I love summer food... and a little knitting

PART 1:: KNITTING

This sock was completed almost two weeks ago and I haven't casted on for the second sock yet. Not a good sign. I really like how this one turned out... its just that I have so many projects I want to make! This is the Retro Rib pattern from Favorite Socks. And the yarn is some that I dyed last summer with coreopsis flowers. I WILL cast on for the second sock soon. Promise.

PART 2:: FOOD

So, there's been a ton of baking going on in my kitchen. I have always loved to bake (thanks, Mom!) and this summer I have been tearing it up with all the awesome fresh fruits available at the farmer's market and growing in my friends' yards. The photo above is a berry clafoutis (klaf-o-tee). I am going to be volunteering with an organization called HawkWatch this fall. They are a non-profit organization that educates about and promotes conservation for raptors. Anyway, they do raptor counts and raptor trapping in the mountains around Albuquerque during spring and fall migration, and I am going to be helping them out this fall. I got together with a bunch of them for a potluck dinner and slide show of birds last week - and this is what I brought. I think I will be invited to the next potluck. This dessert was amazing. This (scroll down) is the recipe I followed. I put strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries in mine. Its all custardy and fruity and yummy. Kind of like those fruit tarts that you see in French bakeries.

Last Friday, one of my co-workers gave me a bag full of peaches from the tree in her yard. I am a huge fan of breakfast for dinner, so I made pancakes and peaches for dinner that night. I sauteed the peaches in butter with cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla and topped it all off with some pecans. mmmmmm....

And then on Saturday I acquired even more peaches from another friend. I had also bought some apricots at the farmers market, so this evening I made these peach apricot popovers. They were so super easy to make and incredibly yummy.

Here's the recipe:

Peach Apricot Popovers

4 ramekins

3 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 large peach (peeled and cut into 12 sections)

1 large apricot (divided into 8 sections)

1/4 cup brown sugar (I didn't have any brown sugar, so I just used granulated sugar)

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1 Tbsp nutmeg

1 Tbsp cardamom

1/4 all purpose flour

1/8 cup whole wheat flour

1/8 cup corn meal

1/8 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup plain yogurt or kefir

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

-Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

-Seperate butter into 2 and 1 Tbsp portions. Set aside 1 Tbsp.

-Equally divide the 2 Tbsp portion into each ramekin, laying the butter as flat as possible. Divide the brown sugar into 4 equal portions as well and sprinkle each portion into the bottom of the ramekin.

-Arrange three slices of peach and 2 slices of apricot in each ramekin so that the curves of the fruit conform to the top of the dish.

-Combine cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom. Sprinkle equal parts of the mixture over the fruit in each ramekin.

-Combine the flour, corn meal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.

-Melt the remaining 1 Tbsp butter. In another bowl, combine the sugar, buttermilk, yogurt, vanilla extract, and melted butter.

-Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients, and using a spoon mix them just enough to combine. Don't over mix; lumps are okay.

-Pour the lumpy batter equally into each ramekin.

-Put the ramekins onto a baking sheet and into the preheated oven. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the top of the cake is golden-brown.

-Remove from the oven, let sit for 5-10 minutes. You can eat them from the dish or run a knife around the edge of the ramekin and flip onto a plate for an upside-down popover.

I still have a ton of peaches, so I thinking freezer jam is on the agenda sometime this week!