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Really love your peaches, wanna shake your tree...



No barbecue is complete without peach cobbler. Am I right or am I right?

You can say a lot of things about me… That I have a short temper, bit of a snob, control freak, overbearing parent, that I have a dark sense of humor, that I swear like a truck driver, a tad acerbic, that I’m a total prude, that I am a hint vindictive, that I’m an ugly crier… But I can say with certainty that no one will ever be able to say that I forgot where I came from. I may have lived my life in rather hoity-toity circumstances but my family always kept our roots and by roots I’m referring to my white trash roots.… At least in terms of food.

You can take the girl out of Missouri… But you can’t take the Missouri out of the girl.

For example:
My mother still makes her spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread. The garlic bread is made on hamburger buns.

My mother has never bought anything organic in her life.

At all times, at my parent’s house, there is Coffee Mate Powdered Creamer.

We have never had cane sugar at our house. Lots of brown sugar for baking but never cane sugar.

My mother makes meatloaf and writes “hi” on top of it… in ketchup.

Bacon is nearly a vegetable at our house and bacon grease is a valuable commodity.

Fleur de Sel is only for decoration at our house.

If I asked for strawberries when I was young, my mother would deliver a bowl of sliced strawberries in whole milk with brown sugar or whole strawberries with a side of sugar “to dip.”

My mother’s refrigerator was never without popsicles. Ever.

“Drippings” is a culinary term I learned early on.

My mother has never gone past a California roll at a sushi restaurant and even that is pushing it.

But the true dichotomy is that my mother is a total food/culinary snob:

For example:
Everything is homemade.

There has never been a crockpot at our house.

If you have to ask what quince paste is, you are not an O’Connell.

One time my sister brought a store-bought pumpkin pie to Thanksgiving dinner and my mother has never forgiven her for it.

My mother will think you were raised poorly if you don’t know how to debone a chicken.

My mother taught my brother how to use a double boiler to melt his chocolate when he was basically a toddler.

Included in every one of my mother’s recipes is, “Use a pretty platter.”

So, this brings us to today’s BBQ Fixin’s: Peach Cobbler

Don’t ever try to fancy up peach cobbler. Just let it be… Simple. My mother doesn’t even peel the peaches for her famous peach cobbler. It is so good! Now don’t forget that this is my mother’s recipe so read through it and try to decipher everything because she usually changes her mind halfway through. And I didn’t correct her spelling, grammar or punctuation.

Here is my mother’s recipe:

Anne’s Original Peach Cobbler

This is a recipe that I made up along ago.  The crust part is different from most but it is really good. 

Ingredients:

1 package of Pillsbury or Betty Crocker pie crust in the box.  Not refrigerated. In the box cake section in the market.   Can be hard to find.  Any brand is OK

 9 or 10 really ripe peaches  ( ripe peaches will make it juicy)

Brown sugar

White sugar

Butter

cinnamon

nutmeg

Lemon Juice

Slice the peaches with the skin on and put into a bowl. I like to slice them lengthwise.  Now add about 1/2 cup of the brown sugar and 1/4 cup of white sugar.  I like both because I don't want the cobbler to be to dark in color but still sweet.  If the peaches are not really ripe you will need MORE sugar. I really like to have a mix of ripe and not so ripe peaches. Sprinkle about 1/2 teaspoon or more of cinnamon.  Then about the same of the nutmeg.  Just depends which flavor you like.  I like nutmeg. Add the fresh lemon juice.  Now taste it.  How does it taste?  This is where you make it your own. I usually add more brown sugar! Now add the butter.  I like slices of butter... about 1/2 a stick or more.  Mainly more!

Now put the mixture in a buttered (really butter it good with soft butter) baking dish that  will look good on the table. 

Now to make the topping.

This is my own concoction...so bear with me. It is good!

I take the box mix of the pie crust and put it in a bowl and I add a little cinnamon and nutmeg to it along with a little brown sugar.  Mix all of that up. You want it to be a little brown but still looking like crust.   Taste it.  I like it sweet.  Now add the water from the directions on the box.  But not all of it... go slow adding in the water.   You want it sticky but able to pick up. 

