Remembering My Aunt

I laid awake yesterday morning. It was too early and too cold to get up but it gave me time to reflect on the memories of my aunt. My mom's sister, Corrine, passed away this weekend. I wasn't close (separated by miles and family squabbles) the last 30 years but the first 15 or so I shared many good memories with my cousins and aunt.

They lived near an air force base in Atwater (Mayberry USA) California. It just so happened to be the gateway to Yosemite which our family frequented for many years. Sometimes before we entered the national park we'd stop by to visit. My parents also arranged to send me there a few times and my aunt would see to it that we stayed "busy". Busy could mean a variety of things whether it was going to an orchard to pick fresh ripe peaches or swimming at the base swimming pool. Of course, before we could partake in the fun we needed to polish her silver or do other designated tasks! Smart lady. That was one way to get things done and it kept us out of trouble. (most of the time)

I also remember her "special" lunches. She made a fantastic peanut butter and honey sandwich! I think my uncle was probably the cook of the family. He usually made apricot nectar pancakes that were out of this world .

Although her culinary skills were never displayed to me, she knew how to have fun. She was a beautiful graceful swimmer, water skier and she snow skied well into her 80's. Pretty impressive! All family disputes aside, she was still my mother's sister and she will be missed. So to honor her I made a special peach galette with my mother's famous pie crust.

Pie crust recipe will be in a future post. Until then you can use a store bought 9 inch crust.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

If using a store bought crust no need to roll out. Place on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.

2 cups peaches

1 T butterscotch schnapps (optional)

1 T raisins (optional)

1 T sugar

1/2 T sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

In a saucepan I heated the sliced peaches with the schnapps, the cinnamon and 1 T sugar. Cool slightly and place in the middle of crust. Sprinkle with raisins, if using. Begin to fold crust up over the outer area of the peaches. Sprinkle with remaining sugar. (you can also brush crust with egg white to help it brown better) Cook for approximately 30-40 minutes. Enjoy!