Thursday, July 21

Cool Summer Sweet Treat

I know some of you are thinking… 
“Hello Stranger… Where the heck have you been?

Yes, I have been MIA for over a week now because of a raging migraine that took hold of me and refused to let go! This uninvited guest stayed around way too long!! The good news is, after spending days and days in total agony, I am back among the land of the living. Left only with a dull throbbing headache and a very sore head and neck... thank goodness it's gone!!

I wasn't able to keep up with emails or my favorite blogs, work on any projects or even Pin (Yikes... major withdrawal from Pinterest!!). So, if I owe you a email response, I promise you will hear from me shortly! With our beach vacation looming next week, I have some serious catching up to do and that will probably give me another headache!



Having nothing crafty to post about, I thought I would share this new recipe that we can’t seem to get enough of around here. Seriously, we have made this sweet treat 3 times in the past few weeks… it’s that good and easy!

Key Lime Pie

IN OUR KITCHEN

Around here, we always have some kind of homemade dessert made {which might explain my expanding waistline... hmm} and you can bet we have taken a new recipe and changed it up a bit to satisfy whatever we are craving.

In our kitchen, we haphazardly measure {in the South we eyeball a lot!!} and we don’t think twice about throwing in a little of this or that {which usually involves Chocolate – lol}.

Growing tired of our longtime family go-to recipe, Pop’s Lemon Icebox Pie, my Daughter-in-Law set out to find something sweet and tart that would make our hearts and bellies happy! After trying a couple of so-so recipes, she came across this one Key Lime Pie IV at allrecipes.com. Finally a Winner!!!

Honestly, we didn’t change much because the original recipe really is perfect just like it is. While searching around we saw a couple of recipes that called for individual pie crusts and we thought they were cute (cuteness is a very important factor). If you are interested in the original recipe you can find it here.

Our version of this awesome pie…

Instead of making one 9” pie or trying to make individual little pies, We decided to buy theses Keebler Ready Graham Cracker Crust and they work beautifully. We also rough grated the 1/2 tablespoon of lime zest that you sprinkel on top because we like the slight bitter bite of the zest (I know we are kinda weird).   

Pie crust

 via
 


Ingredients
  • 2 pkgs Individual graham cracker crust (total of 12 prepared crust) or One 9” Graham Cracker Pie Crust
  • 3 cups sweetened condensed milk
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 3/4 cup key lime juice
  • 1 ½ tablespoon grated lime zest
  • Lime slices for garnish
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine condensed milk, sour cream, lime juice, and 1 tablespoon lime zest; Mix well.
  3. Pour filling into prepared graham cracker pie crust(s).
  4. Sprinkle remaining lime zest on top of each pie.
  5. Bake in preheated oven for 5 to 8 minutes, until tiny pinhole bubbles burst on the surface of pie. DO NOT BROWN!  
  6. Chill pie thoroughly before serving. (Best if served super cold!)
  7. Garnish with a dollop of whipped cream and a slice of lime, if desired.

Whipped Cream

Now, we don’t measure when we make our Whipped Cream so I looked up a basic recipe just in case someone might need it.
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 TBS confectioners' sugar (add TBS more depending on preferred sweetness)
  • ¼ tsp vanilla extract
Tip of the day - Use a chilled mixing bowl and make sure whipping cream is very cold.

Directions
  1. In a chilled small mixing bowl beat whipping cream until it begins to thicken.
  2. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla; beat until soft peaks form. (Careful not to over beat)
  3. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Well folks, there you have it - our newest obsession!!

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. If you make these sweet little pies, please come back let me know what you think and if you would add or change anything. Would love to hear from you!  



JUST SHARING…

Here are a few of our main go-to sites for recipes. I have linked each site incase you want to take a look. 

**PS** I love Ree @ PW. We have tried so many of her recipes and they all get A++ from us! Can’t wait for her new cooking show on Food Network on Aug 27th.



ONE LAST THOUGHT…
I will try and post Pop’s Lemon Icebox Pie sometime this week. It’s another super easy and super good "pucker up" summer treat!


Thanks so much for stopping by my Nest!!

Until next time...
Simply AJ



* Special thanks to my sweet Daughter-in-law who is always there for me (she is my arms and legs due to my physical limitations) and because of her help I can keep doing the things I love to do!  

