The moment I knew Ninja was the man I was going to marry was 2 weeks before we started dating. Up until that point Ninja was a friend of mine’s best friend. Actually, I think it was his hope to hook up with me and match make Ninja and my WinnipegBestie lol. Anyways, we were sitting at the Blue Note Café, in Winnipeg. It was the third time I had met him, the first being months before, when I was completely drunk, at a club called the Palladium. His best friend was in my Asian History class and we were talking about samurais and I jokingly said, “aren’t those like ninjas?” lol from that day on, I was Ninja Girl. So, I met him at the Palladium one drunk evening and we got into a disagreement about areas of the city. I lived in St. James and he lived in Lindenwoods, 2 completely opposite neighbourhoods in Winnipeg lol. I’d say we didn’t get along but… I remember the conversation and it took place in December 2000 lol.
The next time I met him was 4 months later, when I got a job at Pizza Hut. My friend from my Asian history class worked there with his best friend. He told me they were hiring. I put in my résumé and didn’t get the serving job but got hired as the manager. So, the second time I met him was at work, as his manager.
The third time. This is the time I’m talking about the time, me, my friend from Asian history, his best friend (Ninja), and my WinnipegBestie went out to the Blue Note Café. It was a coffee shop, no alcohol, just coffee, and conversation. And that’s what hooked me! He told a story about travelling on a bus to Florida. The way he described the lights, the adventure, and all the new places he had seen, I sat mesmerized. I knew in that moment that I could listen to him tell stories forever. I also knew that whatever new place he explored, I wanted to be there with him, to see it through his eyes. I wanted to be a part of his stories.
Next week we are celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary. After 10 years of negotiating and hammering out a fair deal for both of us lol we made it official on August 9, 2010… 08. 09. 10. The week after that, we are headed to Vancouver Island for a week of adventuring somewhere completely new to both of us. 25 years ago, I went on a double coffee date and fell in love with my best friend’s blind date. That night I dreamt of a future married to this amazing man who told incredible stories and went on crazy adventures. How lucky am I to have my dreams come true? 💕
It’s peach season Baby! Here in Penticton, Peachfest officially begins tomorrow and here in the Valley, peaches ripen starting in the south and quickly spreading up through the Okanogan to the north. I had my pick of peaches at the local fruit stand the other day. Some years we go peach picking but this year, we didn’t have any out of town guests at the time, so we raided the market for local fruits and veggies.
Have you ever tried a savoury peach dish? We did! This Thai Peach Chicken over basmati rice was a new spin on a chicken stirfry! Sweet, savoury, and filling, this gorgeous dish was the perfect weeknight dinner, that included fresh peaches and farmer’s market bell peppers. This dinner was delicious and made fabulous leftovers for the next day.
To be honest, the Kids aren’t big peach vans. I know, I’m not sure what’s wrong with them? Lol Personally, I’ve always been a peach fan. Especially in drinks. When I was younger, I really didn’t like the taste of alcohol and when we would go to the bar, I would ask the bartender to throw a shot of peach schnapps in an iced tea and I was happy lol. Tell me you’re not a big drinker without telling me you’re not a big drinker lol. Anyways, the Kids love lemonade though! So, we juiced some lemons and puréed some fresh peaches, and made this delicious Peach Lemonade! Both of the Kids really enjoyed it and said it was a delicious spin on their regular summertime drink.
I had a few peaches left so I baked this Cinnamon Peach Quick Bread. We will slice it up and freeze it and it will be perfect for school lunches next month. What a perfect way to extend summer just a bit longer.
This Blueberry Peach Poppy Seed Salad was a light, refreshing, and delicious summer salad. We enjoyed the salad for dinner and then made it AGAIN and brought it for our contribution to dinner at my in-laws after a day in the pool and it was fresh, delicious, and everybody enjoyed it! I may make a batch of those nuts, just to snack on, they were so freaking good!
This Penticton Peach Cocktail is summer in a glass! Whether you are beside the pool, sitting on the deck with a good book, or relaxing after a hot day in the sunshine, this cocktail will be the perfect addition! Light, refreshing, sweet, and pretty, this cocktail will be your new summer favourite!
