CREAMY LEMON LIME CREAM CHEESE PIE

RECIPES THAT BRING OUT THE BEST IN YOU AND THAT GIVE YOU THE FEELING YOU'RE ON TO SOMETHING BIG.

If you have this irresistible craving for something sweet and lemony and you want something more than a glass of lemonade, then this pie was made just for you! It is the most delicious lemon cream pie under the sun and it is so much fun to make that you'll want to make one every week and maybe even twice on Sunday. My mother made a marvelous lemon cream pie, but I modestly but sincerely say that this one is better. She made hers with sour cream as part of the filling, but I do like this one more with the cream cheese instead. It's versatile in that you can make the crust on the bottom four different ways: one is with just a plain pie crust, either made from scratch or from a box. Another one is to make a graham cracker crust or buy a graham cracker pie crust ready-made from the store. If you do, make sure you buy the one that is extra big. Then you could also make a cookie crust by crushing up some cookies like Oreos or sugar cookies or something that's hard and crunchy. But I chose to make a walnut butter crust because I happen to like a walnut butter crust and it does go really well with this lemon lime cream cheese pie, or at least that's my humble opinion . Whichever crust you choose to make, you just can't go wrong with this marvelous pie filling. Sometimes you just have to make a pie and when that feeling comes over you, this is a great pie to make. Here is how you make it:

1. To start with the crust, you use:

1 C. flour

1 stick of butter (1/2 C.)

1 C. chopped walnuts

1/4 C. brown sugar

2. You mix these together with a pastry blender until it resembles small crumbs. It will look like this.

3. Next, you spray the bottom of a pie dish with Pam or grease it with butter or shortening. You can either use a regular 9" pie dish or a larger pie dish such as a quiche dish which is what I used here. This you bake in a 350 oven for approximately 20 minutes. Don't bake it too long or it will be too hard. You want it just slightly crunchy when you eat it.

4. Next you make the cream cheese filling:

4 oz. cream cheese

1 C. powdered sugar

2 T. butter

2 C. frozen whipped topping

Beat this together until it is light and fluffy. Then, after the pie crust has had a chance to cool, smooth it onto the bottom. Put in the freezer for 30 minutes so it can set up.

5. Meanwhile you make the lemon filling:

In a medium saucepan combine:

1 1/2 C. sugar

3 T. flour

3 T. corn starch

A dash of salt

To this you gradually add:

1 1/2 C. water

Bring to a boil and stir constantly until it thickens. Remove from the heat.

6. In a separate bowl beat 3 eggs until foamy and frothy. Then very slowly pour in 1 C. of the hot syrup and keep beating constantly. Then return the egg mixture to the pan and bring to a slow boil. Continue cooking and stirring for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

7. To this add 1/3 C. fresh squeezed lemon and lime juice and the grated rind of one lemon and one lime (3 tsp.)

8. Now spread this lemon lime filling over the cream cheese mixture in the pie crust. Put it in the refrigerator and let it cool and set up which takes about an hour.

9. Next whip some cream (about 1 C. of heavy whipping cream) and spread it over the top of the pie.

10. Cut it into slices and serve. Makes 8-10 slices if you use a quiche dish or 6-7 slices if you use a regular 9" pie dish. It's yummy and wonderful! Enjoy!