Lemon Meringue Pie: 4 Years in the Making

When Andrew and I first started dating I was a TERRIBLE cook. If the smoke alarm was going off, you knew I was in the kitchen. I ruined just about every pot in the kitchen we were renting, and managed to undercook, overcook, char, and ruin just about any recipe I tried. Seriously. I had a rough go of it for awhile.

With persistence and sweet encouragement from Andrew, my culinary skills have evolved over our 4 years together. In fact, the lemon meringue pie is a perfect testimate to my improved culinary abilities.

Andrew's favorite dessert is lemon meringue pie. It is THE only thing he wants for his birthday. Every year. He couldn't possibly have a regular, flour cake drenched in icing with colorful sprinkles scattered over the top. Nope. He wants the most challenging pie in the history of pies.

So, what does any good girlfriend, fiance & wife do?!?! She attempts to bake this challenging pie each and every birthday. And thanks to my lack of culinary skills, I have successfully ruined it each and every year, EXCEPT for this year! I also, for whatever reason, have used a different recipe every single year. This may or may not have lead to all the mistakes. Here's how the story goes...

YEAR 1: Runny Meringue

We had been dating for 4 months when Andrew's birthday rolled around. I just so happened to be in Newport waiting for a boat delivery south. We were living at Andrew's sister's house and of course I didn't really "know" my way around her kitchen, or any kitchen other than a boat galley for that matter. I also had no idea at all how hard it was to make a lemon meringue pie. If I remember correctly, the pie crust and lemon filling were fine. When it came to the meringue, I realized I hadn't bought cream of tartar. Big uh-oh. Andrew suggested we use cream (not at all like cream of tartar btw), which we had plenty of, and as you can imagine, the meringue was more like runny egg whites mixed in with some cream & sugar. Fail #1.

YEAR 2: Seeds

Year #2 we were living in Newport in a rented, fully furnished apartment and again, I was waiting for a boat delivery south and had time on my hands to bake. I decided to try my hand again at the pie, thinking this time I just needed cream of tartar and I would be golden. The problem was that I decided to make the pie gluten free. Big mistake. First off, the "crust" was the meringue and you needed a chistle to break it.  As Andrew attempted his second bite, he got this funny look on his face. He grinned, spit out two seeds, and said, "It's so good babe!". We proceeded to laugh until we cried.
Fail #2.

YEAR 3: Looks can be deceiving

By last year my lemon meringue pie was the running joke and the highlight of Andrew's birthday. I was determined to at least make this year's pie edible, being his 40th and all. We'd been in our house for a few months and I was starting to get this cooking thing under control. I was no longer setting off smoke alarms, and my dinners finally tasted as good as Andrew's cooking. I felt confident. I picked a new recipe that did in fact include gluten goodness and proceeded to follow each and every step to a T. I poured the filling, whipped up the meringue with large peaks & placed it in the oven to bake. It was a beautiful pie. I was ecstatic that I had finally gotten it right.

I sent my friend Meriah home with a slice that night and Andrew & I settled in on the couch to enjoy my first successful lemon meringue pie. We both took a bite and immediately looked at each other with big eyes. That damn pie was the chewiest thing EVER - it was like we were eating a sugar daddy. I could not believe it. I immediately texted Meriah and said "Don't eat the pie. Wait until next year."

That saying, "Third times a charm"…bullshit.


YEAR 4: Success!!

And finally, this year, with a new recipe that promised a no fail pie from the "Not So Humble Pie" blog, I mastered the lemon meringue pie. The crust was store bought (shh, don't tell). The filling was lemony and contained no seeds or chewiness. The meringue was fluffy, white and perfect. It could be a bit better, but god knows it could not be worse!!

I am proud of this pie, there is no doubt. It has become the running joke and I am glad to have finally tackled the challenge.  But I have to admit that I am sad as well. Sad that we will not fall over laughing on the floor over seeds, or think that cream will be a great substitute for cream of tartar.

I guess there is always next year:)

DIY Chili & Grilled Cheese Party

Last year I threw Andrew the ultimate 40th birthday bash - A BEER themed party complete with a Budweiser jacket, Budweiser cake, and "Beer Me" glasses. Can you guess Andrew's favorite brew?!?!

