I am a Honey Bee

All about my adventures with cooking, crafts, and travel

peaches

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with a Summery Peach and Berry Salad

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SmithfieldFlavors #RealFlavorRealFast #CollectiveBias

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with a Summery Peach and Berry Salad is a wonderful way to have a flavorful dinner while keeping things light on a hot summer night.

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We have just 2 more weeks left of school!!! I’m so excited about having some summer fun!

I’m hoping we get to enjoy going to Disney, plenty of trips to the beach, the library for story-time, lots of afternoons hanging out at the pool. It is going to be a jam packed fun summer. We need to load in the fun before Autumn starts Kindergarten.

What do you have planned?

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Peaches and Cream Scones

These Peaches and Cream Scones are tender, light, sweet, and filled with fresh ripe peaches. The drizzle of vanilla glaze make them perfect.

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We went peach picking this past weekend. It was awesome!!

Well, it got off to a rough start since I stepped into a fire ants hill. I didn’t realize it and stood right there on it as I got Hunter in the carrier. Holy crap!!!!! OUCH!!!!!!! 

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Adventures in Peach Picking at The Southern Peach Company- Lithia, FL

Peach Picking at The Southern Peach Company in Lithia, Florida is a fun family activity that results in so many beautiful ripe peaches. Get ready to take a big juicy bite.

Mother and children at a peach picking farm

One of the things I love about living in Florida is having so many fun things to do around us. Honestly, it feels like there are endless things to do in Tampa Bay area to keep you busy. A fun weekend activity is to go fruit picking. Recently, we had a wonderful time picking peaches The Southern Peach Company. 

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Sour Cream Waffles with Bourbon Peach Compote and Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream

Sour Cream Waffles with Peach Compote

So, I joined Snapchat.

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I am still confused by it. I think I have figured out how to use it. I just don’t understand why. It’s kinda like Instagram but with disappearing pictures that have a 24 hour time limit. It just seems like random bits and pieces of things. Which I guess I get. It’s kinda like IG but even less serious. I dunno. It just makes me feel old. ha!!

That being said… BE MY FRIEND!!!!! I’m having fun sharing random pictures and videos of my exiting/boring/quick/slow/dull/colorful life. I’m at: iamahoneybee!!!

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Anyway, I have a major thing for peaches in the summer.

I just can’t get enough of them. When I as pregnant they were the thing I craved all summer. I would eat several a day. I could right poetry about peaches. Maybe I could start with a haiku. 5-7-5. I dunno. Whatever, I’d just get distracted eating another peach.

So,I think these might just be my favorite waffles so far. For serious.

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The waffles are packed full of flavor with the sour cream and the spices I added. Then they are topped off with a warm boozy peach compote. Oh, the combination of bourbon and peach is amazing. Then there is a big dollop of vanilla bean whipped cream. You can’t go wrong with whipped cream. And this one is loaded with vanilla.

I was thinking about these ever since I saw them on Brunch with Bobby, but I wanted to rework them after I ad made the Banana’s Foster Waffles. I think it worked out really well!

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One thing to note about these waffles is that they are not that crisp. I love waffles with a crunchy, crisp surface, but I got over that with these as I really loved that they had so much flavor. It’s the sour cream and the nutmeg and ginger. It all worked together with the peaches and the whipped cream. However, if you are adamant about not having fluffy waffles and you need a crisp one then I suggest making the Best Buttermilk Waffles and just using milk instead of the buttermilk and adding in the nutmeg and ginger.

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These will be your next summer time breakfast favorite!

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Sour Cream Waffles with Bourbon Peach Compote and Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream

Makes 8 waffles, 4 servings

Ingredients

For the Waffles

  • 1 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 Cup whole milk
  • 1 Cup sour cream
  • 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 Tablespoons pure sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • Nonstick spray or melted unsalted butter, for the waffle iron

For the Bourbon Peach Compote

  • 2/3 Cup brown sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 4 peaches, thinly sliced
  • 2 Tablespoon2 bourbon

For the whipped cream

  • 1 Cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 Tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon bourbon
  • 1 vanilla bean

Process

  1. Preheat your waffle iron.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and ginger.
  3. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the milk, sour cream, butter, sugar, vanilla extract and eggs in a medium bowl.
  4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk until just combined. Let rest for 10 minutes.
  5. Spray your waffle iron spray with nonstick spray or brush with butter. Scoop out 1/3- 1/2 cup of the batter per waffle. Cook the waffles wait until the steam has stopped emerging from the cracks of the iron, about 4 minutes. Place on a cooling rack while you make the rest.
  6. While the waffles are cooking, begin the compote. In a large skillet, over medium heat, add the butter and brown sugar. Stir occasionally and cook until they have melted together and the mixture is bubbly.
  7. Add the peaches and bourbon and cook over medium-low heat until the peaches are soft, about 4-5 minutes.
  8. Make the whipped cream by beating the heavy cream and sugar until soft peaks are forming, add in the bourbon and scrapings from the vanilla bean. Continue to beat until you have stiff peaks.
  9. Serve your waffles by stacking 2 together on a plate, top with a quarter of the peach compote, and a big dollop of whipped cream. Enjoy!

