key lime mickey

When we were in Florida,

we saw a lot of

"World's Best Key Lime Pie!"

signs.

The claim was debatable.

We tried a couple

one was more like an ice cream cake

one was, well, not very fresh

and one was well,

kind of forgettable because I don't even remember where we had it.

Fella's parents are coming to visit in June

and we plan to have a big bbq while they are here

so the menu has already been decided.

We're heading south.

Pulled pork sandwiches

baked beans

potato salad

and for dessert?

Key lime pie.

Now I realize that not everyone likes key lime pie

so there will be other options, of course

but it all fits in.

I did a very little bit of research

and discovered that there really isn't much to making key lime pie

(so I don't really get the competition for world's best.)

It has very few ingredients

and very little time in the oven

and the most complex parts are the lime squeezing and making the crust.

Oh and chilling it for a really long time in the fridge.

(That doesn't require any skill. Just a cold fridge.)

So here's what I got:

and just for fun,

it reminded us of mickey mouse with the plates.

(Yes, sometimes silliness is a necessary component.)



It was really tasty

really easy

you can make it the day before you serve it

(you kind of have to since it needs to cool.)

I used this recipe

and from now on it's the only one I will use.

(I didn't use key limes - just regular mexican limes. I think it took about 6 or 7. I bought 8 and had one left over for gin and tonics,

which I thought was excellent planning.)

Galette

Last year I made a pie, from scratch, with homemade pastry.

This year, I decided to try making a galette.
It's more "rustic" (which means less fussy, less need for it to look perfect- whew) and has very few ingredients.

I admit, I didn't make my own pastry. I bought a frozen Tenderflake pie crust and let it defrost in the sun.
I followed the rest of the directions as found here (thank you, Real Simple, yet again!)
and shazam!

I know it doesn't look pretty in the photo

but it was absolutely delicious and I would make it again.

I'm going to try to make it with rhubarb next!

(make sure you use parchment paper under the pie - it totally oozes all over the pan)

Happy December 1st!

This week has been a little wonky.

On Monday night I met up with a friend and drank far too much wine for a Monday night.

On Tuesday I woke up feeling vile and suspected that it wasn't actually from the wine or the late night

(or, hopefully, the sushi I ingested)

but I felt flu-ey.

So I went to work in the morning, did what I had to do, then came home and crashed.

(Ok I watched episodes of Gossip Girl online. I don't have cable. It's my only way!)

Then - I baked!

I made "Hello Dolly" squares, which are a delectable combination of

graham cracker crumbs

butter

chocolate chips

coconut

walnuts

and, best of all,

sweetened condensed milk.

They turned out perfectly.

It was magic.

The best thing is that they freeze really well so you can make them ahead of time.

Then I made cookie batter for these:

but I ran out of flour so now the dough is sitting in the fridge in a bowl waiting to be rolled out.

(yes I should stop typing and go to the store. I will!)

I love these cookies. 

They are my favorite.

Christmas baking has officially begun!

Biscuits and Boiled Soup

I decided to try making biscuits on Sunday night. They turned out pretty well, if a little flat. I must admit, I don't think I've ever made anything that called for shortening (clearly I don't make my own pastry!) so I didn't know quite what to expect. They were easy. And while I congratulated myself on how well they were coming out, I noticed the lid of the soup pot rising as the contents within boiled. Tomato soup. From a can. Surprisingly, it didn't burn the pot and once I put a little stilton on the top, no one was the wiser!

Food styling and photography are clearly not my forte.