Creamiest Lime Cream Meringue Pie

Linda of Tender Crumb decided on Creamiest Lime Cream Meringue Pie on pages 337-339 for this weeks Tuesday with Dorie recipe. This was one complicated pie. The secret to making this cream pie so creamy, comes from the egg mixture heated and beaten over a double boiler. There was a lot of lime and a little ginger. I wanted more ginger flavor, so I noted that in the book for the next time around. The zing was fantastic. In fact, my 2 and 4 year old would eat it, because there was too much zing for their little taste buds. I didn't think they could say no to something sweet, but after the first bite and their lips curled into the sour pucker, and their eyes began to water, I knew that this recipe would not be returning for the kids.
After heating and thickening, the mixture cools a bit, then is strained into a blender, and mixed with a LOT of butter. Then it cools in the refrigerator for 4 hours, then spooned into the graham crust and topped with a fluffy meringue. Then back to the refrigerated again for a few more hours. Many, many steps, but so, so worth it! We are are a big fan of limes in this house, and this pie just hit the spot. I will have to confess, my hubby was leaving for a few days, so I reduced each refrigeration drastically so we could have a little taste before he left, and I would definitely recommend NOT skipping the refigeration steps. The pie didn't set up correctly, but the pie did set the next day and we enjoyed the pie over again, and shared it with friends. YUM! This is a definate 5 star pie in my book, and I will be bringing this out for summer parties and BBQ's. YUM!

Feta Burgers- YUM!!!

This recipe gets full props and comes from my hubby's buddy Travis, who has been staying with us the last few weeks. I wish I had a picture, but I was admittedly skeptical about these burgers at first, but once I started eating I couldn't stop long enough to get a picture of these beauties. They were gone in a flash-
Season sirloin beef with Lowry's seasoned salt, and garlic cloves. For 1 burger, shape two very thin patties and place a large slice of feta between the two layers. Seal the layers together and grill to perfection. Serve on a soft roll (not the nasty wonderbread burger buns!) with all the fixin's including avocado. DELICIOUS!!!!!

TWD-Brownie Buttons

For this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection, Jayma of Two Scientists Experimenting in the Kitchen selected Brownie Buttons on page 106 of Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.
My first impression of these brownies were, "oh how adorable". But these little brownies made a big hit for such a little bitty thing. The batter didn't make very much. Dorie said we'd get about 16 buttons, and she was right on. I thought 2-3 each wouldn't be enough, but they were so chocolaty and rich, 2-3 was just the right amount. The orange zest was a nice flavor compliment to the chocolate and white chocolate flavors. These are great little party brownies and will keep them in mind for my next in home gathering. I give 'em 4 out of 5 stars. ****
(Please excuse the blue hue- Our computer has been crashing and we lost our photoshop. I think its time for a new computer!)

Tuesday's with Dory -Banana Bundt Cake

I love to bake. It's my hidden secret, but alas, the time has come to nourish this little secret love affair. My mom, like any good mom, taught me to bake. Sunday afternoons become my time to create and discover in the kitchen much to my family's enjoyment despite the growing waistlines. It was always sweet and never low cal or healthy by any means. My mom even went as far as to enroll me in baking competitions and I won some sort of an award for my Blueberry Streusel Muffins. YUMMY! I'm always trying new recipes and adding a little of this or that to already existing recipes. My kitchen is one of my creative outlets.
Well I have recently started to follow a new baking group online, Tuesdays with Dorie. Each participant chooses a recipe from Dorie's book, and on their week to host that recipe is baked all over the world. Pretty cool.

The first recipe I baked was the Perfect Party Cake, as a challenge to see if I was up to the task and if I would enjoy this adventure. It turned out beautifully, and it was delicious. I think I made it 3 times in a month! I did not use the jam between layers, however, but I made a raspberry compote by simmering frozen raspberries with 1/4 cup sugar over the stove. I spread the ridiculously delicious frosting on the layer first, and then spread the compote over the top, so we wouldn't have a slippery mess. My first attempt was for a 4th of July party, hence the blueberries. Here is my picture-
I unofficially started TWD last week, but the recipe chosen was Vanilla Ice Cream. Our Ice Cream maker burned out on us in February, so I replaced the recipe with the Raspberry Blanc-Manger, pronounced Blah-Mahn-Jay. I loved letting the words roll off my tongue; blah- mahn-jay....I felt like I had just jumped into the big leagues of baking, because if you can't pronounce the recipe, it must be gourmet! Right?!?!? It was delicious, white, creamy, fluffy and I loved the almond accent. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture, but it got three thumbs up from me, my hubby, and his buddy. I will most definately make that again, when I have the need to impress someone special.

The recipe of the week is the Banana Bundt Cake. It was quick, and easy, but I thought the taste was lacking. The cake was very mild. I chose to use the Lemony White Icing and it was a nice counter point to the mild banana flavor. The texture and was very soft, smooth and delicate. My only issue with the cake is using the confectioners sugar. I can never get the lumps out no matter how much I sift it. I must need a new sifter!