Grilled Peaches with Butter-Rum Sauce

Hi Y'all!

I have not cooked a whole lot of new or interesting dishes over the summer (hence the lack of posts), but today I finally have a new recipe to share with you all. This recipe comes just in time to close out your summer!  (And use fresh, local peaches if you have access to them :) )

I have actually had this one on my "want to make" list for a couple of months, but just did not get around to it until this past weekend. If you like peaches, you will love this recipe. This is my favorite fruit of summertime, so I was perfectly happy to stick with it, but if you aren't a fan of peaches, pineapple would be a perfect substitute here. The sauce is the best thing ever adding such a rich flavor to the peaches. And over vanilla ice cream?? Ah, truly scrumptious.

The peaches would be best on an outdoor grill, however, I did not feel like lighting up the grill the night I made these, so I cooked them on my panini griddle. The griddle marks aren't as pretty, but it still tasted amazing, so don't feel like you have to have a grill for this. :)

Grilled Peaches w/ Butter-Rum Sauce

Ingredients:

4 tbsp. butter
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c rum
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
ripe peaches (3-4)*
vanilla ice cream

1. Combine butter, brown sugar, rum, cinnamon, & salt in a saucepan on medium-high heat. Melt the ingredients, stirring often, until a syrup forms. 

2. Slice the peaches into quarters and discard the pit. Dunk the peaches into the sauce and place them on the grill. Once you have nice grill marks, flip them over.

3. When both sides are done, place the slices over ice cream. Spoon the sauce over the ice cream and peaches and serve immediately.


*It is important to make sure the peaches you use are ripe as their sweetness will be needed.*

Whole Wheat Waffles + Easy Fruit Topping

Hey y'all! It's Monday and we all know Mondays are not a favorite of many people - myself included! But, that is the very reason I'm sharing this recipe today. I mean, who doesn't love waffles? I'm pretty sure a plate of waffles is one of the absolute best ways to start a Monday. :) And this recipe is just easy enough that you can make it on a weekday morning without being pushed for time. 

I loooove waffles. Like seriously, I have a slight obsession with them. Just ask my husband; he'll tell you I mention cravings for waffles multiple times a week! ;) They're just so good. But, I've been trying to eat better lately so I decided to try a recipe that uses whole wheat flour instead of white flour. I was delighted to find this recipe from King Arthur Flour! I love KAF and they typically have great recipes, so I knew this one would taste good despite being so simple. The one thing I would add is a teaspoon of vanilla just because I think vanilla always goes well in a waffle recipe. :)

I think one of the reasons I like waffles so much is because of the almost endless possibilities for toppings. I really love fruit topping on waffles; berries on top of a hot, buttered waffle is just perfection in my mind. This topping is very simple & affordable. And a great way to get the health benefits of berries even in the wintertime. So go ahead and make yourself a batch of these waffles and start your Monday right! ;)

Whole Wheat Waffles

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tblsp. sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
1/3 cup melted butter

1. Preheat your waffle iron while you prepare the batter.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, & sugar.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, & butter.

4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until combined. Lumps are good!

5. Cook the waffles as your waffle iron instructs.

6. Top with syrup, berries, whipped cream, chocolate syrup, or whatever you fancy! :)


Warm Berry Topping
(makes 1 serving)

2 tsp. butter
1/2 cup fresh or frozen berries (I use frozen - more bang for your buck!)
cinnamon

1. Melt the 2 tsp. of butter in a saucepan until bubbly.

2. Add the berries and let cook down until thawed through and juicy.

3. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon, mix.

4. Pour over your (buttered) waffles. Bon appetit! :)




*Waffle recipe from King Arthur Flour*

B-U-T-T-E-R

Ahhh, butter. What could be better? What could be creamier, or richer, or more intoxicating? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Butter is the king of the kitchen. And to quote Paula Deen, "Butter makes everything better". I could not agree more. 

However, I feel like there is a huge difference between the "store" butter and "real" butter. What I mean when I say "store" butter is the butter you buy at the store that comes in a box & holds 4 sticks (1 pound). It's decent. Good even. But it's not real butter. Now, to be honest, I've only had the pleasure of experiencing real butter a handful of times in my life. But enough to know - and love - the difference. I'm talking about the butter that can't be bought at the grocery store. Or so I assumed until recently . . .

You see, I'm particular about milk too. It falls into the same category as butter, "store" or "real". Store milk - the kind that comes in the plastic jugs that are so familiar - really isn't that bad. BUT. There is this wonderful, creamy, delicious, hands-down best ever milk that one of the grocery chains carries around here. It comes in a glass bottle. It's hormone free. You can buy it whole, 2%, skim, chocolate . . . I think even strawberry (although why anyone in their right mind would want to drink strawberry milk is beyond me). It is - Homestead Creamery. A lovely local-ish establishment that produces the best milk EVER. I love this milk. I really do. I feel almost as strongly about milk as I do about butter. And in a day and age when everyone's drinking coconut milk and almond milk, I unashamedly chug the Homestead Creamery whole milk all the time. Yes, I buy whole milk. It's rich. It's creamy. You should try it. 

Anyway, I'm making a terribly long story out of this. Recently, I was at the store buying my 'special' milk when I happened to look up to the very highest shelf. I don't know why, that shelf is waaaay above my head and my milk is on the bottom shelf. But I looked up. It was meant to be. Because when I looked up I laid eyes on this: 

Just look at it. It's a beaut!

. . . And for one moment in time, my heart stopped. (Okay, I'm not that obsessed with butter, but it adds to the effect ;) ) I could not believe what I was seeing, nor could I believe that I had never known it was there! Needless to say, I purchased it with a big grin on my face. 

I really, truly am excited about trying this butter. And once I've tried it, I will give y'all my review of it. I'm not gonna lie, it was a wee bit on the pricey side. But I believe some things deserve a splurge. And this was one of those things. So, one day here soon, I'm going to make some biscuits to smother in this butter. In the meantime, feel free to let me know of any "real" brands of butter that you like in the comments below!