lollipop sticks 
• 1 spoonful coconut oil

Directions:

• Crush graham crackers in a sealed zip loc bag with a rolling pin.  Pour crumbs into a bowl. 
• Break your chocolate into individual pieces and drop them in a small saucepan. (Note 3 bars of chocolate makes about 10 pops) Add in 1 spoonful of coconut oil. Mix chocolate and oil together and melt over very low heat. Pour the chocolate in a small but deep bowl.
• Poke a lollipop or cake pop stick into the top of the marshmallow.
• Dip marshmallow in the chocolate, getting the sides and the top coated. Then roll it in the graham cracker crumbs or nuts.
• Place s'more pops in a cake pop holder if you have one or if you don't have one, simply get a sturdy cardboard box and poke holes in it.

• Place s'more pops in freezer for one hour to set.
• When ready to pass out the s'mores, light your kitchen torch and set it to its lowest setting. Gently torch the exposed marshmallow by waving the flame across the surface. Quickly blow out any flare-ups on the marshmallows. Serve immediately.

The S’More Blizzard

Cook's notes: Recipe below serves 1

Ingredients:

• 2 large scoops chocolate ice cream or Moose Tracks Ice Cream
• 1 cup milk
• 1 handful chocolate chips
• 1 handful mini-marshmallows
• 1 large graham cracker, broken into large chunks

Directions:
Whir everything together in a blender and serve!

Campfire Cones

Cook's notes: A compact s'more treat in a sugar cone. It's an ingenious idea that kids can make on their own. It tastes like a banana split in a cone.  by Anne
Recipe supplied by Anne P. a camp counselor, who assures me it's a hit with campers.

Ingredients:

• sugar cones
• peanut butter
• sliced bananas 
• mini chocolate chips 
• mini marshmallows

Directions:

• For each cone coat the inside with a heaping teaspoon of peanut butter. Add in a handful of mini-chocolate chip. Place 3 banana slices sideways into the cone. Top each cone with a handful of mini- marshmallows.  

• Wrap each cone in foil. There are a few different ways to cook it.

1. Place cones in a preheated oven 350 degrees on oven rack. Cook for about 7 minutes.

2. Place cones on a campfire grate and cook about 5- 7 minutes.

3. Heat gas grill to 350 degrees and place cones directly on grate. Cook 5-7 minutes. 

Peach Almond Crisp

Peach Almond Crisp
Cook's notes: Crisps are a great summertime dessert with so many fruits in season. The topping has an extra crunch made with yummy chopped honey roasted cinnamon almonds. The baker from
twopeasandtheirpod gave me permission to have it for breakfast. In her own words...this crisp is technically a dessert, but if you find yourself eating it for breakfast, don’t be ashamed. It has almonds, oats, and fruit. Sounds like a breakfast of champions to me!
And indeed it was! It was a perfect morning treat. I skipped the ice cream scoop but my husband couldn't resist. I say this peach crisp is delicious no matter what time of day it is served.



Colorado peaches are currently available in the stores. They make the crisp extra juicy and flavorful. A product called Blue Diamond Honey Roasted Cinnamon Almonds was suggested in the recipe. I found the local grocery store had their own similar product. For easier peeling skin off peaches place in boiling water for 30 seconds, remove with a slotted spoon and run peaches under cold water.
Ingredients:
For the Filling:
6 cups sliced peaches (about 6 large peaches)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. corn starch
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the Topping:
1 cup old fashioned oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chilled butter, cut into pieces
1 cup chopped Blue Diamond Honey Roasted Cinnamon Almonds or 1 cup crushed almonds mixed with 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
optional Ice cream for serving

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° and spray a 9 x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine sliced peaches with the flour, sugar, corn starch, and vanilla. Gently mix and let sit 10 minutes.
In a separate large bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, flour, salt, and cinnamon. Stir until well combined and the brown sugar clumps are broken down. Add the butter pieces and mix in with your hands until you have a crumbly mixture. A food processor can be used for this step pulsing butter pieces in. Stir in chopped almonds.
Use a slotted spoon and place filling in baking dish.
Evenly sprinkle the crisp topping over peaches.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until the topping is golden brown and the crisp is bubbling. Remove from the oven, place on a wire rack, and cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Note-the crisp is best the day it is made, but will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat before serving.

