Lemonade Icebox Pie

I've been very busy this month of June, and I just realized I needed to make a pie for Liz, the highest bidder at my church's silent auction for my Pie of The Month.   I make a home made pie for 10 months each year, and deliver it to the winner's home.   Since I am out of town this weekend and next, I had to make a weeknight delivery.   I needed something quick and also I wanted something light and refreshing, so I turned to Southern cuisine.

I've never tried to make an icebox pie, which is a refrigerated (or frozen) creamy pie, but a recipe caught my eye for lemonade flavored one.   I was a little put off by the use of sweetened condensed milk, lemonade concentrate and Cool Whip as I don't usually use convenience foods ingredients, but I figured the southern belles knew what they were talking about, so I went with it!  I made my own graham cracker crust, at least, instead of the premade one called out in the original.

Crust

1 1/4 cups Keebler® Graham Cracker Crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup margarine or butter, melted

Directions
In small bowl stir together crumbs and sugar. Add margarine or butter. Toss until combined.  In 9-inch pie plate evenly spread crumb mixture. Press onto bottom and sides of pie plate. Bake at 375°F for 6 to 8 minutes or until light brown. Cool


Filling
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup thawed lemonade concentrate
1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
Lemon, for garnish

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and milk until smooth. Beat in lemonade concentrate. Fold in whipped topping . Pour into crust. Cover and refrigerate until set.  Garnish with lemon

This pie was delicious!  Perfect for a hot summer day....both rich tasting and light at the same time.

Pickled Shrimp

I spend a lot of my work time in the south these days, which has enhanced my appreciation of southern food.   I think I really got interested in it when I read the Lee brothers epic cookbook Southern Cuisine, and now wherever my business travel takes me, I am always wandering around bookstores looking at local cookbooks to add to my collection.    It was courtesy of the aforementioned Brothers Lee that I first heard of pickled shrimp, and I had it bookmarked in my brain to try for a while now.   The other day a recipe from Cook's Country popped up in my feed that I was inspired to try out, with my own adaptations.   I like my food a bit spicier than they do!

I liked the taste of the coriander seeds they suggested.   I didn't have any lemons or dill so I skipped it, and I reduced the oil and used a heavier hand with the hot pepper flakes.   Here's how I made it:

Pickled Shrimp

2 pounds extra-large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), peeled and deveined
Salt
8 cups Ice
1 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon allspice berries
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 T red pepper flakes
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 T capers
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup thinly sliced red onion



Combine 4 cups cold water, shrimp, and 2 teaspoons salt in Dutch oven. Set pot over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until water registers 170 degrees and shrimp are just beginning to turn pink, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit until shrimp are completely pink and firm, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir ice into pot and let shrimp cool completely, about 5 minutes. Drain shrimp in colander. Combine vinegar, sugar, garlic, bay leaves, allspice, coriander seeds, and pepper flakes in large bowl and microwave until hot, about 2 minutes. Stir to dissolve sugar. Let cool completely. Whisk in oil, capers, mustard,  hot sauce, Worcestershire, and 1 teaspoon salt until combined. Stir onion, and shrimp into vinegar mixture until thoroughly combined. Push to submerge shrimp in marinade, then place small plate on top to keep submerged. Cover and refrigerate, stirring occasionally, for at least 3 hours or up to 48 hours. To serve, remove shrimp from marinade using slotted spoon.

I really loved how this came out!  We ate it for supper with garlic bread, but it would make a great party appetizer/

Upper Peninsula Books

Here's a list of books about the Upper Peninsula or set in the UP.   I haven't read all of these, but I compiled them from our MTU Parents facebook group suggestions

Gertie Johnson Mystery Book Series by Deb Baker is set in Escanaba...."laugh out loud funny"

Gathering Prey by John Sanford.  This book in the thriller series is set in the UP

The Sweater Letter by Dave Distal.  True crime book set in the UP.

The Worth Series by Mara Jacobs.  Romances set in the Keweenaw.  You'll immediately recognize the setting....The Ambassador is called the "Commodore" for example

Joseph Heywood Woods Cop series mysteries about a conservation officer Grady Service set in the UP.  Also Red Jacket, a historical thriller set in the Keweenaw

Wolf's Mouth by John Smolens a thrilling story of good versus evil: part Upper Peninsula woods adventure, part rags-to-riches tale, part love story.

Y is For Yooper by Scott Reddinger.   An ABC book for people of all ages

South of Superior by Ellen Airgood.  Heartwarming novel set in Grand Marais

The Way North:  Collected Upper Peninsula New Works edited by Ron Riekki. Poetry, fiction, and non-fiction from memorable, varied voices that are writing from and about Michigan's Upper Peninsula.  Also check out Here: Women's Writing on the Upper Peninsula.

Anatomy of Murder  by Robert Traver.   This courtroom drama set near Marquette was made into a movie starring James Stewart.   Traver was the pen name of John D. Voelker, a Michigan Supreme Court Justice.  He wrote many books under that name, often about courtroom dramas, or fly fishing, or both! Check out Trout Madness

Many books by arguably Michigan's most famous author, Jim Harrison are set in the UP.   He lived near Grand Marais for many years before moving to Montana.   Check out his novella series Brown Dog

Death at the Lighthouse: A Grand Island Riddle by Loren Graham.  True crime story set in the UP.   Also check out his book A Face in the Rock: The Tale of the Grand Island Chippewa

MTU Grad Tom Maringer wrote A Superior State of Affairs, a futuristic state of affairs that is set in Houghton/Hancock area. 

Misery Bay by Steve Hamilton part of the Alex McNight series is a thriller set in the Keweenaw and features MTU students as characters.

