By Earl Jr. called from Atlanta with news that made me set down my tea and smile so wide my face hurt. Marcus's wife Tasha is pregnant again. Their third child. Due in early 2025. Amara is five. Elijah is two. And now another one is coming, another Henderson, another mouth at the table, another reason to keep the freezer stocked and the stove hot.
Earl Jr. said Marcus is "cautiously excited," which is Earl Jr.'s way of saying Marcus is terrified and also delighted, which is the correct way to feel about a third child. Three children is the number where you stop being outnumbered and start being overwhelmed, where the zone defense becomes a man-to-man defense, where the grocery bill becomes a second mortgage. Three children is where parenthood stops being a phase and becomes a lifestyle. I had four. I know.
Tasha is handling it beautifully, according to Earl Jr., which means Tasha is handling it and Earl Jr. is nervous on her behalf, which is what Henderson men do — they worry quietly while the women do the actual work. Earl was the same way. Four pregnancies. Four births. Earl sat in the waiting room each time with his hands folded and his face calm and his foot tapping so fast you could feel the vibration in the floor. He was the calmest nervous man I ever knew.
I've already started planning. Freezer meals for Tasha — my specialty, my love language, my way of saying "I am too old to fly to Atlanta and cook in your kitchen but I am not too old to cook in mine and put it on a bus." Yes, I send freezer meals on the Greyhound. Yes, Marcus picks them up at the station. Yes, it works. The collard greens travel beautifully. The mac and cheese survives the journey. The love arrives intact.
Made peach cobbler tonight. The peaches are in at the farmers market — Pearson Farm peaches, the Georgia kind, the kind that drip juice down your arm and stain your shirt and make you forget that any other fruit exists. I made Hattie Pearl's cobbler, the one with the biscuit top, and I ate a bowl of it warm with vanilla ice cream and I thought about all the babies — the ones I raised, the ones I'm watching grow, the ones who haven't arrived yet — and I thought: they are all going to eat this cobbler. Every single one of them. That is my job. That has always been my job.
Now go on and feed somebody.
The cobbler was already done and the ice cream was melting into the bowl when I started thinking about what else you can do with a Pearson Farm peach besides eat it standing over the sink with juice running down your elbow. This fizzy peach shake is the answer — cold and sweet and just a little celebratory, which felt exactly right for the news Marcus and Tasha just gave us. New babies deserve something that feels like a toast, even if you’re toasting alone in your kitchen in Georgia at nine o’clock at night.
Fizzy Peach Shake
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 10 minutes | Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 2 large ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, and roughly chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 cup vanilla ice cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup chilled ginger ale or lemon-lime soda
- 1 tablespoon honey (optional, depending on sweetness of peaches)
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pinch of cinnamon
- Whipped cream and peach slices for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Prep the peaches. Peel and pit your peaches and chop them roughly. If your peaches are truly ripe — the Georgia kind that drip juice down your arm — you won’t need the honey. Taste one first and decide.
- Blend the base. Add the chopped peaches, vanilla ice cream, milk, vanilla extract, and cinnamon to a blender. If using honey, add it now. Blend on high until completely smooth, about 30–45 seconds.
- Add the fizz. Pour the blended peach mixture into two tall glasses, filling each about 3/4 of the way. Top each glass slowly with the chilled ginger ale or lemon-lime soda, pouring gently down the side of the glass to preserve the bubbles.
- Serve immediately. Add whipped cream and a fresh peach slice on the rim if you’re feeling festive. Drink it right away before the fizz settles. Some things shouldn’t wait.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 280 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 8g | Carbs: 49g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 85mg