Peach Berry Crumble

It's been over a year since I tried Bountiful Baskets. The last time I ordered a basket, I didn't plan well so some food went to waste. I happened to get several vegetables that I didn't have much experience working with and just ended up not eating them in time.

Despite my experience last time, I still really liked the idea of Bountiful Baskets. Since I having been trying to work more fruits and vegetables into our meals, I decided to give it another shot last week... and loved it!

I think the key is to plan your meals ahead of time and stick to it. The reason I didn't like it last time ended up being one of the reason I like it more this time around. It's a fun surprise to see what you get in your basket and learn new recipes.



We got lots of perfectly sweet and ripe peaches that were delicious the way they were, but it was clear that we wouldn't eat them all in time. I decided to make a fruit crumble with the peaches and a pound of strawberries that also came in the basket.

The result was a sweet and tart crumble, paired perfectly with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream!

Peach Berry Crumble

1 stick of butter, cubed
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt

4 peaches, sliced
1 pound strawberries, sliced in half
1 tbsp lemon juice (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix dry ingredients, set aside. Toss fruit with lemon juice and additional sugar to taste, add in 2 tbsp of dry ingredients and toss, then place in baking dish (I used a 2-quart dish).  Mix butter and dry ingredients with your hands until crumbly and butter cubes are the size of small pebbles. Top fruit with the mixture and bake for 40 minutes.

(Depending on how full your dish is, you may want to place a cookie sheet under your baking dish to prevent the fruit from bubbling over. I did, but ended up not needing it.)

Ice cream is a must. Enjoy!

Happy Chinese New Year!

My mother is a wonderful cook. Everything she makes is comfort food to me. Mapo tofu, stir-fried spinach, red-cooked pork... warmth for my belly. She has no use for measuring cups and spoons because she just adds ingredients and spices until it's "about right." Sometimes it's frustrating to ask her for recipes because it's always "now pour in some soy sauce" and "add sesame oil until it smells right."

Today is Chinese New Year. Last night I was missing home because we'd normally have a big feast to celebrate the new year. Since Joel and I didn't plan anything, I decided to make some Chinese almond cookies. I thought it was ironic because while my mother is a great cook, she has no use for the oven. I don't think she's ever baked anything in her life. The oven is just extra storage space. Chinese families don't have the tradition of baking like many American families.

But that's how I found myself growing up -- in between two worlds, hanging on to Chinese traditions while assimilating into American culture.

I actually do have memories of these almond cookies from my grandmother's house. New Year's is the one time during the year where there would be lots of sweet treats in the house -- all store-bought, of course.



Chinese Almond Cookies
Adapted from Cooking for Engineers
Makes about 30 cookies

3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup almond flour
1 cup sugar
2 eggs (1 is for egg wash)
12 ounces butter
1 ounce water
1 teaspoon almond extract
Blanched almonds for topping cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine flour, baking soda, salt and almond flour in a bowl, set aside.
Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
Beat in one egg, water and almond extract until combined.
Mix in flour mixture until a soft dough forms.
Spoon out cookie dough and roll between your palms to form 1-2 inch balls. Place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
Press an almond into the top of each cookie.
Beat one egg in a separate bowl for egg wash. Brush the egg wash over each cookie. This will give cookies that glossy, cracked top.
Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool on wire rack. Enjoy!

Homemade Marshmallows