The Birchbark House by Louise Erdich is a historical children's book set in the UP about life as a Native American

Snow Country by Kristin Neva.   A Christian romance set in Copper Island (aka the part of the Keweenaw north of the lift bridge)

Wall of Silver by Richard Kellogg.  Suspense treasure hunting story set in the Keweenaw

Sweet Girl by Travis Mulhauser is a novel set in the UP, one of Michigan's Notable books of 2017

Nevada Barr's Superior Death and Winter Study part of the Anna Pigeon series of mystery thrillers.

Nonfiction books about the Keweenaw's mining history by MTU professor Larry Lankton 

So Cold a Sky: Upper Peninsula Weather Stories by meteorologist Karl Bohnak, Check out the chapter on MTU alumni's favorite weather story about Thanksgiving Drive '85

Hiking Michigan's Upper Peninsula and Moon Michigan's Upper Peninsula

My Brother's Mountain by John Timmerman,  Middle school level historical fiction novel about the C&H strike in Calumet 

Rock Down, Coal Up by Chuck Pomazai. History of the Quincy and Torch Lake railroad

Boom Copper by Angus Murdoch. Vintage classic book about Keweenaw Copper Mining

Mine Towns by MTU professor Alison Hoagland about the area's copper mining towns

Any of the books about the UP by local writer Lon Emerick

Is This an Agate? by Susan Robinson.   A must for Lake Superior rock hounds

Michigan's Upper Peninsula and Copper Harbor  coffee table books featuring beautiful photography by Steve Brim

Yankee Yooper on the Keweenaw by Phillip J Howard Enjoy the adventures of a surgeon working and exploring the land around the lake, the Keweenaw, the Copper Country history, the Okibwa and Chippewa Indians, and more.

Michigan's Columbus by Steve Lehto.   Biography of Douglass Houghton

Time By Moments Steals Away by Robert Root. 1848 jounral of Rugh Douglas, who lived on Isle Royale

Diaries of an Isle Royale Fisherman by Elling Heglem Journal written about his live in the 1910s on Isle Royale.

Becoming Wilderness: Nature, History and the Making of Isle Royale National Park by Amalia Tholen Baldwin

 Naked in the Stream: Isle Royale Stories by Vic Foerster.  After thirty years worth of visits to Isle Royale National Park, Foerster records his experiences in this narrative. Funny and poignant, riveting and heart thumping, these true stories entertain and inform the reader

The Wolves of Isle Royale: A Broken Balance by Rolf Peterson Fascinating first-hand account of the relationship that exists between the wolf and the moose on the island.

A View from Wolf's Eye by Carolyn Peterson Her reflections of spending 30+ summers on the island. 

Spaghetti on Mondays by Tom Flaminio (MTU grad), about their family of 10 kids growing up in Iron Mountain.

Copper Country Journal: The Diary of Schoolmaster Henry Hobart, 1863-1864 Read about some of the people buried in the old hidden Cliff Mine cemetery and then walk out in the woods and find the specific grave. Really makes the history feel real.

Local history booklets by Clarence Monette

The Page One mystery series by Nancy Barr are set in the western UP

A Transplanted Yooper: Mostly True Stories Of Michigan's U.P. by Tina Lonski

Drummond Girls by Mardi Link, a notable Michigan author.   This memoir is about the exploits of her BFFs on the island.

Wild Shore: Exploring Lake Superior By Kayak by Greg Breining

Dandelion Cottage by Carol Rankin.  First published in 1904 children's novel. She first wrote the story for her own children, based in Marquette

Lake Superior Journal by Jim Marshall  Essays about the Big Lake

Island Life: An Isle Royale Nature Guide by Ted Gostomski and Janet Marr

The Sandstone Architecture of the Lake Superior Region by Kathryn Bishop Eckert

  

Strangers and Sojourners: A History of Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula by Arthur W. Thurner

Lake Superior Profiles : People on the Big Lake by John Gagnon

You Wouldn't Like it Here and You Still Wouldn't Like it Here by Lon Emerick

Nick Adams Stories by Ernest Hemingway

Women of the Copper Country Maria Doria Russell historical fiction set in the copper mining era

Michigan vs. The Boys by Carrie S. Allen YA novel set in Houghton/Hancock

North to Iron Country by Janie Lynn Panagopoulos. children's adventure books

Nancy Barr Page One Series is written by a MTU Alum and Professor

Isle Royale by John Hamilton

The Marsh King's Daughter by Karen Dionne

The Sweater Letter by Lynn and Dave Distel

The Way North: Collected Upper Peninsula New Works by Ron Riekki

Here: Women Writing the Upper Peninsula and And Here: 100 Years of Upper Peninsula Writing by Ron Riekki

All About the Singing of the Sirens that Sank the Fitz by Paul E. Hainault (ME Prof)

Ursula, Under by Ingrid Hull

Mine Towns: Buildings for Workers in Michigan's Copper Country by by Alison K. Hoagland

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley  YA thriller about a Native teen who must root out the corruption in her community

We Kept Our Towns Going: The Gossard Girls of Michigan's Upper Peninsula by Phyllis Wong Phyllis Michael Wong tells the stories of the Gossard Girls, women who sewed corsets and bras at factories in Ishpeming and Gwinn from the early twentieth century to the 1970s.

Tin Camp Road by Ellen Airgood  Novel about a young single mother and her ten-year-old daughter stand up to the trials of rural poverty and find the community they need in order to survive

Manoomin: The Story of Wild Rice in Michigan by Barbara J. Barton

The Mason House by T. Marie Bertineau is at once an elegy for lost loved ones and a tale of growing up amid hardship and hope, exploring how time and the support of a community can at last begin to heal even the deepest wounds