Key Lime Pie... and a little update

There have been lots of life changes happening over our way.  All good things!  For one, we officially began homeschooling this week.  I can't believe that I have a 7th grader; she's growing like a weed!  It's been a lot of fun so far learning and working together.  In history, we're talking about the Rise and Fall of the Western Roman Empire.  Today, we're going to be cooking a meal that the Romans would have eaten over a pit of fire.  I love the flexibility we have and ability to use our creativity to learn.

On the first day of school, we did something that we probably won't make a habit of doing... I think.  We had key lime pie for breakfast!  It was seriously a heavenly start to the first day!  I think pie should totally be an acceptable form of breakfast, don't you?  Oh, and it washes down so well with a hot cup of coffee, too.  This was my very first attempt at making a key lime pie, and it turned out delicious!  It was light and refreshing, and it wasn't overly sweet.  There's a reason this recipe was so highly rated!  The only thing I think I would change next time is halving the sugar in the graham cracker crust. 

Ingredients:

Adapted from Allrecipes

Graham Cracker Crust

• 1 1/2 c ground graham cracker crumbs
• 1/3 c sugar (optional)
• 6 tbsp butter, melted 

Key Lime Filling

• 2 (14 oz) cans sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 c light sour cream 
• 3/4 c key lime juice 
• Zest from 4 key limes 

Whipped Cream Topping

• 1 c heavy whipping cream 
• 1/2 c powdered sugar 
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix the graham crackers, optional sugar, and butter together in a small bowl.  Press the crumb mixture into a pie pan.  Bake for 7 minutes.  Cool for at least 30 minutes.  

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, sour cream, lime juice, and lime zest in a medium bowl.  Pour the mixture into the prepared graham cracker crust.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Allow pie to cool slightly before chilling.  Chill for at least 3 hours.  

Meanwhile, beat the heavy cream and sugar together until stiff peaks form.  Beat in the vanilla.  Spread or pipe the whipped cream on top of the cooled pie.  Garnish with additional lime zest. 

Enjoy!