We’re baaaaaack! (And yes, we realize it has been almost exactly three months since our last post.) There has been quite a lot of activity at our house; let me attempt to catch you up and hopefully explain the complete lack of blogging…

1. Darrell and I have exactly 108 days left until our wedding! I have quite a few DIY projects, and that, coupled with an extreme case of OCD and an addiction to Pinterest, has made me pretty unavailable.
2. Robin graduated from college in mid-May; thus, May was a whirlwind of graduation parties, moving and sketchy Craigslist appointments. Since then, she’s been settling into her new job and making the inevitable transition from College Girl to Working Girl.
3. My mom decided to list our house. She reached this decision sometime in late April, and we listed the house in June. As you might imagine, the majority of May was spent checking things off a massive “honey do” list (one we ALL got to participate in, I might add).

You may have noticed that gorgeous green grass in the first picture. Well…the most impressive home improvement project we took on was a new lawn. After four long years of dust, debris and muddy paws – the result of a backyard full of dirt – it’s like a lush, little park back there.

We’re quite proud of it, but it was a long and tiring family project, a true labor of love undertaken by all those “lucky” enough to be home for the weekend.

We tilled, we raked, we rolled, we cut (with a kitchen knife)…we collapsed…

And, because it takes true love to toil outside in the Texas heat, my mom made this Peach Struesel Kuchen to thank us and celebrate the end of a looooong day. We sat on our no-longer dusty stone patio and ate dessert in a mist of cool sprinkler water and the smell of new grass…

Gather Up:
2 ½ cups bread flour
1/3 cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1 large egg at room temperature
2 tablespoons butter, softened
¾ cup milk at 125 degrees
4 ripe peaches

For Topping:
½ cup flour
¼ cup almond meal
¼ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons butter, softened

Combine the bread flour, sugar and salt in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Add yeast and mix well.

Using a dough hook, add butter, milk and egg. Mix on low speed for about 5 minutes. Scrape bowl and hook. Remove hook and cover bowl with a plate for 15 minutes.

Attach dough hook and mix for another 10 minutes to form a smooth pliable dough. Remove dough and shape into a ball. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plate and allow to rise for about 1 ½ hours or until almost double in size.

Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan. Peel and slice peaches. Mix all topping ingredients until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Place dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll it out to fit the pan and ease it into position. Arrange peaches on top of dough. Sprinkle topping over peaches. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise slightly for about 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown. Cool in pan for 10 minutes and release from pan. Serve warm or cool completely on wire rack.

Recipe from Roti n Rice