We're making a CAKE! =]
T Minus 3 days and counting..
<3
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
You don't have to be in the Florida Keys to enjoy a GREAT Key Lime Pie
Scratch the Key Lime Cheesecake with a hint of mango.. I decided to perfect my Key Lime Pie Recipe. I tired a recipe a couple weeks ago, but I didn't quite like it, so I changed a couple things and I FINALLY perfected it.. Well, not perfected. Nothing is perfect and there is always room for improvement. =] At least that's what Dad always taught us in softball. ( I thiiiiiink it applies to everything in life.. hmm haha) Anyways, so here it is. My adventures with Key Lime Pie...
But first, we need some background information.
Where the heck did I get the idea to make Key Lime Pie?? Well, it's a long story.
See, one of my best friends, Timmy, went away to Florida for the summer for a job (That's a whole other story in itself.. =] ) Ok, so my other bestie, Amanda, and I decided.. "Shoot man, let's go to Florida! Vaaaacation!! I mean, let's go see our dear friend Timmy." haha.
So it was all set. The tickets were bought and we were on our way to Fort Meyers, Florida. BUT, a couple weeks before our trip, the company they worked for decided to move! "WHAT?!?!?" We were a little worried, until we found out they were moving to MIAMI!!! "SCORE!"
"Amanda and Erin Take Miami!"
So we back our bags and hit the road.. or the sky. Ahh, I hate flying.
Omg, sorry about my sidetrackingness. (is that a word? spell check is telling me it's not. OH WELL)
So, Timmy told me he had a niiice place to stay and he was staying with a bunch of boys, but he did NOT say it was a 5 star Yacht Hotel and they were a bunch of good looking boys.
wooo hooo. (Again, another story)
But anyways, the trip was amazing. We went kayaking (the water is sooo warm, it's trippy), and snorkeling (my new favorite hobby.. I went out a bought a set just to snorkel in the pool in the backyard haha), to an alligator farm where we got to hold a baby and sit on a HUGE one.. crazy story. And to the Everglades and took a crazy boat ride and of course had a Key Lime Pie milkshake..BOMB! We also had the random idea to go to the Keys.. I guess it was my idea, kinda... only because I was watching Jon & Kate Plus 8 and Kate took Jon to the Florida Keys.. so I told Tim that I wanted to go. haha. So, we decided to go, except Tim's roommate Jarom said, "If you're going to the Keys, go to Key West.. Go big or go home" haha. Key West is btw the farthest Key out. haha. So, we all... wait. Time out. Jarom. Sweetheart to the max. (He'll come in later) So we all decide to pack some stuff, rent a little bungalow, as they were called, in Key West and stay the night, then hit up the beach and other sites, including the Southern Most Point of the Continental US (cool experience) the next day and then head home to Miami, pack our bags and get home. So we all, including Jarom and his friend, Alan (haha, hiiiiiilarious).. We venture out across all the Keys, including the 7 mile long bridge.. (cool btw), singing and dancing in the car the whole 3-4 hours (We didn't realize how long the drive was until we got there haha). What a pretty drive too! (along Highway 1) We were driving over islands and water.. too bad it was dark outside by the time we got there.. but we got to see it all on the way back.
Fun Fact: There are over 60 Keys, in the Florida Keys.. all with random names.. My personal favorite, Fiesta Key!!! haha oh, and Key Largo.. only because I realized what the Beach Boys song was talking about.. "Key Largo, Montego, Baby why don't we go!!"
So, we get there to find a bungalow. A small bungalow, a VERY small bungalow.. fit for like 2 people, on their honeymoon or something. haha Did I mention how many people we had..? Timmy, Amanda, Erin, Jarom, and Alan. haha. It was a crazy night. =] We went swimming, then Jarom and I attempted to watch a movie, played silent Go Fish (haha), then we all woke up the next morning and went exploring. We went to the Southern Most Part of the US, to the beach (omg, coolest beach ever.. i chilled on the bench for hours looking into the sky.. beautiful and so peaceful), and to a little Key Lime Pie shop, called, Blond Giraffe Key Lime Pie Factory.. omg, it was featured on the Food Network's Unwrapped. AMAZING.