Waffles inspired by Bobby Flay

Streusel Topped Peach Pie

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Streusel or Strudel… I always mix them up. Always.

So when I was going to tell Price I was making a Streusel Topped Peach Pie I practiced it in my head over and over again. AFTER googling it to make sure I was right.

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It’s just one of those weird mind farts I have. And I’m okay with it. I do imagine a strudel topped peach pie would be good too… ha!

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Anyway, right now peaches are crazy good. I have always loed peaches but I fell head over heels in love with them while I was pregnant last summer. I developed the craziest sweet tooth. Instead of grabbing for donuts and cupcakes I had a bit of restraint and went after fruit, and lots of it! Peaches were my crutch as I ate insane amounts of them. They are hard to resist when they are perfectly ripe, sweet, and juicy late in the summer. Bliss.

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Well, I still really love peaches so I wanted to make a peach pie with them. And then I thought I would put some strudel streusel on top. It’s kinda like a weird marriage of peach pie and coffee cake. The crumbs on coffee cake are the best part. The bigger the crumb the better, too.

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This pie starts off really high, but falls as it bakes so don’t worry about it being too tall. Or having too much streusel prepared. You do use it all up as you place small mounds on the peaches and then gently even it all out and get the crumbs in the nooks between the peach slices.

I used almond meal in the Streusel to add some more flavor to the crumbs but if you can’t find it then just use flour. I just love the flavors of peaches and almonds together, you know from all the strudels I’ve had. ha!

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Enjoy this pie within a day or 2 as the juicy fruit will soften the butter crumbly topping and then it just gets soggy and no one likes soggy streusel.

I suggest serving this pie by warming it slightly and topping it off with some vanilla bean ice cream. And of course you should sit outside with your feet in the grass as you enjoy the evening cool down. Damn, I love summer.

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Streusel Topped Peach Pie

Makes a 9″ Pie

Ingredients

  •  1 pie crust to line a 9″ pie plate, or a store-bought 9″ pie shell
  • 2 1/4 lbs fresh peaches
  •  3/4 Cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 heaping Tablespoons cornstarch
  • 8 Tablespoons of unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (1/2″ Cubes)
  • 1/2 Cup almond meal
  • 2/3 Cup flour
  • 1/2 Cup sugar

Process

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare the pie crust in the pie plate. Place the pie plate on an aluminum foil lined cookie sheet.
  2. Cut peaches into thin slices. Combine the peaches, sugar, vanilla extract, and cornstarch in a large bowl, mix well.
  3. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the butter, almond meal, flour, and sugar. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, incorporate the dry ingredients into the butter to created large crumbles.
  4. Place the peaches in the pie crust. Pile the struesel crumbles onto the peach slices.
  5. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until the crumbles are golden brown and the when a knife is inserted into the pie there is little resistence from the fruit.

Peach Pie Trifle

Peach pie trifle – Fresh peaches and cool whipped cream with a sweet glaze surrounding each bite. Tasty treat fit for any occasion

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My apologies for missing my weekly ‘Friday Pie Day’ post last week. Boo!

I had traveled for work on Monday and Tuesday and when I arrived at work on Thursday I was sick. Well, me being a dummy, I didn’t realize it until the end of the day. I just figured my coldness was just from the building controlled AC. Nope, I had the chills. I was so cold I sat under my coworker’s desk to huddle around the space heater she uses in winter. Fast forward to the evening and I was passed out on the sofa with a fever of 101.4.

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I was out sick on Friday and while I could have quickly written this post I decided to sleep off some more of the yuck I was feeling. And even then I napped on Saturday and Sunday. This virus that settled in my throat whooped my butt. It just shows that I need to boost my immune system more to fight off plane germs to handle some more upcoming work and personal travel. Wish me luck!

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So here we are, a week later, and I’m finally feeling like me again. And I have this amazing Peach Pie Trifle for you guys! A coworker, who transferred from our Boston to DC office came back for a visit and came over for dinner. She always enjoyed the goodies I would bring into the office, specifically the trifles I would make. I even made her one for her going away party that we hosted at our house. She requested a trifle for this visit so I created this one especially for her!

