atlantic beach pie

I recently heard about this pie on NPR. It's from Crook's Corner restaurant in Chapel Hill, NC, and it is awesome. Somewhere between lemon icebox and key lime. It may be one of the simplest pies I've ever made, making it my new go-to summer pie.

Atlantic Beach Pie

for the crust:
1 1/2 sleeves of saltine crackers
1/2 cup (1 stick) softened unsalted butter
3 tablespoons sugar

for the filling:
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
4 egg yolks
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

for the topping:
freshly whipped cream (sweetened with a few tablespoons of powdered sugar and a dash of vanilla)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Crush the crackers finely, but not to dust. I put them in a large ziploc and used my hands to crush them up. A good mix of small and fine crumbs makes the best crust. Add the sugar, then knead in the butter until the crumbs hold together like dough. Press into a 9 inch pie pan. Chill for 15 minutes, then bake for 18 minutes or until the crust just begins to turn golden brown.
While the crust is cooling, beat the egg yolks into the milk, then beat in the citrus juice. Be sure to completely combine these ingredients. Pour into the shell (which doesn't have to be all the way cooled) and bake for 16 minutes until the filling has set. The pie needs to be completely cold to be sliced. Serve with fresh whipped cream.

the morning after, last lone sliver

lookin' good sam!

So a year ago, this past weekend, my best friend got married in Alpharetta, GA and we missed it. Well. They skyped us in. Here we were in Sam's hospital room, just 11 days after transplant. He was running a high fever that day, but buttoned up his dress shirt over his hospital gown and smiled bravely for our friends.

long distance bridesmaid

This past Saturday night, exactly one year later, we found ourselves at another very special wedding. We spent much of the night on the dance floor. After missing 6 weddings since Sam's diagnosis we had a lot to make up for. There's only one clear picture of the both of us from the night, and I love it. I just can't believe how far Sam has come and how wonderful he looks.

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one year post transplant

Day +365!!

Wednesday, April 3 marked one whole year since Sam's stem cell transplant at Memorial Sloan-Kettering. Though our vision for the day (relaxing somewhere beautiful with Jack) and the reality of the day (long and grueling with plenty of pokes and prods) could not have been further off, it's A-OK because we just got the news that everything looks GREAT and Sam continues to be disease free!! And...as if that wasn't enough. We were also given the paperwork that will put us in contact with our donor! The National Marrow Donor Program prohibits donors and recipients from meeting until at least a year post-transplant. We are beyond excited to have the chance to personally thank the woman who's done so much for our family. And thank you ALL for supporting us every step of the way.

Remember this? What a difference a year can make.