Peach Joy

Sorry it's been a bit. You know how it goes. ;)

This week our Wal-Mart had a sale on peaches and nectarines (which are actually peaches) for 88 cents a pound! I'm from Georgia and I LOVE peaches but, living in New Mexico we don't get a lot of peach sales. I floated away into peach heaven and we got ten pounds of nectarines. This may seem a lot to some people, but about 75% of our diet is fruit and it's nice to get something besides bananas and the occasional apple or orange for once (grapefruits are a staple too). So, I'm finding all sorts of exciting ways to eat peaches, though I still haven't gotten tired of just washing them off and biting in. :) Here is the first recipe, a Spartan revamping of the one I found on AllRecipes:

Spartan Friendly Crustless Peach Cobbler by Calise Sellers

4 Peaches--Peeled, Sliced and Pitted (if you use nectarines, there's no need to peel them)
1/2 Cup Natural Sugar
Enough Water to Nearly Cover the Peaches

Put peaches, sugar and water in saucepan. Heat to a low boil. Simmer peaches until they soften and color dulls. Drain liquid into separate container. Serves two.

This recipe seems really simple, and it is, but it's also really tasty and good for you. If you don't do natural sugar, regular sugar or maple syrup would probably work just fine. This would probably taste great with vanilla ice cream, unfortunately I'm still waiting until we have enough room for an ice cream maker or leftovers in our freezer (our freezer is smaller than a shoebox).

Now with the peach liquid left over you can make natural peach soda:

Peach Soda by Calise Sellers
1 Part Leftover Peach Liquid/Syrup
2 Parts Carbonated Water

Stir it up.

If you want to, you can use more peach liquid to make the soda stronger. We liked it just like this. It was nice to have soda after such a long time and know it wasn't going to kill us. ;)

I hope these work and are tasty for you. For me, it's just nice to know I'll be able to give my kids (when I have them) healthy desserts and for me to experience some back-home peach joy.