So, what about keeping in touch with our friends? If someone is not in our everyday life, it's hard to keep in touch with them. I don't have the answer to this dilemma. Facebook is great, but it's not the same as having lunch together, or meeting for drinks once in a while. And what about those dear friends that move away. Given our everyday demands, and the high cost of maintaining a household, not many of us have the time or the money to travel long distances to visit each other, especially when we have family far away that we must also keep in touch with. Thank God I recently had the chance to attend my dear friend Jessica's wedding in Oregon. The trip was sublime, the wedding was so full of love, Jessica was beautiful and so happy!
Taking turns hosting regular get-togethers is a good idea, although it still requires preparation, time and money (and may still be difficult to include our dear friends who live out of town). A couple months ago, we had pie day at my house. Everybody loves pie! Alexx's key lime pie was king, so delicious! And we did get to see some long time friends that we don't often get to talk to! Here is the original Key Lime Pie recipe from a kitchen magnet:
KEY LIME PIE
Blend 3 egg yolks & 1 can sweetened condensed milk. Slowly add 1/2 cup lime juice. Pour into prepared pie shell. Beat egg whites until stiff. Add 4 T. sugar, 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar, & 1/2 t. vanilla. Bake at 375 degrees until brown. Serve chilled.
Alexx opted for the whipped cream topping instead of the meringue, so he cooked the pie without the topping, then spread the cool whip over the top later. Very yummy.
Jennifer's chocolate silk and peach raspberry pies were also amazing!
I decided to try a recipe out of Essence Magazine, Butternut Cheesecake (from Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa in Miami, Florida, Chef Anthony Stewart). This pie was really smooth! If I make it again, I would do the pie crust a little differently because it was kind of chewy, although tasty. I would maybe try a regular graham cracker crust, or just add butter instead of the apple juice to make the corn chip crust little more crispier. Anyways, here is another yummy pie recipe:
BUTTERNUT CHEESECAKE
2 cups corn flakes
1/4 cup frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
1 pound cream cheese*
4 ounces cottage cheese
1 package silken tofu or 1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup egg whites
1/2 cup sugar*
1/2 cup roasted butternut squash, pureed
2 tablespoons vanilla
*(the original recipe says fat-free cream cheese and Splenda)
To roast butternut squash, cut in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds and membranes, and halve again. Place wedges cut sides up in a large baking dish. Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees until tender, about 45 minutes. Peel and puree.
To make crust, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grind corn flakes in a food processor until fine. Combine flakes with apple juice concentrate. Layer in bottom of 8-inch round cake pan and bake for 3 minutes to set crust. Let cool.
To make the filling, mix cream cheese, cottage cheese and tofu in a food processor until smooth. In a large bowl, use a spoon to combine egg whites, sugar, butternut squash and vanilla. Combine egg white and cream cheese mixtures until smooth and pour onto crust. Put cake pan in a larger pan. Add enough boiling hot water to the larger pan to reach halfway up the side of the cake pan. Bake in water bath for 30 minutes, then remove from water bath and let it cool for a little while. Decorate with the kiwi and blackberries!
Now is a great time to make pies! Berries are in season and very affordable right now. Lisa M. recently shared a pie with us that she made out of blackberries she picked herself!!! In Oregon the berry bushes were full of fruit you could just go pick and eat! Wow! And remember, it's not just dessert, it's also a serving of fruit. :-)
