I Do So Like Peaches

Ok, so we used to have this magnificent peach tree in our back yard.  If I thinned the fruit in the summer, it was not uncommon for the peaches to be softball sized when they were ripe. The peaches were so sweet, you could eat them in a bowl with milk (or 1/2 & 1/2) without adding any additional sugar.

This was the traditional tree that I would always have the kids stand in front of on the first day of school, because it made such a great backdrop:

Emilie-starting 8th grade, 2001

Kimball-starting 5th grade, 2001

ok, I nearly always used the tree as a back drop!

Brad - beginning of Senior year, 2001

I was sad about 4 years ago when the peach tree up & died.  Since the tree was already growing in our yard when we moved into our house in 1988, I did a lot of research and came to the conclusion that most likely, it was a "O Henry" variety.  We bought another one, and planted it in the same place.  This is it's second summer of growing:

There are a handful of peaches on it this year, that I am watching with much anticipation.  A fresh peach is my favorite fruit.  The most exotic thing we had growing up in Idaho was an apple tree.  I remember as a child visiting our cousins who lived in Ogden, UT.  They had a peach tree in their back yard.  That seemed almost tropical to me!

Well, about a week ago, a  neighbor of ours brought over a sack of peaches.  Last night I finally had all the ingredients I needed to make this fabulous peach pie!  It is a recipe I got last year from my sister-in-law Jenny.  She is the Martha Stewart of our family, so anything she makes you know will be a mouth-watering treat!

 This is an amazing pie!  I used store bought pie shells, and since the pie crusts were a little smaller, I split the recipe into the two shells.  It worked out good!

Terrell finished off the last piece of pie #1 for breakfast this morning.  I think I will cut into pie #2 for my breakfast.

Fresh Peach Pie
1 pie crust, baked
1 3-oz. package cream cheese- softened
1/2 pint whipping cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Use a small amount of whipping cream to blend cream cheese.  Whip remaining cream and add powdered sugar and vanilla, then blend into cream cheese mixture.  Pour into the baked pie shell and let it set in fridge for 1 hour.

1 1/2 cups mashed peaches
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1 cup sugar
Additional diced fresh peaches
Blend together and cook over medium heat until thick.  Remove from heat and let cool.  Add fresh sliced peaches and pour over cheese mixture.  Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.