December 2021 -

Dec 26

How to Make Double Crusted Key Lime Pie – Magnolia Table

Everyone makes cookies during the holidays, this year I decided to go another direction and try a Double Crusted Key Lime Pie. OH. MY. GOSH. So good and so refreshing after a big holiday dinner! It’s also one of the easiest pies I’ve ever made which makes it even better. I love everything about the Magnolia Table cookbooks and have rarely been disappointed in a recipe. The Key Lime Pie recipe is one of my favorites due to its simplicity and taste.

My first key lime pie that I fell in love with was from this whole in the wall chili bar in Los Angelos. I was slightly afraid as key lime pie didn’t exactly fit the asthetic of the chili bar, but oh my gosh it was amazing. Ever since then I’ve been dying for a good key lime pie and haven’t found one. I’m so excited that this pie has fit the bill and I will be recreating this recipe moving forward.

Areas that I had to make adjustments: I decided to make this pie during the holidays so access to ingredients I needed was slightly difficult. For instance, I could not find key limes anywhere so I had to go with standard limes. Additionally I gave up squeezing said limes after about 4-5 of them! haha. So I used the pre-squeezed lime juice you get at the store. Yes, yes I know that is not what the recipe says but I was exhausted and wanted to stop squeezing limes. It seemed to work out just fine using that lime juice as everyone seemed to enjoy it! I also completely forgot to get the lime zest for the top as we were already in the car on the way to dinner when I remembered, so I did miss a final step! Oh the holidays and the forgetfulness that comes with it.

Overall Review: 5/5

Overall, this double crusted key lime pie was delicious, easy to make and the perfect dessert after a big meal. Of course you can make this pie at anytime, but I do suggest making this for holiday dinners. We tend to go toward our classic desserts during the holidays and making a change can be just the ticket! Key lime pie is a much lighter dessert than some of the other pies that you traditionally make. Add some whip cream at the end and you are sure to have no leftovers. Fun fact, Key Lime Pie is actually not a green color, very much a yellowish color due to the egg yolks. So don’t be surprised by the color of the pie, the taste is worth it!

If you decide to make this recipe, let me know your thoughts in the comments below. For more recipe reviews head to our page here: Recipe Reviews.

Key Lime Pie

From Magnolia Table, Volume 2

Print Recipe

Servings 8 People

Equipment

Pie pan

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust

2 cups Cinnamon Graham Crackers
6 tbsp Melted Butter

Key Lime Filling

1 14.5 oz can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/2 cup Key Lime Juice (or regular limes)
1 tsp Lime Zest
4 Large Egg Yolks
1 Large Egg
Whipping Cream Topping

Instructions

Graham Cracker Crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit
Add crumbled graham cracker and 6 tbsps melted butter to a medium bowl and mix until all the cracker crumbles have been coated.
Once coated, add graham cracker crumbs to your ungreased pie pan and press into a crust. Biggest issue to make sure there are no holes.
Bake for about 8-10 minutes until golden brown not burned. Set aside to cool for about 10-12 minutes. Keep oven preheated.

Key Lime Filling

In a separate bowl, add sweetened condensed milk, key lime juice, lime zest, large egg yolks, and large egg. Once combined, pour into your cooled pie crust and then bake in the oven for about 14-15 minutes. You want the filling to set, basically wiggle like jello and not pour out of the pan.
Once your filling is set, take out of the oven and cool for 1 hour.
After your pie is completely cooled, place the pie, uncovered, in the fridge for 3 hours. Then serve with lime zest and whip cream!

Dec 10

Love0

Why It’s Okay to Formula Feed and Breastfeed Your Baby

By kaldridge Lifestyle No Comments

I had no desire to breastfeed my kids. All my life the concept of breastfeeding made me uncomfortable and wasn’t something that I wanted to do. I thought, why would I want to breastfeed when I could be perfectly happy giving my baby a bottle of formula. After we found out we were having our daughter, I broached the subject with my husband. He is a surgeon and asked if I would just give it a shot for the health benefits of breastfeeding. I told him I would give it a shot, but no guarantees. What ended up happening was far beyond what I thought; there was an option to formula feed and breastfeed my daughter.

Fast forward several months and my daughter was born prematurely and was in the NICU. She was so little and helpless, weighing only 4 pounds. I was still uneasy just because of how tiny she was. It wasn’t until I talked to the nurses in the NICU that I realized we could give her formula and I could try breastfeeding. I swear in all the mommy blogs I read, no one ever offered this as an option. It was always, breastfed or formula fed but never an option to combine. To use both as a hybrid was our best option at that time. I would come in to visit and try to breastfeed for as long as she was able and willing too, but if I wasn’t there and we were out of pumped breast milk, they formula fed her. In fact, her first feed outside the womb was formula because I wasn’t cleared to come down to the NICU. And as crazy as it was, I look back and know that it was okay. Sometimes its hard to trust that anyone but us has our child’s best interest in mind, but let me tell you that those NICU nurses had my daughters best interest in mind.

They wanted me to breastfeed, to pump when I could, but they also gave my daughter formula when she was hungry. It was okay to use the formula and it was what was best for her. Having formula that helped fill her tummy allowed her to grow incredibly well and leave the NICU after just nine days, a miracle as she came 6 weeks early! Breastfeeding didn’t come easily as I’d never done it before and didn’t know if it was working, what to do, etc. As heartbreaking as being in the NICU can be, having on call lactation specialists was a huge blessing. They spent several hours by my side helping me and Mia and for that I couldn’t be more grateful. My daughter is a healthy, happy and thriving 5 month old baby and that is due to all the people in the NICU who were kind and graceful.

