From Pantry to Picnic: Peach Cornbread Recipe

A juicy twist on a classic—perfect for warm days and sweeter memories.

Warmer weather calls for the triumphant return of some summer flavors! Although peaches aren't quite in season yet for most of the country, they are near us, and we've decided to take advantage of the availability.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cornmeal

2/3 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon ground ginger

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/3 cup milk

1 large egg

1 whole peach

2 tablespoons Ceylon cinnamon, divided

3 tablespoons honey, divided

Tools:

knife

cutting board

8x8 baking dish

mixing bowl

spoon and/or whisk

measuring cups and spoons

hand mixer (optional)

non-stick spray

As always, please wash your produce! Pesticides and dirt are not considered complementary flavors for this recipe. With peaches you don’t have to scrub too hard, just wash gently in cool water, to get all of the ick off. 

Preheat the oven to 400 and spray the bottom of your baking dish with non-stick spray.

Using a sharp knife, skin and slice your peach. Discard the skin and the pit. Trim your sliced peach into quarter inch chunks. If you have an excessive puddle of juice forming on the cutting board, drain it off.

Measure your dry ingredients - cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, ginger and one tablespoon of the Ceylon cinnamon - into the mixing bowl. Take a minute to break up the biggest clumps you see.

As an aside, Ceylon cinnamon is not strictly necessary for this recipe. The more common/widely available Chinese cinnamon can absolutely be substituted for it, and this cornbread will still taste fantastic. We used Ceylon cinnamon because of its citrus-y profile and more mild spiciness. (We have one in the house who's extra sensitive to spicy food and categorizes Chinese cinnamon as "too spicy.")

To your bowl of dry ingredients, add the melted butter, milk, and egg. Break up the egg yolk with a spoon or whisk. Add one tablespoon of honey and mix well. We used a hand mixer at this stage, mostly for the time savings it affords. The faster it gets to the oven, the sooner we get to eat it.

After draining off any residual juice on the cutting board (because somehow there's always a little more), add the peach pieces to the bowl and stir by hand until they're all coated in the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Level and spread with a spoon if necessary, though it should be thin enough to flow into the edges on its own. We like to poke some peach chunks into the corners just to ensure a more even distribution of fruit. Nobody wants their slice of peach cornbread to be peach-less. That's not only false advertising, it's also just plain sad.

Drizzle the remaining two tablespoons of honey on top of the batter. Sprinkle the last tablespoon of Ceylon cinnamon evenly over the top of the honey drizzle.

Bake for 17-20 minutes until set in the middle. Allow the cornbread to cool for at least five minutes before turning it out of the dish, using a plate to flip it right side up again. Cut into eighths with a sharp knife and serve warm, preferably with extra honey, a pat of butter, or a scoop of ice cream.

There’s something deeply satisfying about a recipe that feels both nostalgic and a little bit new. This week’s peach cornbread brings the cozy, familiar texture of a classic bake, but the juicy bursts of peach and the mellow citrus warmth of Ceylon cinnamon lift it into something truly unique. It’s the kind of simple dish that doesn’t demand much from you—just a little time, a few pantry staples, and one good peach. In return, you get a golden, sweet-smelling square of summer comfort that’s equally at home next to your morning coffee or served warm with a scoop of ice cream after dinner. Recipes like this are part of why we love baking seasonally—it connects us to what's growing nearby, gives us an excuse to slow down, and makes the kitchen smell like all of the best parts of childhood.

If you give this peach cornbread a try, we’d love to hear how it turned out. Did you stick with Ceylon cinnamon, or did you raid your spice cabinet for something else? Either way, we hope it brought a little warmth to your table and a smile to someone’s face. And if your appliances ever slow you down, give our team at Appliance Rescue Service a call—we’ll help keep the good stuff coming. 

Website:
Call:  (214) 599-0055

Quick Comfort: Ravioli and Mozzarella-Stuffed Chicken Bake

A hearty, comforting bake that brings family and flavor together.

