Movin' to the country, gonna eat me a lot of peaches!

Summer and peaches go hand in hand in the South!  I'm convinced that South Carolina, in particular, produces the best peaches in the world!  I've never tasted a better peach anywhere else.  Peach season runs May through August, but in our experience August seems to produce the best fruit.  During this time, they're so juicy that if you eat it off the pit you almost have to bend over so that the nectar doesn't end up on your face or your clothes. They're so good, so refreshing, so summer!  Needless to say, we've been counting down the days until August since, well, last August!  Now that it's here, it's cause for celebration in the Felten Household.

Peaches are Ryan's favorite fruit.  He happens to be allergic to a lot of fruit in their raw state like apples, cantaloupe, watermelon and cherries. Yes, I tease him all the time... poor guy. Thank God, peaches aren't one of them, making this time of year all the more sweeter!  Keira takes after her daddy in many ways, so it's no wonder she loves them just as much as he does.  In fact, the first couple times we fed them to her this year, she'd have both fists full of little slices, stuffing them in her mouth one after the other even if she hadn't swallowed the first ones yet.  We'd have to hold some back and tell her to SLOW down. Needless to say, it looks like peaches will continue to be a Felten tradition as long as we live in Asheville!

This summer we found that the best place to get them is at the WNC Farrmer's Market in West Asheville.  We LOVE this place, not just for peaches, but for fresh, local produce. I usually leave $20 poorer but it's totally worth it.  Coates Produce is my go-to vendor.  They're very nice, and conveniently take a card.  All their peaches (I believe) come from South Carolina and because the market is so close, we usually stop by to get a week's worth after church on Sundays. They've definitely come to know my face.

A couple Sunday's ago, in addition to our weekly supply, I decided to get an extra bag for peach pie.  Oh, believe me, peaches are good all by themselves, but peach pie is just a must-do.  Hands down, of all the pies in the world, peach is my favorite kind and coupled with my Grandma Emma's 'Never' Fail Pie Crust Recipe, it'll knock you off your feet!

I'll walk you through the recipe.  First, let's talk crust.  If you like flaky pie crust, then this recipe is perfect for you.  My grandma told me the secret ingredient is vinegar!  I don't know the science behind it, but it works.  Here's what you'll need:

Ingredients for the crust:

• 3 Cups Flour
• 1 1/2 Cups Shortening
• 5 Tablespoons Water
• 1 Tsp. Salt
• 1 Tsp. Vinegar
• 1 Egg

For the filling:

• 6-8 Medium Sized Peaches
• 2/3 Cup Sugar
• 1/3 Cup Flour
• 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice
• 1 Tablespoon Butter

Step 1

Blend flour & shortening with a pastry blender or fork until the mixture is crumbly, about the size of peas.   

Tip: A pastry blender is not necessary.  This is the first time I've used one.  I usually just used a fork with the same results, however, I will say a pastry blender makes the process quicker!

Step 2
Mix the water, salt, vinegar & egg in a small bowl or cup.

Step 3
Add the liquids to the flour mixture, tossing lightly with  fork.  The mixture will be VERY sticky.  

Tip: At this point, to help with the molding I cover the dough with plastic wrap & stick it in the fridge for at least 15 minutes, but it's not necessary if you are in a rush.

Step 4

Now it's time to mold the dough and get it into the pie pan!  You can use considerable amount of flour to help shape the pie crust.  

You will need a rolling pin and a clean counter top or dough mat.

The dough mat is helpful in that most having sizing charts and can guide you roll out to the right size.  Whatever you use, be sure to layer out a good amount of flour so that the dough doesn't stick to the surface.

Tip: This time around, I used a pie crust bag I bought at Kitchen & Company to help me shape my crust.  It's a 9 inch zippered bag. I had my doubts, but it worked like a champ!  

Just roll the dough out until it fills out the entire bag, unzipper, place in the glass pie pan and peel the bag away slowly.  I did flour both sides of the bag to make sure the dough didn't stick.  The result is a perfectly round pie crust.

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Step 5
It's time for the peaches to make an appearance!  At this point be sure to pre-heat your over to 425 degrees.

Remove the pits and slice the peaches in to slim and even sized slices.

Tip: Some recipes call for you to peel the peaches.  I don't even bother and the taste is the same, at least to me.  It may come down to preference & time.

Step 7

In a large bowl mix all the ingredients together & arrange in the prepared pastry lined pie plate.

Step 8

Roll out the top pastry.

Step 9
Place over the top of the pie and flute the edges shut.  You also need to slit four holes in the top of the pie to allow the filling to vent.

Tip: The pie crust is not very sweet, so I like to brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle a little bit of sugar across the top.  It also helps give the pie a nice brown color once it's baked.

Step 7
Stick the pie in the oven at 425 degrees  for 45 minutes or until browned.

Tip: Some advise foiling the crust until the last 15 minutes.  I didn't do that this time & it turned out fine.  Just keep an eye on the pie as cooks.

45 minutes later this is the result!

The only bad news is that you MUST let the pie sit for at least two hours to allow the filling to solidify.  BUT if you're like Ryan & I, you won't be able to wait!!!  It tastes just as good an hour out of the oven (not to mention the perfect temp), however you may need to remove a little bit of extra juice out of your pie the next day. 

Either way, peach pie is best served warmed up with a side of vanilla ice cream! Enjoy!

Keira & the penguin named Owl.

In her first year, Keira quickly made friends with several of her stuffed animals, but nothing ever too serious.

At 5 months, Panda made her smile from ear to ear!

At 6 months, she resembled this owl but he was too big for her tiny arms to cuddle. Besides, the little one came with and three's a crowd.  Sitting side by side is as close as they would get.

