A Day at the Peach Farm

First things first, there was the taste test.

Beauty

Little D. using a step stool to reach the high spots

We couldn't stop picking!

The tractor ride back to the homestead.

The bounty!

Hamming it up!

A chicken wrap for dinner!

All in all, we picked close to 35 lbs of peaches and nectarines.  They were heavenly!  I made a pie, a crumble and a cobbler.  To Die For!  So good.  I know I took some pictures and am searching for them now.  I also froze some sliced up fruit for smoothies and a winter time peach pie.  We're already getting excited fo apples season!

Gotta Eat!

Monday: Gnocchi with sauce and veggies with dip
Tuesday: Chicken noodle soup with a Caesar salad
Wednesday: Waffles and turkey bacon with a fruit salad
Thursday: Pierogi with red barszcz
Friday: Split pea soup with garlic cheese bread
Saturday: Steaks with roasted potatoes and salad
Sunday: Out! (hot dogs for lunch)

We're still trying to figure out our weekly routine- some of our activities start this week but we're really going to nail things down next week when everything does begin. I haven't baked too much lately because we are also in the middle of a renovation and I have been running around picking up odds and ends.   However,  I hope to bake some muffins (for a school snack) and a cake or crumble this week.  I'm also trying to clear out my freezer and pantry because I have a bit of a collection of "in case of emergency" foods!

Food!

Monday: Cheese quesadillas with black-eyed peas salad
Tues: Breaded cod, roasted potatoes and honey carrots
Wed: Shrimp stir fry (with broccoli, zucchini, red peppers) & noodles
Thurs: Breaded pork with roasted potatoes and veggies with dip
Fri: pizza
Sat: out!
Sun: out, too!

Thursday I am going to make zucchini soup so that I can pack it in a thermos for Little D on Friday, plus, it will save me some work too.

Meal Plan Monday.

We're enjoying all the fruits and veggies that the season has to offer.  I picked up a gorgeous cauliflower and broccoli the other day!  They will be featured a few times in the week.  We're trying get a grip on our waist lines, but it is slow going.  There is too much good food around to eat!

Monday:  Pasta primavera with garlic bread
Tuesday:  Grilled chicken with rice and steamed broccoli
Wednesday:  Fish sandwiches with salad
Thursday:  Steak with baked potatoes & grilled veggies
Friday:   Cauliflower soup with bread
Saturday:  Chicken on the barbie with grilled polenta
Sunday: Out!  Probably the Spaghetti Factory!

Some yummy things.

 

 

Zapiekanki out of the oven

We had so many zapiekanki (Polish grilled street food) while on our holiday that we really felt like we were in withdrawal after we returned home.  I decided to remedy that by making some.  They turned out so well, Hubby said that they were tastier than in Krakow (but I'm sure he just said that to get me to make more :-)  They turned out nice and crispy!

Mushroom Zapiekanki

4 Italian sausage buns
1 package of cremini mushrooms, finely chopped
1/2 purple onion, finely chopped
shredded cheese (fontina and cheddar)
butter for sauteing
salt and pepper
Ketchup

Spread some butter on the sliced buns and preheat the broiler.  Saute the onions and mushrooms with salt and pepper until they start to brown.  Top the bread with the mushroom mixture, cover with cheese and place under the broiler until the cheese melts (just a minute or two). Top with ketchup or horseradish cream.

Ready for a bite

Cornmeal waffles with blueberries

 It is blueberry season and we have been indulging!  For breakfast, lunch and dinner we've been enjoying these little gems!

Short Stacked

Blueberry custard pie ready for the oven

Out of the oven

 This is my new favourite pie.  It was so good and easy to make!  I got the recipe from the Martha Stewart site, again.  Originally it was to be made with raspberries, but we ate them up before I could make anything else with them.  I will try that recipe tomorrow since we went raspberry picking today.  I like that there is only one layer of pastry and lots of cream!

Bucket o Berries

Blueberry smoothie

 And when it is too hot to cook a BLT is always welcome.  It's a nice dinner option for families with kids because everyone can customize their sandwich and there is no major fuss with doing that.  Mr. T ate everything separately and had his bread with honey, Little D made a sandwich without any veggies (like Daddy) and this was my creation.  It was lovely!

BLT with avocado

Rainy day

Yikes, it's already Wednesday!  We've been so busy that I haven't even thought about what we're eating this week at all.  Luckily, we ate out a few times and have accumulated a whole fridge of leftovers from my parents.  Today is a rainy day and I feel like I am finally catching my breath.  Rainy days during a hot summer are a blessing.  I get to catch up on things like ironing and laundry without feeling like I'm missing out on all the fun to be had outside, plus the lawn gets watered with me having to drag  the hose all around the garden.  It's also nice to lay in bed and read for a bit.  I decided it would be a good day to make a pie with some of the blueberries left over from our last berry picking excursion.  I found this recipe on Martha Stewart but have substituted blueberries because we used up all the raspberries already (http://www.marthastewart.com/343295/raspberry-custard-pie)  It's in the oven right now and looks very promising.  Fingers crossed.

So here is a quick meal plan for the rest of the week:

Wednesday: Pasta in tomato cream sauce(with all the leftovers), salad  and Blueberry Custard Pie
Thursday:  Bacon, tomato and avocado sandwiches with a salad
Friday: Cherry pierogi with sour cream and sugar
Saturday: Pork chops on the barbecue with some roasted veggies and garlic bread
Sunday: Hamburgers on the barbecue with quinoa salad or more roasted veggies

Raspberry Pie

The raspberries ready to go into the pie

Preparing the crust

Enjoying some mussels in white wine while waiting for the pie

Just out of the oven

Cutting into it

Oh yeah, it was as good as it looked!