Ravioli for dinner might seem a little boring... But it's quick and convenient and filling, and even the pickiest eaters still enjoy it. So this week we decided to fancy it up some, add a protein and please the grownups at the table too.

Ingredients:

6 medium chicken breasts

3 Roma tomatoes

8 ounces mozzarella cheese

package frozen ravioli

24+ ounces tomato sauce

2 teaspoons rubbed sage

1 teaspoon rosemary

1 tablespoon oregano

1 tablespoon parsley

parmesan cheese, to taste

salt and pepper, to taste

Tools:

9x 13 baking dish

knife

cutting board

plates or bowls to hold cut foods for later assembly

spoon

toothpicks

aluminum foil

meat thermometer

can opener (if canned sauce instead of jarred)

As always, please wash any produce that didn't make its way to your kitchen ready to eat.

Preheat the oven to 350 and grab a 9x13 baking dish. We spritzed the bottom and sides of the dish with spray oil to make cleanup easier later. Set the dish close to the cutting board so you'll save steps on the assembly stage.

Pop open your can or jar of tomato sauce. Drip some into the baking dish and use a spoon to spread it into a thin layer. Place a layer of frozen ravioli (we used spinach and herb ravioli just because we enjoy them; feel free to use any frozen ravioli you like, although we would probably avoid beef for this dinner). Spread some tomato sauce on the ravioli, place a second layer of ravioli and cover that in sauce.

Repeat until you either run out of ravioli or until you only have an inch of headspace in the pan. By our estimate, a standard 9x13 Pyrex will fit about 45 jumbo ravioli in three layers with 24 ounces of sauce and still have just enough room for the the chicken breast, cheese and tomatoes without being over-full.

There's a chance you maybe do what we did at this point: realize you want more ravioli than will fit in the pan with the chicken. There's a teenage boy in this house, and we go through a LOT of pasta. We hastily grabbed and greased a second pan to cook the chicken separately. You'll notice in the photos that there is no bed of ravioli under the chicken.

Take your knife and cut the mozzarella into 12-15 thin slices and set them aside. Slice your tomatoes as thin as you like, aiming for 18 slices, and move those to another dish to clear the cutting board. We diced any odd shaped pieces left over and set them with the slices.

Place a chicken breast on the cutting board and, using a sharp knife, cut in from one side to butterfly the meat. Don't cut all the way through; you want the chicken breast open but intact on one side. Slide two or more slices of tomato and a slice of cheese into the split, close the chicken breast back up, and pin it closed with a toothpick if it flops open. Repeat for the five remaining chicken breasts.

Transfer the stuffed chicken breasts to the baking dish, on top of the ravioli (if you eat normal person amounts of pasta, at least). Wash your hands thoroughly after handling the chicken, because handling raw meat is kind of gross and cross contamination is dangerous.

Drop your remaining slices and chunks of tomato on top of the chicken. Sprinkle on the rosemary, sage, oregano, parsley, salt and pepper. Lay the remaining slices of cheese over top of the tomatoes and spices. Sprinkle with some dried parmesan cheese if desired.

Cover the pan tightly in aluminum foil and bake 35 minutes. Take the pan out of the oven at the the 35 minute mark, pull the foil off, and bake your meal another 15-20 minutes uncovered.

These instructions apply to both pans if you also ended up cooking the ravioli and the chicken separately. To ensure your chicken is cooked all the way though, use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature at the thickest part of the breast - your goal is 165 degrees.

Allow everything to cool in the pan for at least five minutes before serving. Add a veggie of your choice to complete the meal.

Cooking for family and friends is much more fun when your appliances work like they should. If your oven, stove, or any kitchen sidekick is giving you trouble, give Appliance Rescue Service a shout. We’ll help keep everything running smooth, so you can focus on the good stuff — like sharing meals and making memories.

