2-22-2022 and National Margarita Day

 Celebrate this unique day in history. Today is 2-22-2022 and National Margarita Day which makes it a great day to make Margarita Pie from Tastes & Treasures: A Storytelling Cookbook of Historic Arizona. www.HistoricalLeague.org/shop.aspx

Western Horseman Cookbook features Margarita Pie

The Historical League was featured on page 131 of Western Horseman Cookbook with the Margarita Pie from Tastes & Treasures A Storytelling Cookbook of Historic Arizona. The Pie recipe came from historic Rancho de la Osa in Sasabe, AZ. We are pleased to be a part of Western Horseman and share history and recipes.

Chuck-wagon cooking, dutch-ovens, campfires . . . these are the cooking methods of the Old West. The recipes from this cookbook have been featured in the Western Horseman Magazine since 2007. They are now compiled in this inviting book along with stories of cowboys and cowgirls that still ride the range and enjoy all things about horses and ranching.

 

Margarita Pie Individual Servings

Presentation is everything for food. . . well almost!  Zona Lorig created individual servings of Margarita Pie from Tastes & Treasures cookbook for a Celebration of Life for Donna Roe. The luncheon was a success and the "mini" pies were delicious.

4th of July Raspberry Pretzel Jello

Top this dish with fresh blueberries and you have a delicious dessert to celebrate our nation's birthday. Raspberry Pretzel Jello has a very similar crust to Margarita Pie from page 124 Tastes & Treasures cookbook, from Rancho de La Osa. You can read all about the wonderful history of Rancho de La Osa as well as their renowned recipes in Tastes & Treasures.

The following recipe has the same great idea with lots of Raspberries. Don't forget to add the Blueberries to make it look patriotic.
Thanks to Natashaskitchen.com for the recipe.


 Ingredients for Raspberry Pretzel Jello Recipe:
6 oz package Raspberry Jell-O
2 cups boiling water
2 cups pretzels
1/4 cup sugar
1 stick butter
1 (8oz) package cream cheese – softened
1 (8oz) package Cool Whip – thawed
1 cup sugar
1 bag frozen raspberries – thawed in refrigerator

How to Make Raspberry Pretzel Jello:
Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
1. Combine 6 Oz packet of Jell-O with 2 cups of boiling water and set aside to cool to room temperature.

2. Crush 2 cups of pretzels in a ziploc bag, using a rolling pin.

3. Melt 1 stick of  butter than add 1/4 cup sugar in saucepan. Add pretzels and mix together.

4. Lightly press pretzel mix into a 13×9 -inch pyrex dish and bake for 10 minutes at 350°F, then cool to room temperature.

5. While pretzel mix is cooling down, beat 8 oz of cream cheese and 1 cup sugar on medium/low speed until well-combined.

6. Next, stir in Cool Whip using a spatula and mix until well combined.

7. Spread mixture over cooled pretzels and go all the way to the edges of the dish to create a seal. You don’t want the jello to leak into the pretzels. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

8. Place  raspberries evenly on top of the cream filling..

9.  Pour Jell-O over raspberries and refrigerate until jello is set.

Margarita Pie for Reunion

When you have lots of help in the kitchen, the cooking becomes much more fun. Our sorority reunion at Burt Lake, Michigan was outstanding and I had lots of extra hands making Margarita Pie. Thanks to Joann Neher Travillian, Debbie Dorman Ennis, Liz Ohtonen Bahti, Cheryl Richter Neville, Sue Hall Wheatlake.

MARGARITA PIE

Pretzel Crust
1 1/2 cups finely crushed pretzels
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Pie
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1(14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons gold tequila
2 tablespoons Triple Sec
2 cups heavy whipping cream, whipped
Green food coloring (optional)

For the crust, pulse the pretzels and sugar
in a food processor several times to com-
bine. Add the butter in a steady stream and
process until well mixed. Press over the
bottom and up the side of a 9 inch pie plate
sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

For the pie, combine the lime juice, con-
densed milk, tequila and Triple Sec in a
bowl and mix well. Fold in the whipped
cream. Tint with green food coloring, if you
desire a deeper color. Spoon into the crust.
Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 4
hours or up to 1 week. Garnish with addi-
tional whipped cream and lime slices.
Note: Do not use fat-free or low-fat pretzels
in the crust or the crust will not hold to-
gether when cutting. You may substitute
graham crackers for the pretzels.

Serves 6 to 8

Key Lime Pie Frozen Sandwiches

Margarita Pie from historic Rancho de la Osa on page 196 in Tastes & Treasures cookbook is a big hit with us. This recipe from Hungry Girl is very similar but with lower calorie and some different flavors. Try them both.

Key Lime Pie Frozen Sandwiches

Ingredients: 


1/2 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt 

1 1/2 tbsp. granulated sugar 

1 tbsp. lime juice (key lime, if available) 

2 sheets (8 crackers) low-fat cinnamon graham crackers, broken into 4 squares



Directions:

To make the filling, combine yogurt, sugar, and lime juice in a bowl. Mix thoroughly. Cover and place in the freezer for 25 - 30 minutes, until it reaches a soft-serve-like consistency (very thick but soft enough to stir.)


