Fluffy Lemon Lime Pie

 

It's that time of the year.

 

The temperatures are rising, summer days are right around the corner, and barbecues, pool time and family get togethers are on the horizon.

I'm always looking for easy recipes that take but a few ingredients, but taste like I spent hours working on them.  

 

I've always been more of a pie girl, than a cake girl.  I'll eat cake, but it's not something I am in love with or need to have in my life.

 

Now pie is a whole different story.  Give me pie every day, and I won't say no.

Some of my favorites, aside from the good ol' Pecan Pie, are the citrus flavored pies.  Lemon Meringue, Key Lime Pie.  YUM!!!

 

I've been making this pie for a long time.  I was, and kind of still am, a Taste of Home cookbook and magazine collector.  I have so many.  I could never part with them.  

 

There was even a time where my husband's grandmother passed away, and my mother in law gave me all her Taste of Home magazines.  A big ol' stack that I have to this day.  I still get so many good ideas from them. 

This pie is originally made with Lime jello, but I use whatever I have on hand, and I love the combination of lemon and lime, so you can't really go wrong there.  

It is one of those recipes that once you learn it, you won't forget it.  It's that easy and you probably already have all the ingredients on hand.  If not, just keep a few in your pantry for when the craving hits, or when last minute visitor arrives for the weekend. 

Fluffy Lemon Lime Pie

 

 

Ingredients

1 Graham Cracker Pie Crust (9 inches)

1/4 cup of boiling water

1 package (0.3 oz) lemon jello (you can use lime too)

2 cartons (6 oz) key lime yogurt (I used one key lime and one plain)

1 carton (8 oz) cool whip 

Instructions

In a bowl, add boiling water to the jello, and stir for about 2 minutes until completely dissolved.  Add the yogurt and mix well, then fold in the whipped topping, until everything is combined.

Pour into the graham cracker crust and refrigerate, covered for 2 hours, or overnight. 

 

 

Blueberry and Lemon Loaf

I grew up in South Africa, so when we refer to a loaf it is usually a bread loaf.  

 

When I got married and moved to the USA, I was so confused when people would refer to sweet cakes as loaves or bread, like Banana Bread and so forth.  It took me a while to realize that just because it is called loaf, it doesn't necessarily mean a bread.

 

Over the years, as I got more used to the term, I started making all kinds.  Chocolate chip and Pumpkin, Zucchini and Lemon and so on.

 

This one is by far one of our favorites, especially my husband, who loves anything Lemon.

 

The recipe comes from The Mennonite Girls Can Cook, a blog I have followed since 2008.  Unfortunately they stopped sharing new recipes in 2018, but the blog has an amazing archive of over 3000 recipes.  Be sure to go check them out.  

 

It is a delicious, soft, fluffy loaf that goes perfectly with a cup of coffee or tea. 

 

I did adapt the recipe slightly, but only by adding some lemon juice which it did not call for.  The reason is simple, the recipe only calls for lemon zest, but we love lemon and I felt that just the zest wouldn't be enough.  

 

It turned out just perfect.  And how beautiful is it?  

 

Like they say, we eat with our eyes too, and at least for me, if it doesn't look appealing, I am not that eager to try it.  This one however, you won't be able to resist.

 

 

Blueberry and Lemon Loaf

 

 

Ingredients

2 cups flour 

3/4 cup sugar 

3 tsp baking powder 

1/4 tsp salt 

rind (grated) from one large lemon 

2 eggs 1 cup sour cream 

1/4 cups oil 

1 tsp vanilla 

2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen) 

Optional:  lemon juice (I just squeezed in about 2 tablespoons of juice)

 

 

Instructions 

Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease or line with parchment paper, one 5x9 inch loaf pan. 

 

Mix dry ingredients along with rind. In separate small bowl, mix wet ingredients and add to dry along with blueberries. Stir until just combined and spread into loaf pan. 

 

Bake for 60 - 70 minutes, until cake tests done with pick. Leave in pan for 10 minutes before removing. 

 

If desired, drizzle with a mix of 3/4 cup icing (confectioners) sugar and juice of about 1/2 lemon.

Lemon Zucchini Cookies

Lemon Zucchini Cookies are the perfect summer cookie. They are not only delicious but also a great way to use up the zucchini in your fridge.

Lemon Zucchini Cookies

I will start by saying that I am not a cookie fan.  My husband loves cookies, my daughter loves cookies, my son is so so, but me?  Could live without them, just don't much care for cookies.

But, with that said, I will tell you that these are some of the best cookies I have ever eaten in my life.  No joke!!!

