Key Lime Cupcakes with Meringue

Ingredients:
24 paper liners for cupcake pans

For Cupcakes:
1 large lime, scrubbed (for 1 tsp zest)
4 large eggs
1 pkg (18.25 oz) plain yellow cake mix
1 pkg (3.4 oz) vanilla instant pudding mix
1 1/4 cups water
1/3 cup vegetable oil

For Filling:
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup Key lime juice

For Meringue:
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
Reserved 3 large egg whites
1/3 cup granulated sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill cupcake pans with liners.

Prepare the cupcake batter:
With a citrus zester or fine grater, zest the lime and reserve one tsp. Separate three of the eggs, place the whites in a large clean mixing bowl and the yolks in another mixing bowl. Add the remaining egg, cake mix, pudding mix, water, oil, lime zest and lime juice to the egg yolks. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl then increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes. The batter should look well blended. Spoon or scoop 1/4 cup batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling it two thirds of the way full. Place the pans in the oven. Bake the cupcakes until they are lightly golden and spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 18 to 22 minutes. Remove pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for five minutes. Increase the oven heat to 450 dregrees.
Run a knife around the edges of the cupcake liners, lift the cupcakes up from the bottoms of the cups using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups placing them on a wire rack to cool for 15 mintues before filling.
Prepare the filling:
Place the sweetened condensed milk and Key lime juice in a small bowl and stir to combine. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a medium tip. Press the tip 1/4 inch into the center of the cupcake and squeeze the bag to release about 1 Tbsp filling into the cupcake. Scrape of any excess filling. Place the cupcakes back into the pan.
Prepare the meringue:
Add the cream of tartar to the reserved egg whites and beat with an electric mixer on high speed until frothy, 45 seconds. Add 1 Tbsp of the sugar. Continue beating on high, adding one tablespoon sugar at a time, until the whites form stiff peaks. Spoon two tablespoons meringue onto the top of each cupcake and swirl to spread it just to the edges of the cupcakes. Place the pan in the oven and bake until the meringue in light nutty brown in color, five to six minutes.
Lift the cupcakes out of the pan and serve at once or allow the cupcakes to cool for 10 minutes, then serve.

Apple Strawberry Crisp

Topping:
1/2 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
6 Tbsp softened margarine - don't soften the margarine too much or it will make the topping clump together instead of being a coarse mixture
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
Mix all the topping ingredients with a fork or by hand till it resembles a coarse mixture.

Fruit:
Sliced apples and strawberries
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
I also added 3 Tbsp of Apple juice to make it more flavorful
Put the sliced apples and strawberries in a deep baking dish, sprinkle the sugar, lemon juice, and apple juice over top.

Sprinkle the topping on the fruit and spread evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes till browned. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving to allow the natural juices to set.

Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting

8 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
3 to 5 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
Place butter and cocoa in bowl and mix on low speed until combined. Add the sugar, 3 Tbsp of milk, and vanilla. Blend on low speed until sugar is incorporated then increase speed to medium and blend until light and fluffy. Add remaining milk if frosting is too stiff.

Microwave Single Serving Chocolate Cake

2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp milk
2 tsp cocoa
2 tsp oil
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
Spray mug, add all ingredients and stir with fork until smooth, sprinkle chocolate chips on top and microwave for 50 seconds or one minute.

Peanut Butter Bon Bons

3 cups Rice Krispies
2 cups peanut butter (heaped)
1/2 cup margarine
1 box (16 oz) powdered sugar
12 oz bag of chocolate chips
1/3 cube of wax shaved

In double boiler, melt wax and chocolate chips. In large pan, put rice krispies and powdered sugar and mix. Set aside. Melt margarine and peanut butter in pan and then pour over rice krispies mixture. Roll into balls and place on cookie sheets. Dip in chocolate and place back on cookie sheet. Cool until chocolate is hard.

Homemade Hot Chocolate

8 cups milk (can use 2% but preferable whole)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups chopped chocolate

Chop chocolate into small pieces and place in a mixing bowl. Heat the milk over medium-low heat until it steams and is very hot to the touch. Add the sugar and the vanilla and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Turn of the heat and ladle about 1 cup of the milk out and pour it over the chocolate pieces. Let the chocolate melt slowly. Stir it with a whisk to get all the chocolate in contact with the milk. Continue adding milk and stirring until all the milk as been incorporated. Ladle into serving cups and top with whipped cream.

Sugar Cookie Frosting

4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup shortening
5 Tbsp milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
food coloring

In a large bowl, cream together the powdered sugar and shortening until smooth. Gradually mix in the milk and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth and stiff, about 5 minutes. Color with the food coloring if you desire.
*This recipe should frost 48 cookies unless you like your cookies to have a little more frosting than normal.

Peanut Butter Fudge

2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow creme
1 1/3 cup peanut butter

Boil milk and sugar for 3 min. Immediately stir in marshmallow creme and peanut butter. Pour and spread in 9x9 pan. Cool completely and cut.