Lemon Meringue Pie

My father-in-law had his hip replaced just over four months ago… July 5th.  That meant that he had to fast after a certain time on the 4th of July.  What a day to have to fast, eh? 

Well, we asked him ahead of time what he would want as his ‘last meal’ before the big surgery.  To be honest, I don’t even remember what we had for dinner that night.  All I remember is that he asked for lemon meringue pie for dessert.  I offered to make it. 

Umm, hi.  I had never made a lemon meringue pie before, at least not by myself.  But I was brave enough to try.  That’s saying something, right?  And if it hadn’t worked out, I would have grabbed one at the store.  Actually, I would have cried, then I would have sent Anthony to the store to pick one up.  And then I would have cried some more.  Luckily, the pie was a lot easier to make than I had anticipated.  It helped that it was pretty much delicious, too.  My father-in-law was impressed.  Does that count?

Yes, the answer is yes.  Grin and nod your head for me…

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The crust I used was from The Pioneer Woman and it was so flaky and so light!  We loved it.  The only think I can suggest to make it the best is to use the butter flavored shortening.  I made two batches just to try them both out.  The one with regular shortening was a little bit bland for my liking but hey, do what suits you best!  Oh, and don’t be too freaked out by the vinegar.  Supposedly it helps the crust be more flakey.  It certainly was and I promise it did NOT compromise the taste.  This is my new ‘go to’ pie crust recipe.  LOVE!!

 

Pie Crust

• 1-1/2 cup vegetable shortening (I prefer the butter flavored)
• 3 c. flour
• 1 whole egg
• 5 T. cold water (get a cup of ice water and scoop from there)
• 1 T. White Vinegar
• 1 tsp. salt

 

In a food processor, combine shortening and flour.  Pulse several times until it starts to form coarse crumbs, about pea size.  (If you don’t have a food processor, you can combine them in a large bowl with a pastry cutter.  It will probably take about 3-4 minutes.  It should resemble coarse crumbs.) 

Add beaten egg to food processor (or bowl) followed by the water, vinegar and salt.  Pulse in food processor until it pulls together.  (Or stir in bowl gently until they are all incorporated.)  Be sure not to over mix. 

Form into 2 or 3 evenly sized balls, place each in a zip top bag and flatten slightly into a round disc.  I did 2 balls because dividing it into 3 made them too small for me to work with.  They can be frozen at this point for another time or put into the fridge for about 15-30 minutes to firm up and make them easier to work with. 

When ready to roll out, lightly flour a flat surface and the top of the dough.  Roll dough starting at the center, working your way out.  Roll until it’s larger than the diameter of your pie pan.  Once it’s rolled out, transferring to the pan can get a bit tricky.  I like to lightly roll it up on my rolling pin and then lift it over the pan and unroll.  Does that make sense?  I hope so. 

Now make sure to tuck it into the bottom edges of the pan.  Trim around the edges with scissors so it’s still slightly hanging off the edges.  Maybe 1/2 inch or so.  Now beautify the edges.  I wish I knew how to explain how to do this.  If you don’t know how, I suppose you could Google it (Google is all-knowing ;)).

Poke several holes in the bottom of the crust and even up on the edges with a  fork.  This will help prevent bubbles from forming while baking.  (This step is only for pies that need a prebaked shell)

Bake in a preheated 425* oven for 12-15 minutes or until just slightly golden.

 

The Lemon Meringue Pie comes from Alton Brown.  It really was easy and so good!

Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon Filling:

• 4 egg yolks (reserve whites for meringue)
• 1/3 c. cornstarch
• 1 1/2 c. water
• 1 1/3 c. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3 T. butter
• 1/2 c. lemon juice
• 1 T. finely grated lemon zest

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks and set aside.

Combine cornstarch, water, sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Use a whisk to stir. Turn to medium heat and bring mixture to a boil. Stir frequently.  Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add small spoonfuls of hot mixture to yolks whisking between each spoonful to temper the eggs.  Return egg mixture to saucepan, turn heat to medium low and cook, stirring constantly.  Boil again for 1 more minute – this should be very thick.  Remove from heat.  Stir in butter, lemon juice, and zest until well combined. Pour mixture into pie shell and top with meringue while filling is still hot. Make sure meringue completely covers filling and even onto the crust.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until meringue is golden. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.  Cool pie completely before slicing and serving. 

Meringue Topping:

• 4 egg whites
• 1 pinch cream of tartar
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Place egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form.  Add sugar gradually.  Continue beating until stiff peaks form, about 1 to 2 minutes. 

**I used the back of a spoon to lift the meringue into peaks in some spots.**

I really hope you get a chance to make this soon!  Thanksgiving is coming up next week and my father-in-law is requesting that I make this again.  How could I say no?  I’m looking forward to it!