I'm not just saying it because I want you to make them for yourself, I'm saying it because it's what I feel.

When I first came across this recipe, I was looking for something to make using the zucchini I had in the fridge, that was starting to go bad.  I saw these cookies and thought they sounded interesting, though wasn't quite sure if the combination of lemon and zucchini was something I would enjoy or my cookie loving family would.

Goodness, I wish I had found them earlier.  They are phenomenal!

I doubled the recipe so that I could share with family.

Other cookie recipes you may enjoy

Iced Pumpkin Cookies
Cherry Pie Cookies
Walnut Crescent Cookies
Cocoa, Peanut butter and Nutella cookies
Chocolate Crinkles
Biscoitos ( Portuguese Cookies)

Lemon Zucchini Cookies

Source:  Taste of Home

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 cup finely shredded zucchini
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

LEMON GLAZE:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice



In a large bowl, cream butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, zucchini and lemon zest. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in raisins and walnuts.

Drop by tablespoonfuls 3 in. apart onto lightly greased baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.

For glaze, combine confectioners' sugar and enough lemon juice to reach a thin spreading consistency. Spread or drizzle over cooled cookies.

Lemon Chicken

My 15 year old gets easily bored with food, and for some reason he has an issue with chicken.  It's not that he doesn't like chicken, it's just that he finds it boring at times, so I'm always looking for new ways to prepare it.

This is a super easy and simple way to make chicken in your cast iron skillet.

It is chock full of flavor, and perfect with a salad, rice, mash or buttery garlic noodles which is what I served with it last night.

If you're interested in how I make the noodles, I just cook them al dente, and feel free to use whatever noodles your family prefers, I use the same method whether I'm making spaghetti, fettucine, rigatoni or penne.

Once the noodles are cooked, drain them and then add a tablespoon or two of butter, little drizzle of olive oil, chopped garlic (you can use powder if you don't have fresh on hand) and a sprinkle of parsley.  That's it!!!

Now onto the chicken....

Lemon Chicken

1 pound chicken breasts
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon chopped garlic

Place the chicken breasts in a ziploc bag, add the remaining ingredients and shake well.  Let rest in the fridge for an hour or overnight.

Heat a cast iron skillet and when it starts smoking a little, add the chicken breasts.  Discard the marinade.

Cook for about 5 minutes on each side until nice and brown.  Transfer to the oven, and bake at 400 for about 20 minutes or until chicken is done.

To serve, sprinkle with fresh parsley and some sliced lemon.

Serve with rice, mashed potatoes or pasta. 

Lemon Meringue Pies.....Yes PIES!

My lemon tree is filled to the brim with delicious, huge, juicy lemons which means I get to give most of them away and still have more than I can handle.

I've gotten really good at making use of them, lemon meringue pie, lemon bars, lemonade, lemon cordial and whatever else lemon you can think of.

I had a bunch of lemons fall to the ground today and I didn't want them to go to waste, so I got in the kitchen and whipped up two Lemon Meringue Pies.

Two different recipes, both DELICIOUS!

GRANDMA'S LEMON MERINGUE PIE
Credit: Allrecipes

Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 lemons, juiced and zested
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 egg yolks, beaten
• 1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked
• 4 egg whites
• 6 tablespoons white sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. To Make Lemon Filling: In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1 cup sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in water, lemon juice and lemon zest. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in butter. Place egg yolks in a small bowl and gradually whisk in 1/2 cup of hot sugar mixture. Whisk egg yolk mixture back into remaining sugar mixture. Bring to a boil and continue to cook while stirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat. Pour filling into baked pastry shell.
3. To Make Meringue: In a large glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until foamy. Add sugar gradually, and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue over pie, sealing the edges at the crust.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until meringue is golden brown.


NOTE: I substituted milk for the water which gave it a more creamy consistency. Also, next time I'm going to add in more egg whites to make an even bigger meringue.

LEMON MERINGUE PIE
Adapted from: Paula Deen

Ingredients

* 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
* 1/2 cup lemon juice
* 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
* 3 egg yolks
* 1 (8-inch) prebaked pie shell or crumb crust

Meringue:

* 3 egg whites
* 1/4 teaspoon cream or tartar
* 1/4 cup sugar

NOTE: I didn't follow her directions for the meringue, I used the same recipe as the other recipe above.

Directions

In medium bowl, combine milk, lemon juice, and zest; blend in egg yolks. Pour into cooled crust.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks from. Gradually beat in the sugar until stiff. Spread over filling; seal to edge of crust. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until meringue is golden brown.