Meringue Callous

This evening we have a meeting for the co-op membership committee and we offered to bring the food. We are still debating what that food should be, but we are leaning towards a dip of some kind. When JB and JB Jr. get back we are going to go on a fieldtrip to the east-end co-op for some inspiration.

Over the weekend I tried my hand at a coconut cream pie for the first time. I think it turned out pretty well - despite the fact that I don't have an electric mixer. I didn't think it would be a big deal, because I've hand whipped cream and other things in the past, no problem. Apparently meringue is a different beast entirely. I must have whipped those egg whites for over and hour (with a couple breaks courtesy of JB). I even have a callous! On top of that, the cold spots in my oven required strategic turning of the pies during baking to even out the "golden brown" color which was the goal. In the end, it was worth it, because I ended up with three gorgeous pies. One for Grandma and Aunt Pam, one for Uncle Steve and Aunt Rose, and one for us. Steph drove me to drop off the pies and we managed to get lost about a dozen times, which was nice, cause I'd never been to Hopewell - plus we got some quality sister time. Aunt Pam and Grandma fed us and sent us home with an interesting assortment of treasures (old magazines, a dog crate, buckets, and doughnuts). Uncle Steve and Aunt Rose gave us some produce from their garden - cucumbers, banana peppers, and ox heart tomatoes.