My sweet littles

My sweet littles

Cy and Lila

Lilypie Fifth Birthday tickers Lilypie Third Birthday tickers

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Lemon Meringue Ice-Cream Pie...


The folks at Southern Living put a hefty claim behind this Lemon Meringue Ice-Cream Pie recipe featured on the cover of their August issue- "Best Lemon Pie EVER!". After giving this noteworthy pie a test run, I completely agree! I actually chose to substitute a homemade whipping cream topping that is used by the Glazed Honey Ham Company right here in the Hub City, rather than the meringue because I LOVE their lemon pie. Either way, ladies...this one's a keeper!

Lemon Meringue Ice-Cream Pie

2 pt. vanilla ice cream
Vanilla Wafer Crust
1 1/2 c. Homemade Lemon Curd
16 vanilla wafers
Meringue Topping (or whipping cream topping, like I used.)

Let ice cream stand at room temp 5 minutes or just until soft enough to spread. Spoon 1 pt. ice cream into Vanilla Wafer Crust. Top with 3/4 c. lemon curd; repeat with remaining ice cream & lemon curd. Gently swirl ice cream and curd with a knife or small spatula. Insert vanilla wagers around edge of pie. Cover & freeze 8 hrs.

Spread Meringue Topping over pie. If desired, brown meringue using a kitchen torch, holding torch 1-2" from pie and moving torch back & forth. (If you don't have a torch, preheat broiler with oven rack 8" from heat; broil 30-45 sec or until golden.) Serve immediately or cover loosely with plastic wrap, & freeze 4 hrs. or up to 1 week.


Homemade Lemon Curd
You'll have about 1/2 c. lemon curd left after making the pie. Serve it alongside the pie, drizzle over fresh fruit, or spread on hot biscuits.

2 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter, coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp. lemon zest
1 c. fresh lemon juice (about 6 lemons)
4 large eggs, lightly beaten

Stir together first 4 ingredients in large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, & cook, stirring constantly 3-4 minutes or until sugar dissolves and butter melts.

Whisk about 1/4 of hot sugar mixture gradually into eggs; add egg mixture to remaining hot sugar mixture, whisking constantly. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, 15 minutes or until mixture thickens and coats back of spoon. Remove from heat; cool completely (about 1 hr), stirring occasionally. Store in airtight container in refrigerator up to 2 weeks.


Vanilla Wafer Crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together 2 1/2 c. coarsely crushed vanilla wafers, 1/4 c. powdered sugar, & 1/2 c. melted butter; firmly press on bottom, up sides, and onto lip of lightly greased 9" pie plate. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven, and cool completely (about 1 hr).


Meringue Topping

2 egg whites
1 1/4 c. sugar
1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Pour water to depth of 1 1/2" into 3 1/2 qt. saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and let simmer.

Meanwhile, combine egg whites, next 3 ingredients, and 1/4 c. water in a 2 1/2 qt. glass bowl; beat mixture at high speed with an electric mixer until blended. Place bowl over simmering water, and beat at high speed 5-7 minutes or until soft peaks form; remove from heat. Beat to spreading consistency (about 2-3 min). Use immediately.

Alternate Whipping Cream Topping

1 c. whipping cream
1/3 c. sugar

Chill metal mixing bowl and wire beater. Add 1 c. whipping cream and 1/3 c. sugar in mixing bowl. Cover mixer with a towel and whip on high until peaks are formed. Spread on cooled pie and refrigerate.

Friday, July 22, 2011

8 Months & MoBiLE...



Our precious princess is 8 months old today!!! My, oh my...how the months are flying by! For some reason 8 months sounds so old, as opposed to 7!?! This is actually the exact same title that I used for Cy's 8 month post. Like her brother at the same age, Lila Grace is officially mobile...woohoo! The past few weeks have been really frustrating for her, being oh, so close to crawling, but couldn't quite figure it out. Now, she's on the move & exploring her surroundings! Here are a few more things that our big girl is up to at 8 months old.

~She has said "Momma" a few more times.
~Has become quite the wiggle worm on the changing table
~Wearing Size 3 Diapers...I guess now that she's mobile, our next box will be Cruisers!
~Sporting Size 6-9 month clothes
~Can finally wear her 0-6 months Pedipeds & size 2 shoes...they're pretty roomy.
~Is a big fan of her Laugh & Learn Activity Table. She can stand at it unassisted for several minutes at a time, pushing, banging, turning, twisting, & shaking all the gadgets. She also loves to play peek-a-boo & to drop her toys & watch momma or brother scurry to pick them up...this is great fun!













~LOVES her Sophie Giraffe! She's chewing on something constantly, but no teeth yet.
~Lila is a splasher! Baths are pretty messy, but they sure are fun :)
~Down to 2 naps a day. She's officially dropped her late afternoon cat nap. Both she & Cy are waking earlier these days- around 7 am. So usually ready for her AM nap by 9:00-9:30...lasting about 1 1/2-2 hrs. Her PM nap starts between 12:30 & 1 and she'll sleep about 1 1/2 hrs. Bedtime is between 7 & 8 pm.
~I suspect that our sweet girl may have some texture issues like her Papa. She exhibits pretty dramatic reactions to some foods, namely cereal & applesauce. She's even gagged & thrown up a few times. I'm hoping that this will be something she out grows as her palate adjusts to a wider variety of foods. She's now been properly introduced to all the veggies, fruits, rice cereal & baby oatmeal. We're moving on to the mixes.
~Lila Grace enjoys to blow raspberries while eating which is not much fun for mom on the receiving end.
~LOVES popsicles & flavor-ice! Not surprising since I had a popsicle every day while I was pregnant with her :)

Monday, July 18, 2011

Weekend with Gramps & Mimi and Hannah's 2nd Birthday...

The kids and I enjoyed a fun filled weekend with Gramps & Mimi complete with a 2nd birthday celebration for Miss Hannah Mae. As you can see, every one had a fabulous time. Happy Birthday, Hannah!
























Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Smarty Pants...



I have to take a moment to brag about our smart toddler! Cy Wesley's vocabulary has exploded since his 2nd birthday. He has been spouting out 5 & 6 word sentences on a regular basis, as of late. Cy also knows every letter of the alphabet & can count to 10! He also knows many shapes- circle, oval, square, rectangle, crescent, diamond, triangle, & heart. We've been working on learning colors- he's got blue, green, red, pink, & purple down. He's a big fan of animals & knows them all by name. This boy also LOVES trucks, and can recite every variety under the sun...bulldozer, big rig, dump truck, front loader, tractor (of course), airport fire truck, ambulance, delivery truck, digger, fuel, truck, scraper, car transporter, excavator, fire engine, brush rig, fire chief's truck, tow truck, snow plow, mail truck, garbage truck...the list goes on & on. Needless to say, Travis and I have been so impressed with his sharp little mind which is acquiring more and more knowledge by the day!

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Daddy's Girl...




Thursday, July 7, 2011

Lovebugs...



Friday, July 1, 2011

You Are My Sunshine!













Loves showing off her tongue...