Month: May 2020

Life Is a Bowl of Peaches

Remember those canned peaches I was looking for? To be exact the canned peach pie filling? The ones I made into a sort of “homemade” peach pie thanks to a friend finding me a couple of cans?
Well, last week I had to go into a store, something I try really hard not to have to do since as I’ve mentioned I have several of those pesky pre-existing conditions that make this Covid-19 virus not such a great thing, as in a death kinda thing. So best to avoid that when I can.
Anyway, (notice no “s” on anyway – there is no such thing! There is not a plural of the word anyway. End of editors rant) while I was in this store getting a few grocery things that we really needed and I couldn’t wait four days to use the curbside option, I decided to wander into the baking aisle just to see if they had any peach pie filling on hand. I’m ever the optimist.
Glory Hallelujah! Not only did they have peach pie filling in stock but they had my favorite peach pie filling! I think I may have squealed a little and done a happy dance in the aisle. Thank goodness these masks make great disguises too! I haven’t seen this brand of peach pie filling in months! I was tempted to put about 8 cans of the stuff into my cart, but I kept a level head and not wanting to hoard so others couldn’t find it, I just took 2 cans.
I already knew I had a yellow cake mix at home, so now the stage was set to make my all time favorite cake in the world, peach upside down cake! I’ll include the recipe at the end in case you might like to make one too, and remember I left you some cans of peach pie filling at the store just in case. I’m pretty sure you can put other canned fruits on top if you don’t like peaches, but really, who doesn’t like peaches?
In this strange new world that we are currently living in with masks and social distancing becoming the new norms, finding a favorite food is back in stock is now one of those things that can literally make your day. Almost as good as finding toilet paper.
I got home and pulled out my trusty recipe binder and flipped open the page where I had scrawled out the recipe. It’s not pretty and it’s not in the correct order, so you have to be paying attention. I believe the original was from Betty C, but I’m not sure. It may have had pineapples on it originally, but I like peaches better, and I’m pretty sure it had real or canned peaches, but I like the gooey peach pie filling better. I almost goofed up by just making the cake mix as directed on the box, then I noticed that there were alternate instructions in the recipe, so I followed those. There is a lot of butter in this cake as well, 2 sticks all told. But who’s keeping track.
I mixed up the batter by hand using just a spatula that I had also used to scrape out all of the goodness from the peach pie filling cans, because I try to dirty as few dishes as possible when doing any baking or cooking. I poured the batter over the melted butter/brown sugar/peach pie filling bottom and slid the pan carefully into the oven and set the timer for thirty minutes. The cake pan weighed a ton I might add, but it was loaded with goodness.
The recipe had suggested it would take between 34-40 minutes, or something like that. I’m pretty sure the amount of times I reset my timer after that first thirty minutes equaled about an hour extra at least that it cooked, but the cake was still jiggly and who wants to go to all of that trouble only to have a partially baked cake. When I poked the toothpick in it seemed like it was dry, so to be sure I dug into the cake with the toothpick like a little mining expedition assuring that yes, the cake was cooked all the way through.
The great thing about a peach upside down cake is that you are literally supposed to eat it warm, or in this case hot. No letting it sit and cool down for hours to wait until you can taste its gooey deliciousness.
I grabbed a bowl and scooped a piece out. Then scooped out the bottom and dumped it on the top of the cake. You are supposed to take a flat platter and place it over the cake pan after its cooled a bit and tip the cake out so that the peaches and topping are on top of the cake. I did not. I can just scoop it on top and call it good, same effect. Later I kept taking little sample bites every time I passed by the stove. I’ll admit I passed by the stove a lot that day. So I basically ended up eating two pieces, but baking a cake is hard work!
In case you are wondering about the aluminum foil in my pan and I am sure you bakers were, here is the deal. My baking pan (I own just the one) rarely gets used. It’s a heavy pan but not a very good one because it has gotten rusty bits over the years and there may be a small hole in the bottom of it. So whenever I need to use it, I just line it with aluminum foil and problem solved. I don’t know if that adds to my baking time or not, but as long as the food comes out edible, I’m fine with it.
I’d invite you over for some tea and cake with me, but you know, the whole social distancing thingy. I guess I will have to work on eating most of this myself. I may share some with Jay and my son Josh. Brittney doesn’t like peaches, I know, I find that crazy too, and Jason lives at the other end of Missouri, so sorry Jason. Now I just need the Schwans guy to stop by so I can get some good vanilla ice cream to go with it.
Until next time…
Stay home and stay safe.
Toni
Peach Upside Down Cake
(original recipe may have been from Betty Crocker cookbook)
Preheat oven to 350.
Ingredients:
CAKE:
2 cans (Wilderness) peach pie filling (or 2 cans sliced peaches drained)
1 box yellow cake mix (the buttery moist cakes work best)
3 eggs
1 c. milk
1 stick (1/2 c) melted butter
TOPPING: (on the bottom of pan)
1 stick (1/2 c) melted butter
1 c. packed brown sugar
Mix the topping together -1 stick melted butter and 1 c. packed brown sugar and pour into the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking pan.
Spread the 2 cans of peach pie filling or peaches evenly over the top of that layer.
Do not follow the cake mixes directions on the box, instead -Mix together the cake mix, 3 eggs, 1 c. milk, and 1 stick of melted butter. Pour over the top of the peach layer.
Bake at 350 for 35-40 min and check that the middle of the cake is done. It may take up to an hour or so. After cake has cooled you can invert it onto a flat sheet. Remember the top will be runny! (I have inverted it and then slid it back into original pan so the peach topping is now on the top of the cake)
Eat warm, store covered in refrigerator. (Ice cream is optional)

