Apple Cinnamon Muffins

A great use for old or bruised apples.

• 1 1/2 cup flour
  
• 3/4 cup sugar
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  
• 1 egg
  
• 1/2 cup milk
  
• 1/3 cup oil
  
• 1-2 cups diced apples
  

Combine all dry ingredients. Mix egg, oil and milk, beat lightly. Add to dry ingredients all at once, along with apples. Stir just until moistened. Spoon into 12 paper-lined muffin tins. Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes.

Saucy Sausage Casserole

Wonderful for a brunch or a holiday breakfast.

• 6 oz. box long grain and wild rice
  
• 1 lb. pork sausage
  
• 1 lb. ground beef
  
• 1 chopped onion
  
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
  
• 1/2 cup water
  
• 4 oz. can sliced mushroom
  
• 8 oz. can sliced water chestnuts
  
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  
• 3 oz. sliced almonds, toasted
  

Cook rice according to package. Brown beef and sausage with onion. Mix rice rice and meat mixture with everything except almonds. Spoon casserole into dish, sprinkle with toasted almonds and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Citrus Punch

I first made this 12 years ago for a wedding shower/brunch. Very tasty and can be mixed with champagne for great mimosas.

• 12 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate
  
• 12 oz. frozen lemonade concentrate
  
• 12 oz. frozen limeade concentrate
  
• 3 cups pineapple juice
  
• enough water to make one gallon total
  
• 1 bottle club soda
  

Mix all concentrates with pineapple juice. Add water to make one gallon, stir. Add a splash of club soda before serving.

Key Lime Cake

I love icebox pies, and this cake has a delicious filling just like one. Southern Living has from scratch recipes to go with it but I've always just used a mix: the filling is what's important.

• 1 box white cake mix, plus eggs, oil, etc. according to directions
  
• 1/4 cup corn starch
  
• 3/4 cup milk
  
• 3 eggs, or 2 eggs plus 3 yolks
  
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
  
• 1-2 drops each of yellow and green food coloring
  
• 1/2 cup lime juice*
  
• 3 tablespoons butter
  
• 1 tablespoon grated lime rind*
  

Prepare cake mix according to package, expect bake in two 13" x 9" pans for about 15 minutes or until cake tests done. Cut each layer in half down middle to get 4 nearly square halves. Cool cake layers and set aside.

Dissolve corn starch in cold milk in saucepan. Whisk in sweetened condensed milk, eggs, lime juice and food coloring. Cook to boiling over medium heat, whisking continuously. Boil one minute, remove from heat and stir in lime rind and butter until butter melts. Fill sink half full with ice water, put pan in until mixture is chilled.  Stir occasionally. Filling should be very thick, almost like frosting.

Top first layer with 1/3 of filling, place next layer on top.  Continue until you have four layers cake and 3 of filling, Wrap in plastic and chill several hours or overnight before frosting. Cake may be frozen at this step and frosted up to a month later.

*to make orange or lemon instead, substitute equal parts lemon juice or orange juice concentrate and lemon or orange rind.  Adjust food coloring appropriately.

Frost with appropriate buttercream frosting or the cream cheese frosting from my carrot cake recipe.

Buttercream frosting

• 1 stick butter
  
• 16 oz powdered sugar
  
• 1/2 cup milk
  
• 2 tablespoons appropriate citrus fruit rind
  

Beat butter until fluffy, add one cup powdered sugar and blend. Mix in milk and rind. Gradually beat in remaining sugar until you have a fluffy icing. Add rind and stir. Frost all sides and top of cake.