This year wasn't really a monumental birthday for Andrew, but in my book, every birthday deserves a celebration, no matter the number! For me, I'll make any excuse to get our friends together and entertain at our house. A fall birthday party seemed like as good an excuse as any! My sister and brother-in-law even flew in from Virginia for the occasion. We grew up with a mama who loves any excuse to throw a party and it turns out her girls are no different!

We spent the weekend soaking in the last "warm" days of fall, eating greasy brunch food, raking leaves, drinking mulled wine, and prepping for Andrew's birthday celebration.

I knew it would be hard to top last year's party, and honestly I didn't want to. I just wanted an excuse to light candles in my house, steal some ideas from Pinterest, and share some vino with friends while their kids terrorized my house.

I settled on a DIY chili & grilled cheese bar as I've recently been in the fall spirit. It turned out to be fantastic!! Who doesn't love chili, tomato soup, and grilled cheese?! Its a kid AND adult friendly meal for sure, so it was perfect for our mix of guests. 

For the grilled cheese bar I set up 2 panini makers (Big score on the Bella Panini Maker on sale at Macy's), 5 types of cheese, bacon, basil, tomato and lots of bread & butter.  It was DIY and added creativity and fun for guests. The chili I made with a super easy recipe - 4 ingredients - ground beef, black beans, diced tomatoes, and kidney beans (and spices). And the tomato soup was homemade from Trader Joes:) Thanks TJ! 

For dessert I opted out of the traditional birthday cake. Honestly, I just didn't feel like flour and icing this time around. So again, I went with the fall theme and set up a smores' bar, rice krispie treats & caramel apples. Another epic success with our guests of all ages. In fact, I think the adults enjoyed the gooey smores' more than the kids.

After the last guest had left, I surveyed the scene - beer bottles & chili mason jars scattered the table tops, kid's handprints smudged every surface and Andrew sat on the couch with a big grin on his face.  It was the birthday celebration that everybody deserves for a new year of life. A successful party celebrating my love, our friends, and this house that we now call home. I don't think Pinterest can capture that feeling, that wholehearted thankfulness for those who will come and celebrate a non-monumental birthday with chili & grilled cheese.  Happy Birthday Andrew! 

Reflections on 27

I wrote a bit of reflections on 27 yesterday morning, on the eve of turning 28.

"I should be sitting answering dozens of emails, but I decided that a bit of reflection on the past year was more important. These silly emails, our way of communicating these days, consume our time and I just want it to stop. At least for 20 minutes so that I can sip my hot chai tea latte and journal in peace and quiet on an overcast, foggy New England morning. I never journal anymore. I used to do it every day. Or at least attempted to do it everyday. Now a days, if I journal once every three months I have truly made an effort.

I don't know exactly how I got here - to this point in my life - age 27 on the eve of my 28th birthday. Life was moving at a normal pace - fast some days and slow the next, but it all evened out. Nowadays I feel my life is moving at a incredible speed that I only hope to keep up with. Is this the new normal? The time in your late 20's when you realize life is real and the fun, easy going, time for journaling each day, stress free days are a thing of the past? I don't' know exactly but 28 feels monumental. Like I am entering this new stage of life.

27 was a good year. Lots of new friendships developed. I gained new family members. Friends and family got married, had babies, and we celebrated each wholeheartedly. Andrew and I bought our first house. That has been an adventure I never could imagined the day I signed the papers. I spent another summer in Nantucket - picturesque, yet challenging in the realities of appeasing rich owners. I realized in that summer that flexibility is key. That some things work out and some things don't. It all balances out in the end. I traveled near and far. I learned what hard work owning a house requires. I gained new skills and was challenged. Thanks to my dear friend Maaike I launched my own photography business, Maria Burton Photography, and am so encouraged to see it grow one client at a time. Andrew and I enjoyed one last hurrah in the yachting world aboard Spartan. I watched my sister marry her best friend and love of her life - I surprised myself and cried through the whole thing and the days following. I opened my heart, I closed it. I had highs and lows. I believed in the great days and had doubts in the gray ones. And then we got engaged - what I thought I ruined turned out to be all the more perfect. And so 27 was great. A truly blessed, humble, and challenging year."

I am hopeful for 28. I think it might be one of the best yet. My horoscope at least thinks so. I have a lot to be thankful for.

And so I start a new goal for 28 - to post a quote every day. One that inspires me, gives me perspective, or makes me laugh. I don't necessarily have to post it on the blog, but for certain around my house, to remind me of what is good in this life, who I aspire to be, and what I dream for.

So in honor of feeling old at 28...