Place two graham cracker squares on a plate with the cinnamon-covered sides down. Give filling a stir and evenly distribute between the two graham cracker squares, about 1/4 cup each. Gently place another graham cracker square over each filling-topped square, cinnamon-covered sides up.



Place in the freezer until filling is firm, at least 1 hour.

MAKES 2 SERVINGS

PER SERVING (1/2 of recipe, 1 sandwich): 128 calories, 1g fat, 105mg sodium, 24g carbs, 0.5g
fiber, 16g sugars, 7g protein

Margarita Pie topic on talk radio

The interview with www.blogtalkradio.com/big-blend-radio/2011/07/23/food-history-travel was fun with lots of interest in Margarita Pie and Rancho de la Osa in Sasabe. The hosts did not know the Jesuit mission built in the late 1600 at Rancho de la Osa is the oldest building still in use in AZ. I was nervous about the interview since they know lots of history, so I felt good when I could give them some new information.

The interview was to promote Tastes & Treasures cookbook and Arizona Recollections and Reflections An Arizona Historymakers Centennial Commemoration book.

H. Alan Day, co-author of "Lazy B" with his sister Sandra Day O'Connor, preceded me on the talk show. He is such an interesting speaker. Both he and Sandra talked at a Historical League meeting a few years ago and it was fascinating. His passion now is rescueing wild horses and he tells us about this in his new book.

For all you foodies, here is the sought-after Margarita Pie recipe. Easy to fix and looks so impressive.

MARGARITA PIE

Pretzel Crust

1 1/2 cups finely crushed pretzels

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Pie

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1(14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

2 tablespoons gold tequila

2 tablespoons Triple Sec

2 cups heavy whipping cream, whipped

Green food coloring (optional)

For the crust, pulse the pretzels and sugar in a food processor several times to combine. Add the butter in a steady stream and process until well mixed. Press over the bottom and up the side of a 9 inch pie plate sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

For the pie, combine the lime juice, condensed milk, tequila and Triple Sec in a bowl and mix well. Fold in the whipped cream. Tint with green food coloring, if you desire a deeper color. Spoon into the crust. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 4 hours or up to 1 week. Garnish with additional whipped cream and lime slices.

Note: Do not use fat-free or low-fat pretzels in the crust or the crust will not hold together when cutting. You may substitute graham crackers for the pretzels.

We added green coloring but swirled it (not mixed it in uniformly) so it gave a marbled look.

Serves 6 to 8

Big Blend Magazine interview

Promoting Tastes & Treasures A Storytelling Cookbook of Historic Arizona and Arizona Recollections and Reflections is part of the volunteer work we do at the Historical League. Ruth McLeod will be interviewed on Saturday, July 23 on www.blogtalkradio.com/big-blend-radio/2011/07/23/food-history-travel

All sales raised from these books support the AHS Museum at Papago Park in Tempe and continue to educate us on the fascinating history of Arizona, celebrating her Centennial in 2012.

Margarita Pie is a topic of interest so helpful hints will be given. Also stories of Historymakers and the growth of Arizona will be discussed.

Margarita Pie Demonstration

The audience loved to learn about Margarita Pie at the AZ History Convention in Yuma last week. Leslie Christiansen is an expert at demonstrating cooking skills and techniques. She made the pie in little sample cups for tasting and added Crystallized Lime Zest for the topping. What a hit and they looked so pretty. Margarita Pie is from historic Rancho de la Osa, the recipe is on page 124 Tastes & Treasures cookbook.

CRYSTALIZED LIME ZEST

Ingredients:
Lime; Lemon or Orange
Salt
Water
Sugar

Method:
1. Wash the outside of the citrus with soap & water, and then dry well.
2. Peel the citrus with a potato peeler or citrus zester. Be sure the peel does not have the off-white and bitter pith. (do not use a micro/plane)
3. If using a peeler- cut peel into julienne strips.
4. Bring a sauce pan of water to a boil, using enough water to cover more than an inch of the citrus zest. Add a small palm-full of kosher salt to the boiling water.
5. Blanch the zest for 1 minute.
6. Pour the zest into a fine mesh sieve, allowing it to drain well.
7. Meanwhile, make a simple syrup with equal parts sugar and water:
8. Place the sugar in the center of a heavy bottom sauce pan, being careful not to get the sugar crystals up the sides of the pan.
9. Pour the water around the sugar. Gently stir the sugar with a wooden spoon.
10. Bring to a boil- without stirring. When the liquid has completely come to a boil and the syrup is clear, turn off the heat.
11. Add the zest and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the zest is slightly transparent.
12. Meanwhile, place some new sugar in a cake or pie pan. (use 2 pans if making a large amount)
13. When the zest has finished simmering, pour it into a large sieve to drain. The syrup will be thick and sticky.
14. Immediately after the sugar has drained, start to coat it with the sugar;
15. Using 2 forks, scoop up about a large tablespoon full of zest into the sugar. Use the forks to separate the zest into strands, completely coating it with the sugar. This takes time and patience.
16. Move the sugar coated zest into the 2nd pie dish with sugar, coating it again. Continue until all the zest has been coated in sugar.
17. Allow sugar to dry out in the sugar for a few hours, re-coating it a few times.
18. Place finished zest in an airtight container or a zip-top bag. It will keep for a few weeks.

