Crepes with Roasted Peaches and Honey

Every week or two in the summer and fall, my parents buy produce from Isom's Orchard, a 300-acre orchard in Athens. The produce stand, set up off Hwy 72, has a bounty of fruits and vegetables. My mom and I have visited frequently this summer to purchase tomatoes, squash, zucchini, peppers, peaches, honey, and corn. Unfortunately the peaches took a beating from the hail that we had with the April 27th tornadoes, but that didn't make them taste any less than delicious. I found a great recipe online for 'healthy' crepes with roasted peaches, a good weekend breakfast alternative to plain ole' pancakes.

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Egg White Crepes with Roasted Peaches and Honey

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

2 egg whites

1/2 cup skim milk

1 pinch salt

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

4 peaches

Whisk together the wheat flour, egg whites, milk, salt, and oil in a large bowl until smooth. Lightly coat a skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the skillet. Tilt the pan in a circular motion to allow the batter to spread to the edges. Cook until the bottom is light brown, about 2 minutes.

For the roasted fruit-

4 peaches, cut into 1/2” slices

sugar and honey to taste

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a oven proof baking dish, arrange the peaches peel side down, and sprinkle with the sugar or honey. Roast the fruit for 20 minutes. Preheat your broiler. When fruit is tender and the juices are bubbling, remove from oven and place under broiler for 3 – 5 minutes, until the edges have darkened a bit. Assemble crepes and enjoy!

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I absolutely love honey. I eat it with my cereal and yogurt most mornings for a slight hint of sweet. It's delicious on fruit and biscuits, mixed with peanut butter, or in hot tea. For this recipe, I drizzle it on the peaches when they are roasting and add more on top of the crepes.

Back in the early 80's, my dad purchased beehives to collect his own honey. He set up bee boxes in our back yard. I found out this past week that in 1986, when we moved from Tennessee, my dad drove the hives (1000s of bees) down to Alabama in the back of our car and gave them to Isom's! (We moved into a subdivision, and I don't think beehives fit in with neighborhood life.) Perhaps this honey comes from the "Grandbees" of the ones my dad had, though I'm not quite sure of a honeybee's lifespan.

Midnight In Harlem

Today I am on the last leg- or to be more literal, the last arm- of my corset. All I have left to finish is the binding along the neckline and arm holes. After hours and hours of patient sewing my beautiful piece will be complete! Pictures and story to follow.

I'm listening to my parents' Crossroads DVD today as I work. My parents love Eric Clapton from Cream, to Blind Faith, to his later solo work. Growing up, I have memories of them playing blues and classical rock while we did housework on the weekends. Performing at the Crossroads festival was Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Band. Now the Tedeschi Trucks Band. I haven't listened to their new album Revelator yet. But here's a favorite of mine from the Crossroads performance. Encompassing blues, soul, and rock. Beautiful.

Why blog?

I have been back home in Alabama (without a job, mind you) for 10 months now. So what exactly have I done in the last 10 months? Good question. Hmm. Before Christmas I spent most of my days with my sister-in-law at her house. I was in too deep a state of shock and grief to really do much. I did teach myself to knit and did some baking around the holidays.

I don't really remember January. Wait, I think I did a freelance project for my dad's work and helped him make kitchen cabinets. In February, I signed up for AFSP's Overnight Walk. Much of my time was spent fund raising, sending thank you emails, designing a t-shirt. In March, I discovered Alabama Chanin (love love love). I spent at least a week hand sewing a tank top. Around this time, I also started painting and doing more cooking at home. As time has progressed, I've moved more and more out of the distressed state I was in, and I have been able to focus on other things. For about 4 months, I didn't want to and didn't know how to expend my creative energy. Many things are missing from the life I once had, but I have been able to rediscover my creative self and improve it and find new interests. With the arrival of Spring, I began gardening, and I think new growth came from not only my plants but also myself. Whether it be drawing, cooking, going on my daily walks, or just sitting.

While I can summarize the last 10 months of my life in a few paragraphs, much more has happened. I have some of those memories in my mind, others as concrete evidence. Because so many of my days are spent at home, half the time I don't remember yesterday from the day before yesterday. Never mind what the specific events are. This blog is a way for me to document the things I do with my days, the things I learn, the things I learn about myself. I kept a blog as I trained for the Overnight Walk. After the walk, I felt a great sense of accomplishment as I looked back over the months and saw the progress I made. I hope to take this as a rediscovery of not only myself, but also as a way to rediscover Alabama- the place I grew up. I am seeing it with older, different eyes now. I see beauty in the landscape, the people, and the culture. This has enriched my stay here. So perhaps another underlying theme shall be the discoveries I make about Alabama-life and the South, with emphasis on the arts- visual, culinary, landscape, and anything else that I find interesting. My blog is open to evolution.

I also need some socialization in my life! I've never been one to update my Facebook newsfeed every day, and I'm not the best at keeping in touch- but I'm trying. I hope to share this with people that were in my life before I came back to Alabama, as well as new people out there with similar interests and ideas!

Today

What did I do today?

Today I:

enjoyed my breakfast with my daily story

walked with Loren

weeded our flower beds and watered the plants

planted blue fescue, echinacea (purple and white coneflowers), and blue bedder salvia

flipped through and clipped out of my mother's old magazines and found some good recipes and skincare tips