Peachy Pie

After my Grandma Doty died suddenly in 1996, my mother and her four sisters took over the care of my Papa Doty. This was nothing he requested of them, or required. They were just bound and determined to do it.

So, they fluttered around him, fussing over him for the last twelve years of his life (he left us on October 27, 2008). They would each call him on a certain day of the week. This schedule had to be organized due to his hectic social life. He was busier than people half his age.

The youngest daughter, my Aunt M, lived the closest. As in so many families, the one that lives the closest seems to end up with the most responsibility. It isn't fair, but the other four sisters lived so far away, daily contact was simply impossible.

M was the one that got the heart rattling calls. Papa stayed with her after his shoulder injury. He would join the rest of the family for "dinner" midday each Sunday. She would pay his bills while he was out of town for extended periods.

My favorite part of their relationship was the efficient system they had worked out. Aunt M, bless her heart, has a full-time job as a social worker in a school not too far from Papa Doty's house.

Over time, she started leaving things in her car for him to pick up (he had a set of keys to her car). In return, he would do the same. He would leave his laundry each week for her. She would return his washed clothes and linens. She would leave him a loaf of homemade bread. He would leave her magazines she would be interested in reading. She would leave him a peach pie.

Papa loved homemade peach pie, so Aunt M made it for him when peaches were in season.

I know Papa would have loved this recipe. He would have enjoyed the novelty of baking the pie in a cast iron skillet. I think he would have liked the addition of the apricots.

His absence is still felt so deeply. I know Aunt M feels it more than the rest of us. I am so pleased that he met my children and my husband, but I will always miss him.

This one is for you Papa!


Pie Crust

9" double pie crust, prepared

Use your favorite recipe here. Everyone has one, don't they? Hey, I don't even have a problem with you buying pie crust at the store. To each his own. I know, some people (Mom, this means you) just don't do pie crust. I don't blame you. If everything doesn't go right, it can turn into a nightmare.



Pie Filling

2 16-ounce bags frozen peaches, partially thawed, about 6 cups sliced peaches
1 cup chopped dried apricots

3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons coarse sparkling sugar (optional)


Preheat oven to 425°.

Coarsely chop the semi-thawed peaches; you can use the food processor, but I just chopped them with a knife.

Mix the peaches with the rest of the filling ingredients, stirring until well blended.



Roll half of the crust into a 13" circle, and lay it in the pie pan or cast iron skillet.

Spoon the filling into the crust.

Roll the remaining crust, and lay it on top of the filling. Press the edges together, and crimp the edges together.

Brush the crust with milk, and sprinkle with coarse sparkling sugar. Cut several slits in the top to vent.

Bake the pie for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°, and bake the pie for an additional 30 minutes, until the edge of the crust is brown. Cover the edge with a crust protector, or with strips of aluminum foil, to prevent over-browning.

Bake the pie for 15-20 minutes more, until the top crust is browned and the filling is bubbly.

Remove the pie from the oven, and allow it to cool completely, preferably overnight before cutting.

Yield: 9" pie, 8-10 servings


Adapted from King Arthur Flour.

Fresh Fruit Spring Rolls

Fresh Fruit Spring Rolls



Confession time: I can't definitively tell you where this recipe came from originally. It is lost to the ages. I want tell you it came from a magazine like Shape or Self, except I can't be sure. There was a time in my life, before I was married and before I was a mother that I actually exercised and worried about what I ate.

Those days are over, at least for now. Someday, not sure when, I will be able to get to part of my "To Do List" that covers a diet that an adult would partake in or regular exercise.

Anyway, this is vegetarian and healthy. I know, I know, what the heck. It is just so darn tasty. The tartness of the fruit and the raspberry coulis is wonderful.