Fun day, and then on the way back everyone got to choose a spot to stop and explore. haha, this was interesting. Alan chose a hat shop to get a cowboy hat, Amanda chose the end of some bridge.. idk where we were.. no, it was the end of the 7 mile bridge.. pretty sure, but it ended up turning into Tim's spot because he thought of the genius idea to jump off the bridge.. Loooong story short we ended up gotgetting back in the car and went on our way and no one ever jumped off any bridge. ( I will say one thing, Jarom and I saw two huge sharks... and by sharks we mean big fish with shark-like fins) haha. Jarom chose a super cute, suppppper nice restaurant on the shore where we ate alligator (bomb) and conch (weeeird), and key lime pie of course. We ate and watched the sunset. This turned into my spot because it was soooooooo amazing and sooooo beautiful, and I WILL go back one day. So, we got back to the hotel, went to bed, or tried (I caught a nasty cold somehow...) woke up and went back home to Calfornia.. =/
So that was a lot of background information that seemed to have no point. But it did. We had Key Lime Pie every chance we got.. well because duh, we were in the Florida Keys. It's kinda silly to go to the Keys and not have Key Lime Pie.. am I right? Yes. So. Anyways. I got home and craved Key Lime Pie.. but where on Earth (and by Earth I mean San Bernardino, California) could I find some Key Lime Pie.. so I had to figure out how to make it. But.. there was an underlying reason why I had to figure out how to make this Key Lime Pie.. Jarom loves Key Lime Pie and we shared tons of pie in Florida. =] 'Nuff said. Well, he happens to be coming out to California tomorrow, so of course it needs to be perfected by tomorrow because I happened to promise someone that a Key Lime Pie will be waiting for him here in California.. haha. So, here is my Key Lime Pie Recipe in honor of my buddy Jarom, the biggest sweetheart in the entire world. Enjoy! =]
For REAL Florida Key Lime Pie!
[tastes juuust like the real stuff in Florida!]
Step 1: Turn on "Say Hey (I Love You)" by Michael Franti [it always gets me in the Florida Key Lime Pie mood]
Ingredients (for the crust):
- 16 graham crackers, crushed, really really crushed
- 3 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 stick of butter (8 tablespoons)
Directions (for the crust):
Preheat the oven at 350 degrees . Mix the ingredients and then press them into a 9'' pie plate. Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned. Place on a rack to cool.
Ingredients (for the filling):
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
FUN FACT: I had no idea what condensed milk was.. and it was super weird looking and tasted nothing like milk so I researched it.. Here is what I found:
Condensed or sweetened milk is cow's milk from which the water has been removed, by heating it, and to which sugar has been added. This makes it very thick and sweet and even can last for years without refrigeration if it's unopened.. interesting.
- 1/2 cup fresh key lime juice, which is about 12 key limes and a whole lot of hard hand work. =/
(you can use bottled juice, but that's kinda cheating.. and i promise it won't taste the same.)
- whipped cream or Cool Whip for decorating (you can make it from scratch.. it's super easy, but for some reason it never works out for me.. so just buy some whipped cream.. this time it's not cheating. =] HEY, I make the rules here.)
Directions:
Use an electric mixer and beat the egg yolks until they are thick and turn a light yellow. Turn the mixer off, add the sweetened condensed milk, and then turn the mixer back on to low and mix in half of the lime juice. Once the juice is mixed in add the other half and blend for a few more seconds... time out!
DID YOU KNOW... Key Lime Pie isn't green?? GASP. The pie is truly yellow from the egg yolks. "Whaaaaaat? But every Key Lime Pie I've ever eaten was green." I'm still trying to figure that out, but I will surely let you guys know as soon as I do. So, anyways.. I didn't want a yellow Key Lime Pie.. because I've always had green Key Lime Pie, so I added a couple drops of green food coloring.. haha. Just two though.. We don't want it to look like Green Eggs and Ham.. haaa
After it's all mixed pour it into the pie shell and bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes (just enough time to cook the eggs) After the pie is completely cooled decorate it however you want (I like cool whip on mine) Put it in the refrigerator and eat whenev! =]
Good luck with your For Real Florida Key Lime Pie.. enjoy!
oh and thanks for listening to my adventure!!
