Bena Mae’s Kitchen: When the terrible two’s are not so terrible

 Thursday, April 30 will be a momentous day for little Blake Thompson and his family. He will be two years old. 

Blake is brother Don’s only grandchild. And he is perfect. If you don’t believe it, just ask Don. But make sure you have plenty of time. When he talks about Blake, he tends to forget what time it is. Listening to Don talk, it is obvious that Blake is the center of his universe. And rightly so. After bringing up three daughters, he finally got a grandson who turned out to be an endless supply of cuddles and affection and fun.

The terrible twos do not apply to Blake. His sunny disposition is infectious and watching his zest and enthusiasm allows you to be a kid again, makes you do silly things that will make him laugh. His funny little sayings and expressions are an endless source of delight, and is he smart? Every day he adds more words to his vocabulary. His smile lights up a room and opens up your heart; five minutes around him and you will want to take him home with you. Oh, did I mention that he is a beautiful child…..or that he is also Judy’s grandson?

Happy Birthday, little fella.

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April 30 is also my birthday. I’m past the big 8-0 and plan to spend the day in bed with the covers pulled up over my head, bemoaning the fact that I haven’t accomplished several things I’ve wanted to do before the big ‘D’ takes me away. Like writing the great American novel, seeing the Eiffel Tower or meeting George Clooney…sigh…  

Lately, I’m being reminded that I look my age. Often, when I go to load groceries in my car, a stranger from another generation walks by and asks if I need any help. I appreciate the offer, but I’m still capable of lifting groceries from the grocery cart to the trunk of my car. And even more often, someone takes hold of my elbow when I’m  climbing up steps without my soliciting their help. Again, I can still maneuver my way up and down stairs…however slowly. 

Recently, the youth director of my church called and asked if his youth group could come by and clean out my flower beds, plant flowers, and trim the shrubs around the yard— something I  had been able to do for umpteen years. But since my get up and go got up and went, I didn’t hesitate to take him up on it. Some things I can accept.  

Perhaps I need an extreme makeover. Like Kurt Vonnegut said, if I had known I would live this long, I would have taken better care of myself.

Peach slices bake in a sour cream custard in this old-fashioned crumb-topped pie.

Old-Fashioned Peach Cream Pie

3/4 cup white sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup sour cream

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups sliced peaches

1 unbaked pie crust

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup butter, softened

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Whisk together the 3/4 cup sugar, the 2 tablespoons flour, and salt. Beat in the sour cream, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the sliced peaches. Pour the mixture into the pie crust.

Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and continue baking until the filling is set, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven.

Raise oven temperature to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Whisk together the 1/3 cup flour, 1/3 cup sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Mix in the butter with a fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the pie.

Return the pie to the preheated oven and bake until topping is golden, about 10 minutes. Let pie cool slightly before slicing.