Okay, so this isn’t really a pie but I was inspired by peach pies for this recipe. Plus, it’s always fun to take something and remix it into something new. 🙂

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I made my favorite cake recipe for this trifle but you can do it quickly with a boxed cake mix. But I swear this is some good cake. And I hadn’t made a cake in so long, I wanted to just pop cubes of freshly baked cake right in my mouth, but I resisted and used it for the trifle. Worth the wait!

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I made 1 large trifle but this would be great if it was served in individual glass bowls or jars. Mason jars even make for great trifle serving vessels.

There is no rhyme or reason in the layering of the trifle. It doesn’t matter if you start with peaches or cake first, but I always finish trifles with whipped cream. I specifically make shallow layers so that when people are digging in they are sure to get goodies from all of the layers.

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Peaches are super fresh and in season now. Now is the best time for delicious juicy peaches so be sure to make some Peach Pie Trifle now.

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Peach Pie Trifle

Makes 1 very large trifle, serves 12-16 people

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 Cups sugar
  • 4 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 Cups Self-rising flour
  • 1 1/4 Cups all-purpose flour

For the filling

  • 3 lbs of peaches
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons vanilla extract, divided
  • 1 pint heavy whipping cream

Process

  1. To make the cake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease 2 9″ round baking pans.
  2. In a large bowl/stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each egg. Add the vanilla extract and beat the mixture again.
  3. Combine the flours together and then add half of that to the butter mixture, beating well to incorporate. Then add half of the milk and beat again. Repeat this process to add the rest of the flour and milk.
  4. Evenly divide the cake batter between the 2 cake pans. Bake for 25-28 minutes, or until a toothpick that is placed into the center of the pan is clean of batter upon removal. Let cool.
  5. While your cake is baking, slice your peaches into thin wedges. In a large skillet, combine the peaches, sugar, and 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract. Over medium heat cook the peaches down until they are just soft. Using a slotted spoon, remove the peaches. Bring the syrup mixture to a slow boil and cook for 3-5 minutes. Add to the bowl of peaches and let cool completely.
  6. Beat the heavy whipping cream and remaining vanilla extract until there are stiff peaks.
  7. Cut the cool cake into squares by slicing the cake into strips and then rotating the pan and cutting again.
  8. In a large trifle bowl or in individual bowls, layer the cake, peaches, and whipped cream. Repeat thin layers until you have exhausted each layer. It’s suggested to finish with whipped cream. ( I did the following: cake, whipped cream, peaches, cake, whipped cream, peaches, cake, whipped cream.)

Trifle recipe idea created by I am a Honey Bee, cake recipe slightly adapted from Buttercup Bake Shop Cookbook

 

PS… my helper wasn’t too helpful, but I think I’ll keep her 😉

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Peach and Blueberry Cobbler

Peach and Blueberry Cobbler

So I’m still addicted to peaches. I don’t know what I am going to do when they are out of season. I’ll be super sad and probably still buy them and pay too much for out peaches shipped half way around the world. All because I’m pregnant and must have peaches on the daily.

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When I recently checked the NASCAR schedule to see what recipes I would be making soon for the upcoming race for my Sprint Cup Snacks posts, I got really excited for the Atlanta race this weekend. Peaches just jumped out to me so I could not resist!

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Oh man, I had so many peach recipes dancing through my head! I toyed around with everything from muffins to a dessert pizza topped with a cream cheese drizzle. (Still thinking about that last one!) But in the end I found this Peach and Blueberry Cobbler that had my name all over it. Nice mash up of the North and South with the Blueberries and Peaches. Plus cobbler is just super simple to make so you really have no excuse not to make one. No excuse.

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I suggest you take a bit of time before dinner (or this weekend’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway) to make it so it is hot and ready for when you are looking for dessert! Doesn’t hurt to serve with some vanilla bean ice cream or whipped cream.

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Peach and Blueberry Cobbler

Ingredients

  • 2 3/4 pounds peaches, halved lengthwise, pitted, and then cut into 3/4-inch-thick wedges (about 8 cups)
  • 1 pint blueberries
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons packed light-brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated, peeled fresh ginger or 1 generious pinch of ground ginger
  •  pinch of salt
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, (1 stick), cut into small pieces
  • 1 vanilla bean
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream, plus more for brushing
  • Sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Process