Oh, and by the way… you’d never know he had anything wrong with hip, ever.  He was back to riding a bike within just a couple of weeks.  He amazes me!!

Uh-oh

This happened on Thanksgiving but I have to post it, I just do.  You may not find it to be as hilarious as we all did.  We're easily amused.  What can I say?

Meet my cousin, Spencer.... or at least meet his wedding ring, which is stuck in a 2-liter soda cap.  It's brand new.  He and his wife only got married in September.  He just wanted to see if it would fit.  It did!  Perfectly.  Maybe a little too perfectly. 

Several people tried to get it out, including yours truly.  It wouldn't budge.  It took the expertise of another cousin of mine, Jordan.  He was able to free the ring from the death grip of the cap. 

 His poor wife was not very amused.  Can you blame her? 



Thankful

I'm a day early but I may not get a chance to post tomorrow.

What am I grateful for this Thanksgiving? My family is the thing I am most grateful for. Even though I sometimes complain and get frustrated with them, each one has taught me, or is currently teaching me something.

I've always said that "patience is a virtue... it's just not one of mine". And I believe that when I pray for patience, Heavenly Father doesn't just bless me with patience. I believe he blesses me with opportunities to be patient. Believe me, with 5 kids and a husband, I've had many many opportunities to prove to my Heavenly Father that I don't need any more. To show him that I've mastered patience and he can start bombarding me with opportunities for the next virtue to be mastered. I get the feeling, though, that I'm not mastering the patience thing because the opportunities just keep coming. I've got a long way to go.

Along with patience, I'm currently taking a look at what each individual child teaches me, just by being themselves. So, here it is.

K--She teaches me kindness and gratitude. She has always been so selfless and giving. K has never been ungrateful for anything that someone has given her. Everything that is given to her is treasured and she accepts it the best the giver could offer. I love this about her. It makes me happy that she is able to make others happy just by being grateful.

A--What a firecracker! This girl is fire and ice. She'll tell you like it is...
Anthony: "Money doesn't make you happy."
A: "Well it kind of does."
This is what I love about her. Sometimes she can hurt people's feelings but I love her persistence. If she knows she's right about something (or thinks she's right), she'll fight to the death to make it known. I know that's not always appropriate in every situation but it teaches me to be more persistent in standing up for what I believe. I tend to be a doormat sometimes and I'm always worried about hurting other people's feelings or offending them. A teaches me that it's ok to fight for what I know is right.

H--Patience! Not necessarily the kind of patience mentioned above, although she certainly tries that as well. I'm talking about her patience. She is such a peacemaker and is so patient and loving. When little C is causing trouble and getting into his sisters things, which is often, she talks to him in a loving voice (usually) and tries to get him to stop. All the while, the other two girls are screaming at him to stop trying to take matters into their own hands. She teaches me that it isn't worth getting all upset about. H usually gets a better response than her sisters. Patience is a virtue that she definitely possesses. (Wow, that's a lot of s's)

C--This little guy teaches me to never give up. He is the poster child of the "never give up" campaign. His determination is unlike any I've ever seen. Everything has to be done by him. No help is accepted. Getting dressed for the day is the perfect example. He'll go find his own clothes, put his pants on (they're always first, and ususally backwards), then move on to the shirt. The shirt sometimes poses a bit of a problem for C. He always puts his arms in first, then his head. He's got a huge melon and some shirts just don't like to stretch enough to get over it. In an attempt to get the shirt on, he usually ends up with his face sticking out of the hole even though it should be the top of his head first. He then panics and starts screaming and I know that he's in pain. The shirt usually starts tugging at his nose and ears but when I walk over to try and help, he screams at me and says, "No, MY SHURN!!" as he pushes me away. Translation: No, my turn. So I back off and after a few more seconds of whining about the pain and wriggling the shirt a bit, it finally pulls over his head and he's satisfied. What if the clothes are on backwards? This happens more often than not. I simply say, "Your shirt (or pants) is on backwards." To which he replies, "Back-herds?" Then he proceeds to take off the backwards item and turn it around. He's a determined little stink. NEVER GIVE UP! The task is always accomplished.

B--My sweet baby! He teaches me to appreciate the simple things in life. It always amazes me that a baby can play with the same toy or two over and over and over and love it the same as he did 20 minutes before. Or see the same faces over and over and get so excited! He just enjoys life, the simple things. The things I take for granted every day are the things I should appreciate the most.

