Georgia Peach and Pecan Crisp

You know summer has arrived when the fresh peaches grab your attention with their heavenly smell as you walk through the produce section in your local market.  Then it's time to be making a peach crisp.  I adapted this recipe from My Key West Kitchen.  I really like how you cook the peaches on the stove top and then just crisp it under the broiler.

Ingredients:
Streusel:
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter (diced small and slightly chilled)
1/2 cup of Georgia pecans (chopped)

6-8 Georgia peaches  (around 4 cups sliced)
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

Make the streusel:  Place all of the streusel ingredients in a bowl and cut in with a pastry cutter the butter until the texture is that of small crumbs.  Stir in the Georgia pecans to mix well.
     
To cook the peaches heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat, saute the peaches with the brown sugar until the peaches are tender, but not falling apart.  Transfer into a 8 inch x 8 inch baking dish. (Or you could bake in 4 small ramekins.)  Sprinkle the streusel  evenly over the dish.  Place underneath a hot broiler until the streusel bubbles and caramelizes nicely.  Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.  

*Note: This recipe had a Pecan Sable that went along with the streusel topping.  It looked amazing and I would like to try making it but, at the time, I made it as just as a straight crisp. 
Serves 4

Sherry
I will link this to:
Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farm 

Strut Your Stuff Saturday at Six Sisters Stuff 

Homemaking Linkup at Hope In Every Season 

Finding the Pretty & Delicious Linky at Your Home Based Mom  

On the Menu Monday at Stonegable 
Rooted in Thyme Simple and Sweet Fridays
A Pinteresting Party  at Tutus & Tea Parties
Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Polymer Clay Tags

I have always wanted to make the clay tags that are so popular on the blogs.  I was so excited that my sponsor Wholeport.com offered polymer clay.  I ordered some and was most anxious to try making the them.

Here are the supplies you will need:

(it is always best to designate your clay crafting supplies to be just for clay and not for baking anymore)

polymer clay

rolling pin

parchment paper

cookie cutter of desired shape

4-5 straws

sand paper, sand (or any desired texture)

baking sheet

disposable vinyl gloves (optional) 
translucent color glaze (optional)
string or suitable ties

You first need to unwrap your clay and condition it.  I simply folded it back and forth and worked it like dough, smoothing out a desired shape to then roll out.  The clay was stiff to begin with but the longer I worked with it the easier it was to shape.  It had a great texture that got better the more I handled it.

For my work surface I just used parchment paper on top of a table.  I also used a piece of parchment paper on top of my clay when I rolled it out.  Rolling it out between the parchment paper kept it from sticking to any tools and made for a smoother clay surface.

I am making round tags so a fondant cutter was perfect for the shape and size of tag I wanted to create.

When handling the tags I used a pair of disposable vinyl gloves.  This kept my fingerprints off of the finished product and made the clay easy to work with. 

The hole for my tags was created with a drinking straw.  I used it on about 4-5 tags and then had to get a new straw to cut a clean hole in my tags.

For summer, I wanted to create tags with a sea theme.  So I used some sea creatures and shells from my collection to emboss the tags.  You can order these online from a number of suppliers.  The tags I created were 2 1/4 inched across.  The perfect width to roll these would be 1/8-1/4 inch thick.  

Here is a sample of the tags I created.  I made 15 in all.  I choose the tan and white color of polymer clay because it resembled the Atlantic sand and the Gulf of Mexico's sand.  I wanted to give the tags some texture around the shell/creatures I pressed into them and I at first used real sand to try to make texture but, that was a bit of a mess.  The sand doesn't go on evenly and it sticks to the clay and won't come off.

So, then I tried using coarse sand paper, this is 60 grit, and that worked great.

Here is a tag all made and ready for the oven.  I baked the clay tags at 265-275 degrees F (129-135 degrees C) for 15 minutes.  Allow to cool completely.  I let mine sit overnight.

Here are the finished tags.  I took them after they cooled a bit and wiped them down with a translucent color glaze, made for faux painting.  I used Valspar in Mocha.  A grey would work nicely too.

These have the sandpaper texture.

 The translucent glaze helps define the pattern a little more.

I actually liked the ones that had a few grains of sand embedded into them the best, like this tag.  It just made it look more natural.  

The only thing I would do differently is that I would have rolled the clay to 1/8 inch think.  I think my tags are a bit too thick.  They are around 1/4 inch think.  I loved the polymer clay from Wholeport!  I would recommend it highly!  The more I worked it the easier it was to use and it performed perfectly.  

Thank you Wholeport for sponsoring this polymer clay project.

 Sherry

I will link to;
Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style 
Strut Your Stuff Saturday at Six Sisters Stuff 
Inspired Sunday at Sunday View 

Monday Funday Link Party at An Extraordinary Day

Tweak It Tuesday at Cozy Little House

The Scoop Party at Cedar Hill Ranch  

Make It Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House
Tutorials, Tips and Tidbits at Stonegable 
Transformed Tuesdays at PJH Designs 

Whatever Goes Wednesday at Someday Crafts
Blissful Whites Wednesday at Timewashed 

Summer Blooms

Summer is here this week.  With it comes an abundance of blooms, that I always welcome.  Here is a begonia that makes a statement on my front porch.

