Lovely Lemon Meringue Pie

Growing up I had a neighbor who lived across the street named Eleanor Platt. She was from the midwest and had a overflowing lemon tree in her backyard. She taught me how to make real pies from scratch. Her pie crust was perfectly flaky and tasty! Although I must admit I just buy pre-made crust now but I concentrate on making the fillings fabulous!

Lovely Lemon Meringue Pie

Ingredients
Lemon Filling:

* 4 egg yolks (reserve whites for meringue)
* 1/3 cup cornstarch
* 1 1/2 cups water
* 1 cup sugar (add more if you like it really sweet)
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 1/2 cup fresh squeezed Meyers lemon juice
* 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
* 1 (9-inch) par-baked pie shell (I like Mrs Smith)
Meringue Topping (see below)

Directions
Preheat oven to 400º F.

Bake pie shell for half the time the instructions suggest and set aside. Whisk egg yolks in medium size mixing bowl and set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine cornstarch, sugar, and salt. Place saucepan on medium heat and add water, lemon juice, and zest. Whisk until well combined and stir constantly bringing mixture to a boil. Boil for a couple minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and gradually add hot mixture to egg yolks and stir until you have added at least half of the mixture.

Return egg mixture to saucepan and butter, turn heat down to medium and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 more minute. Pour mixture into par-baked pie shell and top with meringue while filling is still hot. Make sure meringue completely covers filling and that it goes right up to the edge of the crust. Bake on cookie sheet for 10 to 12 minutes or until meringue is golden. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Make sure pie is cool and set completely before slicing.

Meringue Topping:
* 4 egg whites
* 1 pinch salt
* 1/2 cup sugar

Place egg whites and salt in bowl and beat with mixer until peaks form. Gradually add sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Use to top lemon filling.

Make one 9" pie

Notes:
Make sure to not get a speck of yolk in your egg whites before beating or it will not rise.

I prefer Meyers lemons for flavor. They taste like a cross between a citrus lemon and a sweet mandarin orange. If you can't get Meyers lemons substitute a little orange juice

You can add up to 1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar to the Lemon filling if you prefer your pies really sweet.

Roll lemon across counter before juicing to extract maximum juices.

Use Baker's sugar for a smoother filling

Sprinkle sliced almonds on top of meringue prior to baking for an extra crunch.

Bacon & Queso Quiche

  Ingredients:

• One 9-inch pie crust
• 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
• 4 eggs, well beaten
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup half & half 1/4 cup green onions, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon all-purpose unbleached flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• Black and red pepper to taste

Crumble bacon into the bottom of prepared pie crust. Sprinkle cheeses on top of bacon. Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour over bacon and cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.
Serves: 6

Note: For our vegetarian friends substitute 1/2 cup of fresh or frozen spinach and 5-6 mushrooms browned with butter.

Chocolate Fondue

You will need:
12 oz pkg Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
1/2 cp Half n' Half
3 tbls Kahlua

Mix all ingredients and heat over double boiler. Simple & Sweet!

Fondue Set
To keep fondue at the perfect temperature, add your own tea light to the candle burner of this elegant set. Included are a 24-ounce ceramic pot, and metal stand, 61/2H" overall and four metal forks, 9"L. Pot, 3"D x 5 1/4" diameter overall.

Baja Citrus Marinade

The beer based citrus marinade works well with Beef, Pork and Lamb.

INGREDIENTS
2 - 12 oz. Mexican Beers
1/3 cp fresh Orange Juice
1 tsp grated Orange Zest
2 tbls Red Wine Vinegar
2 tbls Soy Sauce
1/4 cp Canola Oil
1/2 cp Minced Onion
2 tbls Minced Garlic
2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Cayenne Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Mix all ingredients together in a blender, pureeing until onions and garlic are liquified. Reserve one cup for basting, and use remainder as a marinade for beef, pork or lamb. Use a shoulder or leg cut. Marinate meat for at least two hours for best flavor.

Darlene's Tips;
If you like it sweet add 1/2 cup brown sugar or honey.

To make it spicy add 2 chopped chipotle peppers OR 2 chopped red chili peppers.

Ensalada de Nochebuena (Mexican Christmas Salad)

Traditionally served on Christmas Eve with tamales, beans, & rice.