Website: 

Call:  (214) 599-0055

White Bean and Mashed Potato Soup: A Cozy Solution to Leftovers

Turn your leftover ingredients into a creamy, filling soup

You know how we recently made an excessive amount of mashed potatoes? ...We also made an excessive amount of white beans when we made quesadillas. So now we have slightly less in the container of potatoes but also a large pot of beans to work through. Time for us to get creative and combine them!

Not so long ago, we tried a white bean soup at a local restaurant. Theirs was very tasty and very filling, and it became a jumping-off point for what we've done here.

In the event you aren't starting with a bunch of leftovers like we did, please take the time to prepare potatoes and beans as needed. Using instant potatoes and canned beans are totally options if time is tight and you need food on the table soon!

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked white beans

1 whole yellow onion

1 rib celery

3 tablespoons minced garlic

1 cup mashed potatoes

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons butter (optional; see notes)

3 tablespoons dried parsley

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons better than bouillon variety of choice (we used chicken)

5-6 cups water

salt and pepper, to taste

Tools:

large stock pot with lid or Instant Pot/pressure cooker

food processor or blender

measuring cups and spoons

serving spoon or ladle

knife

cutting board

Any produce you plan to work with that isn't washed and ready to eat will, of course, need a quick bath before you get to chopping. You already know this, we're sure, but we'd feel like we failed you if we didn't give you the reminder each time. If you’re making your beans from scratch for this recipe, make sure to consider whether you want to soak them or not, and how that will affect the recipe as well. 

Open up the food processor or blender, checking for loose pieces because you really don't want to find out the bottom ring of the blender jar is loose or that the food processor blade isn't seated /after/ you've already put food in... Ask us how we know.

Rough chop your onion (we were a little lazy and just quartered it, which was enough to fit the chunks between the blades) and add it to the food processor. Dice and add your celery, then measure in your minced garlic. Put the lid in place, make sure it's secure, and pulse until you have a vegetable slush of mostly uniform consistency.

You can add your potatoes at this point if there's room in the food processor. We ran out of space and ended up mixing those in by hand later, so we hope you've got some space to spare.

Take your cooked beans and transfer them to the stock pot or pressure cooker. Add your mashed potatoes and the contents of the food processor and stir. If the food processor couldn't take care of the potatoes for you, reheat them before adding and melt in the butter - cold mashed potatoes have a tendency to be congealed and lumpy, and this will help them mix better

Measure in your dried parsley, Better than Bouillon, bay leaf, salt and pepper. As you can see in the photo, we used a LOT of pepper, but that's a preference thing. (Probably don't use that much. We just like pepper here.)

Add the milk and water, put the lid on the pot and bring it up to temperature.

If you're doing this on the stove top, set the burner to medium and bring the contents of the pan up to a simmer. Cover and cook for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

If you're using a pressure cooker, set to low pressure for 20 minutes and allow natural pressure release. Also, watch out for the "food burn" warning; our Instant Pot can be annoyingly sensitive, and it set off the warning alarm twice because of, as far as we could tell, a lump of potato stuck to the edge. May you have fewer headaches with yours.

This soup works great as a main dish or as a side along with something else. It would even work great as an easy lunch for the week, if you’re into food prep. We enjoyed it served alongside some slices of thick bakery bread. 

If you’re working specifically with your Instant Pot (or similar small appliances) because your oven is giving you trouble, we’re here to help. At Appliance Rescue Service, our goal is to get your home running smoothly again, whether it’s your oven or your dryer, your refrigerator or your dishwasher. You can reach out to us via our website below or by giving us a call. We’ll work with you to find a date and time that works best for your situation. 

Website
Call: (214) 599-0055

Additional Reading

Punchy Potato & Cheddar Rolls 

 Layered Veggie Bowl

Chocolate Raspberry Thumbprints

Too Many Potatoes? Try These Tasty Crescent Pockets

Crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside—your leftovers never tasted this good

We made the critical error of asking for help peeling potatoes two nights ago. Our helper was a little too helpful, went on autopilot and peeled... basically all of them. For one dinner. We ended up with five. whole. pounds. of peeled potatoes. It was not a holiday, and no guests were expected.