Now take a little of it....like just enough to make a little flat patty about 2 or 3 inches around and  start placing these little patties all over the peaches.  You don't want it to be like a smooth pie crust but a crust that looks hand made.  You want the peaches to be able to bubble up between them just a little but still cover the peaches.  Does this make sense?   Now  you need to make a little egg wash by adding a little water to a egg and mix it up really good and with a pastry brush spread it all over the pie crush.  Now add some white sugar all over this....

Bake in a 350° oven for about 1 hour.  Keep watch over it. You want it to be light brown and have the liquid bubbling between the crust. That is when it is done.  It has to bubble!

Hope you try this recipe.  It is really good. Not as hard as it might look. Just make it your own...add or take away what you don't like and just make it good. This is not a recipe to cut calories.  Go do that with another recipe!  Enjoy... Anne

And just because variety is the spice of life, here are a few other versions of peach cobbler that will knock your socks off.…

 
Southern Style Peach  Cobbler with Maple Sugar, Bourbon and Brown Butter
Recipe HERE.
 
 
 Butterscotch Caramel Peach Cobbler
Recipe HERE.
 
 

Chef Rick Bayless's Grandma Potter's Peach Cobbler
Recipe HERE.
 
 
I have a few more BBQ Fixin’s recipes over the next few weeks. I asked my mother for her recipe for coleslaw and I swear to God her exact answer was, “I just use Kentucky Fried Chicken Coleslaw, I just never told you.” So there’s that recipe.

Even though my mother can whip up Beef Wellington, Salmon en Croûte and a gorgeous Croquembouche with the best of them, these humble barbecue recipes are our family favorites. Stay tuned for Pineapple Upside down Cake.

A toute!

*Something you don’t know about me? Speaking of peaches… My sister’s nickname since she was 17 years old has been Peaches. She got the nickname from her ex-husband, Dennis Dragon, who was in a Malibu surfer cult band called The Surf Punks. They were the epitome of Malibu cool. Dennis was from a truly talented musical family… His father was Carmen Dragon, a famous symphony conductor. His mother, Eloise Dragon, was an opera singer and his brother is Daryl Dragon of Captain & Tennille. I have known Dennis since I was 15 years old when my sister met him and I have only seen him wear long pants twice… Once at his wedding to my sister and the second time was when my sister forced him to go to Aspen. All other times have been a bathing suit. Anyway, Dennis is the one that nicknamed my sister, Peaches.

27 comments:

  1. Love it. I always thought my daughter looked like a peach. Always loved Peach Cobbler. Used to make it up in Sun Valley Idaho at cookouts. Kentucky Fried Coleslaw? Hysterical. I remember going to the Hollywood Bowl with a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken and Milano cookies! Ha! Chic or what?

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  2. This was not the post to read in between my lunch and going for a run...the pictures look great! My Nana was also called "Peaches," and my mom and aunt often called her that instead of "mom." One thing I think I know about you now--you're a Steve Miller fan!

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  3. This post is laugh-out-loud funny! I love the "white trash roots" list! Think your mom is a peach - classy where it counts and not afraid to admit the coleslaw came fromrKFC - too funny.
    Love her cobbler topping - didn't think you could even buy the boxed pie crust mix anymore. I'm so classy I use the pre-rolled kind.
    And remember, one of the best selling items at Sanda Bullock's fancy cafe in Austin is "Aunt Liddy's White Trash Mix".

