Key Lime Pie

This is a guest post by Chelsea! Key lime pie is my favorite dessert but it is quite difficult to find in stores so I decided to make my own. This recipe is from The New Family Cookbook by America's Test Kitchen. It is actually quite easy to make but it does require some time to sit so keep that in mind when you make it.

Graham cracker crust:
Ingredients (for crust)
8 graham crackers, broken up
3 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter

Step 1: heat oven to 325. Blend or process graham crackers and sugar until they are fine crumbs. Add melted butter and blend.

Step 2: Add mixture into 9 inch pie plate. Using bottom of dry measuring cup, press crumbs into even layer on bottom and sides of pie plate. Bake until crust begins to brown 12- 18 minutes.



Ingredients (for pie filling)
4 large egg yolks
4 teaspoons grated lime zest + 1/2 cup lime juice (5 limes)
14oz can sweetened condensed milk

Whipped cream topping
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Step 1: Whisk filling and let thicken
Whisk egg yolks and lime zest together until mixture has light green tint. Whisk in condensed milk, then whisk in lime juice. Cover mixture and let sit at room temperature until thickened, about 30 minutes.

Step 2: Pour filling into Pie Shell and bake
Pour thickened filling into warm prebaked pie crust. Bake pie at 325 until center firm but jiggles slightly when shaken, 15 to 20 minutes.

Step 3: Chill baked pie
Cover pie loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until filling is chilled and set, at least 3 hours.

Step 4: Top with whipped cream:
Before serving make whipped cream and spread on top of the pie.

Hawaiian Haystacks

I thought this was just weird when I heard of it but it's actually very good!  I rarely use a recipe for it but here's the one my visiting teacher gave me when I was a young newlywed.  I substitute 3-4 chicken breasts for cooking a whole chicken.  Much easier!

Ingredients:
1 large chicken, cooked and picked off the bone (as if!)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 C chicken broth
Pepper to taste
2 Tbs. parsley flakes
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 package chow mein noodles
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 C celery, chopped
1/2 C green pepper, chopped
1/2 C green onion, chopped
1 20 0z. can of pineapple chunks, drained
1 C grated cheese
1/2 C coconut, shredded
1/2 C slivered almonds

Instructions:  Simmer chicken, broth and canned soup for 10 minutes. Add pepper and parsley.
Have all other ingredients in separate bowls so people can choose what they want as toppings. (I choose everything!) Serve over rice.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Ruby and Wyatt were very suspicious when I made these for them last month.  Peanut butter?  It almost sounds healthy!  But then they tried them and asked that I make them again the next time they came!  Soft and chewy deliciousness! This recipe was inspired by the "Better Homes and Gardens New Junior Cook Book".

Ingredients:

1 C butter, softened

1 C peanut butter

1 C sugar

1 C brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 1/4 C flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

Instructions:

Pre-heat oven to 350°

Mix butter and peanut butter.  Add sugar and brown sugar and mix. Add eggs and vanilla. Add all the dry ingredients and mix. 

Roll into balls and place on greased cookie sheet (or use a silicone mat.) Smash down with a fork in a cross-hatch pattern. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned but still mushy.  The cookies will harden as they cool.

Hint: If you spray the measuring cup and spoon with cooking spray, the peanut butter will be easier to manage.

Russian Tea Cakes

These were my favorite cookies that my mom made at Christmastime! So easy to make but so elegant looking!  It looks like I forgot to take a picture of the final product so you'll have to wait until next year for the reveal haha! Peityn was a big help making these cookies.  She really liked trying to roll them into balls.

Ingredients:

1 c soft butter

1/2 C sifted* powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 1/4 C sifted flour

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 C finely chopped pecans

Instructions:

Heat oven to 400°

Mix together the butter, powdered sugar and vanilla

Mix in the flour.  Add and mix the nuts.

Roll into medium-sized balls.

Bake at 400° for 10 minutes.  While still warm, roll into powdered sugar.

*My sifter broke about 20 years ago so I don't sift.  I know they come out better if you do but they're already so good that it doesn't seem worth the trouble. Grandma used to also make a variation wherein she added a tsp. of almond extract and shaped the cookies into crescents.  Instead of rolling them in powdered sugar, she rolled them in colored granulated sugar. She called them "almond crescents." Stay tuned, next year I'll remember to take a picture of the finished project.

2019 So, I never remembered to take a picture of the finished project! However, here's a picture of Olive and Clara helping make these cookies today...

Aunt Linda's Rolls

I made these last Sunday for Casey's birthday.  They're, hands down, the most popular rolls I've made.  Unfortunately, They were so popular that they all got eaten before I got a picture!  I'll make them again soon and fix that!

Ingredients:
1 C Scalded milk (If you do this in the microwave, make sure the container is large enough so the milk doesn't spill over)
1/2 C butter
1/2 C sugar (I'm going to try to reduce this next time)
2 Eggs
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. yeast
1/2 C warm water
4 1/2 C flour

Instructions:
Put yeast in 1/2 C water with 1 tsp. sugar and set aside for 5 minutes.
Put milk and butter (sliced it up first) in stand mixer. 
Using the bread hook attachment, mix together then add eggs and mix a little more.
Add 2 C of flour and sugar and mix a little.
Add yeast mixture and mix for 5 minutes.
Add 1 C flour and salt and mix together.
Add enough more flour and mix (I usually add all that's left).
Cover with greased plastic wrap and allow to rise until double in size (usually about an hour or two in a warm environment)
Take out of bowl and divide into two balls of dough.
Roll each ball out into a 1/4" thick circle.  
Spread with about 1/4 C melted butter.
Cut each circle into 12 equal parts. 
Roll fat end of each triangle towards to skinny end (to make croissant shape). Allow to rise again for about an hour.  
Brush the tops with melted butter.
Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes

I know it sounds complicated but once you try it you'll see it's not that hard! Plus your family will love you!  So scrumptious!

Creamy Cauliflower Cheddar Soup

This soup is so easy to make and is full of delicious creaminess!

Ingredients:
2 Tbs. butter
1 small onion, chopped
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 C flour
2 C milk
3 C chicken broth
1 tsp. salt
1 head of cauliflower, chopped
3 C cheese, shredded (I used the Costco blend with cheddar and jack).

Instructions:
Melt butter in a large pot.  Add garlic and onion and saute until tender. Add flour  and salt and stir. Gradually whisk in milk.  Add broth.  Add cauliflower and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer to blender and blend until smooth (Only blend about 1/4 of the soup at a time). Add cheese to pot and stir until cheese is melted.

Notes: Adapted from "Creme de la Crumb"

Grilled Cheese

Everyone loves a grilled cheese sandwich.  Pete once said that my grilled cheese was the best you ever had! Pair it with a bowl of tomato soup and you have the perfect quick and easy meal for a rainy day.

2 slices of bread

2 slices of cheddar cheese

Butter

Butter both pieces of bread.  Layer cheese in between slices of bread with the buttered sides facing out. Cook in a frying pan for about a minute on each side at medium heat.