Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

As chair of the PTA Hospitality Committee, it is my job to put together food for the different events. Today our school had an author visit and they needed a light lunch for 8. No biggie, whipped together a Chicken Caesar Salad and some costco roasted garlic bread (aka crack ~ I was very proud of the fact that I was able not bust into that bread and sample, for quality assurance, of course) Anyway, I needed a dessert and I wanted something light and I decided to go with Lemon Meringue Cupcakes.

These little gems could not be easier and you probably have everything on hand. Besides tasting good they have that great "wow" factor. Everyone ooohed and aahhhed when I brought them in.

So if you are looking for a light lemony treat, I highly recommend them.

Enjoy

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Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

For the cupcakes:

Any white cake mix will do, just follow the instructions, but add the zest of a large lemon. After they have cooled, cut a small well in the top.

For the filling:

3/4 C sugar

3 T Cornstarch

1 C water

1/6 C lemon juice (I just filled my 1/3 C measuring cup half way full)

2 yolks

1 t lemon extract

1 t vinegar

1 T butter

Mix together sugar and cornstarch, add water and mix well.

Mix yolks and lemon juice, add to sugar mixture

Cook over low heat until thick and no longer "milky" looking

Remove from heat, add lemon extract, vinegar and butter, mix thoroughly

Scoop by the T onto cupcakes

For the meringue:

3 egg whites

6 T sugar

1 t vanilla

Whisk whites until foamy.

Add sugar and whisk until soft peaks.

Add vanilla and continue to whisk until stiff peaks, but not dry

Pipe onto filled cupcakes and brown under broiler (keep an eye on them, they brown quickly)

Winner, winner ~ Chicken Dinner

I like to cook.
I also believe that there are some things you should know how to make. One of those things is fried chicken. Its seems like this is just one of those "basics" that no one makes any more.
I'm always a little intimidated by fried foods. I'm not a fan of the huge mess it makes and let's face it, there are healthier methods of cooking. However, I like to cook homey food and this seems to fit the bill. My dad and I did a google search for those "11 herbs and spices" and while we found them, I was out of a few of them. Oh well. I'm super happy with how it turned out. I just need to get a good thermometer to keep an eye on my oil temp, but I'm looking forward to trying this again.
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Interior Windows

When we bought our house, one of the things we loved was how the previous owners "bumped out" the back of our house. In doing so, the master bedroom doubled in size. However, instead of making it one large room, it is two small rooms with a doorway where the window was.

Anyway, the "bumped out" part of the room faces east and gets the best light. Unfortunately, the original bedroom space is now windowless and stays pretty dark.


Last June I was at a Funky Junk Sisters' show and found a pair of salvaged windows. I know immediately where I wanted to put them.

With the promise of some baked goods, Joj and Jim installed the windows on each side of the opening. I LOVE them. They let in light and really connect the two spaces.



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I'm linking up to A Soft Place to Land's DYI Day

Sweet Sammie

Yesterday was Sammie's 7th birthday. Hard to believe. She is growing up so fast. Last night after all the presents were opened my brother made the comment on how "grown up" her presents were. No stuffed animals this year. Instead she got a CD player, a new sleeping bag, a bikini, lip gloss and a little cash. She was thrilled and capped off the night with tons of butter cream frosting.

Pantry Chalkboard

A while back I painted my pantry doors with chalkboard paint and I LOVE them!! Seriously, this was a pretty quick and easy project and we use it ALL the time. It usually has that running list of things we need to get and from time to time a little artwork courtesy of the the kiddos.

I'm linking this to the Nester. So bop on over and check out some other great ideas.
Thanks for stopping by
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I have a little pro-yect

Valentine's Day is this weekend. Have I done a bunch of decorating for it? Not really. However, I was bopping around blogland and I found an old post and it kind of got my creative juices flowing. Kim over at the Daisy Cottage asked her readers to send her a heart to put in a big bowl she had. At first I thought it was kind of odd, but she showed some of the hearts she made and it got me thinking. First, how cute are these little hearts and second, how easy would this project be?
I have horrible crafting ADD. I can probably count on one hand the number of projects I have actually completed. The upside, however, is a stash of fabric and supplies on hand and ready to go when some hair brain idea hits. It was after midnight when I pulled out my sewing machine and some of my favorite fabric. I didn't have any "stuffing" so I wadded up paper napkins (no one will know right?) The project just took a few minutes and while it wasn't perfect ~ I liked it.
Inspired, I went to Joann's the next day to pick up some more fabric (I didn't have any good reds in my stash) and while I was there I stumbled across the burlap isle. Chris over at Just a Girl is a big fan of burlap. She uses it all over her house. I'll admit I was skeptical, but when I saw a bolt and picked it up, inspiration struck. It was soft and just had that nice neutral quality. Finally I "got it". So I picked some up along with a couple of other fun fabrics. I have the house to myself tonight and I plan on doing a little Valentine sewing. Nothing fancy, but it will be fun.

Can't sleep, organize a closet

The house I grew up in had your standard under the stairs closet. It was your basic catch all mess. It was nicknamed "the tomb" because my dad said he felt like Howard Carter digging through Tut's tomb whenever he had to go in there. We also have a tomb. When we moved in I figured it was the perfect place to house all my extra dishes. The problem was that it was also the access to under the house so whenever we needed to get under the house I had to completely empty the closet. Kind of a pain. Recently Joj and I were talking about having new insulation put in under the house, so that meant I would be needing to empty the closet. Joy.So the other night I couldn't sleep and I figured now is just a good as any to empty my closet. Here is what it looked like when I started.

What you don't see are the dishes I used at Christmas which are still in the dining room. Part of the storage challenge is that everything fits if you stack it just right. While Jenga is a fun game, playing it with my dishes, not so much.

When we redid my pantry, I kept the white shelves. They had been hanging out in the garage slowly collecting items on their unused shelves. Not wanting to play Jenga with my Thanksgiving dishes I just put them out in the garage on one of the shelves. That is when I got and idea. Since the pates fit so nicely, why not re-use them in the tomb. So that is what I did. They are shallow enough to clear the trap door, but the numerous shelves make it so that everything has a home. I've always wanted a butler's pantry and now I have one :0)