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  4. I love peach cobbler! Must make some soon as the Georgia peaches are plentiful now. But my favorite part of your post - and I'm still smiling - is your mother's KFC coleslaw. My mother, who cooked the majority of our meals from scratch too, had her own favorite 'cheat'. She would buy the large, family-size Stouffers' Lasagna, thaw it out, put it in a 'pretty' serving dish, pour on some additional sauce and shredded cheese, and voila - homemade lasagna. She didn't however serve it with hamburger bun garlic bread, but she actually carried on this charade for several years, and even served it to 'company'. I must admit that when she divulged her 'secret' I co-opted her trick for a couple of dinner parties for my ex-husband and the assholes in his department at the university. They raved, (that should tell you something about academic psychologists) but no one was the wiser and it actually was pretty tasty! I regret I didn't serve them the hamburger bun garlic bread.
    xoxo

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  5. I LOVE your mother's recipes. Also that she writes "hi" in ketchup on her meatloaf. That is hilarious.
    I'm going to make this peach cobbler for my rascal kids this summer and they are going to love it. Thank you! XO

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  6. I have to say just went I think that you are the coolest chick I have ever met you surprise me, I LOVE Captain and Tennille! I know all the words to Love will keep us together!
    You never seize to amaze
    Xoxoxo
    Lourdes

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  7. Ellie - you never fail to deliver! So damn funny!! This brings back so many memories of growing up! And now at 7 a.m. here in Missouri, I am craving peach cobbler! Okay - I have a question for you; which did your family use - Miracle Whip or Hellman's Mayonnaise? I grew up thinking Miracle Whip WAS Mayonnaise until I moved out of my mother's home! Now I have one sister that refuses to allow Miracle Whip into her home and now I use both. Miracle Whip for some things and Hellman's for other recipes. Also, I grew up with cobbler recipes using a "cake" crust and it took me a while to get used to the fact that some people used pie crusts! Also, I have fond memories of when KFC first moved into our town years and years ago and our parents finally let us have some and we thought it was just the best!! All of it - including the cole slaw! Now I wouldn't let my sons go near one of those places with a ten foot pole!! And my girlfriends and I used to "cruise" around singing "Love Will Keep Us Together" at the top of our lungs on weekends about 40 years ago!! And the way you describe yourself! Hysterical! Hits kinda close to home except I don' like to admit to swearing even tho my sons might say otherwise!!!

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  8. Too funny, however as Missouri is my birthplace I totally relate to everything you wrote Ellie!
    I am making your family peach cobbler recipe this weekend!

    xoxo
    Karena
    The Arts by Karena

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  9. "HI" written in ketchup on the meatloaf .... hahaha! My mother put ketchup squiggles on hers & a few bell pepper strips and I remember thinking that it looked very fancy. :)) Will try your family peach cobbler recipe - love your mom's instructions.
    Nancy B.

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  10. Oh, now I'm going to have write HI on our meatloaf. Very fun Momma!

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  11. This makes me so hungry for peach cobbler I'm going right out to buy some peaches. By the way - I like to add a cup of blueberries to my cobbler for interest. A tasty addition. Also, by the way - I'm a lifelong resident of Georgia and I can say without flinching that the very best peaches come from South Carolina!

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  12. Omg! I thought you were kidding with the name Dennis Dragon! Sounds like a porn star;) hee hee hee. xob

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  13. I don't know you & most likely will never meet you but I love you already! Your Mom is just like people I grew up with in Kansas. Kansas people are so down home, just like Missouri people, the salt of the earth & charming beyond belief. Thank you for the recipe. It sounds wonderful. I'll be back here to get all these recipes later. You're a gem!

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  14. My true love called me Peach.Along time ago!
    You know me by now I will make this.................company on SATURDAY I will try then!
    My God Ellie I loved The Captain and Tennille.Who are you Not related too or not in their circles...........
    This is SO much FUN!
    You my dear are A STAR........................to all of us out here in regular land.
    Keep more coming!
    But first go read my POST...............guess who made my wedding shoes!!!!!
    BIG HUGS,
    XOXO

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    Replies
    1. Oh, come, come! There is NOTHING regular about you, dear lady!
      jane-in-tx

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    2. I GUESS SO!
      Still................ELLIE just has SO Much to share!!
      Her POSTS ARE NEVER DULL and make me GASP!!!
      XX

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  15. yum, the peaches are rolling in right now in Florida...huge farmer's market every Saturday around here and all along 30A....your blog has reminded me, I have been buying homegrown tomatos, I'm gonna grab some juicy peaches here.....your mom's recipe is how we make it in the deep south too.....I love the hi on the meatloaf, so funny.....there is no place like home.....xoxox

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  16. I'm from Missouri too. Does your Mom make that spaghetti with Campbell's tomato soup? Mine did and it was my choice of birthday entree, followed by Devil's food cake with 7 Minute Icing, the whole time I was growing up. I had to graduate from university and move to Chicago before I knew what true spaghetti and meatballs was supposed to taste like.