The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen Nobody no crime – murder mystery. This is the perfect little summer in the south murder mystery. It is easy to follow, includes family history, complex relationships and makes the point that nothing is perfect and things/people aren’t always as they seem. This book reminded me of a show I used to watch, Hart of Dixie. This was a book about friendship, finding your people, and acceptance. Kinda like the Breakfast Club but make it Hallmark. I liked the little magical elements, it is a love story but it isn’t spicy, I recommended it to my 13 year old daughter. In fact I think the characters should have been younger and this would be a better YA book. A good, quick, and easy summer/fall read.
Thai Peach Chicken
4
servings15
minutes15
minutesIngredients
1 tablespoon peanut oil
3 chicken breasts, cut into quarters
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoon ginger, minced
2 peaches, sliced
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon Thai chilli sauce
juice of one lime
1 teaspoon dried lemongrass
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
¼ cup chopped peanuts
2 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
Directions
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and add to skillet, cooking until browned, about 3 minutes each side. Transfer chicken to a plate, and reduce heat to medium-low.
Add onion, garlic, and ginger to skillet, cooking 3 minutes until softened.
Whisk together honey, vinegar, chilli sauce, soy sauce, lime juice, fish sauce, and lemongrass. Add cornstarch to the sauce and whisk until smooth.
Add sauce, bell pepper slices, chicken, and peach slices to skillet.
Cook, stirring, until sauce is thickened and smooth.
Cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Garnish with peanuts and cilantro. Serve with rice.
Peach Lemonade
1
pitcher10
minutes5
minutesIngredients
4 ripe peaches, pitted and sliced
1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 4–6 lemons)
1/2 cup sugar
4 cups filtered water (divided)
Directions
In a blender, puree the sliced peaches until smooth. If desired, strain through a fine mesh sieve for a silkier texture.
In a small saucepan, heat 1 cup of water with the sugar over medium heat until dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool.
In a large pitcher, combine the peach puree, lemon juice, cooled sugar-water mixture, and remaining 3 cups of cold water. Stir well.
Serve over ice in tall glasses and garnish with lemon slices.
Cinnamon Peach Bread
1
serving10
minutes55
minutesIngredients
1/3 cup butter, softened
2 cups ripe peaches, diced
1/2 cup + a little extra sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup milk
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Easy Glaze
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1-2 teaspoons milk
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, beat the softened butter and 1/2 cup sugar until combined.
Add in an egg one at a time, beating them in until combined. Add in the milk and vanilla and beat until combined. Lastly, gently stir in the freshly diced peaches with a wooden spoon.
Using a sifter, add in the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and a pinch of salt. Mix gently to combine with the wooden spoon, making sure you don't overmix!
Grease a 9x5 loaf pan or add parchment paper. Gently add the bread mix into the loaf pan. On top, add a generous sprinkle of sugar to ensure that you have a crunchy topping!
Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes mostly clean. Let it cool in the pan for 3-5 minutes. Remove and place on a wire cooling rack.
Once the bread has fully cooled down, mix 1/4 cup of powdered sugar and a tsp of milk (or more if needed) to make your powdered sugar glaze. If it's too thick, add more milk. Too thin? Add more powdered sugar! Generously drizzle the glaze on top of the bread and serve.
Blueberry Peach Poppy Seed Salad
4-6
servings30
minutes20
minutesIngredients
4-6 cups lettuce
2 peaches halved, and thinly sliced
½ cup blueberries
- Pickled Red Onions
¼ red onion, sliced
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
- Honey-Cider Poppy Seed Dressing
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
1/2 tablespoon poppy seeds
- Sweet and Smoky Candied Almonds
½ cup whole almonds
1 tablespoon maple syrup
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
⅙ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
Directions
For the pickled red onions:
Combine all ingredients in a small covered container. Cover and shake well. Allow to sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes, shaking occasionally.For the Honey-Cider Poppy Seed Dressing
Combine all ingredients in a jar and shake well.For the sweet and smoky candied almonds:
Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper lightly with cooking spray. Set aside.Spray a small, non-stick skillet and a heat-resistant spatula with cooking spray. Add the almonds, paprika, cayenne and salt and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently (scraping the sides of the pan) until almonds are coated and the maple syrup has disappeared (about 3-5 minutes).