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place the racks in the in upper and lower thirds of the oven.
  2. Stir together the peaches, blueberries, 1/3 cup of the granulated sugar, cornstarch, brown sugar, lemon juice, ginger, and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Transfer to a 12-by-8 1/2-inch (2-quart) baking dish; set aside.
  3. Whisk the flour, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar in a medium bowl. Cut butter into flour mixture using a pastry blender or your hands to form clumps that are no larger than small peas. (If using your hands be sure to work quickly!)
  4. Scrape vanilla bean seeds into the cream; stir with a fork to combine. Discard pod. Add the cream mixture to the flour mixture; stir until a soft, sticky dough forms.
  5. Drop small pieces evenly over the entire cobbler. Brush the top of the dough with cream, and sprinkle with sanding sugar.
  6. Place a parchment-lined baking sheet on the bottom rack to catch any overflow juices. Bake the cobbler on the rack directly over the baking sheet until topping is golden brown and juices are bubbling, 55 to 70 minutes. If the topping is browning too quickly, cover loosely with foil. Let cool on a wire rack 1 hour before serving.

Sourced from Martha Stewart

Thirsty Thursday: Grilled Peach and Jalapeno Margarita

Grilled Peach and Jalapeno Margarita

We have never gone through so much propane for our grill in such a short time as we have done this year. Just burnin’ through it. But I can’t complain since it just means we have been enjoying the most amazing grilled things. Plus, it’s nice to get out of the kitchen and enjoy the nice weather while we wait.

Since I pretty much always have grilling on my mind during the summer, we decided to go with a grilled recipe for this week’s Thirsty Thursday recipe. It would be so much fun to incorporate something grilled into a drink. Grilled fruit or herbs would be a fun way to add a lot of flavor to a drink. Love to elevate flavors in a unique way.

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I had a big bowl of peaches so I decided to grill them up to bring out their natural sweetness into a drink. But then what? I was thinking of a drink with bourbon but decided on using tequila. Hmmm… a grilled peach margarita sounded great but what else? Well, I realized I had some jalapenos so I decided the margarita could use some heat and decided to that them as well. In the end the Grilled Peach and Jalapeno Margarita was the perfect combination of sweet and spicy. Loved it!!

Have you ever had a Smoky Margarita before? Well, I think you need have one. Amanda has made would that has my mouth watering.  So get your grill going and enjoy. Yum!!!

Grilled Peach and Jalapeno Margarita

Makes 2 large margaritas

Ingredients

  • 2 large peaches, quartered
  • 1 jalapeno
  • 3 cups of ice
  • 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
  • 1/4 cup tequila

Process

  1. Place the peaches and jalapeno on a medium-high grill. Try not to move the peaches much to get nice grill marks on their surfaces. Rotate the jalapeno to darken and blister all the sides.
  2. Remove the peaches and jalapeno from the grill and let cool 15 minutes. Peel some of the blistered skin from the jalapeno, then slice in half length-wise and remove the seeds inside.
  3. Combine the ice, peaches, half of the jalapeno, ice, lime juice, and tequila to a blender. Blend for a minute, or until all ice is slushy and the ingredients are combined. Try the margarita for it’s level of spiciness and add more jalapeno if you prefer.

French Vanilla Peach Pie

I’m gonna sneak in one last summer recipe before I switch over to fall related things with apples, pumpkin and cranberries. I was just in Charlotte and it was warmer there than Boston and I saw peach pies for sale there. So let’s just say this pie is dedicated to Charlotte.

 

I never made a peach pie prior to this one. I always stuck with cobblers when I had stone fruit at hand. I don’t know why I always limited myself. It’s not to say that only making delicious cobblers is limiting but I don’t know why I never really considered to make a pie before. It’s super simple and lighter than a heavy biscuit cobbler, making it perfect for an end of summer dessert.

 

As with all fruit pies, I think that this pie is better the next day. As temping as it is to pull it out of the oven and dive in I think that giving the pie an over night to let the flavors intensify makes it so much better. Most of all, this allows for the sweet syrup that was created from the fruit juices and sugar to thicken, which makes cutting and serving easier. Well, at least, a tab bit less messy.

 

French Vanilla Peach Pie

*makes 1 8″ pie*

Ingredients

  • 8 large fresh peaches
  • 1 /2- 3/4 cup of vanilla infused sugar
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 8″ pie crust, top and bottom

Process

  1. Preheat oven for 425.
  2. Roll out 2 discs of dough. Set bottom dough in pie plate, refrigerate. The top crust will be set aside.
  3. Cut peaches into cite size pieces.
  4. In a large bowl, combine the peaches and vanilla sugar. Coat all peaches completely.
  5. Cut top crust into 3/4″ wide strips.
  6. Place peaches in the bottom crust and then cover with the strips of pie crust in a lattice design.
  7. Place the small pieces of butter in the places where the crust is open to the fruit.
  8. Bake the pie on a sheet tray at 425 for 10 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350 and continue to bake 35 minutes, or until crust is lightly browned.