Poly-BOOM Noodles & Lemon Meringue Shortbread Pie

I have to admit, this past weekend was incredibly hectic and my saving grace - FOOD, GLUTEN FREE FOOD that is. Friday we stopped by the always delicious Haley's Corner Bakery http://haleyscorner.com/ and picked up some new favorites. Their Cherry Pie Bars with its buttery shortbread crust, sweet yet slightly tart cherry filling and the soft crumb topping making it hard not to swallow the entire thing whole. I have to say, it might now out rank their Lemon Bars - might :D I also lucked out and arrived in time to pick up a slice of extremely moist Pumpkin Bread which is perfect with a hot cup of herbal tea. **Side Note: It freezes perfectly and even tastes good if you're like me and can't wait for it to completely thaw!** As most people know, my bi-weekly trips to the bakery ALWAYS include a complete stock up on baked goods, I also have to rave about some of the rest of my goodies. The freshly baked Sourdough Loaf was a great compliment to my creamy spinach dip (recipe to follow later this week). The extra large Orange Almond Muffin with it's sweet icing and toasted almonds was fabulous thawed and eaten with my cup of joe this morning. The Passion Fruit Cupcake with Passion Fruit Buttercream wasn't only gorgeous too look at but was literaly an explosion of the tropics with each delicious bite. Their cheesey Garden Roll was jam packed with fresh farm market veggies and toasted, made a fabulous pairing with my warm cup of broccoli parm soup this snowy weekend. And then who could forget the ALWAYS perfect, NEVER disappointing Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and creamy Lemon Bars. This weekend's bakery stock up wasn't only a success, but was incredibly delicious! Bonus points, everything mentioned can be frozen and still tastes amazing thawed for another day :D

With all the sweets I rounded up, I was on a baking kick for our weekend guest. So I whipped up my Lemon Meringue Shortbread Pie and to tie in some citrus, for dinner I made my Poly-BOOM Noodles. Both tasty and as always, completely GLUTEN FREE, what do you have to loose - give 'em a try! Happy baking and happier eating y'al...

Lemon Meringue Shortbread Pie:
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 6 lemons)
Zest of 6 lemons
3 egg yolks
1 (8-9 inch) Whole Foods Frozen Pie Crust (Prebake and completely cool BEFORE assembling pie)

Meringue:
3 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream or tartar
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

**Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

- In medium bowl, combine milk, lemon juice, and zest; blend in egg yolks. Pour into cooled crust.

- Beat egg whites with cream of tartar and vanilla until soft peaks from. Gradually beat in the sugar until stiff. Spread over filling; seal to edge of crust. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until meringue is golden brown.
- Completely cool pie and then chill in refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight to allow filling to set.

Waiting for it to finish baking is the HARDEST part!

Poly-BOOM Noodles:
1 package DeBoles Gluten Free Rice Spaghetti Noodles
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into strips)
Salt/Pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic (minced)
2 green onions (thinly sliced on the diagonal)
2 carrots (cut into 1 inch slices)
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup white wine (preferably Moscato)
1/8 cup orange juice (preferably Simply Orange)
1/4 cup San-J Gluten Free Sweet & Tangy Polynesian Sauce

- In large pot, boil water for noddles; season with salt when brought to a boil and add in noodles. (Noodles will cloud the water and cook fairly quickly - 5 to 8 minutes tops. Be careful not to overcook as noodles will continue to cook in sauce and overcooked become extremely gummy.) Drain and set aside - DO NOT RINSE NOODLES WITH WATER!!!
- In large stir-fry pan, heat about 2 tablespoons of canola oil on medium heat. Add onions, garlic and carrots until soft (about 5 minutes); add in chicken meat. Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Continue to cook until chicken is no longer translucent.
- Deglaze pan with white wine, orange juice & Polynesian sauce; add in noodles and combine well with meat mixture. Continue to cook for another 15-20 minutes. Serve immediately.