Transfer the almonds to the prepared pan and spread to a single layer. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on the pan.
Place lettuce in a large shallow bowl. Top with the peaches, blueberries, pickled red onions. Drizzle lightly with the dressing then sprinkle the candied almonds and feta cheese over the top.
Penticton Peach
2
servings5
minutesIngredients
2 oz peach schnapps, divided
2 oz white rum, divided
4 oz orange juice, divided
2 oz cranberry juice, divided
Fresh peaches sliced, for garnish
Directions
Fill glasses with ice.
Add the peach schnapps, white rum, and orange juice to each of the glasses. Stir the mixture gently to combine the flavours.
Slowly pour the cranberry juice into the centre of each glass, allowing it to create a layered effect. Garnish with a fresh peach slice.
Thank you to Homemade on a Weeknight and This Is My Everybody for featuring my Summer Reading at the Book Report Link Party and the Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop last week. Thank you Ducks ‘n a Row for featuring my Salads at her Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop last week.
What a week!! HBear worked, Dad and my Sis went to Winnipeg where SweetP made Legos of me and my Sis, we cuddled, rested, swam, played, my BIL came for a visit, and we biked the KVR trail!
22 thoughts on “It’s Peach Season!”
Congratulations and Happy Anniversary. The peach bread sounds sensational! We use peaches (or plums) in salad in summer too. #Huisljivt
Thank you! The bread was delicious 🤤. Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks for these recipes post on #WednesdayLinkUpParty as peaches are my favorite fruit!
Everything looks delicious, I love peach season!
I’ve never had peach lemonade but I love peach iced tea! It’s peach season here and I’m still trying to make it a point to get to the orchard and pick some. I love fresh peaches on my salad and they’re pretty great on sandwiches with chicken or turkey too.
Ah, I really liked Hart of Dixie! Will be adding The Peach Keeper to my TBR! :] Sounds like a cute/light read.
I love peaches SO much! It’s peach season here, too. I’m Pinning this post so I can try these recipes. Yum. And I love that quote about peaches at the top. 🙂 Visiting from the Crazy Little Lovebirds linkup.
Awesome! I love the Crazy Little Lovebird link party! I always find new recipes and blogs the I love! Thanks for stopping by, enjoy the peaches!!!
I don’t eat a lot of peaches here; as we live in a sub-tropical region, stone fruit is usually shipped here very hard so it doesn’t bruise, but it never gets soft and delicious. Sigh! …
sherry
I feel this hard! I grew up in the prairies and the only peaches I ate were the canned ones my Nana sent us from BC. I am so lucky to live in a place with such an abundance of fresh produce. Thank for sharing 🙂
Happy Anniversary….Have a Peach of a time LOL…..
Thank you! We literally did! We celebrated at our local Peachfest! It was a great day!
Oh wow! I so appreciate you sharing your peachy read and yummies with Bookish Bliss Musings & More Quarterly Link Up dear friend.
Thanks for having me!
My husband loves peaches, we’ve been buying fresh local peaches every chance we get! I know he’s gonna love this peach lemonade! Can’t wait to make it for him!!
Awesome! It was a BIG hit in my house! Thanks for stopping by, enjoy peach season 🙂
Happy Anniversary! I grew up with peaches from our family tree in S. Calif.. After moving to Hawaii, it’s now mangoes! So I can do substitutions here.
Mangoes! Yum! Lucky you! I have a mango peach salsa that I love!!! Thanks for stopping by!
Ooo. Love these peach treats for sure. Yum!
Thanks bunches for sharing with Sweet Tea & Friends this month dear friend.
Thank you Paula! See you next week 😊
I have read and enjoyed Allen’s other novels. This one wasn’t on my radar. So many great recipes here–sweet, savory, beverages, entrees, desserts!
This was the first book I’ve read from Allen, now that you mention it, I will have to check out her other books! Thanks for the suggestion!