Key Lime PIe - A Summer Treat

 "Summer time and the living' is easy"? That doesn't describe the time here on our ranch! The cattle work just finished and haying has started. Mix in 2 softball games and 2 T ball games and various other 4-H activities with my regular community activities each week and it is very busy! Time for a quick summer treat for dessert!

Key Lime Pie lets us imagine a vacation on the beach with cool drinks and friends. I made this last week and it is so easy and delicious it will be a treat again soon. Thanks to my friend Sharolyn for the recipe. This recipe was declared the best by a special panel of Sharolyn and friends touring restaurants of Key West. 

KEY LIME PIE

Ingredients:

1 large prepared graham cracker pie crust

2 - 14 oz. cans sweetened condensed milk

1 cup Key Lime juice

½ cup + 1 Tablespoon sour cream

1 ¼ Tablespoon lime zest

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

In a medium bowl, combine condensed milk, sour cream, lime juice, and lime rind. Mix well and pour into graham cracker crust. 

Bake in preheated oven for 5 to 8 minutes, until tiny pinhole bubbles burst on the surface of pei. Do not brown! Chill pie thoroughly before serving. Garnish with lime slices and whipped cream if desired. 

Do you have a Favorite Food?

 

Do you have a Favorite Food? 4-Hers can not only have a Favorite Food, they have a Favorite Food Show to showcase their food, menu, table decor, and knowledge of preparation and nutrition. 

This week Granddaughter Stella entered her favorite food - a fruit salad - in the county contest. She planned a Bee Happy Brunch menu with scrambled eggs, bacon, Kansas Maid Butter Braid (locally made frozen pastry sold as a 4-H fund raiser), Fruit salad with Honey dressing, and milk. I think she did pretty well explaining the preparation (first wash your hands and tie back your hair), nutrition (purple and blue fruits help make your brain healthy) and antioxidants (a tough word for an 8 years old to remember) help keep you healthy. 

One of the best things about this salad is it is so versatile. Stella chose a spring type salad with strawberries she'd picked herself and other fresh berries. A Christmas salad could be red apples, green grapes, kiwi, and red grapes. Fall might be oranges, pineapple, apples and pears. 

And we loved the dressing and the fact that it used honey. Stella's dad is a bee keeper so the honey was fresh from his hives in our pastures. Honey adds sweetness and gives the fruit a shiny glaze. The lemon juice of the dressing helps keep the bananas from turning brown and adds a bit of tartness. Poppy seeds are crunchy and look pretty. 

FRUIT SALAD WITH HONEY 

About 8 cups fresh fruit, cut into bite sized pieces. Combine in a bowl. 

Mix together: 5 tablespoons honey, 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, and ¾ teaspoon poppy seeds. Drizzle over fruit. Toss to coat. Sprinkle with poppy seeds. 

Refrigerate until ready to serve. Refrigerate leftovers (if there are any!)

By the way, Stella received a top placing with her entry!