Friday

Summers Last Gift

This week we bought Summer's last gift ...a bushel of fresh peaches and we had to dust off this fabulous recipe we did a couple of years ago in a collaboration with Chobani.  It is just too good not to share.  Enjoy!!!


A couple of weeks ago I was asked to create a recipe using Chobani Greek Yogurt that would highlight the last hurrah of summer for their Made With Chobani Summer Series.  In Utah one of the last fruits of summer is the soft, fuzzy, golden juiciest of all fruits...the peach!  You can't say goodbye to summer without enjoying a bushel full of them!


I created recipe for a Ginger Peaches & Cream Pie using orchard fresh peaches and the creamy deliciousness of Chobani's Greek Yogurt.  This pie has a ginger crumb crust that my taste testers said was yummy enough to eat alone with a glass of cold milk.  It is the perfect cradle for the large slices of fresh peaches and the vanilla custard that make up this oh so fabulous summer pie!!!  Here are the step by step instructions for the Ginger Peaches & Cream Pie....


Ingredients to Gather

Ginger Snap Cookies 
1 Cup Softened Butter
9" Pie Plate

3-4 Large Fresh Peaches
Juice of 1/2 a Lemon 
1/4 Granulated Sugar
1/2 Packed Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Soft Cream Cheese
1/2 Cup Chobani Vanilla Blended Greek Yogurt
1 Teaspoon of Real Vanilla
1/4 Teaspoon of Saigon Cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon Sea Salt
1 Large Egg

 3 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4 Cup Powdered Sugar


To begin the crust place about four cups of gingersnap cookies in a food processor and pulse them until you get a course consistency.  You want small pea sized crumbles mixed in with the crushed cookie.  If you don't have a food processor you can use a blender or a good ole fashioned rolling pin.  Crush away!  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.


Pour your gingersnap crumbles into a medium sized bowl and using your hands gently mix in 1/2 cup of softened butter.  Mix until the butter is incorporated.  The crumble mixture should be able to hold together when pressed.



If the mixture is too dry, add a little more softened butter until it holds together.  
It should look like the consistency in the picture above.  
Once the crumbles are ready, butter your pie plate.
  

Buttering the pie plate first gives the crumbs something to stick to.  
Press a slight rim edge, slide and then the bottom until firm. 


Once your crust is formed, place in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes to set it prior to baking.


Now that the crust is frozen and set, bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. 
 Remove when finished and let cool on a baking rack.  


While your crust is baking, you can prep the peaches and get the custard ready.  There are several kinds of peaches.   While Rosa's are the sweetest for eating, Alberta's are the best for baking.  They are sweet, tart and take the heat without turning to mush.  I used the Elberta's for this recipe for this reason...
I wanted firm and sweet bites of peach in every bite of this pie.


To prep the peaches, place the peaches (whole) into a pot of boiling water for just a few minutes. Carefully scoop them out and shock them into a bowl of ice water.  
This process will loosen the skins so they come off super easy!  


Once the skins are off, slice in half and remove the pits and slice into 1" slices. 
 Put into a bowl and add the granulated sugar and lemon juice.  
Lightly toss and set aside.


To make the custard, add the brown sugar, softened cream cheese,
 Chobani Vanilla Blended Yogurt, real vanilla, Saigon Cinnamon 
and egg to your mixer.  Whisk together until smooth.  





To assemble the pie, pour a small amount of the custard into the bottom of the ginger pie crust.  Place the peaches one by one into the custard beginning in the center and circle outward until the pie crust bottom is covered with peaches.  It takes a couple of rows.


Pour the remaining custard over the peaches to just below the crust edge. 
 You will have the large pieces of peach peaking out and that is perfect!  
Bake for 45-55 minutes at 325 degrees until the custard is set.  
Test the center with a toothpick to make sure it is set.  


Let cool for 2 to 3 hours on a cooling rack.  
Serve slices with a dollop of fresh whipped cream at room temperature 
or my personal favorite...chilled!


To make the whipping cream, add cold heavy whipping cream to a cold mixer bowl. 
 Add the powdered sugar.  Using the whisk attachment, whip on high until stiff.  
Add a dollop of whipped cream to each slice!


I hope you enjoy this Ginger Peaches & Cream Pie!  Our family has LOVED it!!! There is nothing better than getting the perfect bite of peach, cream, custard, and crunchy ginger. This is my last hurrah to summer!  for even more creative ways to use Greek yogurt in recipes, go ahead and check out Chobani's great healthy recipes!  