We tried to pair her with these three. Surely she would warm up to one of them.  While soft & cuddly, however, they all fell flat.

We began to think that Keira would never have a "lovey," a friend she would never tire of, cuddle in her sleep, love forever and perhaps, talk her out of needing her paci one day.  You see our secondary motive? 

And then one day it happened. Who really knows when it actually began, but from experience, I know that sometimes the best friendships are born out of time.

Penguin has actually been around since before Keira was born. For her entire first year, we always looked him over at playtime and I'm sure Keira did too.  He was always to the side, but never out of reach.  He lived in a basket, often stuffed between bigger, prettier & more colorful toys.  Do you see him?

Unlike his roommates he is quite simple.   He's small, plain & lacking in color and at first glance he's doesn't seem very cuddly.  Despite his set backs, one day Keira began to see something we didn't see.  Ryan was the first to notice it.  All of a sudden she was attracted to this small, simple penguin and began giving him more attention then the rest.  Turns out he is the perfect size for her.  She can wrap her arms around him and she found his beak the perfect size to kiss.  It was a match made in heaven!

It was so sweet to watch this relationship grow!  In the early stages of their friendship, I'd catch Keira and penguin in a full fledged conversation over the monitor.  In fact, one morning, I caught her teaching penguin to stand.  She picked him up from under his wings and stood him on his feet.  Of course, he'd fall and she'd do it again... and again... and again, all the while trying to plead with him that he needed to stand.  At the time, we were in the middle of also teaching Keira to stand, in the exact same way & in the same tone she talked to penguin! We'd pick her up from her arms and land her on her feet until she stood strong.  Somehow she picked up on it and decided if she had to do it, so did he.  It was too cute!

A few months after the start of their relationship Keira affectionately began calling him "Owl."  Of course,  we tried to get her to call him penguin, but as it turns out, that's a little too mouthy for a toddler. After a while, we decided there's no use in fighting it. For this reason, he will forever be known as the penguin named Owl! 

The penguin named Owl is always around now.  He often escorts Keira to breakfast.

They play together throughout the day and he comforts her when she's sad or scared, often turning tears into giggles.

And when they aren't together he's upstairs patiently waiting for the sun to go down and for Keira to return.  The crib is a lot more spacious than that crammed basket!  He's come along way!

At bedtime, Keira will ask for Owl and point to her crib as she drinks her last cup of milk. She holds him tight and in between sips, she'll shower him with kisses.  She'll even ask us to kiss him good night.  I'm pretty sure he enjoys it!

So, I know there is a moral to this story... sometimes, a lot of times, it's the simple things in life that provide the most joy!  Keira can live without the flashy toys that move on their own, the bear that sings, the Elmo we just got that talks and gives hugs, even my fancy iPhone, BUT what she can't live without & what she calls for by name, is the simple, little black & white penguin named Owl!   

 Keira & the penguin named Owl, BFFs - est. 2013.

Keira's 1st Swimming Lesson

We've taken Keira to our community pool a handful of times this summer.  She seems to love the water, but we really had no idea how to teach her how to swim or get her used to going under the water.  Instead of doing it ourselves, we signed her up for lessons at the YMCA.  Surprisingly, the lessons are very reasonable.  It's just $40 the entire session, and that's the non-member price.  It's cheaper if you're members.  The session includes 4 Saturday classes in a row, a half hour each.  There is an instructor and an assistant helping in the water and about 10 kids in the class.

Keira's first class was this past Saturday.  We got up, quickly fed her some breakfast -  oatmeal, because nothing gets you going like the power of quaker oats! She had a big morning ahead of her!  Unfortunately, we weren't as lucky to eat. With just coffee mugs in hand we headed to the Y and made it just in time for her 9AM class.  Parents can live on coffee alone!

I dressed her in her vintage-ish bathing suit (my fave) and white rob.  She definitely looked the part of the confident swimmer before class started!

Of course, before you even enter the pool you have to go through the courtesy rinse.  I never quite understood the point of rushing through a shower before getting in the pool, but all the babies & their parents HAD to do it.  I thought for sure the crying would start as soon as I put her under the water, but remarkably she took it in stride.  I apparently thought it was funny!

We're in & ready to go!  She's a little clingy but I'm not complaining.  I love her holding onto me and she quickly adjusts.

As soon as we got in the pool, Mr. Bob, our swimming instructor, told us to hold them tight against our chest and dunk with our babies.  I swear, I thought he was joking.  By the looks on other parents faces, I wasn't alone! What happened to blowing in their face to get them to hold their breath?!? Nope, no blowing in their face, no nose holding (for the baby),  and no real warning other than 1... 2... 3.  Certainly, not what I expected in the first class, but hey, we're here to learn!

Check out Keira's first dunk.  She & the other babies in her class did great.  In fact, no one in the class cried after the first dunk!

After the hard part was out of the way, we went on to learn some holds.  The football hold, where I held her jumping up & down in the water.

The chest hold.  This was my favorite, because I could help her kick & shower her with kisses at the same time.

Last, but not least, arms stretched out with the baby as far away from your body as possible.

We also tried to teach the babies how to get in & out of the pool.  This will take lots of practice!

We've got three more classes to go with these kiddos! They are all so cute and such great students. I can't wait to see what we can accomplish in our time together.

Next time proud daddy will get into the water too!  Originally they told us only one parent could get in the water but Mr. Bob encourages both parents to get into the water.  Just think, if Ryan had gotten in, we wouldn't have been able to capture any of it on camera & I wouldn't have any of this to share!  

If you're interested in learning more about swimming lessons with the YMCA of WNC, click here.