Easy, Peasy... Lemon Icebox Pie Squeezy

“I have a new favorite pie!” ...a husband's proclamation 

    He took a fishing trip with his brother and came home proclaiming of a new favorite pie... (and lots of catfish, but that’s a recipe for another post). 

   Having never made this new “best” pie, I knew the place I should start my recipe research was on Allrecipes.com. I combed through several submitted recipes and even more reviews, littered with suggestion after suggestion. I always feel that the simpler, the better. 

   A good dessert doesn’t need a litany of steps and ingredients to taste wonderful.

I think I ended up with a gem!

   The secret to this recipe? Bring all the ingredients to room temperature before you do anything else.

   Starting with the cream cheese block and a hand held mixer, beat the cream cheese into a smooth, creamy base on medium-high speed.  Mix in the sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice and vanilla. If you can’t get it perfectly smooth, don’t worry. It’ll taste just as good with a few beads of cream cheese. (In other words, I couldn’t get my super smooth, so I guess I meant to do that, right?)   

  

   Pour the mixture into a ready-made graham cracker pie crust. (If you make your own crust, give yourself a pat on the back. If you make your own graham crackers and make a pie crust with it, you’re my hero!)

   Cover the filled pie and put it in the freezer for 4 hours. Then transfer it to the fridge. Let it chill for at least 8 hours before serving. 

   For a luncheon presentation, make star shapes with an aerosol whipped cream container around the pie rim and one in the center. Cut into 8 wedges.

   The hubs oooh-ed and aaaah-ed all about this pie, and he ate nearly half of it. That might sound normal for me, but for my "he-who-doesn’t-eat-sweets" man, that speaks volumes! Even my picky eater son likes it. Where has this been all my life? And, since there are only 5 ingredients, I consider it a “win” for simplicity.

The original Allrecipes.com recipe was just a base. I took some of the suggestions from the reviews and then added a splash of vanilla. Who doesn’t love vanilla? The full recipe is given below. Ladies, start your mixers!

 

Lemon Icebox Pie

1 prepared graham cracker crust

8 oz. cream cheese

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Bring ingredients to room temperature. With a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese block until smooth. Add the milk, juice & vanilla and continue to beat on medium-high speed until well mixed. Pour mixture into the crust and even out the top. Cover & place in the freezer for 4 hours. Then, transfer to the refrigerator for at least another 4 hours. Slice & serve plain or with whipped cream.

Ever So Thankful

We are regularly thankful for the "easy" things (the in-the-moment items), we can be reminded to be thankful for the "forgotten" things (things we take for granted)... but how many can say that you've expressed your thanks to God and to others in your life for the silver linings... the blessings that come from "pain"? Praise God through the pain, through the trial, through the fire.

Our pastor gave us homework to do this week: list the easy & the forgotten stuff, look for the thankful moments in the painful circumstances... and then ACT on them. Say thanks to those that have been a part of your reasons for being grateful.

Today, I'm thankful for chickens that provide food & enjoyment for my family, a new cat that gives me something to care for, money to pay bills nearing their due dates, shelter & comfort that I overlook daily. I have grown into the pain of my stroke, and I am so grateful that I suffer through what is considered minor "aftershocks". I walk. I talk. I eat. I breath. All of these things I am thankful for. 

The trial of my son's ADHD... I have not come to grips with the silver lining of this yet. I am thankful that it means he is an extremely intelligent being, and I am enormously grateful to the Lord who gave him a wonderful disposition. So many other boys with this illness are aggressive & combative. My son can be argumentative, but he is soft-hearted and empathetic.

God, thank you most of all for my husband, who held me up to you during the most painful parts of our lives together. He has been strength when my own has failed. He guided me back to you when I wandered. He grounds me. Thank you.

Simply Love a Latte

When your daily scripture starts out "Simply love", you know it's going to be a fabulous day! I simply love my God, my husband, my son and my life. I simply love to smile. What a great day!

Today, as I enjoy life, I enjoyed it with a wonderful (and inexpensive) homemade Chai Tea Latte. My new lifestyle (without paycheck but certainly not with a "job") doesn't afford me the luxury of my favorite latte. What's a girl to do? Make her own, of course.

Knowing that steamed milk is what makes it a "latte" as opposed to just tea with milk... I remembered hearing/reading/knowing to use a microwave to steam milk. The time to test it is simply now!

 

Chai Tea Latte
6-8 oz. water (leaving lots of room for additions)
4-6 oz. milk
1 Chai tea bag
3 sweeterner packets (or 2 teaspoons sugar)
2 mugs (1 smaller for milk & 1 large for water and final drinking)

Heat water for 2 minutes in a large mug that has plenty of head space. Place the tea bag in the mug and allow to steep about 2-3 minutes, depending on the desired tea strength, dunking the tea bag several times to get a full flavor.

Once your tea has brewed, remove the tea bags & add the sweetener.

 

In a separate mug, microwave the milk. This will steam your milk into a froth, start with 1 minute and then continue in 20 second intervals until you get the bubbles you are looking for around the top edge of the milk.

 

Add the milk to the tea, stir. It may be too hot to drink immediately, so be patient. Don’t scorch your mouth or you won’t be able to enjoy this luscious drink!

*If you prefer an iced beverage, pour the latte over whole ice cubes (not crushed, or you’ll get an instant watery latte). Be advised though, that since this beverage isn’t as thick as those made by baristas, adding ice will result in a thinner latte; for a thicker beverage, use whole milk.

*For a stronger, spicier Masala flavor, find a genuine Indian Masala tea blend. They can be found in ethnic markets or gourmet marts, such as Central Market or Sprouts.

I love a latte, and this is my favorite. If you try it, let me know how your version turns out!

With a Latte Love,

Fame

Welcome Home!

I'm not sure where to begin. I'm starting over... no job, no income. This is my attempt to loose the words running around in my head, the thoughts floating through my consciousness. I hope you enjoy my rantings and glean some pearls of wisdom from them.

I'm home. Each day, I care for my husband, my son, the chickens, our home. I manage household duties, a domestic diva extraordinaire! I'm new to this life, as I'm new to blogging. I hope there'll be an audience gather along the way. If not, at least I'll have a release for all this pent-up information.

Come, follow me.

Fame
the Camo Rose