Growing up my parents would take our family on cross country road trips every summer. Sometimes we would stay in a hotel once we reached our destination and other times we would camp. I have very fond memories of sitting around the campfire and watching my mom bake her delicious Peach Yummy, a camping tradition. It was amazing and simple; the perfect treat to make kiddos happy. Canned peaches and some Bisquick plopped on top was all she’d need – partially hydrogenated goodness – ahhhh. You would get your serving of gooey peaches along with a Bisquick biscuit. This was heaven on earth, especially when camping. She never made it at home either, so it was an extra special treat!

This is my oldest sister, diligently tending to the peach yummy! I love her pants, but what I love even more is her eagerness to help mom bake at age 5!

Ten years later, here’s me… sitting down in the middle of a trail, not wanting to continue the hike into our campsite. 🙂 Maybe they bribed me with peach yummy to get me going… 😉

Last weekend, I started my own family tradition of sorts. Mr. Zucchini Runner, my cousin and her son went to a local peach orchard and picked our very own peaches straight from the tree! You better believe as soon as we paid for those peaches one went straight into my mouth! It was so juicy and tasted like warm peach pie – it was THE BEST peach I’ve ever had in my life. Hands down. Apparently, Arizona has the perfect climate to grow peaches. Who knew?!

My “nephew” checking out our box of peaches for “bugs”, based on my request. He was so sweet. This was the only way I could distract him to take his picture. 🙂

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

This experience was pretty magical, especially when looking back. It’s like childbirth I suppose, you only remember the good stuff. I’ve already forgotten that the festival was a disorganized mess, 85°F with full blazing sun and a line of traffic outside the farm for a mile that took an hour to get through.

The peaches WERE worth it though.

The peaches sat like this on the stovetop… for a while… with no heat… awaiting their destiny.

Peach cobbler seemed like a good option, so I cut and peeled 10 peaches, to make about 4 cups of sliced, fresh peaches. As I sat staring at them in the skillet, I was trying to figure out exactly what I wanted to do with them next. I called my mom to get some inspiration and see if there was a way I could recreate Peach Yummy, only healthier. 😉 After some brainstorming, she suggested I just use my granola mix as the topping. I was sold and it would be easy!! (During the brainstorming, I also decided I needed to make some peach ice cream too – stay tuned!)

Peach Yummy v2013

4 cups (~10 small peaches) peeled, pitted and sliced
2 cups oats
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup unsweetened, coconut shreds
1 tea. cinnamon
2 tbsp. Earth Balance Coconut Spread
1/4 c. maple syrup
Dash or two of salt

In a skillet over low-medium heat start to cook the peaches until they reduce in size and cook in their own juices. This will take roughly 20 minutes. Make sure to stir frequently to prevent scorching. Meanwhile in a large bowl combine the oats, nuts, coconut shreds and cinnamon and stir to incorporate. Measure the coconut spread into a small glass dish and microwave 10 seconds at a time to soften. Once it is soft, not melted, add the maple syrup and stir to help melt the coconut spread. Pour syrup mixture over the oat mixture and stir well, ensuring to coat the oats with the liquid.

Measure out 1 cup of the oat/granola mixture into an 8″x8″ baking dish. Layer cooked peaches on top. Layer remaining oat/granola mixture on top of peaches. (Note: I had quite a thick layer of oats… if I make this again I would either cut back on some of the oats or set some of the topping aside and just bake it on a cookie sheet for granola. 🙂

Cover with foil and bake in a 300°F oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 5-10 minutes, keeping a close eye on the topping to ensure it doesn’t get too dark. You want it crispy and slightly brown. (Click on any image below for a more detailed description and enlarged photo.)

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I also poured almond milk over my serving when I got home from work today and it was super yummy!

Peach Ice Cream

I didn’t forget about the ice cream, don’t worry! Homemade ice cream is so easy to make, even if you don’t have an ice cream maker. You can make popsicles if you have molds! In a blender combine 1 can of full fat coconut milk and 3 peeled, pitted and sliced peaches, 3 tbsp of maple syrup and a dash of salt. Blend until completely liquified and place in refrigerator to chill for about an hour. If you are using popsicle molds, you can just pour directly into the molds and place in the freezer for 30 minutes, removing to add the sticks if necessary, and then placing them back in the freezer to firm up solid!

If you are using an ice cream maker, you can follow your machines instructions to make the ice cream. I added 2 chopped and peeled peaches to the ice cream in the last 5 minutes of churning. It turned out great and I loved having the little frozen peach chunks in the ice cream. Enjoy!