Suddenly, we had a lot more mashed potatoes than we originally bargained for. Waste is not an option with perfectly good food, and we had to come up with something to avoid "potatoes again?" complaints over the three or more consecutive days of potato side dishes. In case you ever find yourself in a similar bind, here's a silly little recipe to dress up said potatoes. Another one will follow, for sure. Stay tuned.

Ingredients:

1 can crescent rolls

2 cups plain mashed potatoes

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 tablespoons sour cream

3 tablespoons butter, melted

salt and white pepper, to taste

1/2 pound assorted cooked mixed vegetables

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon celery salt

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

2 tablespoons cold water

1 tablespoon flour

shredded cheese, if desired

Tools:

baking sheet

parchment paper

measuring cups and spoons

mixing bowl

spoon(s)

We elected to leave the potatoes plain when we cooked them and to add seasoning in batches to keep things from getting too boring as we worked through what appeared to be a bottomless bucket of potatoes. If you're beginning with some leftover potatoes that are already seasoned, please feel free to skip the seasonings here or dress up your spuds with something else.

Preheat your oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a microwave safe mixing cup, stir together the two tablespoons of cold water and the single tablespoon of flour to make a slurry. Once well combined, pour the cup of chicken stock and the half teaspoons of celery salt and onion powder into the slurry. Heat in the microwave for 45 seconds. Remove, stir well, and repeat the heat-remove-stir process until the mixture thickens into gravy.

Reheat your mashed potatoes in a mixing bowl or other microwave safe container. Measure in the garlic, melted butter, sour cream, salt and pepper. Stir well to combine. Taste test, because some potatoes just need more flavor. Add more as necessary.

Unroll the can of crescent rolls and place the dough on the baking sheet. While we chose to use the eight triangular pieces the sheet is perforated into and show the filling poking out, you may prefer to do four larger pockets and fully enclose them, or press the perforated lines back together and re-cut into rounds or squares. Play around with it if you'd like.

After you've decided on a shape and laid out all your dough, place a quarter cup of potatoes on each portion of dough. Press a scoop of vegetables into each mound of potatoes, and drizzle just a little gravy over the vegetables. (Set the remaining gravy aside to top the pockets later.)

If you'd like to add some cheese, feel free to do so at this point. We had some other cheesy food planned for the dinner plate this time around and skipped the extra here. Be sure to add only a low-moisture cheese to prevent the crescent dough getting soggy.

Fold the edges of the dough over to trap all the filling inside. Pinch to fully enclose, if you'd like. The parchment paper makes for easy cleanup even if the filling leaks out a little during baking, so that's totally optional.

Bake for 10-15 minutes until dough has begun to turn golden-brown and any exposed filling is sizzling. Allow to cool at least two minutes before attempting to remove from the baking sheet. Drizzle with remaining chicken gravy and serve as a side.

If while cooking you find that your oven is only cooking half of this delicious dinner, it might be an issue with the heating elements. We’ve got a link in the additional reading section below for different issues that can crop up with your range. And if you’re already aware that your range needs servicing, you can reach out to us today. We’ll work with you to find a date and time that works for your schedule, and send out our technicians. At Appliance Rescue Service, keeping your home in tip top shape is our goal. 

Website
Call : (214) 599-0055

Kitchen Hazards Unveiled 

Crispy Bottoms to Raw Centers: A Chef's Nightmare

 37 Reasons To Have Your Appliances Maintained Regularly

Chicken Satay Made Easy – A One-Pan Wonder

Big flavor, simple ingredients, and zero need for outdoor cooking.