Ingredients:
2 medium-sized Limes
1 cup of Mayonnaise
3 tablespoons of Sugar
2 tablespoons of Milk
1 small head of Iceberg or Romaine lettuce, thinly sliced
1 medium sized Pineapple, sliced or 1 (20 oz.) can sliced Pineapple, drained
3 medium-sized Oranges, peeled & thinly sliced
3 small Bananas, peeled & sliced
2 small Red Delicious apples, cored & cut into thin wedges
¼ pound Jicama or additional Red Apple
1 16 ounce can of sliced Beets, drained
¼ cup Pomegranate seeds
½ cup of Peanuts

Prepare dressing: Grate 1 tablespoon peel and squeeze ¼ cup juice from limes. In small bowl, mix lime juice, 2 teaspoons lime peel, mayonnaise, sugar and milk. Sprinkle remaining peel on top of dressing. Place bowl with dressing on large platter. Line platter with sliced lettuce. On lettuce, arrange in separate piles of pineapple, oranges, bananas, apples and beets. Sprinkle peanuts over fruit. Serve salad with dressing.

Turkey Mole w/ Sweet Potatoes

This Turkey Mole recipe has just the right mixture of sweet and spicy and is easy to make with your turkey leftovers. You can make the mole from scratch but why would you? On the day after Thanksgiving haven't you cooked enough?!

INGREDIENTS
4 turkey thighs, skinned
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1 onion, diced
1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 box (about 17 ounces) mole cooking sauce or 1/4 cup mole paste dissolved in 2 cups water
1 cup salsa, any heat level
1 cup water
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

DIRECTIONS
Season the turkey with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the turkey on both sides. Remove to a plate. Add the onion and cook until it loses its raw look. Add the sweet potatoes and continue to cook until the onion and potatoes begin to brown. Add the mole, salsa, and water and heat to boiling. Reduce the heat so that the liquid simmers. Return the turkey to the pan, along with the juices that have collected on the plate. Cover and simmer until the turkey and potatoes are cooked through, about 45 minutes. Stir in the cilantro before serving.
Makes 4 servings

Steak and Mango Salad

Now here's a super tasty salad that will please a man and a woman and will satisfy those pretending to be on a diet! Recipe courtesy of Our Best Bites.


Ingredients
1 lb flank steak
1 head romaine or red leaf lettuce
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 mangoes, sliced
1 or 2 avocados, sliced
1/2 cp chopped cilantro
1/2 cp carmelized macadamia nuts

Dressing & Marinade
1/2 cp fresh squeezed orange juice
6 tsp fresh lime juice
6 tsp soy sauce
1/2 cp brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 cp olive oil
1/2 cp canola oil

Directions:
In a bowl, whisk together the orange juice, lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, and garlic. Whisk until sugar is dissolved. Continue whisking while slowly drizzling in the oils until combined. Reserve about 3/4 C* and place the rest of the mixture in a zip-lock bag.

Lightly score the flank steak in a diagonal pattern on both sides. Place steak in the zip-lock bag with marinade and leave in fridge for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.

Remove steak from fridge about 30 minutes prior to cooking and leave at room temperature. You'll want to let the dressing portion to sit at room temp during this time as well. Heat outdoor grill to med-high heat. If an outdoor grill is not available, use the broiler, or an indoor grill pan. Remove steak from bag and let any excess marinade drip off. Sprinkle steak lightly with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5-8 minutes on each side or until done. In order to stay tender, flank steak should still be pink in the middle, but nicely seared on the outside. When done, remove from grill and wait at least 5 minutes before cutting to let the juices redistribute. Then slice into thin slices.

Now comes the assembly. Divide lettuce onto plates and top with slices of mango, avocado, and red onion. I purposely chose these toppings not only for the perfect blend of flavors and textures, but for the gorgeous color combination- we eat with our eyes first!

Add steak slices and drizzle with dressing. Sprinkle macadamia nuts and cilantro on top.

Makes 4-6 large dinner salads or 6-8 smaller side salads

Darlene's Tips:
Let steak sit for 5 minutes after cooking with out slicing so juices settle in.

Substitute macadamia nuts with pecans, walnuts or almonds

Carmelize nuts with a mixture of brown sugar and butter heated on stove-top until liquified.

Add or substitute chicken or prawns


¡Buen Provecho!