a weekend and a recipe.

We spent our Memorial Day weekend in SJ with Jon's family.  It was a circus of bean bag tossing, animal chasing, and endless "wait, is that my kid waking up from a nap?  who's kid is that?"s.  Theo was particularly fond of the new chickens and the trampoline (not my kid at all) and of course the occasional reprieve from the big group of people where he'd settle in our quiet room with his blanket and a show (okay, yes he is my kid).

The weather could not have been more perfect, and I think what I loved most about the entire visit was seeing Theo roam free in a huge yard almost all day every day.  Not once did I have to worry about heat exhaustion or sunburn or expediting skin cancer or any of the worries we have here in the desert.  Of course, it made it all the more heartbreaking to come back here and confine the kid to the indoors during sunlight hours.  (But hey, more strength for my case for moving!)

Also, this rocking horse:

This gem was ridden by Jon's dad when he was little, Jon and all his siblings, and during our visit, all of the smaller-sized kiddos.  The other day Jon found a picture of himself riding the horse, so I'm excited to print out a picture of Theo on the same horse and put them side-by-side.



Lastly, a bit of our trip lingered with us in the form of a recipe.  One night we had cobbler for dessert, and it prompted me to make Ina's Peach and Blueberry Crumbles for the first time.  And then a second time, because it was THE BEST dessert I've had in a long time and I needed more.  Ask Jon how many times I kept saying "oh my gosh" when I ate it the first time.  (It was like, 30 times.)  And now, you can make it, too!

Peach and Blueberry Crumbles, from Barefoot Contessa at Home

For the Fruit

2 pounds firm, ripe peaches (6 to 8)

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup fresh blueberries (1/2 pint)

For the crumble

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Immerse the peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until their skins peel off easily.  Place them immediately in cold water.  Peel the peaches, slice them into thick wedges, and place them in a large bowl.  Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, granulated sugar, and flour.  Toss well.  Gently mix in the blueberries.  Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes.  Spoon the mixture into ramekins or custard cups.

For the topping, combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.  Mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas.  Rub the mixture with your fingertips until it’s in big crumbles, then sprinkle evenly over the fruit.  Place the ramekins on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the tops are browned and crisp and the juices are bubbly.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Kristin's notes:

(1) This recipe is easily halved.

(2) I double the amount of brown sugar in the topping.  Obviously.

(3) Use ALL of the crumble when distributing them to all the ramekins.  It initially may seem like too much, but you can never have too much crumble.  Just pile it all on!

(4) Our freezer is currently chock full of peaches and blueberries that I bought at the store and then prepped for freezer storage.  They work just as great as fresh fruit!

(5) Peaches and blueberries are in season over here, so stock up and make room in the freezer for when the crumble craving hits in the future.

(6) We didn't have any vanilla bean ice cream when I made this the first time, and it was still good without.  But it's WAYYYY better with it!