"Say Hey, I'll be gone today, but I'll be back all around the way! It seems like everywhere I go, the more I see the less I know! But I know one thing, I love you I love you I love YOU!!!"
I'm out! <3 Erin May
But first, we need some background information.
Where the heck did I get the idea to make Key Lime Pie?? Well, it's a long story.
See, one of my best friends, Timmy, went away to Florida for the summer for a job (That's a whole other story in itself.. =] ) Ok, so my other bestie, Amanda, and I decided.. "Shoot man, let's go to Florida! Vaaaacation!! I mean, let's go see our dear friend Timmy." haha.
So it was all set. The tickets were bought and we were on our way to Fort Meyers, Florida. BUT, a couple weeks before our trip, the company they worked for decided to move! "WHAT?!?!?" We were a little worried, until we found out they were moving to MIAMI!!! "SCORE!"
"Amanda and Erin Take Miami!"
So we back our bags and hit the road.. or the sky. Ahh, I hate flying.
Omg, sorry about my sidetrackingness. (is that a word? spell check is telling me it's not. OH WELL)
So, Timmy told me he had a niiice place to stay and he was staying with a bunch of boys, but he did NOT say it was a 5 star Yacht Hotel and they were a bunch of good looking boys.
wooo hooo. (Again, another story)
But anyways, the trip was amazing. We went kayaking (the water is sooo warm, it's trippy), and snorkeling (my new favorite hobby.. I went out a bought a set just to snorkel in the pool in the backyard haha), to an alligator farm where we got to hold a baby and sit on a HUGE one.. crazy story. And to the Everglades and took a crazy boat ride and of course had a Key Lime Pie milkshake..BOMB! We also had the random idea to go to the Keys.. I guess it was my idea, kinda... only because I was watching Jon & Kate Plus 8 and Kate took Jon to the Florida Keys.. so I told Tim that I wanted to go. haha. So, we decided to go, except Tim's roommate Jarom said, "If you're going to the Keys, go to Key West.. Go big or go home" haha. Key West is btw the farthest Key out. haha. So, we all... wait. Time out. Jarom. Sweetheart to the max. (He'll come in later) So we all decide to pack some stuff, rent a little bungalow, as they were called, in Key West and stay the night, then hit up the beach and other sites, including the Southern Most Point of the Continental US (cool experience) the next day and then head home to Miami, pack our bags and get home. So we all, including Jarom and his friend, Alan (haha, hiiiiiilarious).. We venture out across all the Keys, including the 7 mile long bridge.. (cool btw), singing and dancing in the car the whole 3-4 hours (We didn't realize how long the drive was until we got there haha). What a pretty drive too! (along Highway 1) We were driving over islands and water.. too bad it was dark outside by the time we got there.. but we got to see it all on the way back.
Fun Fact: There are over 60 Keys, in the Florida Keys.. all with random names.. My personal favorite, Fiesta Key!!! haha oh, and Key Largo.. only because I realized what the Beach Boys song was talking about.. "Key Largo, Montego, Baby why don't we go!!"
So, we get there to find a bungalow. A small bungalow, a VERY small bungalow.. fit for like 2 people, on their honeymoon or something. haha Did I mention how many people we had..? Timmy, Amanda, Erin, Jarom, and Alan. haha. It was a crazy night. =] We went swimming, then Jarom and I attempted to watch a movie, played silent Go Fish (haha), then we all woke up the next morning and went exploring. We went to the Southern Most Part of the US, to the beach (omg, coolest beach ever.. i chilled on the bench for hours looking into the sky.. beautiful and so peaceful), and to a little Key Lime Pie shop, called, Blond Giraffe Key Lime Pie Factory.. omg, it was featured on the Food Network's Unwrapped. AMAZING.
