sweet springtime & an "heirloom recipe"

i love fruity desserts! i would much rather have something light and fruity over rich chocolate any day. (my mom is shaking her head and wondering if i am really her daughter right now!) don't get me wrong... i really haven't met a dessert i didn't like, including the rich chocolate ones, but with spring right around the corner (this saturday!) its time to lighten up! what we have here is an old-school southern key lime pie recipe. warning... you may want to double your recipe as you may end up eating the filling before it goes in your pie shell!

this is one of those recipes your grandma tells you, maybe you wrote it down but once you make it a couple of times, you remember by heart. i call this an "heirloom recipe"... look for more of these from me!

you need:
can of eagle brand milk
1/2 cup of key lime juice (you can also use lemon or regular lime - and i used the kind in the plastic lime)
1 raw egg (don't be scared... the acidity of the lime juice "cooks" it)
zest of half a lime, save the lime to use the rest of the zest for topping
deep-dish graham cracker crust
whipped cream

with an electric mixer on medium speed beat together the first four ingredients for one minute incorporating as much air as you can into the filling while doing so. pour filling into pie shell and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, more if you can wait that long. top with a generous amount of whipped cream and the rest of the zest from the lime. for easier slicing you can put the pie in the freezer for about 30 minutes... the pie is delicious served straight from the freezer for a frozen treat!

it doesn't get much easier than that! a perfect party treat is to line a twelve cup cupcake pan with cupcake liners (cheap ones... you will be throwing them away) and place two vanilla wafer cookies in the bottom of each liner. spoon the filling over the cookies and refrigerate overnight. the next morning top with cool whip and lime zest, and pop them in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. about fifteen minutes before serving, take out of freezer and remove cupcake liners for the cutest (and tastiest!) mini key lime pie you'll ever eat! recipe makes one pie or twelve mini pies.

once every other month

seems to be my blog posting pattern. and its the same old excuse. time is not on my side. love, however, seems to be. i got engaged to my boyfriend of eight years on december 27. the proposal was very romantic and everything i have always dreamed of. its amazing how you feel when your partner makes that promise to you. i always knew richard and i would spend our lives together, but having proof on my left ring finger really puts things in perspective. i feel a little stronger knowing that its a reality to have this person to lean on, to grow with, and to love for the rest of both our lives. i can't wait to make the ultimate promise to each other before God.

with a little help from mom, i am also planning my entire wedding by myself. it is my dream to become a highly sought-after event planner, plus being the crazy control-freak that i am, i'm ecstatic to be able to do what i want. on a very small, practically non-existent, recession budget of course! i would love to share my economical yet fabulous wedding ideas and inspirations with the world. maybe i can turn this blog into mandy's candy & fabulous weddings. ha!

i am not the only bride-to-be around either! a very dear friend of mine will tie her own knot this may! all of the girls are super excited to be planning and throwing parties for her. its such a fun time and i can't wait to share in j & c's beautiful spring wedding very soon!

on a side note, another justified excuse for my blogging slackness is my start of another blog, one for the restaurant i work at, Catherine's. after moving home this summer i was super lucky and got my old job back! its a great place to work and i missed it when i was in greenville. so glad to be back. the blog is under construction, but please check it out by following this link.

http://catherines1770.blogspot.com/

on a crafting note, i got lots of scrapbooking/card making stuff for christmas. i have done a little scrapbooking in the past but never really got into making cards or anything like that. its so much fun! and super-special to give someone something that comes straight from your heart. i have made victoria an adorable shower card with adyson's name on it, and also a collection of recipes & memories for my bestest friend ever, aislinn, after her great-grandmother passed away recently. do i run the risk of sounding selfish when i say that those kind of gifts are the best in the world to give? sometimes a small labor of love speaks volumes to the ones dear in our hearts.

on a baking note (something i will always find time for), some goodies i have been experimenting with are more flavors of marshmallows (which have been hit-&-miss... lemon wasn't great) and these cake pops from bakerella.

the recipe is a variation of a cake ball recipe, found here.

i had made cake balls before and they were great, but i made them too big. they sort of looked like snowballs. this time i got lollipops sticks from michaels and made devils food cake balls dipped in chocolate for valentine's day. they were fabulous.

although my track record states that i won't be back with a post until april, i hope that isn't the case. until then...

whew!

Between work, finishing up my first semester back in school, and the usual hustle and bustle of the holiday season I am almost ready for my Christmas nap! Of course I have been making and baking like crazy. Recession Christmas this year means most of the people I love will be getting baked goods. I have even had a few orders from people this season! So exciting! If anyone is interested in purchasing any of my delicious confections please let me know. I will be baking right up until Christmas Eve. My goodies make a sweet gift for a special person or will brighten up your holiday table!

Just a few of the scrumptious delights going out...

Dark or Milk Chocolate Fudge
Peppermint Fudge
Peanut Butter Fudge

Marshmallows from scratch... A variety of flavors including peppermint, apple cider, and traditional vanilla. Enjoy plain or dipped in a variety of chocolate gnache or candy coatings.

Homemade S'mores... Variety of flavors and variety of coatings.

Homemade Cookies and Cookie Bars... A variety of flavors including orange white chocolate, old-fashioned pecan lace cookies, and the best chocolate chip cookies EVER.

Homemade Cakes & Pies... Variety of flavors including my special Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cake with Chocolate Gnache.

All goodies are made from scratch with premium ingredients. Contact me for pricing or special orders.