Lemon Meringue Ice Cream Pie

Lemon Curd

2 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

6 Tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

6 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tsp. finely grated lemon peel

pinch of salt

Crust

1 1/2 cups finely chopped pecans

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

3 cups vanilla ice cream, slightly softened, divided

Meringue

4 large egg whites, room temperature

pinch of cream of tartar

6 Tablespoons sugar

For Lemon curd:  Whisk eggs and egg yolks in medium bowl.  Melt butter in medium metal bowl set over large saucepan of simmering water.  Whisk in sugar, lemon juice, lemon peel, and salt; gradually whisk in egg mixture.  Whisk until thick and thermometer inserted into curd registers 178-180 degrees; about 8 minutes.  Transfer to small bowl.  Press plastic wrap on top of curd, chill 4 hours (Do Ahead:  Can be made 2 days ahead.  Keep chilled)

For Crust:  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix pecans, sugar, and butter in medium bowl until moistened.  Press pecan mixture onto bottom and up sides of 9 inch diameter glass pie dish (mixture will be crumbly).  Bake until crust is lightly toasted, about 12 minutes  (crust will slip down sides of dish as it cooks).  Use back of spoon to press crust back into place.  Cool on crust on rack.  Freeze crust 30 minutes.

Dollop 1 1/2 cups ice cream over crust; spread into even layer.  Spread lemon curd over ice cream; freeze until firm, about 2 hours.  Dollop 1 1/2 cups softened ice cream over lemon curd, spread into even layer.  Cover and freeze until firm, about 2 hours

For Meringue:  Using electric mixer, beat egg whites in medium bowl until frothy.  Beat in cream of tartar.  With mixture running gradually add sugar.  Beat until stiff peaks form.  Spoon meringue over pie, spreading to seal at edges and swirling decoratively.

You can freeze it again at this point if you want or you can cook the meringue and serve.  To toast the meringue you can either use a kitchen butane torch, toasting meringue until golden in spots or place pie in a preheated 500 degree oven until meringue is golden in spots, watching to prevent burning, about 5 minutes.  Cut pie into wedges, serve immediately.

Recipe from Tracy Best.  It was her mother, Marilyn's.

No Knead Bread

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting

1/4 tsp instant yeast

1 1/4 tsp salt

cornmeal or wheat bran as needed

1.  In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt.  Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap.  Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (12 oz)

In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugars until well blended. Beat in eggs and vanilla until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

In another bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir or beat into butter mixture until well incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop dough in 2-tablespoon portions, 2 inches apart, onto buttered 12- by 15-inch baking sheets.

Bake in a 400° oven until cookies are lightly browned and no longer wet in the center (break one open to check), 6 to 8 minutes; if baking more than one pan at a time, switch pan positions halfway through baking.

Let stand on pan to firm up, 2 to 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely.

Adapted from Sunset.com

Chicken and Broccoli

6 chicken breasts

1 large pkg. cut up, frozen broccoli

Sauce:

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium can slice mushrooms

1/2 cup butter

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

3/4 cup evaporated milk

1/2 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, cubed

1/4 tsp. tabasco sauce

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Boil chicken in salted water until done.  Debone and break into pieces.  Cook broccoli as directed only not as long.  Place layer of broccoli in a 9x13 casserole.  Cover with chicken.  Saute onion and mushrooms in butter.  Add remaining ingredients.  Pour cheese sauce over chicken.  Bake at 350º until bubbly, about 45 minutes.

Chicken Teriyaki

1 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup water

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 - 2 tsp. fresh minced ginger or 1/4 tsp. ground ginger

Chicken thighs

Mix all ingredients (except chicken) in bowl. Dip chicken in sauce and marinate as long as possible.

Bake 1 hour (in sauce) at 350º, basting often.

BBQ Pork Chops

1 cup ketchup

1/2 cup tomato juice

1/4 cup vinegar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. dry mustard

1 tsp. paprika

2 onions

Slice onions over pork chops in casserole.  Mix remaining ingredients and pour over pork chops.

Bake, covered, 1 1/2 hours at 400º.

Clean Your Plate Casserole

8 oz pkg fine egg noodles

1 lb. ground beef

16 oz. can stewed tomatoes

8 oz. can tomato sauce

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. Knorr Swiss Aromat Seasoning for Meat

2 tsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1 cup sour cream

3/4 cup green onions, chopped

3 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Cook noodles (slightly undercooked) and set aside.  Brown ground beef and add next 7 ingredients.  In a small bowl, mix sour cream, onions, and cream cheese until smooth. Combine with beef mixture and mix well.  In a abuttered baking dish, put nooddles on bottom, meat/cream cheese mixture next and top with grated cheese.

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 350º until hot and cheese is melted.

Shared by Ashley Parker