Fun day, and then on the way back everyone got to choose a spot to stop and explore. haha, this was interesting. Alan chose a hat shop to get a cowboy hat, Amanda chose the end of some bridge.. idk where we were.. no, it was the end of the 7 mile bridge.. pretty sure, but it ended up turning into Tim's spot because he thought of the genius idea to jump off the bridge.. Loooong story short we ended up gotgetting back in the car and went on our way and no one ever jumped off any bridge. ( I will say one thing, Jarom and I saw two huge sharks... and by sharks we mean big fish with shark-like fins) haha. Jarom chose a super cute, suppppper nice restaurant on the shore where we ate alligator (bomb) and conch (weeeird), and key lime pie of course. We ate and watched the sunset. This turned into my spot because it was soooooooo amazing and sooooo beautiful, and I WILL go back one day. So, we got back to the hotel, went to bed, or tried (I caught a nasty cold somehow...) woke up and went back home to Calfornia.. =/
So that was a lot of background information that seemed to have no point. But it did. We had Key Lime Pie every chance we got.. well because duh, we were in the Florida Keys. It's kinda silly to go to the Keys and not have Key Lime Pie.. am I right? Yes. So. Anyways. I got home and craved Key Lime Pie.. but where on Earth (and by Earth I mean San Bernardino, California) could I find some Key Lime Pie.. so I had to figure out how to make it. But.. there was an underlying reason why I had to figure out how to make this Key Lime Pie.. Jarom loves Key Lime Pie and we shared tons of pie in Florida. =] 'Nuff said. Well, he happens to be coming out to California tomorrow, so of course it needs to be perfected by tomorrow because I happened to promise someone that a Key Lime Pie will be waiting for him here in California.. haha. So, here is my Key Lime Pie Recipe in honor of my buddy Jarom, the biggest sweetheart in the entire world. Enjoy! =]
For REAL Florida Key Lime Pie!
[tastes juuust like the real stuff in Florida!]
Step 1: Turn on "Say Hey (I Love You)" by Michael Franti [it always gets me in the Florida Key Lime Pie mood]
Ingredients (for the crust):
- 16 graham crackers, crushed, really really crushed
- 3 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 stick of butter (8 tablespoons)
Directions (for the crust):
Preheat the oven at 350 degrees . Mix the ingredients and then press them into a 9'' pie plate. Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned. Place on a rack to cool.
Ingredients (for the filling):
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
FUN FACT: I had no idea what condensed milk was.. and it was super weird looking and tasted nothing like milk so I researched it.. Here is what I found:
Condensed or sweetened milk is cow's milk from which the water has been removed, by heating it, and to which sugar has been added. This makes it very thick and sweet and even can last for years without refrigeration if it's unopened.. interesting.
- 1/2 cup fresh key lime juice, which is about 12 key limes and a whole lot of hard hand work. =/
(you can use bottled juice, but that's kinda cheating.. and i promise it won't taste the same.)
- whipped cream or Cool Whip for decorating (you can make it from scratch.. it's super easy, but for some reason it never works out for me.. so just buy some whipped cream.. this time it's not cheating. =] HEY, I make the rules here.)
Directions:
Use an electric mixer and beat the egg yolks until they are thick and turn a light yellow. Turn the mixer off, add the sweetened condensed milk, and then turn the mixer back on to low and mix in half of the lime juice. Once the juice is mixed in add the other half and blend for a few more seconds... time out!
DID YOU KNOW... Key Lime Pie isn't green?? GASP. The pie is truly yellow from the egg yolks. "Whaaaaaat? But every Key Lime Pie I've ever eaten was green." I'm still trying to figure that out, but I will surely let you guys know as soon as I do. So, anyways.. I didn't want a yellow Key Lime Pie.. because I've always had green Key Lime Pie, so I added a couple drops of green food coloring.. haha. Just two though.. We don't want it to look like Green Eggs and Ham.. haaa
After it's all mixed pour it into the pie shell and bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes (just enough time to cook the eggs) After the pie is completely cooled decorate it however you want (I like cool whip on mine) Put it in the refrigerator and eat whenev! =]
Good luck with your For Real Florida Key Lime Pie.. enjoy!
oh and thanks for listening to my adventure!!
"Say Hey, I'll be gone today, but I'll be back all around the way! It seems like everywhere I go, the more I see the less I know! But I know one thing, I love you I love you I love YOU!!!"
I'm out! <3 Erin May
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