Epic Citrus Pie!

Today, my wonderful friend Lauren and I decided to make our own version of key lime pie! We drew our inspiration from Robin Miller of the Food Network. The ingredients are simple, and the results are deliciously epic. We went to the grocery store and we couldn't find key limes anywhere - so we used a mix of normal limes and lemons to make it our own! Lauren had the genius idea to mix lemon curd with the whipped cream for the pie topping. This lemon and lime dessert is SO GOOD. It's so light and refreshing, and the perfect way to welcome Spring! It's also super easy and FUN to make in your dorm room!

Ingredients:

1 pre-made graham cracker crust (you can make your own, but we don't have a pie plate so we just bought one!)

Filling:

1 8oz container of whipped topping (we used extra creamy Cool Whip!)

1 can of sweetened condensed milk (kinda weird stuff, but it totally works in this pie)

1/2 cup of lemon and lime juice mixed together (about 6 limes and 3 lemons... we added a little more juice later on to make the flavors really pop)

1 and a half teaspoons of vanilla extract (just an estimate)

Topping:

1/2 cup of whipped topping

about 3 tablespoons of good lemon curd (Trader Joe's has a really delicious one!)

2-3 limes, cut in pretty wedges

1 cup strawberries, sliced and arranged on the pie in a decorative way (any berry would probably be delicious here)

Directions:

First, squeeze the juice from the limes and lemons! We had fun fishing out all the seeds after. :) It helps if you firmly roll the fruit on a countertop beforehand to release more of the juices. Next, add the container of Cool Whip and the can of sweetened condensed milk together in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add the juice and the vanilla and mix it together so it's nice and smooth. The mixture thickens the more that you mix it and seems to resemble meringue. This is normal, don't worry! (we did a little). Carefully spoon the mixture onto the crust. Smooth the top with a knife or a spoon, and place it gently in the freezer. We let it set for about an hour and a half before we decorated it! For the topping, mix the Cool Whip and the lemon curd together. Remove the pie from the freezer and carefully spread on the topping. Have fun and be creative with your decorations - we lined the outside of the pie with lime wedges, and then filled the center with loads of strawberries. The most important thing is for it to taste good, and it will!

Cut a big piece and enjoy!

The perfect Spring dessert.