Love and Crumbs: A Peach Crisp Recipe from Moonrat

August is totally the sweetest month: it's the month during which CakeSpy was created, and it's also the month of your humble Head Spy's birthday! And so, in celebration of all of this sweetness, there's going to be a month-long celebration of birthday treats, featuring memories (and recipes) from a collection of CakeSpy pals. It kicks off with the lovely and amazing Moonrat, writer of the Editorial Ass blog, which gives a behind-the-scenes look at the publishing industry (and plenty of other fun social commentary). And--bonus--it happens to be her *actual* birthday! As for her laissez-faire birthday treat? Here goes:

Dadrat's Birthday Peach Crisp

When you're a kid, having a summer birthday seems like the short end of the stick. Not only are all your friends away on vacation when you want to have a party, but you can't even bring cupcakes into school for your class!

But I got over my righteous anger pretty quick, because I was a really, really lucky kid whose dad had a penchant for fruit trees. The white peach tree in our back yard would drop peaches at the exact right time each year for Dad to make me some of his peach crisp. Here's his recipe, Dadrat-approved.

Here's how Dadrat did it:

First, he'd make me collect all the peaches and check them for worms (pesky buggers; the antithesis of delicious!). But in case you don't have a white peach tree in your yard, or live in a cement box in the city (like yours truly), you can also buy peaches at the store. If you can find white peaches, they're really, really nice--softer, fibrous, tangy. You'll need about 4 cups. Unless you're doubling or tripling the recipe, which we usually do.

Then he'd preheat the oven to 425. Or around there; Dad dislikes numbers and favors cooking impressionistically. But let 425 be a guidepost for normal people.

Now while the oven is preheating, prep your peaches. You don't want any fuzzy skin in the crisp, so you're going to have to peel them. Luckily, there's a trick. If the peaches are fresh, put them in boiling water for about 30 seconds. Apparently this is called "blanching"--which is particularly humorous if you're using white peaches already. But anyway. Take them out and let them cool, and the skins will come right off. Definitely wait until they cool, though, so you don't burn your mitts. Peel, and slice.

Now stick your peach slices in a large bowl. Mix with:

• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon of flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (if you like nutmeg, which I really really do)

Butter the bottom of a casserole and pour the peaches in. Squeeze some lemon (or lemon juice) over the peaches if you feel like it.

In a separate bowl, combine

• 1/2 cup flour
• 3/4 cup uncooked rolled oats
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 stick of cold butter, chopped up into little squares

If you want, you can throw in walnuts, too, which we never did when I was a kid, but which suddenly strikes me as an awesome idea, unless you are allergic to nuts, in whcih case I don't recommend it. But for everyone else, walnuts are both delicious and an excellent source of iron.

Sprinkle this dry mixture over the top of the peach mixture in the casserole. If you like--and I do--sprinkle an additional teaspoon of brown sugar over the top. It gets sweet and crusty.

Bake for about a half an hour. If you do it right, it doesn't turn to mush. My dad quothe, "The only reason to cook it is to heat it up."

Now you can eat it.

Keep up with Moonrat's rad adventures (and the occasional fuzzy animal picture) at editorialass.blogspot.com.

Guest Blog Post: How To Have Your Cake and Eat it Too

There's no doubt about it--cake is delicious. Sometimes too delicious--which can wreak havoc on a healthy diet. But is it possible to find a healthy balance while still letting yourself eat some cake? Happily, Courtney Phillips of culinaryschoolguide.org was able to offer some tips. Here's Courtney's guest post:

I know they say you can’t have your cake and eat it too, but where there’s a will, there’s definitely a way. Cakes are good, cakes are delicious, cakes are fun; and that’s why we all love cakes. But they also have a downside – being loaded in sugar and calories, they tend to make us fat and unhealthy lumps of flesh (Cakespy Note: fat, unhealthy, and...utterly content). If you’re a cake addict who can’t say no to these baked bits of heaven, and if you’re also concerned about your health, here’s what you need to do when you’re about to bake a cake or go shopping for some:

• Read the recipes carefully: Choose cakes that feature fresh fruits or vegetables, especially ones that are easily available, where the word “sugarless” is prominent or where a healthier sugar substitute is used in place of sugar, and where you don’t have to add dollops of butter to improve the taste. Replace traditional icing with whipped cream that’s been sweetened a bit, cream cheese or a fruit glaze. Substitute whole wheat flour for the unhealthy white flour that most cakes use. Remember though, not to overcook this cake – since you’re limiting the fat content, baking it for too long could cause it to become dry and tasteless. Also, whipped cream frosting tends to go flat in a while, so be prepared to put on the finishing touches just minutes before the occasion.
  
• Don’t buy cake mixes: Contrary to popular belief, cake mixes are not healthy. Yes, it’s harder baking a cake from scratch, but at least you know what’s in it rather than taking your chances with the mix whose ingredients you’re not too sure about.
  
• Sponge cake is a safe bet: It’s light, it’s airy, and it has no cream. Of all the cakes in the world, the sponge cake is one of the most delicious and the least fattening. And best of all, it makes a great dessert with some fat-free, low-cal ice cream.
  
• Go organic: Cakes that are baked using organic and natural ingredients are healthier than and just as delicious as the traditional ones. You could use whole wheat, oat and barley flours, and agave nectar or similar products instead of sugar. Organic sugar, butter and free range eggs add to the taste and do their bit for the environment too.
  

With health on your mind and interesting recipes at hand, you can see it’s easy enough to both have your cake and eat it too!

This post was contributed by Courtney Phillips, who writes about Culinary School Rankings. She welcomes your feedback at CourtneyPhillips80 (at) gmail.com.