It's just getting good.

Peach orange marmalade, 2003 that is.  That and moldy homemade ketchup which I used to make the dressing.  Even the brown sugar I used to make the dressing was moldy.  How is that possible? Only me.  On the fresher side I found some chicken in the basement fridge drawer that had been there since March.  It was still good!  Even I was amazed.

Slow Cooker Apricot Chicken Recipe: 

From crockpot.com

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups apricot preserves
1 cup Russian dressing (I used Wishbone brand)
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
6 chicken breasts

Directions:
Mix together the preserves, dressing and soup mix.  Place chicken in bottom of slow cooker; pour mixture over chicken.  Cover and cook on High for 1 hour.  Reduce heat to Low and continue cooking for 3-4 hours.

Here's another version:  http://itsstillgood.blogspot.com/2012/09/peach-peel-chicken.html

Ham and Jam

The perfect combo.  Especially since they are both old.  I was able to use use the last of the Christmas ham.  Just in time, too.  That was close.  And the jam?  It was unrecognizable. 

Slow Cooker Peach-Glazed Ham
From Pillsbury
Serves 14
       
1 fully cooked smoked bone-in ham (7 lb) 
3/4 cup peach preserves 
3/4 cup packed brown sugar 
1/2 cup Dijon mustard 
1/4 cup white cranberry and peach juice
Fresh peach slices, if desired 

Spray 7-quart oval slow cooker with cooking spray. Remove excess fat from ham. Make cuts about 1/2 inch apart and 1/4 inch deep in diamond pattern around top and sides of ham. Place ham in slow cooker. In small bowl, mix preserves, brown sugar, mustard and cranberry juice until smooth. Spread or brush mixture over ham in slow cooker.

Cover; cook on Low heat setting 8 hours or until meat thermometer reads 140°F. Remove ham from slow cooker; cover with foil and let stand 10 to 15 minutes before carving.

Meanwhile, pour juices from slow cooker into 2-quart saucepan. Heat to simmering; cook until slightly thickened. Serve ham with sauce. Garnish serving platter with peach slices.

Calories per serving: 274    

Choose Your Weapon

You can either use fermenting apple juice jelly or peach peel jam for this. Or do something normal like buy apple jelly. Serve with caramelized wrinkly old apples.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Apple Jelly Glaze

4 lb pork tenderloin roast
1 T. salt  
1 garlic clove, minced 
1/2 t paprika
Pepper to taste, optional

Preheat oven to 425.
Mix salt, garlic, paprika and pepper well. Rub over entire roast. Roast in 425 oven for 1 hour.

Meanwhile. mix:
1 small onion chopped
1 c. apple jelly
1 T. dry mustard

After pork has roasted for 1 hour, pour apple jelly mixture over roast. Reduce oven to 375 and continue roasting until meat reaches 170 degrees about 1-1.5 hours. Cover with foil let stand 30 min before slicing.

Peach Pocket Pie or The Longest Post of My Life

Peach pocket pie filling was half off at Williams-Sonoma. Then I splurged and bought the pie molds. But you don't have to buy either to make these delicious pocket pies.

Baked Pocket Pies
From the back of Peach Pocket Pie Filling jar
The 20 oz. jar made 13 pies.

Roll out your favorite pie dough into a round 3/16 inch thick. Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut out an even number of rounds. Mound about 2 Tbs. Peach Pocket Pie filling (or any fruit pie filling) in center of dough rounds; brush edges with egg wash (one egg lightly beaten with 1 t. water). Top with remaining rounds. Crimp edges to seal. Place on parchment lined baking sheet. Cut three small steam vents on the top of each pie with a paring knife. Freeze 20-30 minutes. Brush pies with egg wash. Sprinkle lightly with sugar. Bake at 400 F until golden brown and the filling is gently bubbling. 15 to 20 minutes.

Fried Pocket Pies

Follow instructions for baked pocket pies, but do not cut steam vents on pies and do not brush with egg wash or sprinkle with sugar. In heavy deep pan, heat vegetable oil to 350 F. Fry pies in batches until golden. 3 to 6 minutes. Transfer to paper towel-lines baking sheet.

The peach pocket pie filling tasted like peach jam, only a little more peachy. In the ingredients, peach flavor is listed. That would explain why it tastes peachier than jam. To duplicate, this pie filling, I would simply add peach extract and some chopped peaches to peach jam. Using this formula, any fruit could be used. I'll work on that.

Or use the following recipe and substitute any fruit.

Cherry Pocket Pie Filling

Makes about 8 pocket pies
In a saucepan, whisk together 1/2 cup granulated sugar, the 1 1/2 T. cornstarch and pinch of salt, then add the cherries (2 cups fresh or frozen pitted sour cherries, thawed and drained if frozen) and 1 t. vanilla. Set over medium-high heat and cook until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Let the filling cool.
Here is the pastry I used:

Pastry for Pocket Pie
Enough dough for 20 oz of pie filling
about 13 pies
4 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 c. butter
12 T. ice cold water

In a bowl, blend flour and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add water and just mix until a dough forms. Do not over mix. Divide dough into two balls. Can make up to one day ahead and refrigerate. When ready to use, roll out each ball on lightly floured surface.

And now the pastry recipe from the back of the Pocket Pie Mold box

Pocket Pie Pastry for about 1 cup pie filling

2 1/2 Cups (390 g) all-purpose flour
1 t. salt
2 T. sugar, plus more for sprinkling (if baking pies)
16 T. cold butter (2 sticks) cut into 1/2-inch dice.
6 to 8 T. ice water

In a food processor, pulse together the flour, salt and the 2 T. sugar until combined, about 5 pulses. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 pulses. Add 6 T. ice water and pulse twice. The dough should hold together when squeezed with your fingers but should not be sticky. If it is crumble, add more water, 1 t. at a time, pulsing twice after each addition. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and divide in half. Shape each half into a disk. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. or up to overnight. Let the dough stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before rolling out.