Every so many months, we make it our mission to dig about in the back of the pantry cabinet and check for things getting dangerously close to their best-by dates. This round, we found some coconut milk and a bottle of San-J Thai peanut sauce, and we decided a satay was in order. The grill, unfortunately, was not an option, since we've had rainy weather for the whole week, so we chose to omit the skewers and charcoal and employ a hefty saute pan instead. Turns out, a little flexibility goes a long way in the kitchen. With a few simple swaps and the right technique, you can enjoy all the bold flavors of a classic satay—no grill required.

Ingredients:

1 pound chicken tenderloin

1/2 large yellow onion

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

8 ounces peanut sauce, divided

6 ounces coconut milk (about half a can)

1 tablespoon red curry paste

1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon lemon juice 

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon coriander

1/2 bag fresh spinach

Tools:

gallon Ziploc bag or other watertight container for marinating

measuring cups and spoons

cutting board

knife

tongs

spoon

large saute pan with lid

can opener (if your coconut milk doesn't have a pull tab)

The night before, put your chicken into a Ziploc or other container, shake the bottle of peanut sauce and pour 3-4 ounces of the sauce over the chicken, seal the container up and set it in the fridge to marinate overnight (and to safely defrost, if necessary).

In the event your veggies aren't washed and ready to go, take a moment and wash them before you begin all the other steps. The spinach in particular will take a bit to drain.

Measure your olive oil into the saute pan and tilt to spread it around. Add extra if you feel so compelled, but we don't feel like it really needs much. You may even need less if you're using a nonstick saute pan.

Food safety rules dictate that the first item on the cutting board should be your onion (veggies before raw meats to avoid cross contamination; a good habit to stick to, even though in this case we intend to cook the onion and chicken together). Trim the ends, cut in half down the center, and save half for something else. Cut the remaining half down into skinny slivers, separate the onion layers and toss them into the saute pan with the olive oil.

Drain off and discard the watered-down peanut sauce from the chicken, and cut the chicken into bite size pieces. Use the tongs to transfer the chicken to the saute pan, then crank up the heat to medium and place the lid on the pan. Allow the chicken and onion to cook for about five minutes, stirring occasionally. Larger pieces of chicken will call for longer cooking times, but the goal is to cook the chicken through. If in doubt, you can always use a meat thermometer.

Shake and pop open your can of coconut milk and measure six ounces (about half the can) into the pan. Add the soy sauce, lemon juice, and red curry paste. Stir until a uniform color is achieved. It'll take a little convincing for the curry paste to melt into the sauce. This why we're holding off on our other darker-colored ingredient for a moment: to ensure we get that paste evenly distributed.

Reduce the heat to a quick simmer, place the lid back onto the saute pan, grab and shake the bottle of peanut sauce, and make sure you've got most of the moisture out of your fresh spinach. Give it a little squeeze or press if necessary; you don't want to accidentally water down your sauce. The spinach brings enough moisture without excess water.

Remove the lid from the pan, sprinkle in the cumin and coriander, add four ounces of the peanut sauce, and stir thoroughly. Allow to simmer - uncovered this time - until the sauce reduces, about four minutes.

Add in the spinach, stir quickly, put the lid back on, and turn off the heat under the saute pan. Allow everything to sit undisturbed for a few minutes, watching until the spinach is visibly wilted.

Lift the lid, stir again to distribute the spinach evenly, and serve with your choice of carbohydrate (rice being the most traditional choice).

Great meals don’t always need elaborate planning—sometimes, all it takes is working with what you have. The same goes for your kitchen. Whether it’s a quick fix or routine maintenance, keeping your appliances in top shape ensures that every meal, whether planned or improvised, comes together without a hitch. If your stove, fridge, or any other essential appliance needs attention, our team at Appliance Rescue Service is ready to help. Because when your kitchen runs smoothly, so does everything else.

Website
Call (214) 599-0055

Additional Reading
Energizing Tuna and Turmeric Rice Balls: Perfect for Busy Days

Caffeinated Comfort: Pumpkin Muffins with Coffee Cream Cheese Frosting

Spice Up Dessert: Walnut Cayenne Tahini Cake