Peach Cobbler

Following our nice healthy dinner last night, I wanted to serve something that wasn't too heavy or rich for dessert. I had seen this recipe for Peach Cobbler from Paula Deen's restaurant The Lady & Sons on Reservations Not Required and knew it would be the one to accompany my balsamic chicken and veggies. This cobbler was very easy to prepare and tasted great. I opted to cut down on the amount of butter - I used only 4 tablespoons as opposed to the 1 stick the recipe called for and it came out fine. In fact, next time I will cut the butter even more. This smelled great while baking and was delicious warm with vanilla ice cream. Joe has already requested that next time I make it with apples, so I know I will be trying this again!

Lady and Son's Peach Cobbler

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup self-rising flour*
1 cup milk1 (28-ounce) can sliced peaches in heavy syrup, un-drained (can substitute fresh peaches**
Cinnamon, for sprinkling, optional
Vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream, for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Put butter in a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish and place in the oven to melt. Stir sugar and flour together and mix well. Slowly add milk and continue stirring to prevent the batter from lumping.
Being careful not to burn yourself, remove hot baking dish containing melted butter from oven; pour batter directly over butter in baking dish. Do not stir.

Spoon fruit on top of batter, then gently pour syrup on top. Do not stir. Sprinkle cinnamon on top of batter, if using. (The most important part of this dish is not stirring the mixture at this point in the recipe.)

Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until golden brown (mine needed to bake for around 50 minutes). Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream, if desired.

* If self-rising flour is not available it can be created from all-purpose flour. For one cup of all purpose flour, add 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt.

**If using fresh peaches: in a saucepan, mix 2 cups fresh peach slices with one cup sugar and one cup water. Bring the mixture to a boil and then simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir often, making sure the sugar is completely dissolved.