RECIPE SWAP: PEACH COBBLER VERSIONS

What's your idea of peach cobbler? Everyone has their own favorite way of putting similar ingredients together to make what they think of as peach cobbler. It is interesting to hear of the many possibilities.

My aunt from northern Indiana puts the peaches in a pan, then makes a mixture of flour, baking powder, sugar and butter, then pours it over the peaches and bakes it. It is what I know as poor man's cobbler or grandpa's cobbler. Whatever the title, it's delicious.

My brother Wes brought one to my house recently as we were working on my parent's anniversary party and it was what we know as real peach cobbler. Pie crust on the bottom, slightly thickened fresh peaches, then this wonderful crunchy topping.

Do you have a recipe for your family's favorite peach cobbler? Send it in so we see the many differences.

In thumbing through some files I ran across this recipe you might want to try. If you don't have a tradition, this may be the beginning of many cobblers to come in the future.

Old-Fashioned Peach Cobbler

4 cups sliced fresh peaches

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup shortening

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cold water

Combine first 3 ingredients in a saucepan; bring to a boil, and cook over low heat until peaches are tender and mixture thickens. Pour peach mixture into a lightly buttered 10-x-6-inch baking dish. Set aside.

Combine flour and salt; cut in the shortening with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle water evenly over flour mixture and stir with a fork until all ingredients are moistened. Shape into a ball.

Roll out pastry to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured board; cut into 1-inch strips, and arrange half of the strips in lattice design over peaches. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove from oven, and gently press baked pastry into peach mixture. Repeat lattice design over peaches with remaining pastry strips. Return to oven and bake an additional 40 minutes. Yield 6 servings, (if you're lucky).

What's cobbler without ice cream, and better yet, homemade ice cream. Last summer we had several ice cream recipes in Recipe Swap. If you didn't save that paper, you can still get a copy of the Recipe Swap cookbook at the Southeast Missourian. It has a good variety to choose from.

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I came home a few days ago, and I assume my neighbor had been by to bring recipes to share, and I missed her. She has a few "summer" recipes to share that translate to cool recipes that don't need a lot of cooking to serve. I like that!

Creamy Caramel Dip

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 small package instant vanilla pudding mix

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup cold milk

Assorted fresh fruit

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and brown sugar until smooth. Add the sour cream, vanilla, lemon juice, milk and pudding mix, beating well after each addition. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour. Serve as a dip for fruit. Yield: 3 1/2 cups.

Apple Cabbage Slaw

6 cups shredded cabbage

1 can (5 ounces) evaporated milk

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon celery seed

3 medium, red apples, unpeeled and chopped

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 teaspoons grated onion

1/2 teaspoon salt, optional

In a large bowl, toss the cabbage and apples. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Pour over cabbage mixture and toss to coat. Refrigerate until serving.

Cottage Cheese Crab Salad

1/2 cup small curb cottage cheese

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup chopped celery leaves

1/4 cup sour cream

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1 package (8 ounces) imitation crab meat, chopped

1/4 cup chopped green onion

1 medium tomato, cut into wedges

In a bowl, combine the cottage cheese, sour cream, mustard, garlic powder and pepper. Stir in the crab, celery and onions. Serve on lettuce-lined plates with tomato wedges. This makes only two servings, so adjust accordingly.

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Another one of my good neighbors sent this next recipe to share with you. People who planted zucchini this year probably have more than they know what to do with. Try this "Apple" Zucchini Pie. It tastes so much like apple pie, she has not found anyone who can distinguish it from apples. Even my sister Barb would eat it. Oops, I let the secret out of the bag.

"Apple" Zucchini Pie

1 unbaked pie shell

2 cups zucchini, peeled, seeded and sliced like apples

1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

2 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 teaspoon butter

Dash salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Crumb topping, recipe follows

Boil the zucchini in a small amount of water for 10 minutes. Drain well. Stir the remaining filling ingredients together. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Sprinkle crumb topping over top and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until done.

Crumb Topping

1 stick margarine

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup flour

Stir together until crumbly. Sprinkle over mixture in pie shell.

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We do have one request this week from my sister Linda. She and her family went to Branson, Mo., for a couple of days and ate at the Dixie Stampede. All of the food was served with no utensils and their meal was quite enjoyable. As a starter to the meal, they were served Creamed Vegetable Soup in a large mug. She said it was a white cream based soup, and she could identify very small pieces of carrot. I have not been there, so it's hard for me to try to guess. Do any of you know the secret? She would love to have the recipe.

That will do it for another week and try to send in your recipes to share with others.

Have a safe and wonderful week and happy cooking.