If you were one of the first in your friend group to become a parent, you know that maintaining adult friendships can be tricky once that baby arrives. If you’re able to do a dinner out, it needs to happen during the happy hour window, pre-bathtime and bedtime. Of course there are babysitters, but you also like hanging out with your kid and don’t want to leave them all the time, not to mention the price tag. Plus, if you’re somehow accidentally (or purposefully) overserved on a night out, your baby does not care about your hangover the next morning when he or she is awake and hungry by 7 AM. My son was about six months old when my husband and I moved into our current house, which we realized would become the ticket to staying in touch with our friends and keeping our sanity as new parents. Even though it wasn’t on our “must” list by any means, we lucked out and ended up with a pool in the backyard. 

During hot Alabama summers (and springs, and falls), everyone is just looking for a body of water to float in. With the pool, we were able to provide that oasis to our friends without hiring a babysitter. Since we could host, our baby got to stay home to play with us and nap, and we didn’t have to fuss with getting him out and about. We weren’t racing around town to get back for naptime, bathtime, and bedtime. We were already home, and so were our friends. 

With one summer in the new house behind us, we’re in a hosting groove that makes it even easier than going out. After several weekends of pouring rain, we were recently granted a warm and sunny Saturday afternoon. We alerted the crew, and cookout plans were promptly made. Guests were bringing mains and sides, so I just needed to grab some appetizers and something sweet. I knew I was going to serve some store-bought pimiento cheese and onion dip (in my own cute bowls, of course) for ease, but the sunshine had my hosting spirits high, and I wanted to set out at least one homemade snack. 

The catch: The sweet months-old baby of last summer who couldn’t walk or talk was now a fully functioning, less-than-demure toddler. I did not have the bandwidth for baking Cheese Dreams or stuffing mushrooms. I perused the Southern Living site for key words like "last-minute appetizers." Since I planned to purchase dips, I wanted a small bite of some sort, and I was hoping for something that felt seasonal for a summer kickoff. Then I found it: Alabama Peach Bombs. With impressive looking presentation, few ingredients, no cooking required, and seasonal ingredients, these handhelds had everything I was looking for in a cookout appetizer. It was still early for peaches, but I vowed to make them with whatever the store had available. 

I opted out of the goat cheese the recipe calls for because my husband isn’t a huge fan of it, and I thought these bites could stand on their own just fine without it, so I only needed to buy peaches and prosciutto at the store. 

All of our friends raved about these Alabama Peach Bombs, and I will be putting them on repeat for upcoming pool parties. The beauty of them is that they have so much flavor and texture going on in so few bites. "The sweetness of the peach and that hot honey is really great," Josh says. "And the crispy prosciutto it’s really nice because you often get things at parties that are like soft prosciutto and soft peaches but this crispy, crunchy, soft, and spicy is a really good matchup." Plus, the quick hit of mint on top not only looks beautiful but adds the perfect touch of freshness.

These Alabama Peach Bombs were extremely delicious, and that was with sad early-June peaches. I can’t wait to prepare this appetizer again with ripe mid-to-late summer peaches. It looks gorgeous on a platter, and no one has to know how low-effort it is to put together.