Anthony--Yep, I consider him one of the kids too, sometimes. What does that goofball teach me? He teaches me that hard work and diligence is happiness. Anthony is the hardest working man I know. He goes stir crazy if he's not working. His happiness comes after a good hard-working day when he can come home and say he did his best and worked his hardest. The play time is so much more rewarding after good, hard work. I love that man!

I love all of my little stinkers too. It may not always show and I have a lot yet to learn but I couldn't have hand-picked a better family to call my own. Where would I be without them? I am so grateful for all that they teach me and that despite all of my many faults, they still love me.

Don't forget the rolls!!

It's an important part of any Thanksgiving spread. It would be a crime to forget them. Wouldn't you agree?

I admit, this is not the roll recipe we use every Thanksgiving. I have two cousins that bring the rolls each year but this is the recipe I would use if I were ever put in charge of this portion of Thanksgiving dinner, 4 times over because we always have a very large crowd to feed.

This is the recipe I turn to when I need rolls for dinner or something. They are so yummy and easy. The best part is that the dough is made in the bread machine. I suppose you could do it by hand but why? Unless of course you don't have a bread machine. Thanks to my cousin (a different one than the ones mentioned above, I have many) for this recipe. They are better than Rhodes, I swear!

Bread Maker Rolls

1 c. warm water
2 T. margarine or butter
1 egg
3 1/4 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/4 tsp. yeast (1 pkt)

Mix and rise dough on dough cycle of bread machine. Punch down and roll into 24 equal balls of dough. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Cranberry Fluff

Cranberries!... the best part of Thanksgiving! Most people would disagree, I am sure, but for me, it's not Thanksgiving without it.

I remember the second Thanksgiving we were married, Anthony and I went to his family's Thanksgiving. The table was set, the food was out, everyone was seated, and the blessing was given. I'm sure it was a beautiful blessing, although I don't remember a single word that was uttered. That was 8 years ago, give a girl a break! What I do remember is opening my eyes and the first thing I looked for was the little dish of cranberry sauce. There's always a dish (or several in my family), isn't there? Maybe it's strange but the kind I like best is just plain old jellied cranberry sauce. Whole berry is great too, and even homemade is good but just give me a can of plain ol' jellied cranberry sauce and I'm happy... as a peach!

Anyway, there was not a single dish of cranberries in sight. It was forgotten, left on the counter somewhere, I was sure! It had to be, it was the only explanation.

Being that I was shy around them at the time, still am sometimes, I admit, I leaned over to Anthony and mentioned that I didn't see the cranberries anywhere.

He said, "Hey Ma, where are the cranberries?"

Do you know what she said? Any ideas? To my devestation and disappointment, she said, "I don't have any. Nobody likes them."

*GASP*

What? Nobody likes them? These people are mad!! I knew Anthony didn't like them but I had no idea that no one in his family liked them either! What had I married into? A very sad Thanksgiving, indeed.

Not really though, the company was great and it was a lot of fun. I just now know to bring my own can of jellied cranberry sauce when we have Thanksgiving with Anthony's family.

And that is my cranberry story. It's just not Thanksgiving without them.

Now, here's a recipe with cranberries in it. It's quite simple, really! This recipe was added to the regular Thanksgiving menu on my side, probably about 5 or 6 years ago. My aunt picked it up somewhere and I went nuts over it. LOVE IT!


Cranberry Fluff
1 bag of cranberries
1 c. sugar
1 pkg marshmallows
2 lg whipped cream

Add 1/4 - 1/2 c. water to cranberries and sugar in a blender and blend. Let sit for 1 hour. The cranberries have a natural gelatin in them so letting them sit allows it to firm up a bit.

Fold in whipped cream and marshmallows. There you have it!

I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.

Thanksgiving... it's almost here!

If I had to choose my favorite holiday, I would have to choose two. Christmas and Thanksgiving. I think for me, the two are almost one big holiday, separated by several weeks. But getting ready for both takes a lot of time and preparation so it feels as though they are one. Once the Thanksgiving feast is all put away and over with, everyone starts thinking about Christmas; Black Friday, Christmas music, gingerbread houses, trimming the tree, and lots of parties. They're both all about family, get-togethers, and showing gratitude. I am so excited! Love this time of year.

I want to share a few recipes with you that are always part of our Thanksgiving. Doesn't every family have certain things that just have to be a part of the meal or it just doesn't feel like Thanksgiving? So, over the next couple of weeks, I'll share some of these recipes. Maybe you'd like to try them and they might become a tradition in your family. Or maybe you have one that you'd like to share.

I'm not a photographer (or even close to being one) so if I take pictures, they may not be great. Just grin and nod your head, people. Pretend they're wonderful and we'll all be happy! Now, the question is, which recipe will I share first? Hmmm, stay tuned...