Covid Time on the Ranch

Today is day 3,459 of being in self isolation or whatever they are calling it today. I started early on this stay at home quest because it turns out I have several of those pesky underlying conditions they keep mentioning are not good.
The other reason is that I am not a fan of hospitals. I’ve only had surgery once, and that was enough for me. So I plan to do whatever I can to stay home and stay covid free. I wear masks, stay away from everyone including family, sorry kids and grandkids, and wash my hands constantly. I have in effect become a covid curmudgeon.
Lately I’ve been pondering this dilemma of being stuck here on the “ranch” or actually in the ranch style house would be more accurate. It’s not so much the social distancing from other people that bothers me, you’d know this if you’ve read anything of mine because I am a bit of a loner personality within an extrovert shell. The thing that bugs me the most is not getting to go wander around in stores.
Yup, I am a wanderer. I am also a visual person, which means I like to see things up close. I hate sitting at a computer screen trying to decide if I want to order a new pair of slippers, (my main in the house footwear) or buy a new book. I want to hold the objects in my hand, look them over, smell them, see them up close and personal, all the things stores now frown on and discourage.
Recently while in a store that didn’t have curbside delivery, I picked up a bag of a new flavor of pretzels to examine them and see if I should buy them. I realized I had my hands all over them so to be a good citizen I placed them in my cart and bought them, it’s called covid guilt shopping. They turned out to be really good by the way. That was me as a shopper before covid happened. I’d wander through stores touching this and that, picking up things and looking them over, placing them back neatly on the shelf, that’s the OCD. I can’t do that anymore and it’s distressing for a person like me.
I am also beginning to wonder if my brain may be suffering from some of the consequences of being cooped up here all day every day with just the dogs as company and only being able to face time or call people. Some odd things have been happening, although with me, they may just be ordinary and covid may not be to blame, but I’m going to anyway because that also seems to be the current “thing”.
For instance the other day I sat out on my front stoop and removed all my nail polish. Later that day I took my shower and as I was drying off I noticed I had completely missed one nail. I had gone most of the day like that. That never happens, I’m a retired nail tech after all. Worse, it’s three days later and I still haven’t removed that one nails polish.
Then there is the ankle tan I’m working on. You know, it’s on those rare Iowa Spring days when the sun is shining and the wind isn’t blowing 50 mph and you go sit outside to enjoy the sun. You’ve got your house slippers and your leggings on, because let’s face it, who is going to see you anyway? Then later when you change clothes you notice you have this nice little tan line on just your ankles. I’m going to call it a covid tan. Mine is coming along quite nicely.
I’ve also done completely unexplained things, like bake Jay a peach pie. Ok, I used canned peach pie filling and a pre-made pie crust, but I did dump it in the crust and shove it in the oven, so I’m counting that as “baking”, even if he said it’s not if you don’t make the crust from scratch. He lived.
Another evening I made us a small batch of homemade caramel corn. I used microwave popcorn, because lets not get ridiculous here, but I actually did the whole stirring of the caramel in the pan forever and pouring it over the popcorn bit and toasting it in the oven on low for 2 hours. Who is this person?
I cleaned out some of the freezer, which in reality means I removed two old ice cream containers. I’d set them on the counter trying to decide if I should wash them out and keep them in case we ever need a gallon size container for something, or just toss them. Of course one fell off the counter and melted ice cream splatted all over the kitchen floor. The dogs got in a few licks and part of the floor got mopped, so there’s that. I felt productive.
Last night, actually is it considered last night when you wake up at 3:00 AM? Anyway, at 3:00 AM I was awake as usual and made myself a new “daily routine list”. I know what you are thinking, “Wow Toni! You must have a lot of ambition and things to do to make up a list like that!” Just slow down, it’s not what you think.
My list is like this: 8:00 – Feed dogs, 8:15 – make tea, 9:00 -read a Bible study chapter (something I’m trying to make a better habit of) and so on: eat breakfast, unload dishwasher, go outside, etc. You get the drift, plain ordinary stuff I “should be able to remember to do kind of a list”. The truth is I have become so bored with being at home I have found myself just endlessly staring off into space and then realize 5 hours have passed and I haven’t moved off the couch. The dogs have been giving me accusatory looks too, so I thought I’d try to step up my routine. In case you are wondering, yes, nap time is on there and it has the biggest time slot. The dogs join me for it every day.
So far this morning according to my list, I have missed the unload the dishwasher and go outside events, and now I am an hour late for my lunch. I hope it doesn’t goof up nap time.
Stay home and stay safe.
Until next time…
Toni