Fresh Fruit Spring Rolls

1/4 cup honey
1 vanilla bean split
2 tsp. orange zest
2 tsp. lime zest
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup orange juice

1/4 cup strawberries
1 cup blueberries
2 cup pears


8 spring roll wrappers
Non-stick spray

Combine honey, vanilla bean, citrus zest, cinnamon, and orange juice in a sauce pan. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in fruit and allow to cool.



Remove vanilla bean and discard.

Spoon 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup of fruit mixture onto lower edge of spring roll wrapper. Dampen all four edges of wrapper with small amount of water. Begin at the edge closest to the fruit mixture and fold over slightly. Then fold the sides in toward the fruit mixture. Bring fourth side up to cover fruit completely and gently seal. Place spring roll on greased cookie sheet. Spray lightly with non-stick spray. Repeat with remaining seven wrappers.

You should have a cookie sheet full of little beauties like this one. If you are lucky, so very very lucky, you will have a couple of extra and you will have ten or so spring rolls.



Once all rolls are complete, bake at 400°for 5-7 minutes. Watch closely so rolls do not burn, but do not remove before they look slightly golden brown and crisp.

Serve warm with Mandarin Raspberry Coulis.



Mandarin Raspberry Coulis
2 cups mandarin oranges
1 cup raspberries
1 tsp. ginger

Puree ingredients in food processor or blender. Now, I HATE raspberry seeds. Which is really sad, because I am crazy about raspberries. The seeds make me crazy, so I prefer to use a strainer to weed those nasty little buggers out. That is just me. If you don't mind the seeds...first of all, how can you stand it? Secondly, you can just leave them or strain them...it is entirely us to you. But I can't imagine what would possess you to leave them.

Cupcakes, cupcakes and more cupcakes

Easter is upon us. Okay, it is actually Sunday, but I like to be prepared. Either way, Spring is upon us. It has sprung, so to speak. And a girl's fancy turns to baking cupcakes.

Several years ago, 5 to be exact, I was single (not young, not by a longshot) and had far too much free time on my hands. My brother, sister-in-law and their two children were coming for a visit, so I wanted to make a special dessert for their visit.

My nephew, AZ, has a very special place in his heart for all things chocolate-related. I think I could dip a car bumper in chocolate and he would very willingly eat it. This is the same kid who hates casseroles because the food touches. You know they type.

Well, I made a batch of each of these cupcakes and he and my niece, AP, were over the moon for them.

The reason? They use these nifty little panettone papers, so they are smaller than everyday cupcakes. They just look a little fancier and a little more special. Perfect for an Easter gathering, a tea party, Mother's Day, Father's Day...you pick the occasion. You can make the ahead and frost them when you are ready. You can add any type of decoration on top.

Basically, very adaptable, very portable, look fancy, AND kid friendly. PERFECTION!

Cinnamon-Scented Chocolate Cupcakes
Orange Cardamom Cupcakes

Photo courtesy of Bon Appetit, June 2004.

Peanut Butter Brownies

My mother was a stay-at-home mom when my brother and I were growing up. Many of my friends had parents that were divorced, so both parents worked.

I liked the security of knowing that she was there if I needed her. There was never any doubt.

I did not expect her to sit at home and wait for my call. Please, that is ridiculous.

But I liked knowing that she would be home when I got there. I liked the days when I could smell the popcorn she had made for an after school snack before I opened the front door.

Inside there would be warm, freshly popped popcorn and Tropical Punch Kool Aid. The stuff that dreams are made of when you are a kid.

She watched all the Afterschool Specials with us. Then she would drive us, in a crazy running-late flurry, to swimming practice. On the way to the tennis bubble they had placed over the pool, we would discuss whatever the topic had been on the Afterschool playhouse.

It seems unbearably corny now (no pun intended), but I had a wonderful childhood.

My mother was the kind of mother that volunteered at school. She baked Peanut Butter Brownies to sell at our swim meets. She went on our field trips with each of our classes.

I always wanted to be that kind of a mother. I want my children to feel that safe, that sure of things, that confident. I hope that I provide that safety net. They are so little and the world is such a dangerous place. It is hard to be there all of the time.

