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Make a Creamy Lemon Pie!

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Whenever things in life seem to turn sour, we become disappointed, discouraged, worried and upset.  But it is so important that we not dwell on the “sour”, but instead, look at the sweet things that the Lord has blessed us with and hold on to the hope of brighter days. Look around you, take note of all God’s goodness that He has blessed you with. Begin to thank Him for those things. Thank Him for the promises in His Word…where  He  says He will never leave you, and how much He loves you, how He has a wonderful plan for your life. Think about, in times past, when the Lord has brought you through difficult times. If  He did it before, He will do it again.  Being thankful will open the windows of fresh joy and fill your heart with gladness. Thankful people are happy people. Being thankful will add sweetness into your life.  You have to be intentional about this! Don’t allow yourself to stay in “Blues-ville”. Get out of that pit, pull yourself up by your cute cowgirl-boot straps, be pro-active, be thankful on purpose…pray, praise Him, write His promises on 3×5 cards and read them over and over…His Word (the Bible) is full of hope and joy! Get His Word in your heart!

“Arise (from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you–rise to a new life)! Shine (be radiant with the glory of the Lord), for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!”
– Isaiah 60:1  (Amplified version)

You have got to see beyond where you are! God has sweet things in store for you. Jesus is your forever friend. Hold onto His hand by abiding in Him, obeying His Word, trusting Him, loving Him with your whole heart and He will lead you to  a life overflowing with goodness, sweetness, joy, mercy, grace and a “peace that passes all understanding”. And when the storms of life hit (and they hit everyone!) you can be assured that the Lord will be right by your side, the dark clouds will part and you will feel the warm rays of sunshine once again!

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If this lemon pie was just filled just with sour lemons, it would not bless you or anybody else.  But by adding sweetness, intentionally, it becomes a gift to share with others. That’s what being thankful does, it fills our heart with joy and grace so that we can be a blessing to everyone around us, plus it changes our whole perspective on life, for the better!  What you fill your mind  with will determine your level of joy. It’s that whole “sowing the seed”  thing…what you plant you will harvest.

“Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious,-the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and say and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.”
– Philippians 4:8-9  (The Message Translation)

 So while you are “counting your blessings” why not whip up this Creamy Lemon Pie and bless someone with a slice or two!

I found this recipe at the Eagle Brand Web Site where there are lots of yummy recipes to try.

The great thing about this recipe is the filling only has three ingredients  to mix together and pour into a graham cracker crust and top with whipped cream.

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Mrs. Borden’s Creamy Lemon Pie:

  • 3 egg yolks
  • (1) 14 ounce can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk (not evaporated milk)
  • 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

Blend with a mixer until creamy. Pour into prepared graham cracker crust. Bake at 325 for 30-35 minutes. Cool, then chill in the refrigerator for 3 hours. Just before serving add the fresh whipped cream. Garnish with sliced lemon. 

I think it’s best to prepare this pie the day before to make sure it’s good and cold…but make the whipped cream just before serving.

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Prepare the Graham cracker crust first so you can chill it while you prepare the filling.

Simple Graham Cracker Crust

  • 2 cups crushed graham crackers  (I use my Cuisinart Mini Prep)
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup (one stick) soft or melted butter

Keep refrigerated until you are ready to pour the filling in.

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Mix sugar and graham cracker crumbs, then add butter. Stir until the butter is fully absorbed into crumbs.

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Pour the crumb mixture into a pie pan and then chill in the refrigerator until the filling is prepared. (It’s going to seem like you have too much…don’t worry, just firmly pat it flat on the bottom and up the sides)

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Fresh squeezed lemons are best.

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Always strain the lemon juice, even if your juicer has a seed catcher.

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Using a mixer, combine the Sweetened Condensed milk, 3 egg yolks and  1/2 cup lemon juice. Blend for a few minutes until creamy.

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Pour into chilled crust. The lemon mixture will only fill the pie pan half way, the other half will be filled with fresh whipped cream.img_0387

I think if you are going to the effort to make a homemade pie it really deserves fresh whipped cream. It’s so easy to prepare, just  add a couple tablespoons of powdered sugar to heavy whipping cream and a few drops of vanilla (optional) and whip with a mixer until stiff,  that’s it!  (The cute bowl with the yellow polka-dots is from Ronnie’s Terramoto Ceramic Company click here to see more!)
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Here’s some sweet thoughts to ponder as this Creamy Lemon Pie melts in your mouth: God has assured us in Isaiah 29:11…
“I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” 

In Isaiah 43: 18-19 God says…
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”

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Many years ago I started collecting teacups from places I would vacation at. Now, when I have a gathering,  I set out my old fashioned teacups that have a variety of delightfully fruity and floral designs…they look  so homey and have a story to tell!

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I love my Red Gingham Tablecoth, it always makes my table look down-home and cheery! (You can find it on Amazon…Click here!).

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Do try this pie, it’s so easy!

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And if  you do, I want to recommend to you my favorite kind of pan to bake in: I prefer to use a glass pan (or pie plate) with handles. I like to be able to see through to the crust, to see if it’s got that golden brown color that I like. It makes it so much easier to pull the pie in and out of the oven and of course to carry and serve it at the table. My favorite Pie Pan is the Pyrex Grip-Rite 9 1/2 Inch Pie Plate (Click here to see it on Amazon).

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This Pyrex Pie Plate wins my Blue Ribbon Seal of Approval! Click here to see my video review!

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It’s Q&A Time! I would love to answer any questions you may have for me. Please know that I so appreciate all of your heartfelt comments and questions.  I look forward to reading them and I want so much to get back to all of you, but with all of my obligations to home, family, church, projects and keeping up with Sugar Pie Farmhouse, I just plain run out of time and energy, and before I know it , it’s time to get working on my next blog post! (I feel bad and  do apologize!)  So I thought this would be a great way for me to reach out to all of you sweet Sugar Pie Sistas and have a question and answer time.

So leave me a Question in the Comments section of this Post and I will answer it in Part 2 of my Q&A.

Until then, think sweet thankful thoughts! And go make a pie to share!

Sugar Pie Blessings and Hugs Y’all!

Yee Haw!

Aunt Ruthie! (aka Ruthann)

P.S. For my Sugar Pie Sistas who requested a Sugar Pie Farmhouse Blog Button it will be available on my next post! I would so love for y’all to display it on your blog! With Dusty’s help we will be adding a new page called Front Porch Friends…my list of blog friends!

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