Taming Curled Parchment
Often parchment paper doesn't lie flat on a baking sheet. Try spraying the baking sheet with vegetable oil spray and then cutting the right size piece of parchment and pressing it onto the sprayed baking sheet. The edges will stay down and won't keep rolling up.



It's the birthday of poet Joyce Sutphen August 10, 1949. She grew up on a farm in St, Joseph, MN. In 1990, she was overseas, on a break from her Renaissance Studies at the University of Minnesota, when she began to consider a life not just of studying poetry, but also of writing it. "I found myself in London for three months, with a room of my own. I found my voice there, too." She began writing the poems that would form the core of her prize-winning first collection, Straight Out of View (1995). She published several more books of poetry, and in 2011 she was named poet laureate for the state of Minnesota. She was the second poet laureate in the state's history, following Robert Bly.
Sutphen's most recent book, Modern Love and Other Myths (2015), was published earlier this year. (information from Writers Almanac)

Light on the Prairie

Spur Award for Best Juvenile Nonfiction

Nebraska Award for Youth Nonfiction

Will Rogers Medallion Award for Juvenile Nonfiction

Award of Merit American Association for State and Local History

"Light on the Prairie" is written by Nancy Plain, an award winning writer of biographies and histories for children and young adults. Since its publication in 2012 it has garnered numerous awards and accolades.  
Nancy finds American history a fascinating subject and is always curious about other people’s lives. She hopes her young readers will be inspired by her love of history and come to realize the enjoyment that comes from learning about people from the past and their contributions. In her own words...

"Who doesn't love a good story? And for me, history is an endless kaleidoscope of them.  I like to write history and biographies for young readers so that it's as exciting as fiction." 

"Light on the Prairie" introduces YA readers to Nebraska pioneer photographer Solomon Butcher. Virginia-born Butcher (1856–1927) rose with the tide of homesteaders that poured into Nebraska in the 1880s, lured by the promise of free land and self-sufficiency for those willing to put their hands to the plow. Butcher wasn’t willing, but he made a go of Nebraska life anyway, tilling homestead country for subjects for his camera and plowing the profits into his “history scheme,” a photographic and written record of pioneer life in Custer County. He’d make a book of his images and interviews, selling subscriptions to fund even more images.

Like any life story, there were hurdles along the way—drought, crop failures, economic near-ruin, a devastating house fire. But when all was said and done, Butcher had 3,000 images and the nugget for his book "Pioneer History of Custer County and Short Sketches of Early Days in Nebraska." While the book was a success, Butcher was not. Compelled to sell his entire collection of glass-plate negatives to the Nebraska State Historical Society for $1,000, he retreated into real estate and land speculation before moving to Colorado, where he later died.
The title "Light on the Prairie"  is a metaphor that expresses how Butcher shone a "light" on the prairie in terms of our understanding of the pioneer life. And it also correlates with the idea photography needs light in order to work. 

Butcher took over 3,000 photographs in his life time. What a monumental task for the author to whittle the choices down to just 62 photographs that capture an era of Western History. Butcher took pictures of families, cowboys, cattle, sheep, Indians and houses made of sod (up to two stories!) on a treeless prairie. One of my favorite photographs is the one used on the cover with a goat grazing on the roof. 

Adding to the priceless collection of photographs Nancy has added a back story text that is interesting, rich in detail and imagery and informative. Research for "Light on the Prairie "was spread out over eight months and writing the book took over a year and a half. During that time Nancy spent a lot of time at the Nebraska State Historical Society. The head librarian, Linda Hein, guided Nancy through the Butcher achieves. 

A favorite part of Nancy's research was reading the memoirs of elderly Nebraskans as they looked back on their prairie childhoods. Despite all the hardships of prairie life she found many had fond memories and joys of pioneer childhood.  I noted Nancy's meticulous research by the impressive bibliography in the back of the book.

Certainly copies of this book should be available in every Nebraska school for young readers to learn a piece of their history, but also for all those readers  who want to understand our western homestead legacy and Great Plains history better.

   

Nancy and I met at the Tucson Book Festival in March. To learn more about the author and read a book review  of "This Strange Wilderness" check out this link. 

http://sockfairies.blogspot.com/2015/04/this-strange-wilderness-by-nancy-plain.html

The book garnered attention from Booklist Starred Review and was voted one of 10 best Children's Biographies 2015.

