All Food Vibes

Key lime pie is the perfect American dessert for any summer get-together. This recipe was so much fun to make, from toasting the coconut flakes to making the whipped topping with my mixer. My favorite is the crust, as it’s made with pecan sandies cookies instead of traditional graham crackers. These were my grandpa’s favorite cookies, and making this brought back my favorite memories of him. The results are beautiful and will complement the dessert table at your next gathering. As it’s a no-bake recipe, it does take at least 4 hours to sit before serving; I recommend planning ahead for it to chill in the fridge after it’s finished.

To start, toast the shredded coconut flakes using the stovetop or oven method. (See the How-to link for additional instructions on this.) Set these aside when finished to start on the no-bake crust.

In a gallon-sized zipped bag, place the pecan sandies shortbread cookies and seal shut tightly. Crush the cookies into crumbs using your hands or a meat tenderizer (which is lots of fun, by the way)! If you have a child that likes to help in the kitchen, this is a fun activity for them to do to keep their hands busy.

Melt the butter, and mix the crushed pecan sandies and butter in a medium-sized bowl. Press into the bottom and sides of the pie plate to make the crust. Place the crust in the fridge to set while working on the pie filling.

In a large bowl, pour in the heavy whipping cream and beat with a mixer until it starts to thicken. This whipped topping recipe is similar to our how-to on standard homemade whipped topping, but in a much larger quantity and with coconut instead of vanilla. Thickening the whipping cream will take about five minutes on medium-high with an electric mixer so I recommend using a standing or hand mixer instead of whisking by hand. You can use a whisk if a mixer isn’t available, but it would most definitely count as an upper body workout if you did!

Once the whipping cream has thickened to where peaks are starting to form, add in the powdered sugar and coconut extract. Continue to beat with the mixer until the mixture is stiff, but do not overmix past this point to where lumps form. Set aside in the refrigerator.

In a separate bowl, combine the cream cheese, condensed milk, and lime juice from the fresh key limes until well blended. I would recommend using a whisk or mixer instead of a spatula to finely blend all of the ingredients. Once this is finished, gently fold in in two cups of the prepared heavy whipping mixture into the cream cheese mixture with a spatula. Once blended, scoop the cream cheese mixture into the prepared pie plate.

Scoop the remaining whipped cream mixture onto the prepared coconut cream cheese filling. Once this is finished, sprinkle the toasted shredded coconut flakes on top. Refrigerate for 4 hours before serving to allow the pie filling to set before serving.

Key Lime Pie

Course: DessertsDifficulty: Moderate

Servings

10

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Resting time

4

minutes

Ingredients

• Crust:

• 1 11.3 oz pkg. pecan shortbread cookies

• 1/3 cup butter

• Pie:

• 4 cups heavy whipping cream

• 1 tsp. coconut extract

• 1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened

• 1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut

• 1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

• 1/3 cup key lime juice

Directions

• Toast shredded coconut, set aside. Crush pecan sandie shortbread cookies and melt butter.
• Mix crushed pecan cookies and butter in a bowl, then press into the bottom and sides of pie plate. Place in fridge to set.
• In a large bowl, whisk heavy whipping cream with mixer until thickened and peaks form. Add in powdered sugar and coconut extract until well combined and mixture has stiffened. Place in fridge to keep cool.
• In separate bowl, combine softened cream cheese, condensed milk, and key lime juice with mixer. Fold in two cups of heavy whipping cream mixture gently until blended. Scoop into crust.
• Scoop remaining whipped cream mixture on top of filling. Sprinkel with toasted coconut. Set for four hours before serving.

Notes

• Tip: If you have remaining key limes, you can thinly slice these as a garnish for the pie before serving.

No-Bake Desserts:

• Homemade Whipped Cream

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Chicken is one of those staple ingredients for dinner that can be used for many different things, and it makes weeknight dinners so much easier when it’s already prepared and ready to be added to a recipe. I used to always buy pre-shredded chicken at the store beforehand, but this can be much more expensive for a smaller quantity of meat. While we love red meat, we tend to eat more lean chicken and turkey in our household as a healthier protein option.

My brother gets credit for this recipe, as he would always prepare a crockpot full of shredded chicken for chicken tacos or other meals when having the family over to visit. It was always quick and delicious and made me rethink how I was definitely overpaying at the store for the pre-cooked, pre-shredded stuff for the same end result. He’s moved from the United States to the UK, but whenever I make this I think of him and his savvyness for meal prep. This slow cooker chicken recipe is unbelievably easy and takes five minutes to throw in the crockpot. I usually purchase family-size chicken breasts from the store at about 4-5 pounds each, which makes approximately three meals worth of shredded chicken for my family.

Trim any excess fat off a family size pack of chicken breasts, and gather the salt, pepper, and chicken seasoning. This recipe is really versatile, so if you want to experiment with different seasonings you can absolutely do so! It’s also great if you want to add in garlic powder, or substitute salt for seasoned salt.