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  17. Oh!!! Yum--and all of the calories and fat have been removed?? This I'll try for the 4th of July!! xoxoxoxo Mary

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  18. Where in Missouri? I live in Kansas City but I'm from a small town here originally. =)

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  19. Hi Ellie, I remember the Surf Punks! I lived in Santa Monica in the early 1980s and my step-sister was friends with one of the band's members. I have an autographed album somewhere...Kathy in VT
    P.S. Thank you for the recipe!

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  20. Oh, I want peach cobbler! Peaches won't be ripe until mid July here? So have to wait. My Mom's recipe was similar, except she made a FABULOUS pie crust top. Your Mom is so cute! We have to pass these recipes down so they are not lost, including hi in ketchup on the meatloaf. I was born in Springfield, Mo. but grew up around Kansas City. A lot of your family recipes seem familiar. I look forward to your posts, huge hug to you.

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  21. Peach anything is all-time favorite. My FAVORITE peach pie recipe is Nora Ephron's recipe from her book Heartburn. Nora Ephron was a major foodie and I have made every recipe she has ever listed in any of her books (i.e., lima beans in molasses)

    PLEASE, PLEASE try her peach pie recipe!!!! If you google "Nora Ephron's peach pie" - you will see how many fans there are of that pie!! It is SOOOOO easy! Here is the recipe:

    Nora Ephron's Peach Pie
    • 1 1⁄4 cups flour
    • 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
    • 1⁄2 cup butter
    • 2 tablespoons sour cream
    • 3 egg yolks
    • 1 cup sugar
    • 2 tablespoons flour
    • 1⁄3 cup sour cream
    • 3 peaches, peeled and sliced
    DIRECTIONS
    1. Preheat oven to 425.
    2. Put 1 1/4 cups flour, salt, butter and 2 tablespoons sour cream in bowl of food processor and blend until they form a ball. Pat into a buttered pie tin and bake 10 minutes.
    3. Lower oven temp to 350.
    4. In medium sized bowl, beat egg yolks slightly then combine with the sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and 1/3 cup sour cream.
    5. Arrange the sliced peeled, sliced peaches into the baked pie crust. Pour egg yolk mixture over peaches. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 35 minutes.
    6. Remove foil from pie and bake 10 minutes more, or until filling is set.

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    Replies
    1. This peach pie recipe is pretty much unlike anything I've ever seen. Interesting!
      Sheila in Port Townsend

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  22. Well, this is an interesting recipe. I didn't even know there was such a thing as boxed pie crust. I am going to pick up some juicy peaches at the Farmers' Market and give this recipe a try. I may have to add blueberries to mine, though. I can't resist the peach-blueberry combo! Yum.
    Praying for you,
    Michelle from simplysantabarbara.blogspot.com

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  23. Hellllo! I've missed quite a lot, but am excited to read back through today between clients. I think love your mother an totally on board with her opinions on sushi. Never have I ever even considered it. One vacation house full of people violently ill will cure anyone from sushi cravings forever. I am dying for peach cobbler and always eagerly await our wonderful peaches in September. I personally feel any cooked peach is incomplete without a generous splash of whiskey/bourbon. It mixes with the juice from the peaches and gives the most wonderful and luscious flavor. I always serve my peach pies and cobblers with blackberry whipped cream. Also, I fully support your mother's omission of corn starch or flour. Peach pies and cobblers should be juicy like a peach. And lastly, I love to save my peach stones and soak them in bourbon for peachy mint juleps.

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  24. jonathanb7228@hotmail.com

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