Friday Friend Recipe #119--Peach Cream Cheese Pie

Come with me as I continue to countdown my Friday Friend Cookbook!

What is it, you may ask?

In a nutshell...
About 16 years ago, 50 of my closest friends and family, who had been on an e-mail forum with me, sent in recipes in different categories and we compiled a cookbook.
I decided to count those down!
Why?

Because  one night I was looking thru the cookbook and I said, "I should make every recipe in here for my blog"
The Handyman--who thinks he knows me better than I know myself, said,  "you'll never EVER do that."
Well,  maybe I will!  Maybe I'll show him!

Which brings me to recipe #119 my Peach Cream Cheese Pie

I just spend 30 minutes looking for a 'confession' comment on Facebook --  about this pie.

I say that it's mine, but then an old friend, Kathy comments, "Hey that looks like my Peach Pie."

I cannot tell a lie.

It is her recipe.

But....she wasn't a Friday Friend.  (not for lack of trying mind you--it's just that she is a career woman and didn't have time to answer my inquiries every day.)  (but that sounds like her job was more time consuming than my 40 other friends?  No, that's not it either-- it just didn't work out for her at the time.  Yes, sadly there were a few friends who didn't get into answering my daily questions.  I know they regret it now tho.  Because LOOK AT THIS-- a Cookbook Countdown!!

WOO!!! )

Did I mention that I couldn't find her comment on the peach pie picture that 'outed' me into confessing (in this blog post) that the recipe is hers?

This is a GREAT peach pie recipe!  Very easy. Very delicious.

And it's a no bake, so no pressure at all!

Peach Cream Cheese Pie

Debbie Stone by way of Kathy Calkins

2 T cornstarch

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup peach puree

(blended peeled peaches in  blender)

2 T lemon juice

1 pkg cream cheese

1/4 cup powdered sugar

4 cups sliced peaches

9 inch baked pie shell

Combine cornstarch and sugar. Add water, lemon juice and puree.  Bring to boil, stirring till thick and clear.  Cool.

Beat cream cheese, sugar, and 1/4 cup of puree mixture.  Spread in the bottom of pie crust.  Top with sliced peaches.  Pour cooled puree over. 

Chill.

And Wa-La!  Here she is!

My friend Kathy  Calkins -- from whom I first received the peach pie recipe....about 27 years ago.

We lived in Elko, Nevada and she worked with the Handyman.

Her husband was a stay-at-home dad at the time and I was a stay-at-home mom. We all had a bunch of boys and we got together with a few other couples and had some really fun times, made some great memories.

One time we had a Halloween party and we had a scavenger hunt -- as adults will do sometimes -- and were paired 4 to car, not with our spouses.

We had to go around town and scavenge for things such as:

a popcorn box/tub from the movie theater, a shopping bag from a certain grocery store etc.

One item was  (don't get all freaked out on me here--we live in Nevada. Brothels/Prostitution is legal) a match book from a brothel.

By a weird stroke of coincidence, about 3 cars arrived and the brothel at the same time.  I remember sitting in the car and out got EVERY SINGLE man in all the cars...when one person going in and grabbing a matchbook would have sufficed. But no, they all got out -- dressed in costume: a sheik (our friend Peggy's husband), a convict with ball and chain (Kathy's husband) and the Handyman as a rubber tree (that's a story  for another time),  but it was hilarious to watch them all-every-single-one, run in to pick up that matchbook.

ahhh, the good old days!

(this matchbook is only an example--we were not in Vegas of course)

but is was this brothel.  For real!

We all have fond memories of Inez--but that too, is a story for another time.

Anyway...

that was 27- 28 years ago---today, Kathy is a Texan, and has been for several years.  In fact, I'm sure her loyalties have changed and she really is a TEXAN.

She's also a marathon runner and a grandma!

She makes a mean Peach Cream Cheese Pie.

And yes, we're still in touch after all these years--cuz that's what I do. (sigh) like I could have passed the pie as mine alone!

Outdoor Wednesday

On Wednesdays I'll sometimes join A Southern Daydreamer and her Outdoor Wednesday meme to share these pictures.

Stop by and check out other great photos of the outdoors!

This is my outdoor world!

To see other Nevada posts just click on 

Home Means Nevada in the sidebar.

You  know I do love a good Nevada  Boom Town!

Boomtowns are typically characterized as "overnight expansions" in both population and money, as people stream into the community for mining prospects, high-paying jobs, attractive amenities or climate, or other opportunities. Typically, newcomers are drawn by high salaries or the prospect of "striking it rich" in mining; meanwhile, numerous indirect businesses develop to cater to workers often eager to spend their large paychecks

And then....then.... it implodes.

Gold drys up.

And what were once thriving metropolises are now....

(seriously, they were thriving once) 

small little, struggling to survive old west enigmas.

No one can figure out how they manage to survive. How the people who live there can make a living.

This is Austin, NV.

I love Austin.

It's 284 miles from my home to Goldfield.

Most of rural driving in Nevada looks like this:

Just like the old Western movies!

except for the paved blacktop of course.

Carrying on to Goldfield

And you must remember that the Handyman slows down for no man.  Or woman.  Or even me, the love of his life. 

All pictures are taken from the passenger side of the moving car--thru the window usually.

The Handyman is a destination man.  

He wants to 'get there'.

a disclaimer:  He will stop if I insist, but there is  heavy sighing involved and rolling of the eyes, but he is not so unkind as to never stop.