Margarita Pie- Frozen and Refreshing

Frozen pies are so good in the summertime. This one you can make ahead of time and freeze for several days. It is easy and s-o-o pretty and colorful. I purposely did not mix the green food coloring uniformly so it had a slight swirl of color. Topped it with a lime slice instead of more whipping cream. Thanks to Rancho de La Osa for this wonderful recipe.



MARGARITA PIE pg 124 Tastes & Treasures

Pretzel Crust
1 1/2 cups finely crushed pretzels
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Pie
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1(14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons gold tequila
2 tablespoons Triple Sec
2 cups heavy whipping cream, whipped
Green food coloring (optional)

For the crust, pulse the pretzels and sugar in a food processor several times to combine. Add the butter in a steady stream and process until well mixed. Press over the bottom and up the side of a 9 inch pie plate sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

For the pie, combine the lime juice, condensed milk, tequila and Triple Sec in a bowl and mix well. Fold in the whipped cream. Tint with green food coloring, if you desire a deeper color.
Spoon into the crust. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 4 hours or up to 1 week. Garnish with additional whipped cream and lime slices.
Note: Do not use fat-free or low-fat pretzels in the crust or the crust will not hold together when cutting. You may substitute graham crackers for the pretzels.

Serves 6 to 8

Margarita Pie at March meeting

Birthdays aren't often celebrated with the Historical League but every once in a while we make it special. Reba and Zona have birthdays very close together so a Margarita Pie seemed in order.

Using fresh ingredients, i.e. limes, would be easy, right? Wrong. It takes a lot of limes juice to make 1/2 cup so I added fresh lemon juice. It poured easily into the pretzel crust.

This is a wonderful dessert for company because you can make it days ahead and freeze it. Decorate with lime slices and it looks very professional.

However, frozen pie does not transport well. I put the finished pie on a bed of ice to keep it cold. The Margarita Pie looked more like Margarita Pudding by the time it was served as dessert but the plate was licked clean.

MARGARITA PIE

Pretzel Crust
1 1/2 cups finely crushed pretzels
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Pie Filling
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1(14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons gold tequila
2 tablespoons Triple Sec
2 cups heavy whipping cream, whipped
Green food coloring (optional)

For the crust, pulse the pretzels and sugar in a food processor several times to combine. Add the butter in a steady stream and process until well mixed. Press over the bottom and up the side of a 9 inch pie plate sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

For the pie, combine the lime juice, condensed milk, tequila and Triple Sec in a bowl and mix well. Fold in the whipped cream. Tint with green food coloring, if you desire a deeper color. Spoon into the crust. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 4 hours or up to 1 week. Garnish with additional whipped cream and lime slices. Note: Do not use fat-free or low-fat pretzels
in the crust or the crust will not hold together when cutting. You may substitute graham crackers for the pretzels.

Serves 6 to 8

Margarita Pie from Rancho de la Osa

Frozen dessert in the frozen north may not make much sense but it was very good and the perfect finish to a great company dinner. Calgary, Canada hit minus 30 while we were there with a snow storm crippling the city and stopping schools and businesses . . . but not us. We walked to the corner market to get the ingredients for Margarita Pie and covered every inch of exposed skin so our faces were barely visible. Brrrr. But it was worth it.

My sister in law, Kitty McLeod, added the two tablespoons of tequila and I stirred in the ingredients. Nephew, Alec McLeod, couldn't wait to add the whipped creme and limes.

Margarita Pie pg. 124 from Rancho de la Osa in Sasabe, AZ

Pretzel Crust
1 1/2 cups finely crushed pretzels
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted

Pie
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons gold tequila
2 tablespoons Triple Sec (We used Galliano since we couldn't buy Triple Sec at the corner market. Is that a NO NO in the liquer world??)
2 cups heavy whipping cream, whipped
Green food coloring (optional)

For the crust, pulse the pretzels and sugar in a food processor several times to combine. (We used a blender and it worked great.) Add the butter in a steady stream and process until well mixed. Press over the bottom and side of a 9 inch pie plate sprayed with non stick cooking spray.

For the pie, combine the lime juice, condensed milk, tequila and Triple Sec in a bowl and mix well. Fold in the whipped cream. Tint with green food coloring if you desire a deeper color. Spoon into the crust. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 4 hours or up to 1 week. Garnish with additional whipped cream and lime slices.

Note: Do not use fat-free or low-fat pretzels in the crust or the crust will not hold together when cutting. You may substitute graham crackers for the pretzels but the pretzel crust is the best. Serves 6 to 8.