Peach, Whipped Feta, and Avocado Toast

Hi! *waves* It is so nice to be back. Thank you guys so much for letting me take a few weeks off to rest and recoup—it was much needed, although I missed you guys terribly!

If I’m being totally honest, I was suffering from a bit of blogger burnout, but a few weeks away with the fam was exactly what I needed to get excited again about gardening, cooking, eating, and sharing awesome food with you guys. I have so many ideas and plans and awesomeness to throw at you over the next few months. Vacation put the blogging idea part of my brain into overdrive! It feels so good to be inspired again.

We headed up to Canada to visit my husband’s family (and spent some glorious days at their vacation home on the water), and, other than the mosquitos, it was absolutely incredible. In Canada, my cell phone has no service, and at the vacation home, there is no internet, so I was gloriously (mostly) off-the-grid for days and days and days. I’m drowning a bit in my inbox now, but disconnecting for a few weeks was so worth it! I feel like a whole new lady.

I’ve always felt at home on the Great Lakes, and as much as I enjoy living in Southern Indiana, it’s always nice to visit my beloved Lake Superior (and I love you, too, Lake Michigan). It feels like coming home again—even though I’ve never lived there. I feel so fortunate to have married into a family that lives on a Great Lake. Like it’s all meant to be or something.

Vacation was wonderful. I got to connect with my family and remember what it is that I truly love about life. And one of the biggest things I love about my world? FOOD. I mean, duh. It’s pretty obvious that I love food. I love growing it. I love preparing it. I love serving it. I love eating it. I love writing about it.

But I think that pure love of all things edible kinda fell to the back burner here for a while. And man, I am so ready to bring it back! Food and me, we’re back head-over-heels in love again. I am thankful for dinners of fresh (like, literally, caught that morning) smoked whitefish, good local craft beer, and nanaimo bars for dessert while on vacation for sparking something in me that I had been missing. Thank you, Lake Superior. I love you.

Another gift vacation gave me? Serious appreciation for our long growing season here in Indiana. When we arrived in Northwestern Ontario, crops that we were harvesting months ago in the Midwest (like peas and new potatoes and beets) were just starting to come off—in late July! Tomatoes, cucumbers, and corn are a struggle for them. And warm weather fruit like peaches? Forget about it!

Sure, just like in the U.S., you can head to the market and pick up peaches shipped in from Mexico, but they just aren’t the same as peaches that are tree-ripened. If you’ve never had a perfectly ripe peach picked at the peak of freshness, you’ve never had a peach at all!

Now that we’re back in the land of fresh, local peaches (we have an orchard about 10 minutes away from our house that has the best peaches), I’ve been living on the things. Don’t be surprised if you see more than one peach-themed recipe in the upcoming weeks.

I know you usually think DESSERT! the second you think of peaches, but one of my favorite ways to eat peaches is in a savory dish. Every made a grilled cheese with bacon, sharp cheddar cheese and ripe peach slices? You should. Or try some peach slices with goat cheese, fresh thyme and balsamic vinegar next time you make pizza. You won’t be sorry! And this savory avocado toast? My new favorite way to enjoy peaches for breakfast.

Okay, so I’m waxing on a lot about peaches (drool), but let’s talk for a second about this whipped (!) feta. Did you know that if you put feta and cream cheese in a food processor and whip the crapola out of it, it turns into this tangy, fluffy spread that is made to go on toast? Try it. You won’t be sorry. It’s kinda, a little bit, life-changing.

On top of a base of whipped feta, I put thinly sliced avocado and peaches, and then toped the whole thing with a little drizzle of honey, lots of flaky sea salt, and fresh cracked black pepper. When I told my dear husband that I was going to make toast for the blog, he said, “But isn’t toast a little…boring?” I love you, honey, but there is nothing boring about this kind of toast. Enjoy!