My Sweetheart (Neil) makes the best lemon-meringue pie. He's been making it since he was young. He and his brother kept wanting them and their mom told them to start making them themselves, and whomever made the pie, got half! Long funny stories go along with that. I'm not permitted to make his pie, because that's his claim to fame, although I will say it is VERY similar to ginger st thomas', except he doesn't use food coloring. Heaven forbid I do the meringue. That's a work of art in itself..lol. What I wanted to suggest is his crust. He makes it with a graham cracker crust and not pastry (I am allowed to make that part). At first I thought he was nuts, but I tell you what... once you've had the pie with a graham crust, you'll wonder why you liked it so much with pastry. Give it a try. I think you'll be surprised. It is now expected that we show up with his pie to everyone's home we're invited to. While Neil is thrilled about that (you know how men like to strut), it also keeps him from eating half and having to settle for one piece like everyone else. Poor baby. Great having a guy who loves to cook, too, finally. Let me know what you think! Have a great weekend...

Cook's did one of their experiments and found that baking the filling made a big difference in taste -- and I agree. This is the best pie outside of Key West I've ever had/made. KEY LIME PIE Serves 8 . Published March 1, 1997. If you prefer a meringue topping, follow the instructions in "No-Weep Lemon Meringue Pie" in the November/December 1994 issue. Bake pie only 7 minutes, then apply meringue gently, first spreading a ring around the outer edge, then filling in the center. Return to oven and bake 20 minutes more. INGREDIENTS Lime Filling 4 teaspoons grated lime zest 1/2 cup lime juice from 3 to 4 limes 4 large egg yolks 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk Graham Cracker Crust 11 graham crackers , processed to fine crumbs (1 1/4 cups) 3 tablespoons granulated sugar 5 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted Whipped Cream Topping 3/4 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar 1/2 lime , sliced paper thin and dipped in sugar (optional) INSTRUCTIONS 1. For the Filling: Whisk zest and yolks in medium bowl until tinted light green, about 2 minutes. Beat in milk, then juice; set aside at room temperature to thicken. 2. For the Crust: Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Mix crumbs and sugar in medium bowl. Add butter; stir with fork until well blended. Pour mixture into 9-inch pie pan; press crumbs over bottom and up sides of pan to form even crust. Bake until lightly browned and fragrant, about 15 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack; cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes. 3. Pour lime filling into crust; bake until center is set, yet wiggly when jiggled, 15 to 17 minutes. Return pie to wire rack; cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until well chilled, at least 3 hours. (Can be covered with lightly oiled or oil-sprayed plastic wrap laid directly on filling and refrigerated up to 1 day.) 4. For the Whipped Cream: Up to 2 hours before serving, whip cream in medium bowl to very soft peaks. Adding confectioners sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, continue whipping to just-stiff peaks. Decoratively pipe whipped cream over filling or spread evenly with rubber spatula. Garnish with optional sugared lime slices and serve.

I found this recipe at the Betty Crocker site. Sorry that it is not tried & true, but it received some rave reviews: Key Lime Pie Cupcakes 1 box Betty Crocker� SuperMoist� lemon cake mix 1 box (4-serving size) lime-flavored gelatin 3/4 cup water 1/3 cup Key lime juice 1/3 cup vegetable oil 3 eggs 2 or 3 drops green food color, if desired Glaze: 1 cup powdered sugar 2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons Key lime juice Frosting: 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened 1 teaspoon vanilla 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar Grated lime peel, if desired show preparation hide Heat oven to 350�F. Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. In large bowl, beat cake mix and gelatin with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Add remaining cupcake ingredients. Beat with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds; beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl as necessary. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake 17 to 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan to cooling rack. With toothpick or wooden skewer, pierce tops of cupcakes in several places. In small bowl, mix 1 cup powdered sugar and enough of the 2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons lime juice until glaze is smooth and thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle and spread glaze over cupcakes. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. In large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. On low speed, beat in vanilla and 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar until mixed; beat on medium speed until fluffy. Frost cupcakes, mounding and swirling frosting in center. Garnish with lime peel. Store covered in refrigerator. Makes 24 cupcakes Kitchen Tips You can use fresh or bottled Key lime juice. If Key lime juice is not available, use regular fresh or bottled lime juice. Garnish each cupcake with a small piece of jellied lime candy slice instead of the lime peel. Here is a link that might be useful: Key Lime Pie Cupcakes

Pumpkin Praline Bread Pudding is very good! But rich! Pumpkin Praline Bread Pudding Prep time 15 mins Cook time 1 hour Total time 1 hour 15 mins Author: Michele @ Flavor Mosaic Recipe type: Dessert, Pudding, Custard Cuisine: American Serves: 16 Ingredients Pumpkin Bread Pudding 1 (1 pound) loaf day old Bread (French, Italian, or Challah), torn into small pieces1 cup Heavy Cream1 cup Half and Half1 15-ounce can Pumpkin Puree1-1/2 cups Granulated Sugar3 tablespoon Melted Butter4 Eggs2 teaspoons Vanilla1 tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice * Praline Sauce 1 cup Unsalted Butter1 cup Heavy Cream1 cup Brown Sugar½ cup Chopped Toasted Pecans Pumpkin Pie Spice 2 tsp Cinnamon⅛ tsp Nutmeg¼ tsp Ground Ginger¼ tsp Ground Cloves½ tsp Ground Allspice Instructions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray and place torn pieces of bread in the dish.In a large bowl , whisk together the heavy cream, half and half, pumpkin, sugar, melted butter, eggs, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice.Slowly pour the batter over the bread pieces in the baking dish. Be sure to cover all the bread pieces.Bake in a preheated oven at 350 for about 1 hour.While the bread pudding is baking, make the praline sauce. In a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, stir together the butter, heavy cream, and brown sugar; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and stir pecans into the cream mixture. Simmer until the sauce thickens, for about 5 minutes; pour over bread pudding to serve.