Birthdays and Pie

My husbands birthday is the last day in February. (When there are only 28 days) Anyway, on his side of the family there are a million of them that have birthdays in February. Ok, not a million but 5 of them all of a birthday....GEEZE. So, they just  have a big joint party, with a giant ice cream cake (yumm). Now, ice cream cake is great, but not my favorite, and its not my birthday so I just should keep my mouth shut!!

I have always wanted to make an ice cream cake for hubby's birthday, but I have always been shut down because I can't find the crunchy part. And according to the birthday boy, with out the crunchies and fudge, I should just forget the entire thing. ONE DAY, I will find the perfect way to do the crunchies and fudge....I just hate to pay that ridiculous amount for an ice cream cake!!

Anyway, all of the ranting just to lead up to the fact that my hubby, being the baby got two parties! He wanted home made ice cream. My mother in law reluctantly but willingly made him  some the next weekend, and of course you need cake to go with ice cream. I never thought getting a man to decide what cake he wants would be an ordeal. So we went with pie. I made home made apple pie and a lemon meringue. Hubby LOVES lemon meringue. All I have heard since we have been together, is that his Grandma Maureen made the best lemon meringue pie ever. Therefore I have never tried to make such a pie, figuring I could never compete. But this year I relented and decided I would try  my hand at lemon and meringue, from scratch.....(enter panic here)

*forgive lack of pictures, I seem to always get caught up in the process and forget.*

I used a recipe from Food.com called "The Ultimate Lemon Meringue Pie" and it was...for sure. I tweaked the recipe here and there, adding more cornstarch to the meringue and to the filling. I also used 6 egg whites for the meringue.

For the crust I used Pioneer Woman's perfect pie crust recipe. (its true, perfection every time!)

And this is what I ended up with:

 

I have only had lemon meringue pie once in my whole life before this one. It was a concoction a roommate made once, and was well edible I guess, because we ate it. But this pie was tartness and sweet married together in sweet unity that can never be broken. AMAZING! I am now a huge fan of lemon.

 

It got the winning review from my hubby, who said it was almost exactly like he remembered is Grandma Maureen's. Now the real winner was that my father in law, whose mother was Grandma Maureen even loved it! Success is sweet, and tart in this case :)

 

Of course this could not have been done with out the help of our lovely daughter!

 

 

I now intend to overwhelm you with cuteness

 7 months old and she is a poser....

 

There is just something about tiny baby feet that are so sweet!