Speed Bump

I haven't posted a recipe here in a long time, and I was completely inspired by these fresh, local peaches and blackberries. A crisp, or crumble, is one of my favorite desserts - easy to make, always delicious. You cannot mess them up - all you need is flavorful fruit to make them turn out great. I like to use peaches and berries in the summer, apples or pears in the fall. My grandmother Helen always made the most delicious apple crisp, so I'm partial to the version of hers that I remember. These are local peaches and blackberries through our CSA, Good Natured Family Farms . The first week we had the peaches from our CSA , we ate them so fast that I never actually used them in a recipe. We had some friends over for dinner during the week and a crisp made the perfect, quick and easy dessert as I already had all the ingredients on hand. One of these days I'll have to attempt a pie. Or maybe not. The easy, somewhat messy looking crisp seems to win...

Fall is one of my favorite seasons. After a long, hot and sticky summer, I look forward to the chill in the air, seeing bursts of colors in the turning leaves, carving pumpkins, and wearing sweaters!  And I love the kitchen to be filled with the smell of cinnamon and pumpkin. T his pumpkin bread recipe has become a new seasonal favorite in our house. It is easy to make and utilizes simple ingredients. Plus, it combines pumpkin and chocolate, a perfect combination for fall baking. I recently made this recipe with Charlie's class at school. They have been talking about pumpkins and using them for different activities in class. Baking with 12 two-year olds is a little different than just baking with Charlie! It was really fun -  I will post some pics of my adventure soon. This recipe isn't real spicy and I think that makes it very kid friendly. Plus, there are lots of chocolate chips!