Both Simon Butcher's and John James Audubon's lives paralleled on many levels. They were similar in their single-minded passion to achieve their goal and would stop at nothing regardless of the emotional or financial costs to achieve it. Both showed grit and determination.
According to the author she felt there was one major difference between Audubon and Butcher. "Butcher didn't really think of himself as a great artist. Audubon, on the other hand, felt like a genius and I think that he actually was. But they both made art that was absolutely unique. "   
Both books deserve to be on your late summer reading list. 

Weekend Round-Up

Some of the week's best

Grilled Peach and Pesto Quesadillas

http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/grilled-peach-pesto-and-mozzarella-quesadillas/
Cook's notes: One of the best things about this recipe is you need only 4 ingredients. They are simple and fresh. A perfect sandwich for lunch or a light dinner. 

Grilled Hawaiian Chicken with Pineapple

http://damndelicious.net/2015/08/06/hawaiian-chicken-and-pineapple/ 

Cook's notes: Sweet and tangy chicken grilled with caramelized brown sugar pineapple. 

Peach Almond Crisp
http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/peach-almond-crisp/

Cook's notes: Easy peach crisp made with fresh peaches and topped with a sweet almond oat topping. Add a scoop of ice cream for an extra special summer dessert.

________________________________________

Have You Heard?

In its first week on sale, What Pet Should I Get?, the new book by Dr. Seuss, sold 200,000 copies, making it the fastest-selling picture book in Random House Children’s Books history. The book, which went on sale July 28, also made history at retailers. On July 30, Books-a-Million announced that What Pet Should I Get? set a company record for best first-day sales for a children’s picture book.

Most Anticipated Children's and YA Books for 2015 Check out the impressive list

"The Day the Crayons Came Home" is a sequel to the imaginative and hilarious book 

"The Day the Crayons Quit". It is a very clever story of a box of crayons gone rogue will get the whole family laughing at the letters written by the occupants of the ubiquitous yellow and green box. The combination of text and Oliver Jeffers' illustrations match the colors' personalities beautifully as the crayons share their concern, appreciation, or downright frustration: yellow and orange demand to know the true color of the sun, while green--clearly the people pleaser of the bunch--is happy with his workload of crocodiles, trees, and dinosaurs. Peach crayon wants to know why his wrapper was torn off, leaving him naked and in hiding; blue is exhausted and, well, worn out; and pink wants a little more paper time. The result of this letter writing campaign is colorful creativity and after reading this book you will never look at crayons the same way again. I bought the book for myself but did share with the kindergarten class. I am really looking forward to the soon to be released sequel.

Friday Sock Fairy Adventures

Story synopsis so far...

Will is searching through the clothes in the dryer for his lost soccer sock. He really wants to find the mate as his soccer socks are a lucky pair. He once scored a winning goal wearing them. As Will leans into the dryer he is sucked in and tossed about. When Will stops spinning he tumbles out into a new place called Sockland.
This new magical place has mismatched socks everywhere hanging on tree branches. Three fairies fly by Will. He knows they are fairies from seeing their pictures in his storybooks. He runs down the road hoping to catch up to them but trips and falls over a large rock on the road. His leg hurts but he manages to catch up just as the fairies disappear through the door into the Sock Bank.
Unexpectedly Will’s size changes to very small when he rubs fairy dust over his hands. He is able to make it inside the Sock Bank behind a fairy just as the door closes. Will watches sock fairies unload their bags of mismatched socks in the bank hoping to find mates for their socks getting a gold coin in return. When Will spies his missing sock he grabs it but is caught by the sock security guards. When the guards lose their grip on Will a sock fairy named Melinda is able to rescue him. They fly out the opened Sock Bank door around the corner and out of sight.
Will and Melinda spy a poster advertising a sock hop at the Avalon Theater. All Will needs to do is wear his lucky socks, bring his dancing partner Melinda to the Avalon and dance till dawn to win the bag of coins. Lucky for Will wearing his matched pair of socks he and Melinda are able to win the sock hop contest. But unlucky for Will the sock security police spy him in the crowd. Melinda uses her magic powers and they fly out the door away from the theater. Melinda gives Will the bag of coins and tells him to get on the Sockland Express but be sure to get off at stop #3. The driver, Rocky Socky, is a sock monkey who wants Will to pay for the ride on the Sockland Express.
Will enjoys the magical ride of the Sockland Express when suddenly the bus makes an emergency landing at the Sock Mart. A clearance sale sign excites the passengers. Will is able to make a purchase of mismatched socks. He discovers Melinda on the Sockland Express and tells her about his plan to return to Sock Bank. He wants to find more matches for his socks as each pair will give him a gold coin. But Melinda has another idea. Will goes with Melinda deep into the woods to get to her home. A grouchy troll pops up as they pass over his bridge. Lucky Melinda knew the secret password to get them safely across.
Vocabulary
Fairy Ring or Fairy Circle

