Peach Cobbler
I love handwritten recipe cards. In my lifetime, I have come to accept they are all but extinct in this InstaPinterestTikTok age. One of my favorite finds at an estate sale are distinct little boxes holding precious small 3x5 cards inscribed, often in pencil, with lots of love and sometimes a splash of vanilla stain. Like most estate sale gems, I find myself wondering about the story behind the precious box, meant to be saved. Perhaps she was a great cook. Or a reluctant one. Either way, a small piece of her story is memorialized in her own precious cursive script. Her signature dishes. Her go-to desserts.
Last weekend, we celebrated my youngest daughter’s bridal shower with all the sweet things. We showered my soon-to-be Sadie, Sadie, Married Lady with delicious food, gorgeous decor, games, a magazine-worthy mimosa bar, and a Spring Fling cake.
As the mama of the bride, I straddled the somewhat out-of-body worlds of hosting, the making sure the lifetime friends and guests were warmly appreciated, and the studying of my daughter’s beautiful face to soak in her joy.
My nest is filled with feathers, and she is my last to fly.
Like her sister before her, my gift was her very own Le Creuset dutch oven. Mine are colorful orange red, green and blue to match all the throwback things in my kitchen, while hers is gorgeous matte black. Mine are used almost daily, while hers is waiting to be discovered as she brings her own style and voice to her dishes.
Her second gift from me, while significantly less expensive, is equally priceless. A small, Hallmark gift store purchased recipe book filled with my handwritten recipes. Her sister’s was distinctly more Mexican-looking, from Anthropologie, but this one caught my eye and I added one of my wooden spoons to complete the gift.
My kitchen is the space where I love my family. The gathering at my table is where my whole heart is at home. There is nothing remarkable about my ordinary menu except the small, consistent everyday-ness of my meals. Made with love. My dishes are a combination of simple meals learned from my grandmothers, my mama, my aunties, and my life group ladies from church. I’ve contemplated making my next book a cookbook entitled, “Church Ladies” highlighting all the beautiful women in my life.
In addition to my pot roast, chicken soup, and Denver chocolate sheet cake recipes, I included a little go-to gem, especially enjoyed during Colorado’s peach season. As newly wedded kids, Craig and I lived in a four-plex down the street from our church and around the corner from Craig’s high school. Our neighbor’s front door was right next to ours, literally, the doors touched, and they were blessed with the most delicious toddler named Matthew, who stood inside his front screen door and called my name at dinner time. Woda!
His mom, being a few years older than me, was a “seasoned” cook and I often wrote down her recipes. Her peach cobbler recipe became my own. Every August, if the Palisade crop allows, I bake as many cobblers as possible. Right up until the fruit stands shut down for the season.
1 C flour
1 C sugar
3 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 C milk
1 t vanilla
4 C peeled + sliced peaches
(The original recipe calls for additional sugar for the peaches, but Palisade peaches do not require this step. Save your sugar for recipes that actually need the extra sweetness. Like snickerdoodles. Extra sugar is a must.)
Preheat oven to 375. Place 1 cube butter in 9x12 glass baking dish and place in oven to melt. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, milk and vanilla. Pour 1/2 of the mixture over melted butter (don’t stir) and spoon peaches over batter. Pour rest of batter over peaches and return to the oven for 35 minutes.
Serve warm with scoop of vanilla ice cream. Sing praises to the Lamb.
My youngest is getting married. May she always know the love of Jesus. May her home be a safe house of abundance, blessing, peace and belonging. May she be known for acts of generosity, love and kindness. May her kitchen be a space filled with extra love and some days, maybe, she can pull out her Hallmark store recipe book filled with her mama’s recipes and make a little something that tastes like her childhood. Especially during peach season.