Peachy

Yes it's fall. But I'm still hanging onto the last of summer here in Minnesota. It seems we've gotten the warmest months right here at the end.
Hot, blustery days (yes that's a word) followed by storms and oppresive humidity. Lovely.
So with all this warm weather, it doesn't quite 'feel' like fall yet. When my in-laws came into town last weekend, I just couldn't bring myself to make my normal Apple Pie. Too fall too soon. I'll hang onto summer.


Peaches. mummm.... there were some beautiful peaches in the store which I thought would go well with the raspberries we got in our CSA cache that week.
My mom said she'd been going through a bunch and canning them into pie filling by blanching them. So I tried that. OMG she was right! The skins just slide right off and they are so easy to slice up.
Just boil the peaches in water for about 5 minutes and then dump into ice water to let cool.

They turn out just right, baked slightly without falling apart.

Slice them up, mix with tapioca filling, sugar and a little lemon juice, then stuff them in a pie. Sprinkle some raspberries on top and cover with your favorite pie recipe.

And hold onto summer.

The Great Minnesota Get Together

It's that time of the year again. When the weather starts cooling down, the friers start heating up, and you get excited to find out what the newest "on-a-stick" item is.... It's the Minnesota State Fair!
We have our own little traditions for yummy greasy salty sugary things to eat, animal barns and art expos to visit, various beer gardens to relax at. But the big question is... how large will the giant pumpkin be this year?

Mini donuts hot off the frier. Cheese on a stick? why not.


Pretty rides and Grandstands.


Blue ribbon winners and isles filled with honey. The giant pumpkin was 1186 lbs this year, a new record for the sizes we've seen!

Visit the Butter Princesses in the Dairy Barn. Ah! to have your face carved out of a block of butter. Congrats Princess Kay of the Milkyway, you have arrived.

Horse, Cow, and Fowl barns. It was getting late at this time so the sheep had on their jammies. Sheep in pajamas. A new State Fair tradition.

And the midway. Nothing like the night time sounds of rides and walkers in the cooling air. So much more to see. Day #2 here we come!