My! My! My! My Key Lime Pie!

My, my, my, my key lime pie!

Today is my first time to participate in Foodie Friday, hosted by Michael, of Designs by Gollum.

Follow the link to find delicious dishes, from all around blogland.
Here at Plates and Places, I am offering up a big helping of key lime pie.

So... "Pucker up, sweet thang!"

Doesn't everyone love a Key Lime Pie? It immediately carries me to a tropical place. Kenny Chesney sings about it. It's my favorite dessert, next to my moms almond cream cheese cake (and that life changing strawberry cake from Ashley Macs).

When my husband and I lived in Sarasota, Florida, we would drive up to Big Daddy’s grandparents house, about half an hour north. Grandpa took such pride in the fruit trees that were plentiful in his yard. The trees weighed heavily with fruit. There was nothing better than going out into their yard (when you were hungry and wanted a snack) and picking fresh lemons, limes, grapefruits, and tangelos off of the fruit trees. I would drive home with a bushel and then make myself a big glass of limeade or lemonade. Nothing ever tasted as fresh and good. Below is a great recipe for any fresh limes you might have lying in bushels in your kitchen.

MY! MY! My! Key Lime Pie

Pie:
1 graham cracker crust (crust directions below)

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 scant tsp grated lime zest (green part only)

5 oz cream cheese
Whipped cream

Wash and zest the limes. Squeeze limes to yield 3 oz of juice. Whip cream cheese, condensed milk and grated lime zest until smooth, scraping sides of the bowl all along. Add the lime juice and blend until combined. Pour into prepared crust and chill until set. Top with freshly whipped cream.

Crust:
Mix 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs with 1 ½ C ground almonds, 3 Tbsp sugar and enough melted butter to bind. Firmly press into a 9 inch pie plate with the back of a spoon. Freeze shell while making filling.

Reuben Casserole with Cornbread

It's Foodie Friday!Our hostess is Gollum . It's a St Patrick's Day Edition of Foodie Friday.

It's St. Patty's Day...time for some Irish grub! How about this one dish meal? For my husband, Big Daddy (of Italian/Irish decent) , who loves a good Reuben, here is an Irish nod to you. Enjoy!

Reuben Casserole with Cornbread
Ingredients
FILLING
2 (10 oz.) cans sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/3 cup Thousand Island dressing
1 (2 1/4 oz.) can sliced ripe olives, drained
6 ounces corned beef slices, shredded
1 1/2 cups (6 oz.) shredded Swiss cheese

CRUST
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup milk
3 tablespoons Crisco® Pure Vegetable Oil
1 cup Martha White® Self-Rising White Corn Meal Mix
1/3 cup Martha White® Self-Rising Flour
1 tablespoon sugar

MUSTARD SAUCE
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup mustard
1 teaspoon finely chopped onion


Preparation Directions
1. HEAT oven to 425ºF. Layer sauerkraut, tomato slices, salad dressing, olives and corned beef in ungreased 10 1/2-inch ovenproof skillet. Top with cheese. Set aside.
2. BEAT egg in medium bowl. Add buttermilk, milk and oil; mix well. Add all remaining crust ingredients; stir until smooth. Pour over filling in skillet.
3. BAKE 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. Combine all mustard sauce ingredients; stir to blend. Serve casserole with mustard sauce.

Prep Time: 25 min
Cooking Time: 35 min
Serving size: 6-8 servings

Thanks for stopping by!

Vegetable Pizza

Vegetable Pizza

1 pkg. Pillsbury all-ready pizza crust
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese (I use light)
1 c. Best Food mayonnaise ( I hate mayo, so I leave this out and add more sourcream)
2/3 c. cultured sour cream
1/2 to 1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
1 tsp. dill weed
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
Fresh veggies chopped (I use broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, onions, mushrooms) (suit yourself)
1 sm. can ripe olives, sliced
Grated sharp cheese
Parmesan cheese

Flatten pizza crust in a large pizza pan or cookie sheet. Bake according to package directions. Mix well the cream cheese, mayonnaise, cultured sour cream, ranch dressing mix, dill weed, onion and garlic powder. Spread on cooled crust.
Sprinkle chopped veggies on next; press down. Add chopped olives. Sprinkle on grated cheese and top with Parmesan cheese. Refrigerate until ready to serve. This is so good.....you will want to eat the entire pizza. It makes a great appetizer...or a little something differnt for a meal. Serve with a light soup-perfect!

Fox Valley's Homemade Strawberry Shortcake

In Helena, there is a fancy restaurant that resides in an old service station of all places. It is a place where one does not take their children. It is the place of many celebrations and occasions. It is also noted as being a favorite of the 2006 American Idol winner, Taylor Hicks (who happens to have played basketball with my brother in community league just a few short years ago). Below is a recipe for their famous Strawberry Shortcake, which happens to be just one of my favorite desserts on my short list of favorite desserts. That says alot.

Yum!

FOX VALLEY'S STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE (Serves 8)

SHORTCAKE: 2¾ cups flour; 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar; 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 stick (4 oz.) cold unsalted butter; 1 cup heavy cream
STRAWBERRY FILLING: 1 quart ripe strawberries; ½ cup granulated sugar; 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
WHIPPED CREAM: 1½ cups heavy cream whipped with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar; ¼ teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into bowl of an electric mixer. Cut butter into pieces and toss with flour mixture. Using paddle attachment, mix on low speed for 3 to 4 minutes or until mixture resembles fine meal. Pour in cream and mix until the mixture just comes together. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead gently 4 to 5 times to form a smooth ball. Roll dough out to a 1-inch thickness. Cut out rounds of dough with a 2½-inch biscuit cutter, gather up scraps and roll out again to cut the rest of the rounds, repeat once more if necessary to get 8 rounds. Place on un-greased, double-thick cookie sheet and chill until ready to bake, up to 4 hours. Core and slice strawberries into wedges, toss with sugar and balsamic vinegar. Chill for 20 minutes. Brush tops of shortcakes with cream; sprinkle with a little granulated sugar; bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. While still warm, split shortcakes, spoon strawberries and accumulated juices on bottom half, add a large dollop of whipped cream, top with top of shortcake and spoon any remaining strawberries and juice around the side.

Be happy. You can't help but have a smile while eating this dish.

Enjoy!