Cooking!

First, let me say that I never thought I would be blogging and sharing advice on cooking. The truth is, I've only recently been a "good" cook. It all started last summer...

When I was off for the summer of 2010, I told Jeff that I would take over cooking for the summer, since I had the time and Jeff was working. Before that, we had shared cooking duties. I had about 6 meals I rotated through, with a few variations...none of which were that great. After a few days in charge I think I had cooked grilled chicken and taco soup. Exciting, right? The third day I made chili dogs...my husband (boyfriend then) wasn't excited about where this was going. In a sarcastic moment he said, "What's next? Fish sticks?" After a second of wanting to slap him, it occurred to me, "I think he's right..." And then my next thought was, "I'll show him!"

So, I began my summer of cooking. I was determined to learn how to cook, and to cook gourmet, fancy meals. I didn't intend to have a Julie & Julia project, but I did cook about 150 new recipes that summer. Practice, practice, practice. One thing I was always able to do was follow a recipe, and that's all I needed.

As the school year started, I kept cooking - even though they weren't always as elaborate as the summer had been. Whole Foods became my new obsession for their quality, variety of produce, fresh meat selection, and the ability to find every weird ingredient I needed. Gradually, I stopped needing to measure, and began to get the ability to improvise because I was learning what tasted good together. Fresh herbs and vegetables filled my fridge, instead of dried spices and canned goods. I studied the correct way to chop and use a knife, added cooking appliances and tools that I had never used before, and purchased a good grill. We stopped eating out at restaurants because, frankly, I could cook better. And before I realized it, I was really enjoying myself in the kitchen, and I would spend every Sunday afternoon scouring the internet for recipes from various food websites and blogs, planning my meals for the week.

I have probably cooked somewhere between 400-500 new recipes in the last year, and it has really been fun! I rarely repeat a recipe, unless it is a real favorite. So, I thought maybe I could share some of these recipes with you, and maybe help you, too!

So...here is the first recipe I'll share with you. I found this recipe in a cookbook that I received at a wedding shower, and I modified it a little bit.

LEMON ICEBOX PIE

This is a perfect summer dessert. It's easy to make, and not at all heavy. Citrus desserts are always my favorite! A few pointers:

• Always use fresh lemon juice- tastes better and no preservatives!
• Use a stand mixer if you have one for making the meringue, it'll take you half the time.
• This crust could easily be modified with a different kind of nut (walnuts, etc)- experiment with your favorite! Pecans happen to be my favorite, so that's what I used.
• Don't handle/stir the meringue too much. This will deflate the meringue of the air inside, getting rid of the fluffy texture. Also, don't make this when it's extremely humid (raining outside) as meringues attract moisture, and this will also deflate it.
• Because of the meringue, this type of dessert is best served within 24 hours of making.
  

Ingredients:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup ground pecans
1 stick butter, melted
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
3 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Zest of one lemon
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pulse in a food processor graham crackers until they are crumbs. Pour into a bowl. Pulse pecans until they are crumbs, and add to the graham cracker crumbs. Melt butter on stove and add to crumb mixture. Mix well, and press into a greased 9 inch pie plate.

In a large bowl, beat condensed milk, egg yolks, lemon juice and zest until it begins to thicken. Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust.

Using a stand mixer, beat egg whites until they become frothy. Gradually beat in sugar and cream of tartar until peaks are stiff.
*Peaks are stiff when you lift the mixer paddle/beaters up, and the "mountain" peaks stand straight up. Soft peaks will fold over and keep falling. Keep going!

Gently place meringue on top of lemon filling. Bake in preheated oven for 8-11 minutes, until the meringue is lightly brown. Chill in your fridge for several hours, allowing the pie filling to set and cool.

Please excuse the iPhone photo above. My iPhone is always handy, but the quality is never great! I'll try to be like The Pioneer Woman and take pictures of the cooking process. Have you checked out her blog? It's awesome!