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Thursday

Double Churn Dash Barn Quilt

This summer I had an order from a dear customer to create a Double Churn Dash barn quilt for her barn in Park City, Utah.  I jumped at the chance to paint this classic quilt pattern for her.  She was very specific about the colors and the design for two Churn Dash's inside of one another.

We built the board to her request and started the layout and painting.  It took a few days, but we just fell in love with it and she did too.  She sent me a picture of her hanging it on her barn with her granddaughters looking on as she explained her love of this block.


It tugged at my heart strings to see her there with her "girls" sharing something she loved with them.  It reminded me of my own grandmother and how she would pass good things onto us, always sharing something fun.  

I love this pattern so much I am working on a few different color combinations and will soon have the pattern in Our Shop.  We are taking orders for this beaute and as always custom colors and sizes are welcome!  Happy weekend y'all.
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Friday

Barn Quilt Blocks

By now you all know I am obsessed with barn quilts and this new product we are releasing may be the most addicting of them all.  I am so excited to share our new product with you today and to share it with our audience at Fresh Living.  The Barn Quilt Block Set's were designed to allow those of us obsessed with quilts and barn quilts the fun of creating as many barn quilt patterns as we can dream up!  Each set is made up of half-square triangle blocks nestled in a wood tray and can be rearranged or secured.  


 Outback Wife Barn Quilt Block Set

The sets come unfinished and ready to paint or stain in two sizes a 16" small and a 22" large.  The Barn Quilt Block Sets are what I like to call a "no-stress craft" because you can't make a mistake and there are no rules for how to finish them.  My kiddos love painting these sets with me. 


Tweetle Dee Barn Quilt Block Sets

You can wall mount them with the hanger provided, stand them up on a mantle or shelf or leave them flat on a table to play with.  If you want to hang them just use a removable glue-dot on the back of each square and they hold in place until you want to change it up again.  If you aren't wanting to paint one yourself, we have our pre-finished block sets which come sealed and ready to indoor or outdoor use and custom colors are available upon request.  



Tweetle Dee Barn Quilt Block Set
 in Blue and Yellow

I have painted them in bright, and have distressed them to look antique.  I have stained each section in a different color stain to get the on-trend stained reclaimed look..it was amazing.  However, I think my favorite so far is the fabric ink-transfer (see previous posts for instructions) I used on the Outback Wife Block Set.  I love this fabric line and now the fabric is forever saved into a barn quilt I can change on a whim.  



Tweetle Dee Christmas Barn Quilt Block Set 

Each set comes in a pretty little gift box with tips for finishing and six beginner patterns to get you started.  We are having a 20% off  sale on all of the Barn Quilt Block Sets this week through the end of August.  Hint - They make perfect gifts for quilters, painters, and kids of all ages!



Tweetle Dee Barn Quilt Block Set in
 Antique Black and White

We love our customers, we love our barn quilts, and we especially love these new Barn Quilt Blocks and hope you have fin with them too!


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Sunday

Barn Stars and Hexes

It has been a long time coming that we are finally able to release the patterns and supplies for the Tweetle Dee Barn Star & Hex Collection!  I am often asked what the difference is between a barn quilt and a barn star and there is a simple explanation.  Barn Quilts are designed as a tribute to quilts and have been painted on barns and in homes in the past 20 years.  Barn Stars and Hexes have a much longer history.  



Barn Stars also known as "stars in circles" have been in our country since the 18th century and were painted on barns and homes sometimes as the mark of the builder, for decoration and sometimes as a symbol of a "blessing" or hex.  The most common are the five point stars, but you will often see rosettes and hexes with birds (known as distelfinks), hearts and florals.  I adore these designs and love to paint and stitch them.  




It has been a long time coming that we are finally able to release the patterns and supplies for the round barn stars and dutch hexes and we couldn't be more excited to share these with you!  Unlike barn quilts that are designed on a grid and are fairly easy to pattern, these barn stars and hexes are designed on rounds and use "layered star templates".


To celebrate we are offering free shipping on all painted barn stars and hexes as well as the patterns and supplies for the month of August!  To receive free shipping use code BARNSTARSALE at checkout.  


We tested the patterns at a paint night in our local shop and new painters were able to complete the most difficult pattern in a few hours.  It was so rewarding to see these patterns come to life with their own creativity.  The patterns are easier to mark out than a barn quilt and so amazing when painted.  I am working on a tutorial for release this week.








Be watching this month as three new hexes and two more barn stars are released.  We love these patterns and hope you do too!

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