A fairy ring is a natural occurring ring of mushrooms. They are also known as pixie’s rings, faerie circles, or elf circles. Fairy rings are where fairies came to a meeting to discuss major problems and how to fix them, share important news from the woods and to dance, feast and celebrate. The mushrooms around the rings are used as stools for the fairies to rest during the evenings festivities.
Deep Magic-a set of laws written on a stone table. 

And so our story begins...
Under The Full Moon at the Fairy Ring
Inside Will had never seen such tiny, tiny furniture made from stones, plants, twigs, grasses and shells. He was glad for his small size so he could stand up straight and not bump his head. Will's head felt dizzy looking at so many mismatched socks everywhere. Across the top of window was a large twig with socks hanging down as curtains. Looking out the window Will noticed a clothesline tied between two tree branches made from spider webs. In the corner was a red wagon filled a pile of neatly folded mismatched socks. In front of the door entrance was a large sock that said welcome. Socks were hanging off the chandelier, hooks on the wall and towel bars. One chest had drawers labeled with colors to help sort the pile of mismatched socks. Nearby another chest had drawers labeled striped and spotted.  A quilt made from mismatched socks was spread out. And even the table was set with place mats made from socks. Remember sock fairies do like to be tidy.
The same flower was in different kinds of vases everywhere. "What are these? Why so many Melinda?"
"Will, the number one fairy favorite is the bluebell. 

Sometimes we eat them, make music with their bells, make hats for our babies and we just love their bright color. So Will if  you can only grow one kind of flower be sure to plant bluebells as they will attract fairies to your garden." 
Will really wanted to ask to borrow her book How To Make Sock Puppets but he could see Melinda was in a hurry. Lucky Will remembered to set down his welcome gift, a shiny pink stone. He had heard fairies like sparkly gifts.  

"Will, quick the moon is rising and we need to get to the fairy ring. The Fairy Queen will be at our meeting tonight. We will gather under the willow tree. We have a problem to discuss with the trolls not letting fairies pass over the bridge. The trolls are making the fairies work for them as a payment to get over the bridge. The Fairy Queen knows Deep Magic and can help solve problems. She will have ideas on how to help you get back into the Sock Bank without the sock security police catching you. But I might warn you if you get the Fairy Queen's help you will have to share your wealth."
"But why meet under a Willow tree?" said Will.
"Because willow trees inspire us to communicate and be creative with problem solving. Then after we will be merry dance under the moonlight and have a feast."
Melinda grabbed Will's hand they flew out the door into the woods. The moon was just coming up over the trees. The path through the woods sparkled with bits of fairy dust. The sun light grew dim as they approached the willow tree. They flew through the swinging willow branches. Will paused, transfixed by the sight of so many other fairies seated at the Fairy Circle. He was surprised each one held a different type of fairy wand. He recognized a porcupine quill, a peacock feather, a pussy willow, a stalk of bluebells and many more different kinds. Many of the flower fairies were wearing outfits made from fallen petals.   
Suddenly there was a flash of light. The whispering and giggling stopped. The Fairy Queen appeared in the middle of the Fairy Ring.  

There was not a sound to be heard in the forest as if all were waiting for her to speak. She touched gently the hand of a young fairy nearby to join the group. A light shone around the Queen as she began to speak in a soft voice barely above a whisper. "Welcome, welcome! Gather around and makes yourselves comfortable. We have important business to discuss tonight." 
 Friday August 14th Sock Fairy Adventures 
An Adventure Under The Moonlight