By School started. Without me. Hodge Elementary opened its doors — hybrid model, some kids in person, some on screens — and the kitchen is running under Sheila's command, and I am at home, retired, watching from a distance. It's strange, baby. For thirty-five years, August meant the kitchen. August meant the stoves warming up and the menus going up and four hundred trays clattering. Now August means the garden and the recorder and the quiet.
Monique is back at Hodge too, teaching third grade, and she called me Monday evening to say, "Granny, the kitchen misses you." I said, "The kitchen is doing fine." She said, "It is. But it's not the same." I know it's not. How could it be? The kitchen had me in it for thirty-five years. My rhythms, my shortcuts, my habit of talking to the oven like it's a person. That doesn't transfer with a key.
Sheila called too. She asked for my recipe for the hidden-vegetable spaghetti sauce. I gave it to her over the phone — the carrots, the zucchini, the sweet potato, all pureed into the tomato sauce so the children eat vegetables without knowing. She said, "Dot, you're a genius." I said, "I'm a lunch lady with a blender, Sheila. That's not genius. That's survival." She laughed. I miss her. I miss the kitchen. I miss the children. But I don't miss the five a.m. alarm, and that's how I know the retirement was right.
The writing project is up to twenty-two recipes. Twenty-two stories. I recorded the peach cobbler one this week and I got emotional — the Gladys rivalry, the recipe card in Mama's handwriting, the crust that rises around the peaches like faith rising around doubt. Kayla is typing up the recordings on her days off. She said, "Granny, you have a book." I said, "I have a pile of stories." She said, "That's what a book is."
Now go on and feed somebody.
This is the one that got me — the peach cobbler from Mama’s recipe card, the one I recorded this week and couldn’t finish without stopping twice to collect myself. I’ve made this cobbler more times than I can count, first learned it in Mama’s kitchen before I ever set foot in a school cafeteria, and there’s something about the way the crust rises up around the peaches that still gets me every time. If you’re going to feed somebody today, let it be this.
Contest-Winning Peach Cobbler
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 45 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 4 cups sliced fresh or thawed frozen peaches
- 1 cup sugar, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup whole milk
Instructions
- Prepare the peaches. Toss sliced peaches with 1/2 cup sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Let stand 10 minutes to draw out the juices.
- Melt the butter. Preheat oven to 375°F. Place butter in a 9x13-inch baking dish and set in the oven just until melted, about 3–4 minutes. Remove carefully and set aside — do not stir.
- Make the batter. Whisk together flour, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Pour in milk and stir until just combined; a few lumps are fine. Do not overmix.
- Assemble. Pour the batter directly over the melted butter in the baking dish — do not stir. Spoon the peaches and all their juices evenly over the batter. Again, do not stir. The batter will rise up and around the peaches as it bakes.
- Bake. Bake at 375°F for 40–45 minutes, until the crust is puffed and golden brown and pulling away from the sides of the pan. The top should have color and the center should not jiggle.
- Rest and serve. Let the cobbler rest for at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm, with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream if you like — though it does just fine on its own.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 310 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Carbs: 50g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 180mg