Saturday, July 9

One last Patriotic Project

Firecracker - Firecracker… Boom… Boom… Boom! 
(Who remembers this old cheer…??)

 

I wanted to put one last 4th of July - Patriotic project out there. These cute little firecrackers were such a fun and quick project!

firecrackercollage2
Back in early June, Pick Your Plum had this set on special for a steal (as usual), so I ordered a couple to play with. If you haven’t signed up yet with Pick Your Plum, you are missing out. So many great deals on unique products.
via

Since I already had the paint, scrapbooking paper, Mod Podge and twine on hand, they were super cheap to make. I was so pleased with how these little guys turned out and they were proudly displayed on my mantle.

I am sure you have seen several versions of these all over blogland. They really make a great display on a mantel, shelf or table centerpiece. You can make your own set so easy and  inexpensive!
  • Purchasing inexpensive wood (local home improvement store)
  • Cut (mine were 1.5 in diameter and ranged 5in, 6in and 7in tall)
  • Sand
  • Paint
  • Decorate

                 

ENJOY!!


Simply AJ


** Don't forget to leave me a comment so I know you stopped by and if you have a blog let me know I would love to pop over for a visit!!



Linking to these Parties:

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Saturday, July 2

Patriotic Rag Wreath


To complete my patriotic tribute on my front porch, I made this Rag Wreath. I just love, love, love how it turned out!! I got my inspiration (once again) from one of my favorite crafty ladies… Krystal @ Sassy Sanctuary

I will tell you upfront that this project is V-E-R-Y labor intensive but I think it is sooooo worth it!! I should have planned ahead and allowed a little more time so I could have had it finished earlier in the week.  Lesson learned and I will be ready for the next one!

Following Krystal’s lead, I picked up four (4) different fabrics – 2 yards each. To get the best play of color and pattern, I bought a solid, stripe and two prints. 

Now, here’s where the fun begins. I cut each fabric into 1 in by 6 in strips (I didn't quite use all of the fabric - probably could have made it work with 1.5 yards of each). I used my pinking shears and clipped the ends for more of a finished look.

Fabric Samples

Okay, now that I have sliced my finger(s) * yes, twice - ouch* and have a nasty blister on my thumb from my pinking shears  *need another band-aid*… the fabric is ready!

Using a 4-ring wire wreath from Hobby Lobby I began the process of tying the fabric. I alternated the fabric making sure to tie a very tight knot. I only tied one knot but Krystal did double knots to make sure it stayed tied.

Here’s the deal… the wreath will grow rings. Seriously, I think mine had 100 rings instead of 4! You will tie, and tie, and tie for days and days!! This is my lame attempt at taking a picture to show you the knot process... bad photo sorry!

Frame

Next, I tied the twine to the inside wire(s) in a zig-zag type pattern. 

Then, I made a pendant banner from card stock using the PDF file that Krystal shared on her post here.

I printed the letter banner, cut them out and added adhesive by running them through my Xyron label maker. I mounted half of the letter onto a thin cardboard triangle, position my twine (l-o-v-e my Twinery twine – used Marachino Cherry) on the fold and squeezed together.  Repeated until all the letters were hung onto the twine. 



I bought a door hanger (Hobby Lobby) and measured from the hook to the wreath to decide how long my ribbon should be (decided on 5 1/2 inches). Secured ribbon to wreath, made a loop to hook onto hanger, then tied a bow.

                                            Just hang and enjoy!

Please pop over to Krystal’s blog and check out her 4th of July Rag Wreath and while you are there you must check out her Summer Mantel… WOW so beautiful! While you are visiting please take a minute to leave her some blog love and tell her that AJ sent you over!

This wreath pattern has such possibilities for holidays, change of season and even for football season (yes, in the south we fly our colors anyway we can). I already have another wreath project on the drawing board but I need to pick up some more band-aids first.

Didn't "Uncle Sam" turn out AWESOME!!! Check out my post for "Uncle Sam" porch art. I will be adding a tutorial for this cute little man so check back soon for details!

Thanks for stopping by… I appreciate it very much!

Until next time…
Simply AJ


** Don't forget to leave me a comment letting me know you stop by and if you have a blog let me know so I can pop over for a visit!!



Linking to the following parties:









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summer party series button