Aldi peaches

Following up on a conversation with Gianna (in which she mentioned purchasing peaches for TWENTY-NINE CENTS PER POUND), and Therese's post, just previous, on homemade peach ice cream, Nick and I had to check out our local Aldi in the hopes of getting some kind of similar deal.

Alas, we're not close enough to peach country to score that kind of deal, but they were $0.39 cents each, and that sounded pretty good. Just out of curiosity, I weighed them when I got home and discovered my six peaches came out to 2.25 pounds and I paid $2.34 which comes out to $1.04/lb. which is quite a bit less than a comparable product at Cub.*

Granted, the Cub product was bigger and riper (and smelled like a shadowy version of something I hope to encounter in heaven someday), but for close to half price, I'm a fan.

I also got blueberries for $1.29/pint again. And that's just amazing.

I did notice that the coffee creamer I purchased for $1.49 at the Hwy. 65 Aldi was $2.19 at the one by Riverdale. I wonder if that's typical?

*Yes, I did take a photo of a price sign at Cub. Fortunately, it's almost impossible to embarrass my kids. ;-)

Honey-Peach Ice Cream

(source)

Also pictured: Trader Joe's Triple Ginger Cookie Thins

Makes about 1 quart

4 Large Ripe Peaches (about 2 pounds)
1/4 c. Honey
1 c. Whole Milk
1 c. Heavy Cream
3 large egg yolks
1/2 c. Sugar
2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

To peel and pit the peaches: Fill a large pot with enough water to cover your peaches. Bring the water to a boil. Using a paring knife, lightly score the bottom of each peach with an X. Then add the peaches to the boiling water for 45 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the peaches to a bowl of ice water for 30 seconds. Remove the skin with your fingers or a paring knife. Cut along the seam of each peach to the pit, running your knife all the way around the fruit. Twist each half in opposite directions to free one half from the pit. Remove the pit with your fingers or the knife.

Coarsely chop half the peaches into 1/2-inch chunks, and toss them into a small saucepan. Add honey, and bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the peaches are soft but not mushy, about 10 minutes. Puree the mixture using a blender, food processor or immersion blender. Set aside.

In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the milk and cream to a boil.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk the yolks and sugar together. Still whisking, drizzle in about one third of the hot liquid – this will temper the eggs so they don’t curdle. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remaining liquid. Pour the custard back into the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring without stopping, until the custard thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon. The custard should reach at least 170 degrees F, but no more than 180 degrees F, on an instant-read thermometer. Immediately remove the pan from the heat, and pour the custard into a 2-quart glass measuring cup or clean heatproof bowl. Stir in the vanilla and peach puree.

Refrigerate the custard until chilled before churning it into ice cream.

Scrape the chilled custard into the bowl of an ice cream maker, and churn according to manufacturer’s directions. While the ice cream is churning, finely dice the remaining 2 peaches, then, just before the ice cream is thickened and ready, add the peaches and churn to blend. Pack the ice cream into a container and freeze it for at least 2 hours, until it is firm enough to scoop.

Notes: Until just now, I didn't notice that you were only supposed to puree half the peaches. Which is just as well, because Brian isn't a fan of peach chunks in his ice cream.

I used 5 peaches, which cam to about 1 lb, 10 oz. It's quite yummy, but I think I'll try it again at some point with the full 2 lbs., to weigh it more towards the peaches than the cream.

Rhu-berry Crisp

1 1/2 c flour

1/2 c butter, melted

1 c brown sugar

1 c rolled oats

1 tsp cinnamon

Blend flour, brown sugar, oats and cinnamon. Stir in butter until mixture is crumbly. Pat half into a greased 9-inch square pan.

2 c sliced strawberries

3 c sliced rhubarb

1 c sugar

3 tbls cornstarch

Mix fruit, sugar, and cornstarch. Spread over crust. Sprinkle with a few drops of lemon juice, if desired. Sprinkle with the remaining crust mixture and bake at 325 for about 1 hour. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

NOTES: I used blueberries instead of strawberries. Very good!

This is in the church cookbook, page 309, but it says to use 1 1/2 cups margarine in the crust. It must be a typo. I used 1/2 c butter and it was good. Update your cookbooks, ladies.

Machine Shed's Baked Potato Soup

How could I never have posted this before? It's Nick's favorite food in the world!

2 1/2 lb. baby red potatoes (quartered)

1/2 lb. raw bacon, diced

1 jumbo yellow onion, diced

1/4 bunch celery, diced

1 quart water

2 ounces chicken soup base

1 quart milk

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1 1/2 sticks margarine (butter is the obvious substitute here)

1 1/2 c flour

1 c whipping cream (or half and half)

1/4 bunch chopped parsley

1. Boil potatoes in water for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. In a large, heavy pot, saute bacon, onions, and celery over medium heat until celery is tender. Drain bacon grease and return stuff to the pot.
3. Add milk, 1 qt. water, chicken base, salt and pepper. Heat over med. heat until very hot, but do not boil.
4. In a heavy saucepan, melt butter and add flour, making a roux. Mix well and allow to bubble, stirring for 1 minute. While constantly stiffing the soup, add the roux slowly. Continue to stir until thick and creamy.
5. Stir in potatoes, parsley and cream.
6. Serve hot. Garnish with shredded Colby, fried bacon bits, chopped green onions, or all three.

NOTES: I quite often do not have cream and have just substituted another cup of milk instead. It kinda balances all that butter and bacon anyway.

Sausage Orzo for Two

1/2 lb orzo
1/2 lb chicken sausage links in your favorite savory flavor
1/4 cup grated romano cheese
1/4 cup caesar vinaigrette dressing(or greek dressing)

Boil and lightly salt a large pot of water; add the orzo and sausage and boil until both are cooked through; drain. Slice sausage links diagonally into bite-sized pieces; stir sausage, orzo, cheese and dressing together.

Makes 2-3 servings

Fresh cookies

It worked! Last time I made cookie dough I immediately put half of it in the freezer and only baked a reasonable number of cookies for three people. I just pulled it out (maybe 4-6 weeks later) and it baked up just like new.

Not only are we not tempted to overeat, but we get fresh cookies twice with only one mess.

(And if anyone knows of a good product to clean aluminum pans, looks like I could use it.)

Aldi Classic Blend Tea

Every summer, I buy a big box of inexpensive tea (usually Lipton) for making sun tea. This year, I decided to try Aldi's brand. On the plus side, the tags aren't part of the envelope, so it takes about half as long to unpackage them, as you don't have to mess with those inadequate perforations. I did think the flavor was a bit weaker (or just a tad off somehow), but that wasn't noticeable at all once you added lemon. All in all, a win.