( he just thinks I take the same photos over and over again---it's kind of  true, but there are only 5 things in this whole drive:  sagebrush, lonely roads, old boom town buildings,  semi-trucks and brothels.)

weird buildings in old boom-towns:

Wait just one minute!  A new building---the library.

As the Handyman zooms by.... 

Interesting that the sign says  Black Hills, as there are no black hills in the state of Nevada.  I wonder if this fine jeweler has imported from the Dakotas?

I think it would be fun to come for Goldfield Days!

They have food!  The sign says so.

And then once again---a brothel.

(see other brothels posts here)

I never think of them--living here.  Except---they are gross. Just sayin'.

YOU  TOO (really you can) can go have a drink at the Shady Lady Ranch!

Have a drink! A Cocktail! (is that a pun?)

and then head off to one of these lovely single wide mobile homes for a bit of hanky panky.

Yes, I could go into the whole plight of women in the industry, morals, sociology-economic issues, etc. but I just like to make fun of it instead.

And hopefully not offend anybody in the process.

 More unique buildings thru the car window.

Someday I'm stopping at the Dinky Diner.

 And that is MY frontier! 

800th post

Ta da!!  My  800th post! And today, we are talking about prostitution.  Why, you ask?

Because I once wrote this post.  Go ahead and click on it... I will wait till you get back.  January 2012, I said I'd write about it--and now here it is:  I blink my eyes and  7 months have passed before I got back to it.

Okay,  are you back?  WHAT?  You didn't even go there?
Well, here is an excerpt:

I do work at the Visitors Center...where sometimes people ask about the Brothels, and it is my job to "point them in the right direction." (laughing)

Seriously tho, someone will ask about them once every other year or so.

No one is EVER honest --they make excuses, such as: I have to make a delivery and I can't find the address. I told my wife I'd drive by and take a picture. We just want to see what they look like, we're not going to go in or anything.


I did have one older Italian couple come in once and he wanted to know about the billboards and why it said "girls, girls, girls." I told him it was a brothel. But he didn't quite get that word. I kept on trying to explain it in non-emotional way, and he just couldn't figure it out.

All of the sudden his wife said It's a WHOREHOUSE! Then he laughed and said, Oh "WHOREHOUSE". They thought that was the most amusing thing ever.

I got a kick out of them.

So that was from my January post.  Let me say right off the bat that I am not stating my opinion on the brothels one way or another.   Not a word from me if they are evil or good.  I will not tell  you if I think they are demeaning to women or it's the oldest profession in the world and it's never going away, and it's better and safer than walking the streets, and women have a choice to be what they want.  You can form your own opinion on that subject. (but please don't form a negative opinion of Nevada just because we have legal brothels )They are what they are, and right now they are a legal business in the state of Nevada.
BUT--that too, also differs from county to county.  Brothels are illegal in Las Vegas and Reno, so you tend to have really famous brothels right over the county lines from these two big cities--like the famous Mustang Ranch outside of Reno or The Bunny Ranch outside of Vegas.   In small rural towns where it is legal,  the brothels aren't nearly so fancy.

But back to me!  I work in a Visitors Center--I have to help people find businesses etc.  So if they want to go to Simone's, well,  I can help with that.  It's mostly funny to me.  AND, honestly some of the women are really nice.   I don't see them often and none of them are my friends, but once in awhile you just know...and it's okay.  They are nice.  Just trying to make a legal living.

One time, about 25 years ago, when the Handyman worked for a retail store, the store was having a big sale one day, and Inez, a  madame, wanted in a bit early to shop.  The Handyman let her in the back door  (geez---that doesn't sound good) and Inez told him  he was  "a mighty fine man."
He's always been proud of that---reminds me that it was an endorsement from a professional 'madame.'

And I have to live with that.  (laughing)

Anyway,  it is what it is.

Let me show you what it is like to drive to Reno from here:
(Not your average road signs)

 

  Wild Horse Saloon is where they  have the World Famous  Mustang Ranch Museum!  I made the Handyman take me there!   We just drove up to it.  On our way home from Reno.   Hmmm....so maybe couples really do just want to see what a brothel looks like when they come into my office and giggle and say they just want a picture. That's EXACTLY what I did.  

  LOOK--you can even eat there!  Who knew? (hmmm.....no, never mind)  

We had to drive thru a gate!  It's a gated community.  (I am finding myself amusing today)  They don't want any undesirables in there!

 

  Our home town signs are kind of sad looking---not that these are fancy by any means.   

  Just for the record,  I love where I live and it's like the old saying "I can make fun of it, but I'll get really mad if you do."  (okay,not really---I mean, it is kind of easy to make fun of this.  Just do it kindly)   Also, the whole freeway is not littered with these road signs---it is one small section about a mile long is all--I am just exaggerating and exploiting it for this post. And,  legal prostitution is so small now days---just a teeny weeny part of the really big  ( HAVE YOU LOOKED AT  MAP LATELY?!) picture of Nevada.   We are a great state!!    Let me leave you with one story about Simone's. It is a brothel (of course.  You saw the photo above).  One where you can use your Visa or MasterCard at.  Maybe even American Express.  We are talking businesses here.  Hunting is a big business here as well---hunting season is a busy time for the brothels.  OH...you have to remember that they are also just a bar.  Anyone can go in and have a drink. YOU CAN.  Once quite a few years ago, a woman called and wanted to come to town and surprise her husband, who had come hunting here for a few years in a row and he always had dinner at a place called Simone's.  It was on their Visa statement and she thought she's surprise him with dinner.   Oops.   That's it.  My  800th post.  Whew.... now I can post my snicker doodles!  (I almost did it by mistake earlier)