The lavender is still going strong and making the bees happy.  Did you know I have a honey bee hive in my backyard?  It is some runaway bees from my bee keeping neighbor that took up residence in my hollow tree.  Maybe I should thank my neighbor for all the beautiful blooms I am getting in my yard now.

The coreopsis is also in full show stopping bloom. 

I decided to make a video of all of the flowers I have photographed since I began my blog.   It is by far the longest video I have made because there have been so many flowers.  The video is 4 minutes, pull it up on your tablet and use it for a morning meditation.  The flowers are indeed a nice therapy! 

Sherry

I will link this to:

A Return to Loveliness  at A Delightsome Life 

Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper

From the Farm Blog Hop  at Sunny Simple Life

 Cottage Style Link Party at Lavender Cottage Garden

Tweak it Tuesday at Cozy Little House

Home Sweet Home #123

Hello and welcome to Home Sweet Home!  This week I styled a pretty table outside with a beach theme in Beachy Table.

I had tea while enjoying some of my roses and lavender in Flower Therapy.

I also made some Garlic Roasted Potatoes for a delicious side dish.

Now, I would like to feature some of the great blogger's post that caught my eye from last week's Home Sweet Home. 

Fairy Cottage and Garden showed off her backyard and gazebo.

Laura at The Turquoise Home showed us Four Reasons to Love Wood Furniture.  Contrasts look amazing together and Laura showed this very effectively in this post.

Lynda at Lynda Bergman Decorative Artisan showed us a claw foot tub she hand painted in a toile pattern.  Isn't this stunning!

Patti at Old Things New showed off her front garden.  I love the fountain!

There are so many talented people joining me each week!  It is really hard to feature a few.   And, remember to be featured you must have a link back to the Home Sweet Home party.   Thank you to everyone who joins me at Home Sweet Home!  It is wonderful to have you here! 

Sherry

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I will join these ladies today:
Be Inspired Friday at Common Ground 

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Home and Garden Thursday  at A Delightsome Life 

G' Day Saturday at Natasha in Oz 

Guidelines for Home Sweet Home Party:

Attention: To link up you must have a permalink back to this party in your post or you won't be featured.

Link up anything in your home or garden.  I love seeing home tours and neat shops too!

My button is on my sidebar for the party, if you want to use it.   If you are new here I hope you will become a follower. Please don't link up more than two posts.  No Etsy link ups or direct advertising, please.  Please visit some of the other blogs and get some great inspiration.  Thanks.:)

Now let's see your beautiful homes, delicious recipes, crafts, or whatever makes your home special!

 *If you are pinning a post submitted here, please pin from the original site.

Garlic Roasted Potatoes

I love roasted vegetables and the roasted potato is a winner all of my family will eat.  I added garlic to the roasting pan this time and it created a whole new flavor to the side dish that tastes and smells like were eating out at a steakhouse for our weekend meal. 

Ingredients:
4 medium to large potatoes (scrubbed and cut into cubes)
4 cloves of garlic (peeled and smashed but left whole)
2-4 tablespoons olive oil
6 thyme sprigs (washed and stripped of leaves)
salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Place the potatoes and garlic in a large bowl.  Pour in enough oil to coat the potatoes and garlic, then season with the salt, pepper, and thyme and toss well.  Transfer to a baking dish and roast until cooked through, 45 minutes.  Let them get good and crispy on one side and then flip them over so they get crispy all over.  You would think they are cooked in butter but the olive oil makes them crispy and delicious just the same.
Serves: 4
Source: Adapted from My Key West Kitchen
Sherry
I will link this to:
Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farm 

Strut Your Stuff Saturday at Six Sisters Stuff 

Homemaking Linkup at Hope In Every Season 

Finding the Pretty & Delicious Linky at Your Home Based Mom  

On the Menu Monday at Stonegable 
Rooted in Thyme Simple and Sweet Fridays
A Pinteresting Party  at Tutus & Tea Parties
Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Flower Therapy

My roses and the lavender are still blooming.  They smell so wonderful.  I thought I would bring them in and enjoy them with a cup of tea.

I found this teapot awhile back.  It looks like a German teapot but, I don't know for sure, it has no markings.  It is very petite and romantic.  I found the cup at the thrift shop for 75 cents.  It is Nikko china.

Did you enjoy my flower therapy?  I enjoyed the roses and now the blooms are all spent on the rose bushes.  I deadheaded them and hopefully I will have more blooms all summer.
Sherry
I will link this to:
   
 Tea Time Tuesday at Rose Chintz Cottage 
A Return to Loveliness  at A Delightsome Life 

Table Top Tuesday  at A Stroll Thru Life

Share the Shelter at A Sheltering Tree  

Homemaking Linkup at Hope In Every Season  

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm

Thrifty Things Friday at The Thrifty Groove  

Tea Cup Tuesday at Martha's Favorites

Tea Cup Tuesday at Artful Affirmations

 Cottage Style Link Party at Lavender Cottage Garden

Tweak it Tuesday at Cozy Little House 

Friends Sharing Tea at Bernideen's Tea Time Blog