As I tiptoed into Baby C's room to take a picture of her sleeping in a bed for the second night in a row, I thought about how lucky I am. I have everything I ever wanted, in the palm of my hand.

I am truly blessed.

Peanut Butter Brownies

1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter (smooth or crunchy, whatever floats your boat)
1/2 cup shortening
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup chopped cocktail peanuts (optional)

Mix flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Cream sugar, peanut butter, shortening, eggs, vanilla thoroughly.

Add the blended flour mixture. Mix until smooth.

Stir in chocolate chips and peanuts.

Spread in well-greased 9x13-inch pan.

Bake at 350˚for 30-35 minutes.

Cut into bars while still warm. Cool in pan.

Or, you can wait a while and eat them while they are still warm. Scoop some vanilla ice cream on top and you have a fancy dessert that your kids will love.

Yield...3 dozen bars.

Mocha Fudge Pudding

This little dessert is one of those things that you can whip up and have in the oven while you are eating dinner. By the time the dinner is eaten, the dishes are done, and the kids are in bed, you get to sit down with a warm bowl of loving chocolate. Add a dollop of ice cream and you are right smack in the middle of downtown Bliss.
My grandmother Hilda told me about this recipe first. Hilda has a sweet tooth that is unequaled. Her advice, "Don't eat the whole thing in one day." Apparently, doing that can lead to issues with your innards, so I would avoid that route. Be warned, though, it will be tough.
Since I first tried this recipe, I have since seen dozens of variations (even a lemon version).
A little advice: it will look like a hot mess when you put it in the oven. Between the batter, the crumbs sprinkled over it and the hot coffee poured on top, you will believe in your heart that you have messed up the recipe or that I, Vertigob, have sent you down a primrose path. Fear not, my little puppies, when you open the oven, you will find, as if by magic, a puffy cake, floating on the most amazing hot chocolate sauce you have ever eaten. So be brave and enjoy!
Mocha Fudge Pudding
1 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp. cocoa
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp. melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup hot, strong coffee
Blend flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Stir well.
Add milk, butter and vanilla. Mix well.
Spoon into 8 well-greased custard cups or a well-greased 8-inch square pan.
Combine brown sugar and cocoa. Sprinkle evenly over batter.
Pour 2 tablespoons of coffee over batter in each cup or 1 cup coffee over batter in pan.
Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.
Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.
Die a little with each bite you take because this dessert is so wonderful.

Dessert Shot Cuteness

We bought these little shot glasses several months ago and put them in the cupboard that no one can reach. It got really dusty up there. I am talking DUSTY. The shelf is in the top of the cupboard in the laundry room, we are talking huge amounts of lint and I had to climb on the washer. I am vertically challenged, after all.

But they keep niggling away at me. The idea of what I wanted to do with them.

Ever since I saw the photos of the dessert shots in the King Arthur Catalog, I have been on a mission. I wanted to make some dessert shots. I wanted something with pudding, or cheesecake filling, or berries, or butterscotch, or, or, or...the possibilities are ENDLESS! You could make a dessert shot BAR! How much fun would THAT be?

Today, in honor of Mr. Smith getting his staples out, and getting poor Leftie manhandled (sorry, honey, but he is a doctor!) I decided to go where no vertigob has gone before.

The results were a huge success. And, can I just say, terminally cute? These things are ridiculously CUTE!! The cuteness just makes me want to scream, that is how damn cute they are.

So, to start I just wanted something simple. Mr. Smith is always looking for a homogenous experience (no lumps or crunchy parts, please). So I just got some Nabisco Famous Wafers, some Chocolate Instant Pudding and some Cool Whip and layered them using a long-handled ice tea spoon.

Luckily, these shot glasses can be ordered with tiny little cuter than cute spoons to eat the desserts. I would recommend them. That way, you can make sure to get EVERY tasty morsel of dessert. Life is short, make sure to get every morsel!

