Frozen Key Limey Pie

Hey everyone!!

This time of year is always crazy for me. From the beginning of January to May there is a birthday just about every week with Valentines Day, Mothers Day, and a couple other holidays sprinkled in. (We are about to add another birthday to the list because my nephew is due this May!!)

Here's the thing....cakes get real boring. 

Enter, the key lime pie. 

Today....my love turns 24. 

Even though 24 is not old, when you've been with someone since they were 17 it definitely feels old, so tonight we are going to stuff our faces with key lime pie.

This is not your old fashioned key lime pie. 

A lot of traditional recipes use eggs but as you know I'm not big on eggs so this was a great alternative to the norm. 

Plus, there is absolutely no baking involved AT ALL, so it is super easy!!!

To make this recipe as easy as possible, you can buy a pre-made graham cracker crust but I wouldn't even bother because making your own is easy enough!

Ingredients: 

1-1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup of melted butter 

1 (14 oz.) can of sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon of lime zest

1/2 cup of key lime juice 

2 cups whipping cream 

In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Drizzle in the melted butter and mix with a fork, making sure to break up any clumps. 

Press evenly into the bottom and onto the sides of a 9 inch pie pan. 

Cover and chill for about an hour or until it hardens. 

In a medium size bowl combine sweetened condensed milk, lime zest, and key lime juice. Mix until completely combined. 

Now, your going to make whipped cream. 

There are three things you have to consider when making whipped cream; time, speed, and temperature. 

To get your whipped cream to form "stiff peaks" you need to make sure your cream stays cold while mixing. An easy way to accomplish this is to get a metal mixing bowl really cold. Stick the bowl in the freezer for about 10 minutes before making the whipped cream. 

Pour 1 cup of whipping cream into your chilled bowl and use an electric mixer on medium speed to whip the cream. Keep mixing until it becomes thick, which may take some time...so stay patient and keep mixing. 

Fold your whipped cream into your lime and condensed milk mixture. 

Spread evenly into your pie crust, cover, and put in the freezer for 2-4 hours.

Once ready to serve, use the remaining 1 cup of cream to make the rest of the whipped cream for the top.

Garnish with slivered almonds and a slice of fresh lime. 

Ham And Bean Soup Over Rice

Don't know what to do with that leftover holiday ham every year and tired of making countless sandwiches to get rid of it?

This stew is a family favorite of mine, and I look forward to it every year after the hustle and bustle of Christmas has ended. 

For the most part you will follow the recipe for Hurst's Hambeens 15 Bean Soup with just a couple of changes. 

We always use the leftover ham from Christmas but I think it would taste really good with smoked sausage as well!!

Ingredients:  

20 oz. bag of 15 Bean Soup

1 cup of onion, diced

1/2 cup of carrots, diced

1 (14.5 oz.) can of petite diced tomatoes

1 teaspoon of chili powder

Juice of 1 lemon

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 (14 oz.) can of chicken broth

1 packet of Sazon Goya Con Culantro Y Achiote seasoning

1 lb. of ham, ham hocks, or smoked sausage

First things first, go out and buy yourself a bag of Hurst's HamBeens 15 Bean Soup. It comes with a packet of seasoning inside, which you will use in addition to some other seasonings.

Pic From Hurst's HamBeens

It's important that you set enough time aside to soak these beans before you try making this recipe. The water will hydrate them and make it so that they don't take FOREVER to cook. 

They will need to soak in a large bowl and be covered completely with water overnight or for at least 8 hours. 

Once they are thoroughly soaked, drain and rinse them off. 

Make sure you remove the seasoning packet before you dump the beans in
 the water!!

Place the diced onion and carrots in a large pot. The carrots are not in the original recipe but they make a great addition. 

To the pot, add the beans and the meat.

I added some big slices of ham, but they will break down while cooking. 

Pour in 1 (14 oz.) can of chicken broth and 6 cups of water. 

The chicken broth also isn't in the original recipe but it just adds more flavor!!

Bring the beans to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer covered for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. 

After simmering, add 1 (14.5 oz) can of petite diced tomatoes, chili powder, lemon juice, and garlic to the pot.

Simmer, covered for another 30 minutes.

Finally, add the packet of seasoning provided with the beans, as well as the Sazon Goya seasoning packet. The Sazon Goya seasoning is amazing and should be added to everything possible, so therefore....I added it. It gives so much flavor!!

Taste your soup and season with salt and pepper if needed. 

On the bag of beans they call this recipe a "soup" but to be honest, I struggled with what to call this recipe because it tastes the best, in my opinion, over rice....and then it really doesn't look like soup anymore. So if your looking for something really hearty you can make it like I do and pour it over rice or you can leave it more like a "soup".  

Stir it all up, and chow down!!