Spray the slow cooker liner with cooking spray, and place in the chicken breasts. Sprinkle the seasonings to coat, then add in one cup of water. I like to add ina chicken bouillon cube for broth, but this is optional. Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours.

Once finished, remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred with a fork in a large bowl. You can use this to prepare shredded chicken for virtually any recipe that calls for rotisserie chicken, and it keeps in the freezer for up to three months. If you don’t anticipate using it all at once, I recommend separating it into several freezer bags containing 1 1/2-2 pounds each, then cooling in the fridge before freezing.

Simple Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken

Course: MainDifficulty: Easy

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

8

hours

Ingredients

• 1 pkg. family size chicken breasts, 4-5 lbs

• 2 tsp. black pepper

• 1 tsp. salt

• 1 tsp. chicken seasoning

• 1 cup water

• 1 chicken bouillon cube (optional)

Directions

• Grease the slow cooker sleeve with cooking spray. Trim any excess fat from chicken breasts and place in crock pot.
• Sprinkle seasonings over chicken breasts, and pour in one cup of water. Can add a chicken bouillon cube if desired.
• Cover slow cooker and cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours. Remove from crock pot and shred chicken when finished.
• Use chicken in any recipe that calls for rotisserie chicken or store in the freezer for up to three months.

Shredded Chicken Recipes:

• Hawaiian Chicken Salad Sandwiches
• Spicy Chicken and Egg Bok Choy Ramen

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Sometimes it feels like there’s not enough time in the day (or week) to get everything done, which can make meal planning difficult when you’re balancing a busy schedule. This recipe is a favorite that my uncle has made for many family gatherings and is loved by the whole family. It’s also a godsend for those crazy weeks when you know you’ll end up getting takeout if you don’t plan ahead. With only six ingredients and 15 minutes to prepare in the morning in the crock pot, you know dinner is taken care of. It also makes the house smell so amazing when you walk in after a long day at work, school, or whatever activities you’re managing that day. In our house, we love to use the leftovers for different meals such as loaded BBQ pork fries and coleslaw pork tacos as it is incredibly versatile. I’ll be sure to share those recipes in the weeks to come!

This recipe calls for a 8-9 lb pork butt, which is a lot to fit in the slow cooker unless you have a 7 quart or larger. I recommend cutting the roast in half if needed to make it fit, which is what I did for my 6 quart slow cooker. Be sure to grease the crock pot sleeve with cooking spray beforehand. If there is any excess fat on the roast, trim before placing it in the slow cooker. You can opt for a bone-in or boneless pork butt; I personally chose boneless for this recipe.

Mix together the dry ingredients, the barbeque and chicken seasoning in a large bowl. While McCormick’s Slow Cooker seasonings mixes are recommended, I’ll often substitute it with other chicken seasoning and barbeque seasoning if it’s out of stock at the grocery store.

Once the seasonings are well blended, stir in the ketchup and apple cider vinegar. Pour over the pork roast in the crock pot until thoroughly coated. No need to add water!

Place the slow cooker lid on to cover and cook on low for 8 hours on LOW, or 4 hours on HIGH. The pulled pork will fall apart when it’s finished cooking. Once finished, remove the pork from the crock pot and shred in a separate bowl. Remove any bones if a bone-in pork butt was used. Feel free to add in some of the barbeque juices from the crock pot back into the meat. Serve on hamburger buns, over hot dogs, or in a lettuce wrap as a low-carb option! You can store in the freezer for up to three months to thaw for quick and easy meal prep.

Quick Barbeque Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Cuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

8

hours

Ingredients

• 1 pkg. McCormick BBQ Pulled Pork slow cooker seasoning (or 4 tbsp. BBQ dry rub seasoning)

• 1 pkg. McCormick Fiesta Chicken slow cooker seasoning (or 4 tbsp. chicken seasoning)

• 1 8-9 lb pork butt

• 1 cup ketchup

• 2/3 cup apple cider vinegar

• hamburger buns

Directions

• Grease slow cooker, place in pork butt. Trim pork butt to remove excess fat and cut in half to fit if needed.
• Combine barbeque and fiesta chicken seasoning in a small bowl. Stir in ketchup and apple cider vinegar.
• Pour seasoning mixture over pork to coat. Cover crock pot with lid. Cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours.
• Remove pulled pork and shred with fork when finished. Remove any bones if bone-in pork butt used. Add in barbeque juices from crock pot and serve on hamburger buns.

Notes

• Tip: To zest up your pulled pork, serve on sandwiches with coleslaw, red onions, or as a topping for loaded fries or mac and cheese.
• Tip: Substitute 5 tbsp. barbeque seasoning and 5 tbsp. chicken seasoning if McCormick seasoning is unavailable.

Slow Cooker Recipes:

• Simple Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken

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