Peach Cobbler

 

5 fresh peaches

1 cup flour

½ cup sugar

½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)

1/16 teaspoon lavender salt

To make the topping, place dry ingredients in a bowl and mix with a slotted spoon. Add the butter to the dry ingredients and cream with a mixer or cut in with a fork. Peel peaches, slice and place in greased deep dish pie pan. Distribute the topping evenly over the peaches. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 minutes.

Serves 6-8 people.

Lavender was grown in Palisade, Colorado: https://www.nielsenvillage.com/

Pumpkin Scone

It has snowed and it is time for Pumpkin Scone.

The dry ingredients may be mixed in advance.

2 cups flour

3 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 cup old fashioned oats

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon ginger

Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix with a slotted spoon. This mixture may be stored for a day or two. However, it is easiest to add the oats, last. That is after the butter, milk, pumpkin and eggs have been mixed with the flour, sugar and spices.

Add the wet ingredients.

1/4 cup sweet (unsalted) butter

1 cup cream or half and half or milk

1 15 ounce can of pumpkin

2 eggs, beaten

Use a fork to blend the butter into the dry ingredients. Then add the cream or milk, stir. Then add the pumpkin and stir. One at a time, crack 2 eggs and mix with a fork in a separate bowl and then add to the mixture.

Grease and flour a deep dish, 10 inch pie pan or a similar sized casserole. Pour the mixture into the pan. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 50 minutes. Test by inserting a fork or table knife into the scone. If the knife emerges clean, the scone is completely baked or done.

Icing

2 tablespoons sweet (unsalted butter)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup powdered sugar

Melt butter. Add vanilla. Sift powdered sugar into butter and vanilla. Pour or smooth onto warm scone.

Serves 6-8

Gnocchi and beet greens

1 pound of gnocchi

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic

2 cups coarsely chopped beet greens including part of the stems

1/8 teaspoon lavender salt

1/2 to 3/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese

K-12 schools and colleges reopening in the time of Covid-19

 

With the rapidly unfolding novel coronavirus, COVID-19 pandemic, reliable information from reputable sources can be helpful. 

Thursday, August 20, 2020 at 12:15pm Eastern Daylight Time, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health will host a free webinar with back to school, information during the Covid-19 pandemic. This webinar is for parents, teachers and leaders. A panel of experts will be addressing planning, guidelines and concerns about returning to K – 12 schools this fall. There is an opportunity for question and answer response via email. Registration is not required.This webinar will be recorded.

In addition Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has also published guidelines for returning to college.

Link to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: K-12 school reopening webinar: https://www.jhsph.edu/covid-19/news-and-events/events/august-20.html?utm_source=Public+Health+Updates&utm_campaign=6a4db8df40-

Link to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: Back to college guidelines: https://www.jhsph.edu/covid-19/articles/covid-19-and-college-campuses-what-you-need-to-know.html?utm_source=Public+Health+Updates&utm_campaign=9da6562c68-

Some schools have released very specific guides. David Richards, Dean of Library Services at the University of Nebraska, Omaha has shared information which was compiled by several experts from the University of Nebraska Medical Center Global Center for Health Security. The document is titled Higher Education Pandemic Mitigation and Response Guide. This is a comprehensive 24 page checklist. 

The University of Nebraska link follows: https://www.unmc.edu/healthsecurity/_documents/Higher-Education-Pandemic-Recovery-Guide-Step-I-III-5-12-2020-v1.35.pdf

Blueberries in Puff Pastry

 

1 1/2 - 2 cups of blueberries

8 – 10 sheets of phyllo dough or puff pastry

1/8 pound (1/2 stick) of unsalted butter

2 butter wrappers for greasing pie pan

1 Tablespoon sugar

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/16 teaspoon lavender salt

Wash blueberries. Remove any stems and discard all soft and squishy berries. Thoroughly grease a 9 1/2 inch deep dish pie pan with butter wrappers. All at once, place 4 or 5 sheets in bottom of pie pan. The ends of the pastry will overlap the edges of the pie plate. Slice off the first tablespoon of butter and then cut into five pieces and distribute evenly on the puff pastry. All at once, place the second 4 or 5 pieces of puff pastry on top of those in the pie plate. Slice off the second tablespoon of butter and then cut into five pieces and distribute evenly on the puff pastry. Place blueberries on top of the pastry; they will be one layer of blueberries thick and in places two blueberries thick. Sprinkle nutmeg, lavender salt and sugar evenly over the berries. Dot the berries with the third tablespoon of butter. Fold the excess puff pastry over the blueberries and then dot the top of the puff pastry with the last tablespoon of butter.

There will be extra phyllo dough; refold it in its original paper and then place in a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator for future us.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. The pastry needs to be covered or it will become tough in the oven.

Serves 6 people.

Notes: This can be made the day before and stored in the refrigerator and then served for breakfast.