.lime pie.

In my family cookbook there's a recipe for lemon meringue pie. It's a great recipe that was passed down to me from my mother, and to my mother from her mother. Who knows how many generations this goes back! About 8 years ago, I had a bunch of limes to use up and thought I would try making this recipe using the juice of the limes, instead of lemon. It turned out amazing. Sweet and tart. It is such a refreshing dessert, perfect for spring or summer.

This lime pie has become one of the traditional pies I make for Easter and has won over the hearts of many. One of our good family friends was over for Easter 3 years ago and Russ fell in love with it. I promised if we ever lived close to each other again, I would make him one.

So, whether you use lemons or limes, this is a great pie for your next family function!


In a pot, mix together 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1/2 cup cornstarch. Set aside.


Take 4-5 limes (not key limes) and cut them in half.


Using a cheese grater, or zester, zest the limes. It would probably be easier to do this before cutting them. My daughter was helping me and I was trying to make it more manageable for her.


Then you want to juice the limes.


Separate four eggs. We need the yolks. You can save the whites in a bowl or jar in the fridge to use on something else at a later time.


Remember that pot of sugar and cornstarch? Add 3 cups BOILING water. Whisk well. Then put on the stove and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Stir constantly!


It will begin to thicken and get clear. That's when you know it's time to move on to the next step.


Add a spoonful of the hot liquid to the yolks, whisking with a fork or small whisk while you pour. This tempers the yolks.


While stirring, slowly add the tempered yolks into your pot. If you need to pull the pot from the heat, do so. You don't want this to burn and you don't want it lumpy.


Now add the lime (or lemon) juice.

Stir well.

Put back on the burner and let it thicken up more.


Once it's as thick as it's going to get, pull from the heat and add 1-2 drops of green food coloring. I don't like this neon green so I only add 1 drop.


At this stage, add 2 Tbsp butter.


And dump in the zest.

Now we need to cool the filling down. You don't ever want to put a hot filling into your pie shell because it will make it tough.


Fill a bowl up with ice water.

This is called an ice bath and will cool the filling down quickly.


Nestle the pot in the bowl. Make sure no water can make its way into the pot. Keep stirring every now and then to get it to cool quickly, and also to keep a skin from forming on top.


Now pour 2/3 of the filling into a BAKED
pie shell. Pour the remaining 1/3 into a separate bowl.


Cover both with saran. Make sure the saran rests right on top of the filling to keep skin from forming. Put these in a fridge and chill for at *least* 4 hours, or overnight if possible.


Once chilled, add a tub of cool whip to the 1/3 lime filling.


Mix well and spoon onto the pie.


Spread the topping over the entire surface. Cover again and chill another hour.

Cut and serve!


Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_110gpsk7cg8

.grilled fish tacos.

I get requests from time to time from blog readers. I *love* these requests because it gives my family the opportunity to try dishes that I probably would never fix. This recipe for grilled fish tacos was requested by Jenni. (Hey Jenni! :D)

If you've had fish tacos, you're probably familiar with how they are made. The fish is usually battered and fried. We were looking for a more healthy alternative so instead of frying, we grilled. Of course, you'll have to overlook the fact that I heated the tortillas in oil, am using Mexican crema, and guacamole. I mean... yah.. it's "healthy". LOL You could probably heat the tortillas in the microwave to soften them up if you want to skip the oil route.



I started with some tilapia. You're going to want a fish that will not fall apart once it's cooked. Sea bass and cod are other options if you can't, or don't like, tilapia.



In a bowl, mix together the juice of two limes, 1/4 cup olive oil, some cilantro, and salt and pepper.



Pour on the filets and let marinate for about 20 minutes. The acidity from the limes will actually start to cook the tender fish, so you don't want to let them marinate for too long.



While those sit, thinly slice or shred some cabbage.



For visual color, shred up a little red cabbage as well.



(I'm going to have to figure out a dish to use up the rest of my cabbage. Hubby is NOT a fan so it'll have to be a)really good that he will love it, or b)something I will enjoy eating a lot of. LOL)



Slice up some red onion.



And wedge some limes. These are to squeeze onto your tacos right before eating, and also to help hold them up on your plate. Pretty cool huh?



Oh and we can't forget radishes. You can slice these nice and thin so you can put them directly on your taco. I left mine halved to eat on the side.



Arrange everything all pretty like on a tray.



Heat a little oil in a skillet and carefully put two CORN tortillas in, stacked on top of each other. We want to fry them together.



After a minute, flip them over and do the other side. Pull from the oil and let sit on paper towels. Do this until you have as many tortillas as you need. If you do this step ahead of time, throw them in the oven to warm back up.



Grill up your fish. Look how yummy that looks.



You're going to want a bottle of this. Mexican Crema. If you can't find it, do a google search for it and you can find easy directions. It takes a day to make though.

Now it's time to assemble. Put some fish on the tortilla, spoon a little crema on top of the fish, then some cabbage and onion. Top with some hot red salsa and guacamole.

I topped ours with fresh pico de gallo instead of salsa. It was very yummy. Serve with beans and rice.

.chili lime chicken.

This is a Weight Watchers recipe I found a couple years ago. It is really delicious and not only that, but you can whip this dish up in seriously... 20 minutes.

You'll want to start with boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1 per person). Slice the chicken into strips.

















In a large ziploc, put 3 heaping Tablespoons flour and 2 teaspoons chili powder. Shake bag to mix.
















Add your chicken strips and shake the bag to coat all the pieces with the flour and chili powder.
















Spray a skillet with PAM and put on medium heat. Lay out your chicken in the pan and cook for about 3 3 minutes on each side, searing the outside.








Add 3/4 cup chicken broth and the juice from one lime. Lower the heat to low and cover the skillet with a lid. Let this cook for about 3-4 minutes.










Remove lid and turn the heat up to medium high. Stir while the broth/lime juice thickens. Remove from heat and add some chopped cilantro.

Serve with salad, or rice and beans.


Printable version:

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_17gvv6w4f6