If you haven't used the Famous Wafers before, they are like the outside of the Oreo cookies without that troublesome greasy "frosting." Nuff said. They are to die for and you can use them to make all kinds of crusts (pie, dessert, etc.) or you can just eat them when you have PMS and don't have any other chocolate in the house. Of course, I don't know anyone that would do such a thing. I would never associate with such a person! Please...I have more self respect than to hide in the kitchen, eating chocolate wafers in the middle of the night! Or something like that. Or, dipping them in peanut butter. Or spreading them with softened ice cream. That, all those things would be wrong wrong wrong.

Okay, enough! I am sure I will be posting more about these glasses in the future. Stay tuned!

Post post: Pop Pop believes that these are far too small. It is his opinion that they need to be about four times the size and the spoons need to be larger too. Some people just miss the point completely!

Mr. Smith's Perfect Bundt Cake

Well, the news was all good. The tumor was benign! We can all celebrate the fact that Mr. Smith is well and is on the mend. He is still a little swollen, bruised and in pain, but that is temporary. Get the ticker tape parade ready!

Ok, they probably don't have those anymore. Seeing as how they probably don't use ticker tape machines anymore. Not in the age of the internets!

In honor of Mr. Smith's surgery/reprieve from the governor, I am going to share his favorite cake recipe.

The great story about this cake is that Mr. Smith used to wax poetic about the chocolate bundt cake that my mother-in-law used to make. Now, my mother-in-law is not someone that could ever be described as domestic or maternal. Okay, you have all heard about those mothers in the animal kingdom that eat their young? That's her.

Apparently, in one of her more nurturing moments she used to make this cake (or a version of it). Of course, as many of you know, we no longer have any contact with my delightful mother-in-law that doesn't include lawyers or law enforcement. She is a real gem.

Obviously, with a family like that, we aren't exactly having coffee together and trading recipes. Quite frankly, I would be afraid to engage in such an exchange.

So, here I was with my dear Mr. Smith. He wanted his favorite cake. He missed his favorite cake. So into the archives I dove and I came up with this one.

Another recipe from my mother's dear friend Susan. This cake is a real heart-stopper, not much nutritional value, but it is yummy. The amazing part, Mr. Smith LOVES it. It is exactly the right recipe. I was able to recreate his beloved bundt cake and recapture his youth. The happy part!

I had done an end run around the evil mother-in-law and it pleased me to no end!

The funniest part was when my father-in-law found I out I had made the cake. He was astonished that I had the recipe. She would never give it to the likes of me!

HA! I may be delayed, but I will NOT be stopped!

So, here is the mythical cake in all its glory. Make to celebrate something and have a happy Monday!

Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

Mix together:

4 eggs

1/2 cup warm water

1/2 cup oil

1 cup sour cream

Add: 1 small package chocolate instant pudding

Then add: 1 package yellow cake mix

Last add: 1 cup chocolate chips (or more if you are feeling sassy and Mr. Smith usually is)

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour in greased floured bundt or tube pan or 2 loaf pans.

Slice and store in plastic air tight containers to avoid the cake drying out.

That Graham Cracker Thing

This dessert is one for the ages. Mr. Smith refers to it as "That Graham Cracker Thing."

So easy, so so so so very very yummy, addictive even and sort of healthy. Okay, not exactly healthy, but as desserts go, it is more healthy than most. Also, you can dictate exactly how sinful you want to make it.

It Graham Crackers, vanilla pudding mixed with Cool Whip and topped with easily the SWEETEST chocolate frosting you will ever encounter. Just like an eclair.

This is one of those that people will beg you to make. You will find yourself pining for it. Even when you make a lowish-cal version, it tastes soooooo decadent. Mix it up a little and try a different flavor of pudding, it could work. I have even used cinnamon graham crackers a few times and it was AMAZING!

