Frozen Pineapple Treat

I bought four pineapples today to cut up and freeze for smoothies. As I was cutting I remember a treat we haven't had in a long time. This is the perfect way to use up overripe pineapple sitting in your fridge. Just throw it in a Ziploc and save for this enjoyable treat.

• Cut your fresh pineapple into 1-2 inch chunks.
• Freeze in a Ziploc.
• Pull pineapple out of the freezer about 30 minutes prior to making. Thaw slightly on the counter.
• Place pineapple in the food processor. (You really need a food processor for this. A blender won't work) Puree until very smooth. It will be the consistency of a very thick smoothie. Add a small amount of orange or pineapple juice to thin if necessary (only a tablespoon or so at a time).
  
• Add a small amount of sugar if needed. Blend again.
  
• Spoon into dishes and eat immediately.
  

This is a wonderful summer treat, but it's really good any time of the year and a great substitute for ice cream.

Peaches

Good fresh peaches are a wonderful thing. My sister picked up a couple boxes for me this weekend. I did a bunch just sliced and in Ziplocs. I also made a lot of baby food and made a pot of peach topping/pie filling. I think my kitchen is still sticky from the mess though.

I put my peaches in very hot water (almost boiling) for 1-2 minutes. The skins come of perfectly after they have cooled a bit. Here is my bowl of peaches ready to be skinned.
I also have a bowl for the skinned peaches and all the stuff to throw away.
To make baby food I put about 5 peaches in the food processor and run it until the peaches are smooth and soupy. You can add a couple teaspoons of lemon juice to keep it from browning if you are freezing it immediately.

Just like the green beans, I use my ice cube trays to freeze small servings.
I bought these from IKEA the other day. I have honestly wanted them since my first visit to IKEA 2 1/2 years ago.
I know it's not really going to make any difference what shape the peach cubes are in.
But they really turn out cute. I also used a silicon muffin pan to freeze some baby food because I ran out of ice cube trays.
Here is everything I did from the first box of peaches. These fruit boxes are a nice easy way to store and separate things in the freezer.
With the second box of peaches, I did some more sliced and frozen in bags. I made another batch of baby food and I made peach topping. This of course was the yummiest part. I filled a pot with about 15 peaches and 1 cup of water. I brought them to a boil and then lowered heat and simmered for about 20 minutes.
After they cooked for a while, I stirred in 1 cup of sugar and about 1/2 cup corn starch. I let it cook until it was nice and thick. I kept adding sugar until it tasted right. I added about 2 1/2 cups total.
I also added about 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon. This is great on waffles, ice cream, etc. After it cooled I froze it in Ziplocs.