Star Wars Recipe - Spicy Peach Cobb Vanth aka Barely Italian Spiced Peach Cobbler

Chef Bretto is back in the kitchen and he's working with fresh, summer peaches. And like a good, young man should, he's wearing his Star Wars tee shirt!!!

Chef Bretto preparing Spicy Peach Cobb Vanth

It's hard to believe how much he's grown up since he first started pursuing his passion for cooking/baking. What's even better about his love of food, is that when he makes a dish, he learns to appreciate the ingredients more often than not. Take peaches, guess who enjoys them now???  😁 🍑

Today's Star Wars recipe was fine-tuned and prepared by Chef Bretto. It's a recipe that's been around for many years in our family and recipes similar to this are online.

I don't normally care for the smell or taste of peaches, but I must tell you, he's made a peach-liker out of me! I think it's because he added more fresh grated nutmeg and cinnamon to this. He's a spice lover!

As usual, you can find the free printable food label on the Star Wars Mom website.

 

Spicy Peach Cobb Vanth Recipe
aka Barely Italian Spicy Peach Cobbler

Thrice-Spiced Plum Jam on biscuits and pork. Pork photo courtesy of Kathy Smiley.

This is a bit embarrassing to confess, but I only learned canning of food this year. Here I am 49 years old and learning the art of homesteading step by step. Because of my home situation, I cannot attend most classes, so I have to read how to do it. Our Internet is so slow, I can't even watch "how to" videos on YouTube anymore since moving up to the mountains.

So before I go any further, I would first like to recommend that if anybody wants to start canning that they buy the Ball Blue Book (Guide to Preserving) and read the first chapter several times before attempting this art that has been lost to many of us. If you can attend classes do look for a local chapter of Master Food Preservers.

Plums used in my jam

From there, I want to thank my local homesteading group for all of their input when I have questions. So many people with experience that help me get more info to ponder on my journey. They are awesome! And I was blessed with these plums from one of the ladies in our group.

Thrice-Spiced Plum Jam Pork Roast by Derek and Kathy Smiley of Wild Woman Herbal

In fact, a couple of my homesteaders and friends named Kathy Smiley of Wild Woman Herbal and her husband Derek were the first people outside of my immediate family to try my Thrice-Spiced Plum Jam. They used it to coat a pork roast they made and absolutely loved it.   

Homemade biscuits with raw butter and Thrice-Spiced Plum Jam

Here is the recipe, which I adapted from several sources. One thing I do want to suggest is that I kept the spice light so as not to overpower the plum flavor for others, but for myself, I would add more. Reduce or add, as to your liking. You know me and spice, I like it to the extreme. :)  You can take this recipe and adapt it for your favorite plum jam recipe or to your liking.

 

Thrice-Spiced Plum Jam Recipe

Ingredients: 

• 8 cups plums, pitted and coarsely chopped (leave on the skins for more color and to keep the plums both sweet and tart)
• 4 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg

• Optional: 1/2 teaspoon of cardamom, if you enjoy its flavor and want to kick up the spiciness and nutrition. But then we have to rename this recipe. ;)

Directions:

1. Place plums in food processor and process until pureed. 
2. Pour processed plums in a large saucepan, stir in water and sugar. 
3. Constantly stir and slowly bring to a boil, to be certain to dissolve all sugar. 
4. Rapidly cook to gelling point while stirring constantly to keep from burning/sticking. (For me, the only accurate measure was the saucer in the freezer test, as explained in the canning book listed above). 
5. Remove from heat and stir in spices. 
6. Ladle hot Thrice-Spiced Plum Jam into prepared/sanitized hot jars, leaving only a 1/4 inch headspace. Follow proper canning techniques. Boiling waterbath process for 15 minutes.

Easy Maple Candied Walnuts Recipe (optional: Spiced)

When I posted the recipe to my Spiced Pumpkin Biscotti with Pure Maple Icing, you may have noticed that some of the biscotti were first dipped in the maple icing and then had candied walnuts sprinkled on them. This is the easiest recipe I have ever made for candied walnuts and tastes just as good if not better. On top of it, this one is actually much healthier than the other spiced candied walnuts I used to make every Christmas.

Depending on your purpose for them on how you would best use them, on how much you want to chop them. I use Trader Joe's organic walnut halves and leave them as are if I am using them to eat as is. However, for sprinkling it works better to chop them into small bits before preparing this recipe. Also, you do not have to make this much at a time.

Maple Candied Walnuts

Ingredients:

Directions:

 

Pumpkin Spice Shortbread Cookies Perfect for the Holidays and/or Imprinted Cookies

With autumn making it's beautiful arrival, the temptation to bake with warm spices lured me to the kitchen. I needed a cookie recipe that would keep a very defined "imprint" through the baking process and taste delicious. If you have ever baked imprinted cookies, you know the traditional sugar cookies don't live up to that expectation. Shortbread cookie dough is the way to go.

Now I do like shortbread, but it's just a tad bland for me. I did not think it would go over well with my family either, from previous times when I have bought Walker's Shortbread from the store when we are celebrating Christmas in Scotland.

I decided to design my own recipe, but lest I take full credit, it is based off an excellent standard Shortbread Cookie recipe from Ina Garten. She does an excellent job of nailing the "perfect amounts," whereas when I cook/bake, I tend to throw some of this in, and toss in some of that. When somebody asks me for a recipe, I have to try to guesstimate how much I used of each product. Sometimes, that does not work out well for you.

Pumpkin Spice Shortbread Cookies Using LorAnn Pumpkin Spice Emulsion

I used LorAnn Professional Kitchen Pumpkin Spice, Bakery Emulsion for part of the flavoring. It worked out delicious in these cookies. However, I tried adding it to some ice cream and the flavor was so disgusting, it was no longer edible. I would use it again in cookies, but never again in Ice Cream.

I buy my LorAnn Bakery Emulsions from Ross Department Stores for $2.99 per a 4 oz bottle. You can also purchase it online through Amazon, LorAnn Oils, and possibly at cake decorating stores.

So without further ado, here is the scrumptious recipe.

Pumpkin Spice Shortbread Cookies