Make it to take for a pot luck dinner. Make it for dessert after Sunday dinner. Make it and eat the whole thing yourself and don't feel guilty for a moment. Okay, maybe for a moment, but it will pass, I assure you.

I would strongly advise that you make this ahead of time. I am talking a bare minimum of 4 hours, but 6 or so is much better. Once you have tasted it, it is extremely hard to wait that long, but it is worth it.

Leave the house, take a drive, go shopping and try to forget about it. Even though you won't, it will be a lovely thing to come home to.

I served this when my cousin Denise and her husband David were visiting one time, and to quote David, "Now, this is what I call dessert!"

You know, just writing about this is making me want it again. I will have to make it this weekend and post some photos.

Maybe I will make it as a little boo boo present for Mr. Smith after his surgery.

Ultimate Coffee Cake

In my family, on your birthday, you get the dinner and cake that you choose. Over the years, the cake concept has been morphed to include pie, coffee cakes, cupcakes, etc. Basically, you get your choice for dinner and dessert.

Every year my mother asks my father what he wants for his birthday dinner and what kind of cake he wants. Every year, he requests Spaghetti and Meatballs for dinner and Coffee Cake for dessert. Every year she says, "No. I am not making that." You see, my mother hates Spaghetti and Meatballs and does not feel that Coffee Cake is appropriate. If my brother or I had made these requests, she would have made them both without even a second thought. My father, however, is not entitled to his choice because my mother hates to cook and feels that he should choose a cake that she would like.

I know, I know. They have been married for 43 years. Somehow they have an understanding. I don't get it, but it works for them.

My father's birthday is coming up and this is the cake he always requests for his birthday cake. So again this year I will override my mother and make it for him anyway.

This cake is a MEAL! It is a huge cake and keeps beautifully. If you don't like pecans, use walnuts. If you don't want the nuts at all (Mr. Smith hates nuts in all foods) leave them out. It has the perfect streusel to cake ratio, in my opinion. Too many recipes are too stingy with the good stuff and this one could never be accused of THAT!

NOTE: The baking time, for me, was not enough, so you may need to tack on some extra baking time for the tester to come out clean.

Just put on your eating clothes and wait for it to call to you from the kitchen. Because it will. And you will have to listen. Just because sometimes when the Sour Cream-Orange Coffee Cake with Chocolate-Pecan Streusel calls, you have to take the call!

Lorna Doone Cookie Dessert

A very long time ago, I dated this guy. I dated him for a really long time. So long that I am embarrassed to admit how long I dated him. Let's just say, I know of many marriages that failed in less time than I invested in that dead end relationship.

Alright, I will come clean, it was 9 1/2 years. I was young (at least in the beginning) and so very very dumb.

Anyway, The Dead End Guy had this great mother. She was a throwback to another time. Even though I was dating him through out the 80's, she could have been plucked directly from the 1950's. She was June Cleaver, the type of woman that would vacuum in pearls and a dress.

The only time I recall seeing her "dressed down" was a day that I caught her coloring her hair (the horror). She was wearing an old Kenny Rogers concert t-shirt. It was torn and stained over and over again. She had some auburn concoction smeared all over the hair, forehead and the shirt. She was so upset that I would see her in such a state, but I thought it was great.

She thought every meal should be nothing less than four courses. She played bridge, with her husband and with a ladies' group. She was in a bowling league. The had a liquor cabinet that would make the cast of Mad Men blush. She and her icy cold, emotionally abusive husband had drinks most nights before dinner.

She went back to college and the four course meals stopped. Her husband and youngest son hated her new-found independence. I loved it. Now we talked about books, worked on papers, discussed topics from her classes. She was excited to be learning new things and wanted to share them. Her family was less than supportive, but she persevered. I loved her for it. We spent hours, just sitting in the kitchen at the table talking about books, current events, everything.

