By The medication has been helping. Three weeks in and the floor of anxiety that I'd been standing on without quite acknowledging it has become less present, the background noise quieter. I feel more like myself in the mornings — not a different self, but the one I am when I'm not spending so much energy managing the undercurrent. I told Gary. He said he'd noticed a difference. I asked him what kind of difference. He said, "You seem more like you've been since we started the walks again. Less held in." That's accurate.
The workshops have gotten complicated in a positive way: I have a waiting list at both community centers and Beverly's school series has requests from three more principals. I've been thinking about how to scale this without losing what makes it work. I talked to Debra about it over coffee Thursday. She said, "You can't do it alone anymore, Michelle. You know that." I said I knew it. She said, "So who do you trust to teach this the way you'd teach it?"
Olivia's name came to mind immediately. Then I dismissed it — she's sixteen, she's in high school, she can't run workshops. But then I thought: she can assist. She can learn the facilitation. She can become the person I train so that someday — when she's ready, when she wants this — she can carry it forward.
I started making lemon curd this week. Jars of it for spring gifting. Bright and tart and the color of early sunshine, the smell of it filling the kitchen like a promise. Spring is coming. The book is coming. Something is becoming.
Making lemon curd this week put me back in that headspace of bright, tart things — citrus on your hands, the kitchen smelling like it’s already spring. This Frozen Key Lime Delight felt like the natural companion to that mood: same family of flavors, same promise of something lighter coming. When you’re in a season of becoming, you want your kitchen to taste like it too.
Frozen Key Lime Delight
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 4 hours 20 minutes (includes freezing) | Servings: 12
Ingredients
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 cup fresh key lime juice (about 20 key limes, or bottled)
- 1 tablespoon key lime zest
- 2 cups frozen whipped topping (such as Cool Whip), thawed, divided
- Thin lime slices or zest, for garnish
Instructions
- Make the crust. In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Stir until the mixture resembles wet sand. Press firmly and evenly into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Place in the freezer for 10 minutes to set.
- Prepare the filling. In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the sweetened condensed milk and mix until fully combined. Pour in the key lime juice and lime zest, mixing on low until incorporated.
- Fold in whipped topping. Gently fold 1 1/2 cups of the thawed whipped topping into the lime mixture using a rubber spatula, keeping the mixture light and airy.
- Assemble. Remove the crust from the freezer. Spread the key lime filling evenly over the crust, smoothing the top with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.
- Top and freeze. Dollop or spread the remaining 1/2 cup whipped topping over the filling. Cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4 hours, or overnight, until fully set.
- Serve. Remove from the freezer 5–10 minutes before slicing to soften slightly. Cut into squares, garnish with lime zest or thin lime rounds, and serve cold.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 340 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 41g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 210mg