Attack of the Killer Peaches Poundcake

With local peaches ripe and yummy at farm stands and farmers markets, it seemed time to dust off this recipe. There is not one single WW thing about it except there’s fruit.   I got it at a convention in Atlanta over 20 years ago (along with a ripe peach) and have made it several times over the years.  It’s moist and yummy and is a good summer dessert to take to a picnic or potluck supper.  If you’re watching your weight, do not keep this in the house where you can nibble. Trust me.

1 C. butter or margarine, softened
3 C. sugar
6 eggs
3 C. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 C. sour cream
2 C. peeled, chopped fresh peaches
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan and set aside.  Cream together butter or margarine and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Combine flour, soda and salt in separate bowl. Mix together sour cream and chopped peaches.  Fold dry ingredients into creamed mixture alternately with sour cream and peaches.  Stir in vanilla and almond extract.  Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 75-80 minutes or until cake tests done.

Makes one 10-inch cake.  Could probably make in a bundt pan but I’ve never done it.

Enjoy!

Individual Baked Pumpkin Custards

Just got this recipe from my former WW Leader Arlene, who is a wonderful cook.  Looks like something easy and delicious, and a nice alternative to pumpkin pie.  Hmmm, I think I’ll have to try this – I have everything in the house except the evaporated skim milk.  Let me know what you think if you make it.

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Individual Baked Pumpkin Custards

Points value:  2
Servings: 8

The sweetness of these pumpkin custards is offset by a spiced yogurt topping. Each one comes in its own ramekin for easy portion control.

Ingredients

2 cans pumpkin, not pie mix.  Whisk the following with the pumpkin:

• 4 large egg(s)
• 4  egg whites
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1/2 cup evaporated skim milk
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoon artificial sweetener , Splenda or real sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground

Topping

• 16 oz fat free Greek yogurt
• 2 teaspoon artificial sweetener, Splenda, or real sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, ground
• 1/2 teaspoon whole or ground cloves (optional)

Instructions

• 325ºF oven
• To make custard, spoon pumpkin into a large bowl; whisk in custard seasonings.
• Place eight ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet; fill each ramekin about 3/4 full with custard. Bake for 20 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a knife in center of a custard cup – if it comes out clean, custards are finished. If not, bake for 5 minutes more and check again; repeat until cooked through. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.
• Meanwhile, combine topping ingredients in a medium bowl; mix well and set aside. When custards are cool, top each with yogurt mixture and serve.
• You can make the custards one day in advance and store them in the refrigerator. Top with yogurt mixture just before serving.

Traditional Thanksgiving Food

I have a weakness for mincemeat, especially enhanced with brandy or rum. Yesterday I bought a jar – even though I knew it was a bad idea – and managed to eat almost the whole thing before finally tossing the last bits. I felt stuffed and slightly nauseous and don’t think I’m going to succumb to the temptation again any time soon. Once a season is usually enough. Though if someone were to offer me some really good fruitcake, I could do some damage. I love fruitcake. But I’m not going to buy any for myself. I’m not that crazy.

It’s interesting how certain foods are traditional in some families and not others, and how traditions develop. My mom grew up having turnips on her Thanksgiving table, despised them, and vowed they would never appear in her kitchen. So I never had them and didn’t miss them because she told me they were awful. My family has turkey, of course, with a simple bread stuffing that’s cooked inside the turkey, not in a separate pan. We also have cornbread dressing, brought to us by my sister in law who grew up having that instead. Now we have both.

I think we maybe used to have mashed potatoes, though certainly not in recent memory. But sweet potato casserole with oranges and those little marshmallows on top are a staple and devoured completely. Some kind of green vegetable – used to be that ubiquitous green bean casserole with little onions on top, but now I think maybe just plain beans. And the newest addition is sweet and sour red cabbage, brought to our table by a neighbor who brought a piece of their tradition when they began celebrating the day with us. It’s colorful and a nice change of color and texture.

The desserts are the usual pies but I’m not really a pie fan. I’d rather have cake if I’m going to do a dessert, especially chocolate cake. But cake somehow isn’t a traditional Thanksgiving thing. Do you think the Pilgrims actually made pecan pies in shiny pie tins and had them for dessert at that first supper? Highly unlikely. Apple or pumpkin are possible but I don’t really like either of those either. I’m weird.

Going to someone else’s holiday meal is fun but disconcerting because their traditions – and traditional foods – are different, and Thanksgiving is about tradition and family. And football, of course, though I did spend one year with friends watching a dog show and playing cards instead and actually liked it more. And had Chinese food one year with other friends, which was different.

I’m nervous about handling myself this year. I’ve been invited out but really would rather by myself at home where I can control the food and entertain myself with weird TV and a jigsaw puzzle. I’m alone but not lonely and this year I have my cat who might even get a can of kitty turkey dinner as a treat. Alone I would have roast chicken, a sweet potato, and steamed vegetables with a baked apple for dessert. No temptation of wine or rolls or “nibbly bits” as Rachel Ray calls them. And the desserts. Even though I’m not a pie person, I’m likely to eat them if they’re there.

Today the food was under control. No exercise but I did get out of the house for a while, paid bills, and tidied up a bit. And read a book and played with the cat. Weekends are for recharging and once I got over my little misadventure with the mincemeat, I enjoyed it a lot more.

My feet look like water balloons

One of the side effects of heat + humidity + wine + standing for long periods + no way to elevate my legs is that my feet swell up like water balloons. Which they resemble now and the tops kind of jiggle with the retained water, and I can’t wear some of my shoes. This always happens at the conference but it’s so very hot and humid here in NOLA that I have the balloon feet earlier than usual.

That didn’t stop me from dancing yesterday at the opening event. It was a dessert reception with food stations with such yummy things as white chocolate bread pudding, Mardi Gras king cake, fresh berries with berry sorbet, freshly made beignets, and chocolate boxes with flavored mousse inside. Way too much food and I ate more than I needed to, but since I didn’t have dinner, it sort of balanced out. Ha ha ha.

There was a great band that started by playing slow jazz, which fit the NOLA-themed event. But after a while, the tunes started picking up in tempo and I couldn’t sit still. I started out just getting closer to the dance floor to watch better but was quickly pulled into a little group of happy friends and that was it for the next hour.

My knee and feet were not very happy with me by the time I got back to the hotel but I don’t care and I’ll do it again at the closing banquet on Tuesday night, though I need to wear different shoes.  Or just kick them off and dance barefoot 🙂

Crustless Pumpkin Pie

I originally posted this back in November without having made it.  Now that I have, I need to say that the no-sweetner version I originally posted (as it was given to me by someone in my WW meeting) just tasted awful.  It definitely needs it so I’ve modified this to include it.

Crustless Pumpkin Pie
POINTS® values per serving | 1
Servings | 6

Ingredients

1 can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 can fat-free evaporated milk
3/4 cup Egg Beaters
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp vanilla extract
Artificial sweetner to equal 3/4  C. sugar

Instructions

Combine ingredients. Spray pie plate with cooking spray on bottom. Pour mixture into plate. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 min. Reduce heat to 325 for 45 min. Chill in fridge at least 4 hours before serving.  If desired, serve topped with Fat Free Coolwhip (but count those points!)