My biggest takeaway is that they WANTED us to continue giving her formula when we left the NICU. It’s not like they were saying breast is best so screw formula. They said, hey breastfeeding has a ton of great benefits, but so does formula. Formula helps keep my baby full while my supply increased, it allowed me breaks from feeding, it allowed my daughter to grow faster as she had a fuller belly. It also gave me such peace that if breastfeeding were to go south or we were to struggle that I would have another option. Because ultimately all I cared about was that she was healthy and growing, breastfed or formula fed was less important. So for the next 2 months we did a hybrid feeding system and it worked well! We supplemented with formula every once in a while but in general we did mostly breastfeeding.

Now we are almost at 6 months and she is exclusively breastfed which is something I would have never thought I’d do, let alone enjoy doing! You never know what your baby feeding journey will look like, but just have faith that there are endless resources, doctors, nurses and lactation consultants willing and able to help you. Whether you formula feed or breastfeed or combo hybrid feed; your baby will be just fine and love you just as much! You’ve got this mamma, stay strong!

For more lifestyle blogs head to our page: Confident Lifestyle

Dec 07

Love0

How to Make Mint Chocolate Brownies

By kaldridge Food No Comments

Peppermint is iconic, especially around the holidays. Peppermint hot cocoa, peppermint patties, candy canes and more. My husband spent an entire evening one day browsing Pinterest with me for mint flavored desserts. These mint chocolate brownies popped up and I knew this is what I wanted to make.

Let me just start off by saying that these brownies take TIME. Lots of time for layers to cool and set, so don’t make this if you are on a time crunch! The brownie base is honestly so easy to make and is delicious, I will be using that layer for other brownie recipes in the future as it was so easy and tasty!

When it comes to the mint layer, be careful! You are adding peppermint extract and that stuff is intense and if you accidentally put too much in you won’t be able to eat the brownies they will be so strong. The amount they recommend is pretty strong, I personally think that the brownies taste a lot like a peppermint patty. If you don’t want your peppermint to be too strong, I would put half of the recommended amount and once its combined taste it and see if it’s too your liking. Additionally, this layer is where you add the food coloring to make it green. Be light on the food coloring, one drop was perfect for a light mint green look. Remember you can’t take back food coloring once its in there!

The top and final layer is basically a layer of yummy chocolate. its butter and chocolate melted together and poured on top. Pour this in the center of the brownie and spread from there. You will have a little drip off the side but it shouldn’t be bad. This chocolate mixture cools pretty quickly so be quick about spreading it!

Overall Review: 4.8/5

These brownies are so tasty and rich! However, they do take a significant amount of time due to cooling and setting times. You just need to go into these knowing that it will take a little bit to complete these mint chocolate brownies. Otherwise, be ready for a tasty and amazing brownie!

Mint Chocolate Brownies

Recipe From: Sally's Baking Addiction

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Brownie Layer

1 cup Unsalted Butter
8 oz Semi sweet chocolate coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups Light brown sugar Packed
4 Large Eggs
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 cup + 3 tbsp All purpose flour
1/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

Mint Frosting Layer

1/2 cup Unsalted butter Room temperature
2 cups Confectioners sugar
2 tbsp Milk
1 1/4 tbsp Peppermint extract
Optional: 1 drop liquid or gel green food coloring

Chocolate Layer

1/2 cup Unsalted Butter
1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Instructions

Brownie Layer

Melt butter and chocolate in a saucepan on medium heat. Stir constantly until completed melted and combined.
Remove from heat and pour into mixing bowl, allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of a 9×13 baking pan with foil or paper and leave an overhang on the sides. (set aside)
Whisk granulated sugar and brown sugars into the cooled chocolate/butter mixture. Add eggs one at a time and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the vanilla.
Gently fold in salt, flour and cocoa powder. Pour into your baking pan and bake for 35 minutes. My oven runs hot, so it took only 30 minutes to cook completely. It's highly recommended to check your brownies at 30 minutes. (You know its complete when you insert a toothpick and only a few crumbs come out.)
Brownies need to completely cool IN THE PAN before you move them to a wire rack. Once cool, lift the foil and move to the wire rack. Leave uncut and to the side until you have the mint frosting layer ready.

Mint Frosting Layer

In a medium or large bowl, use a mixer and beat the butter on medium until smooth and creamy. 2 minutes should do the trick. Once completed add confectioners sugar and milk. This takes another 2 minutes on medium speed and then high speed for another minute.
Add peppermint extract (if you want a more mild mint flavor start with half the extract and add as desired) as well as your green food coloring. Beat on high for a minute. Take your frosting and evenly distribute it on top of your uncut brownies. Then place your brownies in the fridge to set on the brownies (1 hour minimum-up to 4 hours).

Chocolate Layer

In a saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate. Stir consistently as it will stick if you don't, this will take about 5 minutes. Once melted with no lumps, pour over your brownies. Start pouring in the middle and then spread out to the edges with a spatula. Let the brownies chill in the fridge (1 hour minimum-overnight).
Once chocolate has been chilled and is set (firm), remove from fridge and cut into squares with a sharp knife. Cover tightly and place leftovers in the fridge.