I was so proud of her when she finished her degree. By then, The Dead End Guy and I were in trouble. In fact, we broke up. After so many years, it was painful for everyone. The families had become intertwined in a way that was difficult to undo. At one point, she and I had lunch that ended up with both of us in tears. She was such a lovely person and I would miss her, but I had to make room for The Dead End Guy's new girlfriend (and eventual wife).

We all got over it. We all moved on, but I still miss her. I miss her cooking and talking to her. I think of her often and wonder how many grandchildren she has now. She so loved being a grandmother.

I would love to sit at that kitchen table and tell all about what I have done over the last 17 years. Wouldn't she be surprised?

Lorna Doone Cookie Dessert Recipe

1 package Lorna Doone Cookies

1/4 cup butter or margarine melted

Mix and press in 9 x 13 pan. Bake 10-15 minutes at 350, until slightly browned. Let cool.

Mix 2 packages instant vanilla pudding with 1 cup milk. Fold in 1 quart of softened Butter Pecan ice cream.

Pour over cooled crust and refrigerate for 1/2 hour or more, until firm.

Crush 3 Heath Bars and fold into 12 ozs. Cool Whip and spread over pudding mixture.

Let set for another 2 hours. Try to control the urge to eat the entire dessert.

Grasshopper Pie and Cough Syrup

The other day while trolling through the recipe archives (and they are considerable) looking for the Lorna Doone recipe, I came upon the recipe for Grasshopper Pie. My mother's friend Susan used to make this about a million years ago when we lived in a distant land called Delaware.

I was so excited to make this, I made a special trip to the store and was so thrilled to have no problem finding the elusive Chocolate Wafer Cookies. If you have never used these, they are jet black and very thin. Apparently you can make quick ice cream sandwiches with these, although I have never tried it. I was sure I had the required Creme de Menthe and Creme de Cocoa, since we purchased these grudgingly about 20 years ago. The problem with these purchases being, you only need 1 Tablespoon of each and the bottles are huge. Therefore, figuring out who inherits the bottles becomes an issue.

I was so excited, in fact, that I failed to check and make sure that the dreaded bottles were still in our possession. When I returned home, put all the groceries away, dealt with Thing Two (nursed her and got her ensconced on the table in her bouncy seat) and dealt with Thing One (he wants a car each and every time anyone leaves the house). Got the cookie crust made and proceeded to check the liquor cabinet, there was none to be found. THE BOTTLES WERE GONE!!!!

Naturally, I accused my mother of throwing them away. I will call her The Pitcher, so named because she dearly loves to throw things away. She has been known to throw away birthday money (cash and checks), magazines that she herself wrote SAVE on, etc.

Long story short, Mr. Smith was wonderful enough, to go to the store, with Thing One in tow and fetch new and wildly expensive bottles of said liquor. His saintliness is on par with my father (The Monkey) who will go on the wildest of goose chases if there is the faint hope of homemade baked goods.

Poor Mr. Smith, going shopping with Thing One is always traumatic and involves the purchase of car related items (magazines, Matchbox, etc.). After all that, Mr. Smith sampled the fruit of his labor and started to gag, he rushed to the fridge to get some Cran-Grape to stop said wretching. He said it tastes like cough syrup (Nyquil I believe) and vowed to never let it cross his lips again. My grandfather, on the other hand, said he had never tasted cough syrup that tasted this good. I guess, it all depends!

16 Chocolate Wafer Cookies, crushed fine

5 Tablespoons melted butter

25 Large marshmallows

2/3 cup milk

1 Tablespoon green creme de menthe

1 Tablespoon white (clear) creme de cocoa

1 cup heavy cream, whipped

Mix crushed cookie crumbs and butter. Line a 9 inch pie pan with crumbs. Reserve about 2 Tablespoons for topping. Chill.

Melt marshmallows with milk. Cool. Add creme de menthe and creme de cocoa and fold in whipped cream. Pour into crumb crust and sprinkle with reserved topping. Chill overnight or for several hours to set.