Franz Schubert-- Lob der Tränen

I heard this piece on the radio this morning. I don't know which is more beautiful-- the piano version or the classical guitar. Enjoy!

Little Peach Hand Pies

We interrupt these fascinating and invigorating blog posts to bring you dessert fresh from the orchard!

A neighbor came by this morning with a bucket of little golf-ball sized cling-stone peaches. This neighbor grew her peach trees herself, from pits planted one year (next time you eat a peach, plant the pit in the yard and check next spring and see what happens!). I thought I would maybe try my hand at some fried pies later on after dinner, but time got away from me to make pie dough and since I believe in processing fruit as soon as possible, I decided to just slice and freeze them for pies later.

But the idea of crisp little peach hand pies wouldn't leave me, and though I knew I didn't have time to make a pie crust from scratch, it occurred to me that the tortillas I was about to cook for dinner could do double-duty as pie dough!

The result was crispy and good. I am 99.9% sure that any dough you have on hand would work for this; from egg roll dough (for wee pies)  to puff pastry, biscuit dough or some wonderful buttery dough you happened to whip up and store in the freezer for your creative gourmet moments.

This recipe will warm the peaches but not cook them like a regular baked peach pie. Personally, I find a warm, ripe peach is mushy enough for me!

My little peach hand pies:
makes as many as you want

Tortilla Land ready-to-cook tortillas (or any ready-to-cook dough)
Little peaches (or soft fruit like plums, or maybe berries?)
Honey
Cinnamon
Oil for frying*

Slice the fruit, drizzle honey over to taste, sprinkle cinnamon to taste, and put one or two big spoonfuls in each tortilla. Moisten the edges of the tortilla with a little water, fold in half. Pinch and fold the half-moon side. Fry tortilla pies until golden. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve immediately.

*I never feel comfortable pouring half a bottle of oil in a pan to fry. I just put 1/4 inch in a small pan and baby sit the item being fried, turning it several times. 

Here's an option for you: These little peaches are so little, that if I had peeled them there wouldn't be much left to eat. I didn't have time to blanch them and so I sliced them peel and all. This doesn't bother my family since I often include the apple skin, pear skin, and plum skin in my in-a-hurry big country style pies. It isn't company-style perfect pie filling I know; just lower your standards and call it "rustic country pie filling." remembering all the good nutrition that is in the skin!

Just popping in...

Just popping in to put a few links up.

I have joined Pinterest. This at the urging of a friend to get on the bandwagon with social media. She threatened to fly half way across the United States to teach me how to get with it, so I felt I ought to get with it quick... boy was I dumb! I should have done nothing, let her fly out to instruct me and then I could have had a visit from her:) But I saved her the price of a ticket and signed up for Pinterest, since I felt it would suit me best. My boards.

Rural Revolution featured the best phone yet-- reminds me slightly of the iWonderful.

Tea Time Studies...what a good idea!

And last but not least, let me introduce you to my Great Uncle Fred. You will soon find out you can hardly take him seriously! But he really was a player for silent films back in the day.


 Fred was entertainer extraordinaire for nursing homes and old folks homes in his area. He went home quite a while back now... those older folks that I knew growing up were such characters. "They don't make them like they used to!"

Boys and Pockets

When boys discover pockets, their life changes.

The little toddler jacket pockets just barely hold little hands, but soon small stuffed animals, precious "knittens" (a better word for "mittens" I think!) and little objects crowd in, too.

Then, as little boys grow older, there is the string or piece of rope, the rock, the bit of wood, the screw, the Lego man, and other unrelated objects that are just pocket sized.

McGuffey's Reader's boys always have handy things in their pockets. Here, Willie kept a notebook, pencil, and string in his pocket, and it came in handy when he had to send a message home with the dog.

Soon a watch joins it all-- a watch that doesn't work somehow. And as chores come along in the life of a boy, so do small tools or nuts and bolts. It's always nice when there is pocket change, too. All of this is cushioned with a layer of hay.

The pockets grow as the boys grow, and then small "how to" books join the mix. I've seen a deck of playing cards and an old Walkman tape recorder, as well. But the handiest addition is the pocket knife. I don't know how many times I've been offered the aid of a boy's pocket knife. I don't need to own one myself, with all these handy boys about.

No doubt these boys keep harmonicas and other handy things in their pocket.

I have always been a bit squeamish about reaching into pockets at laundry-time, preferring to just squeeze them to see if there is something in them. I shouldn't be so afraid, as I've never seen a frog or bug or snake in a pocket. But, I have missed several things because I didn't do a thorough search, so I have washed and dried money, screws, bolts, and a hose-repair kit. I'm glad I haven't yet washed a Walkman.