The Breakfast Of Champions

Or at least the one for those of us who can't figure out why we can't seem to shed any unwanted pounds.

One of my all-time favorite pies — Coconut Meringue. I got the perfect recipe from one of our dear friends in Illinois. It actually alters to make Chocolate Cream Pie, too.

Coconut Pie
from my friend Joanne

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 T flour
2 1/2 T cornstarch (rounded, not level)
1 tall can evaporated milk
1 cup water
3 egg yolks, beaten
1 cup or more coconut
2 T butter
1 tsp vanilla

Combine sugar, salt, flour, and cornstarch together. Add milk and water. Bring to a boil and cook 3 minutes or until thick. Stir constantly. Remove from heat. Stir 1/2 of mixture into egg yolks and then combine entire mixture. Cook 1 minute more over low heat, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and stir in coconut, butter and vanilla. Pour in a cooled, baked pie shell.

Use the same recipe for Chocolate Cream Pie, except increase the sugar to 1 cup and add 2 squares of chocolate with the milk and water at the beginning. And of course don't ever add coconut.

Meringue
also from my friend Joanne

1 T cornstarch
2 T tap water
1/2 cup boiling water
3 egg whites
6 T sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Dissolve cornstarch in tap water. Add to boiling water in saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly until thickened (it doesn't usually take long at all). Remove from heat. Cool. I usually try to do this step first while the pie shell is baking so they are cooling while I make the pie. Then I can just finish up the meringue and pop it in the oven.

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Add sugar a little at a time. Beat until stiff peaks form. Fold or beat cornstarch mixture in. Spread and seal around the pie crust (this helps keep the pie from oozing out). Bake at 350 degrees until brown. It usually takes around 10 minutes.

Store what you have left in the refrigerator. You know, so you have breakfast the next morning. But hide it in the back so no one else finds it.