FoodFoodFood - Keylime Pie

Ingredients

1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs

4 tablespoons butter

¼ cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 large egg whites

1/2 cup Key lime juice 

1 teaspoon grated lime rind 

1 (14-ounce) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk

3 egg whites

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ cup sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 325°.

Melt butter. Combine sugar with graham crackers in a food processor and pulse to start breaking them down. Slowly add butter until well blended.

Press crumbs into a 9 inch pie pan.

Bake the crust for 15 minutes, just until it begins to brown. 

While the crust is baking, beat eggs and egg whites at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended. Gradually add juice, rind, and milk to egg mixture, beating until well-blended. Spoon mixture into crust, and bake at 350° for 15 minutes.

Beat the egg whites with cream of tartar, until foamy. Add vanilla. Add sugar a tablespoon at a time until the mixture is shiny and holds fairly stiff peaks. Be careful not to overbeat. 

Cover pie with meringue, making sure the meringue covers the entire filling and makes contact with the crust edges. To make lots of little peaks all over the pie, take a whisk and poke it lightly into the meringue and lift up. Bake at 350°F 12 to 15 minutes or until meringue is light golden brown. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Refrigerate until filling is set, about 3 hours. Store in refrigerator.

FoodFoodFood -Yummy Blueberry Muffins

Cooking Time: 25 min

What You'll Need:

•1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
•1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
•2 eggs
•2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
•2 teaspoons baking powder
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•1/2 cup milk
•1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•1 pint fresh or 1 (12-ounce) package frozen blueberries

Instructions

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 6-cup muffin tin with paper baking cups and coat with cooking spray.

2.In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat 1-1/4 cups sugar and the butter until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add 2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt; beat well. Add milk and vanilla, and beat until thoroughly combined. Mash 1/2 cup of the blueberries and stir into batter.

3.In a medium bowl, toss the remaining blueberries with the remaining flour. Fold into batter and spoon into baking cups, distributing batter evenly. Sprinkle tops with remaining sugar.

4.Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

FoodFoodFood - Easy Cake Pops

This “couldn’t-be-easier" version of trendy cake pops was shared with us by authors, Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, of the “Hello, Cupcake” cookbook series. Try them, and you’ll find that whimsical Fork Pops taste as good as they look!

Makes: 18 cake pops

What You'll Need:

•1 (16-ounce) store-bought frozen pound cake, thawed
•18 plastic forks
•1 (16-ounce) can vanilla frosting
•Assorted food colors
•Assorted candy for decorating

Instructions

1.Place pound cake on work surface. Trim to straighten ends then cut into 9 1-inch-thick slices. Cut two circles from each slice, using a 2-inch round cookie cutter or the rim of a small glass. Repeat with remaining slices to make 18 circles.

2.Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Carefully insert tines of a plastic fork into one side of each cake circle and place them on baking sheet. Freeze 15 minutes.

3.Place frosting in a microwaveable bowl. Microwave, stopping to stir frequently, until it has the texture of lightly whipped cream, about 10 seconds. Remove cake pops from freezer. Dip each pop in melted frosting to cover, allowing excess frosting to drip back into bowl, then return to baking sheet. Refrigerate until frosting is set, about 20 minutes.

4.Using assorted candies, food colors, (and your imagination), decorate any way you like.

FoodFoodFood - Baked Fish Scampi

Your oven does all the work and you're the hero who will lure everyone to the table to enjoy this delicious Baked Fish Scampi. Packed with lots of fresh flavor, this one will earn you a seaworthy thumbs up!

Serves: 4

Cooking Time: 20 min

What You'll Need:

•2 1/2 pounds cod fillets, cut into 2-inch pieces
•3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter
•4 garlic cloves, minced
•2 scallions, sliced
•1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
•1 teaspoon dried oregano
•1/4 teaspoon salt
•1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place fish in a 9- x 13-inch baking dish.

2.In a large skillet, melt butter over low heat. Add garlic, scallions, parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper; saute 2 minutes. Pour mixture evenly over fish.

3.Bake 15 minutes, or until flakes easily with a fork.

FoodFoodFood -- Easy Cheese & Shrimp Appetizer

This quick and easy recipe has only 5 ingredients - such a simple and yummy way to start off your meal.

Serves: 4

Total Time: 10 min

Ingredients

• 1/4 pound cooked, unpeeled medium-size fresh shrimp (about 35 per pound)
• 3/4 to 1 cup salsa
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 green onion, chopped

Directions

1. Peel shrimp, and devein, if desired; chop shrimp.
2. Stir together salsa and cilantro. Place cream cheese on a serving plate; spoon salsa mixture over cream cheese. Top with shrimp, and sprinkle with green onion. Serve with tortilla chips.

FoodFoodFood-- Yummy Bacon Monkey Bread

Everything tastes better with bacon in it, and that goes for pull-apart  Monkey Bread. Whether for breakfast, brunch or a snack, this one will disappear in a flash!

Makes: 1 (10-inch) ring

Cooking Time: 40 min

Ingredients

11 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 small onion, chopped

3 (10-ounce) cans refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine bacon, Parmesan cheese, and onion; set aside.

Cut each biscuit into quarters. Dip one-third of biscuit pieces into melted butter, and place in prepared Bundt pan. Sprinkle with half of bacon mixture. Repeat layers with remaining biscuit pieces and bacon mixture, ending with biscuit pieces.

 Bake 40 minutes, or until golden. Cool in pan 10 minutes; invert onto a serving platter, and serve bread immediately.

FoodFoodFood - The Perfect French Fry

Everyone loves French Fries and when it comes to making them at home from fresh potatoes, well sometimes they are less than perfect. But you can still make them as perfect as any restaurant or your favorite fast food place.

Peel 2 pounds of potatoes, cutting them into long french-fry sticks, rinsing them and shaking off excess water.
Then transfer potatoes to a large deep heavy pot, spreading potatoes so they're no more than 2 layers deep. Pour in safflower or vegetable oil to cover potatoes by 1". Place pot over medium heat. Cook for 15 minutes (oil will begin bubbling gently). Continue cooking, occasionally loosening potatoes from the bottom of the pot with a heatproof spatula, until potatoes are very tender, 25-30 minutes more. Increase heat to medium-high and cook until golden and crisp, about 15 minutes longer (oil will bubble more vigorously).

As the temperature rises, the potatoes cook from the outer layer in until the fries are wonderfully crunchy outside and creamy in the center.