Peach Cobbler

My great grandmother made the best peach cobbler e.v.e.r!  I still miss it!!  Ha ha I don't think mine will ever be as good as hers was, but it still satisfies my occasional craving for Peach Cobbler, and it is pretty darn good if you ask me!  :0)

Ingredients:
Pie Crust, divided into two pieces (or you can cheat and buy the pre made rolls of pie crust at the store, just get the package of two.  The red box in the refrigerator section, over by the biscuits and what not, works well--much better than the frozen kind!)
1/2 stick butter
2 pounds sliced peaches
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 to 1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg--beaten and some water (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Spray an 8x8 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Roll out half of your pie crust to fit the bottom and sides of the baking dish.
If you are using the egg, whisk together the egg and water. Then, using a pastry brush, coat your pie crust with the egg mixture.  Just do a thin coating over the entire crust.
Roll out the second half of pie crust and cut it into strips--about an inch wide.  Save any pie crust scraps and set them aside.
On a piece of waxed paper, lay out the strips of pie dough in a woven pattern and place in the freezer.
In a saucepan, melt the butter.
Add in the peaches and all of the dry ingredients.
Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 8 to 10 minutes.
Cut any pie crust dough remnants into small pieces, and stir them gently into the mixture. 
Remove from heat and add in the vanilla.
Pour the peach mixture into the prepared baking dish.
Remove your woven pie crust from the freezer, and flip it onto the top of your baking dish. 
Tuck in the pie crust edges. 
If you are using the egg, coat the top of your pie crust with the egg mixture.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until it's bubbly and the crust is a nice golden brown.
(I use a clear glass baking dish, so I also pick up my dish to make sure the the bottom pie crust looks cooked all the way through the middle.  If it doesn't I cover the top with foil, and bake it a little bit longer.  This has only happened to me once, but now I check it every time!)

I always taste my peach mixture before adding it to the pie crust.  Sometimes I'll add in a splash of orange juice, more sugar, or even some honey.  ha ha it all depends on my mood that day!  But this cobbler always turns out yummy, and my dad, who is passionate about his cobbler, love it too!  :0)

Chicken Calabrese

This chicken dish goes great with a salad with some of the yummy Fresh Tomato Salad Dressing that I posted the recipe for last week.  It has a wonderful light flavorful taste, and is perfect for a warm (or hot in my case) summer day!

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes in olive oil
4 slices of prosciutto (ham works too)
4 slices of provolone (or any good white cheese)
1/8 cup of basil pesto sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup white wine (or chicken broth)
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 tablespoon fresh basil--chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Split (also known as butterfly) the chicken breasts so that they open up kind of like a book.  It sounds hard to do, but trust me, it's not!
Open the chicken breasts up and layer: prosciutto, 1 teaspoon of pesto, 1 tablespoon sun dried tomato, and cheese.
Roll up the chicken breasts, while tucking in the sides, to completely envelope the filling. 
Secure with toothpicks or tie with baking twine if you need to. 
Put your olive oil into a deep skillet and brown the chicken rolls on both sides.
Add the wine (or chicken broth), tomato sauce, basil, salt, and pepper to the skillet. 
Simmer about 30 minutes.   
Enjoy!

I love to make some crusty garlic bread, a salad, and some steamed veggies to go with this.  You can also play with the filling and it will still turn out great!  You can add mushrooms or bacon, or whatever else you have on hand just to change it up a bit.  Cooking these in the wine sauce keeps the chicken moist, and gives it such great flavor!  Yummy!

Fresh Tomato Salad Dressing

I have had several versions of this over the years, and I absolutely love it!!  It has such a perfect fresh bright taste, and is by far my favorite salad dressing. I think this year, I might try freezing it into cubes to see if I can store it that way.  Then I could make up a big batch while my tomatoes are fresh and then be able to eat it for months afterwards!  :0)  I'll let you now how it goes!

Ingredients:
3 cups chopped tomatoes
1 generous sprig of fresh basil
1 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic--minced (sometimes I saute the garlic to give it more flavor)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup oil (I prefer olive oil, but I have used canola oil too)
sometimes I also add a dash or two of balsamic vinegar just to give it a little more flavor

Directions:
Put the tomatoes, basil, garlic, salt, and vinegar into your food processor or blender and blend until it is all combined.
Then slowly add in your oil and blend until it is all creamy and yummy looking.
Enjoy!

Yummy!  This dressing is seriously good!  I could almost eat it with a spoon!  :0)