Key Lime

This is the most popular pie in my family.
My mom makes it.
My sis-in-law makes it.
I make it.
Often.

It may seem more like a spring/summer recipe.
But we don't care.
We'll eat it whenever.

It's super easy.
It sounds fancy.
And a little exotic, even.
But it only takes minutes to make.
Really.

Ingredients:

A graham cracker crust.
I always make my own.
It's easy, cheap and tastes better.
(In my humble opinion.)
I also bake it before I put the filling in.
Even though the pie gets baked
for a little with the filling.

 Egg yolks.

Sweetened condensed milk.
And lime juice.

That's it.

Oh, and a drop or two of green food coloring,

if you want.

Key Lime Pie

1-9 inch prepared graham cracker crust
4 egg yolks
1-14oz. can sweetened condensed milk
3 oz. lime juice

Combine egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk and blend well. Add lime juice gradually and beat until filling is smooth and creamy. If desired, add one to two drops green food coloring and mix. Pour into graham cracker crust and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Chill. Serve with whipped cream.

While my crust is baking,
I prepare the pie filling.
I typically use my little electric hand mixer for this.
And I just mix it all in a 4 cup glass Pyrex measuring cup.
Then it's super easy to pour into the pie crust.

One time I used real key limes.
Never again.
Those things are tiny.
It took a whole bag of 20 some limes to get 3 oz.
Not fun.
On top of all that.
I didn't even notice a difference in the taste.
Not. Worth. It.
It typically only takes 2-3 regular limes to get 3 oz.
So much simpler.

And I always whip the cream for the topping myself.
With some sugar and vanilla.
Yummy.

Then I enjoy the last piece for breakfast.
While all the kiddos are at school.
Hehe!

A Lesson Learned

It's ridiculously cold.I make coffee every morning.
For Ryan.
And me too, of course.
I don't make breakfast for my kids.

Sometimes on Saturdays I get real ambitious.
I'll make pancakes or waffles.
But most days they get good healthy stuff.
Lucky Charms.
Trix.
Captain Crunch.
Pop Tarts.
I'm naming the name brands.
But we use mostly off brands.
If I'm feeling extra nice I'll make cinnamon toast.
That's about my limit.So, last night.
I knew it was gonna be below zero in the morning.
That's too cold.
Who wants cold cereal on a morning like that?
I leafed through some recipes.
Found one for overnight crockpot oatmeal.
Now that's something I can do.
It doesn't require me to get up any earlier in the morning.
Perfect.
So I threw it all together.
And this morning, my kids had a good hot breakfast.Ryan, by the way, does not eat breakfast.
Only on vacation usually.
Or when I make him on Saturday morning.
Because I've worked so hard on those pancakes or waffles.
I do make them from scratch afterall.But I was pretty pleased with myself.
I even went the extra mile.
Dished up the oatmeal for each child.
AND put fresh blueberries on top.
I know.
Crazy.Ryan left for work.
Ten minutes later.
I realize something.
Forgot to make our coffee.
I sent my husband off to work.
On the coldest day of winter.
For his nearly 40 minute commute.
Without his coffee.
Good feeling gone.

Fifteen minutes later.
Hubby calls.
I answer:
I can't believe I forgot to make coffee.

He actually thought I had made it.
Had his travel mug full.
Waiting for him.
Like I do most mornings.
Shoot.
I should have said:
I can't believe you left your coffee here.So I got off the phone.
Made the normal amount of coffee.
And drank it all myself.
Feeling much better now.

Lesson learned:
On a school day,
I can either make coffee for my guy.
Or make breakfast for my kids.
Expecting myself to do both.
That's just too much.