My Signature Summer Dessert – Key Lime Pie

If you take one thing away from this blog, it should be this recipe. This dessert has become one of my signatures – loved by my family and friends and my favorite things to take to a barbecue or summer party. In addition to tasting great, it is also very simple.

Crust:
- 1 ½ cups animal cracker crumbs
- 1/3 cup softened butter
- Pre-heat oven to 325.
Combine animal cracker crumbs and melted butter and press evenly to a pie pan. Bake crust for five minutes before adding filling.

Filling:
- 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
- ½ cup key lime juice
- 2 teaspoons if grated lime peel
- 2 large eggs (separated)
- 1 cup whipped toping

Combine lime juice, lime peel, condensed milk and egg yokes then stir until mixture thickens. Beat egg whites until fluffy and stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into lime mixture and pour into pie crust. Bake pie for 15-20 minutes until firm. Before serving, garnish with whipped topping.

Note two key ingredients: animal cracker crumbs and key lime juice. Most people will use gram cracker crumbs and sugar in the crust but the sweet and simple taste of the animal crackers is a better match with the filling. Also, you can use regular lime juice but the key limes are smaller and have a stronger flavor that improves the overall pie.

Refrigerate the pie for at least four hours before serving – if you can chill it overnight it’s even better. Being so cold makes the dessert that much more refreshing. Enjoy!

Five Most Interesting Things In My Fridge – Right Now

So, at the end of a great weekend, here are the five most interesting things currently in my fridge right now.

Fresh Cilantro – one of the best smells in a summer kitchen. This fresh herb is the key to great guacamole and pico de gillo.

Fresh Guacamole – I love fresh guacamole with chips as an appetizer or on top of a turkey burger. Unfortunately, it doesn’t last long. I’m hoping it stays in the fridge for another day so I can enjoy the rest tomorrow.

Left Over Spaghetti and Meat Balls – While many may not find this interesting, the red sauce was made from scratch using all fresh tomatoes from my garden. There is nothing like summer vine-ripened tomatoes from the garden.

Pineapple Steeped in Vodka – I had friends over for a barbecue this weekend so I steeped a pineapple in vodka. The results were great with the infused vodka being added to tonic water for a great summer cocktail. The pineapple chunks were killer.

White Chocolate Pop Corn – It doesn’t have to be refrigerated, but in the summer heat and humidity it is much better that way. This blend of salty and sweet is a unique taste and a great treat.

Ultimate Summer Treat

“Hot time, summer in the city…” A great line from a classic song and this time of year, there is nothing more true. We are now in mid-July which means the dog days of summer. In these long and hot days, there are few things to help you beat the heat better than a sweet, cold dessert.

With that in mind, we headed out to Dairy Queen for Blizzards. You can get them in vanilla, chocolate and a bunch of other flavors then add any of a number of toppings – cookies, candy bits, and more. I ordered the Chocolate Brownie Batter Blizzard and could not have been happier. Mission Accomplished! Thank you DQ.

If you have never had one, you do not know what you are missing. Enjoy!

Sushi Night!

I confess, I took the night off from cooking last night and went for sushi. There is just something about sushi -- I just can't get enough. Great presentation in the colors and the way it is plated, the flavor of each piece is unique and it pairs well with all kinds of different wines or beers.

My recommendation -- support your local sushi restaurant.

Tacos…Minus 150 calories and 7 grams of fat

I have always loved taco night! All fresh ingredients that are cooked, chopped, or shredded just before eating. Given all the fresh ingredients – lettuce, onions, tomatoes, peppers, etc. – you would think homemade tacos would be healthy. Not so fast! According to the Old El Paso web site, a serving of hard taco shells (3 shells) contains 150 calories and 7 grams of fat!

I noticed, however, if you eliminate the shells, you can still have a great meal while keeping it healthy. Instead of shredding the Romaine lettuce, use it as the shell by adding the ingredients into the lettuce leaf. I'm not the first to come up with this idea, but I like it so much that I wanted to share it. Think about it, the leaf is already shaped like a shell – it just works!

Give it a shot. Personally, I would rather save those calories for a good Mexican beer to accompany my tacos. Enjoy!

Nutritional information found here: http://www.generalmills.com/corporate/brands/product_image.aspx?catID=23365&itemID=3588

Inspiration: Seared Ahi Tuna Salad

OK, I admit it – I’m a foodie and a nerd in addition to having too much time on my hands. I read a bunch of cooking magazines and watch the Food Network for ideas and inspiration. The interested thing, I found this idea from a magazine I don’t often read: The Nest (Summer 2009). In addition to providing me with the idea, the article on cooking and eating at home to save money made me think. On this recipe, the author says you can save over 50% by making it at home versus going out to eat. We could all use a little help these days – glad to see sharp reporters and editors doing their part to help. Great work The Nest – I recommend you picking up the magazine for yourself.

As with any dish, once inspired I have to do it my own way. I decided to do a seared tuna with a fresh garden salad. As you can see from the picture - great color and very healthy. Here is the salad: lettuce, onion slices, tomatoes slices (seasoned with garlic salt, pepper, grated Romano cheese and balsamic vinegar before plating), broccoli crowns, almonds, hard-boiled egg, mozzarella cheese and a raspberry vinaigrette dressing.

As for the tuna steaks, I seared them on a grill pan (indoors) on medium-high heat – 1 minute on each side. You could use a regular frying pan, but the grill pan gives you the classic grilling lines. Be sure to watch the tuna as you are cooking it – you will see the steak begin to turn white, but you only want to cook to outside keeping the inside rare and very pink.

Plate the salad first so it remains cool. Then, once it is finished, add the tuna steak just before serving. Enjoy!

Follow Up: Check This Out Too

More Fun: This summer issue of The Nest also has a feature, “9 Summer Wines Under $15.” I have already had three of the wines and I totally agree with the reporter, Riann Smith. Check out the article – I need to check out the other wines on the list!