now's the time for lemon and lime

Whose bright idea was it to put these two too-tart ingredients together in the first place? And who's responsible for propagating it? Because now it's everywhere and in everything.

It astounds me how many sodas, sports drinks, jelly beans, lollipops, popsicles, and candies have been contaminated with the flavor of lemon-lime. I'm exaggerating, of course, but I'm not what one would call a fan of tart on tart, especially in my desserts. I like sweet on sweet (on sweet)!

Bad news for me: Many of the folks for whom I bake like that sour touch to their desserts, and so I must capitulate. That was unusually easy to do when I was sent a boxed mix for Lemon Bars from Krusteaz. Rather than make the mix as instructed, I decided to incorporate some key lime juice and rum to give it a more complex and tropical flavor. It worked well, and though lemon was still the predominant flavor, I could taste both the lime (subtly) and rum (more strongly).

Though I'm sure this mix would be delicious as-is, it was extra tasty this way. They're a perfect easy treat for Easter! Find a lot more ideas from Krusteaz here.

Laced Lemon Lime Bars
Serves 8
Ingredients:

• 1 Krusteaz Lemon Bar Mix (1 pouch each lemon filling mix and complete crust)
• 3 eggs
• 2 tablespoons light rum
• 3 tablespoons key lime juice
• Powdered sugar, as garnish

Directions:
Prepare Kruzteaz Lemon Bar Mix according to package directions except omit the 1/3 cup water in the filling and stir in rum and lime juice.
Bake crust and filling according to package directions. Chill for 4 hours for easier cutting. Cut into 16 bars.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar and lemon and lime zest, if desired. Cover and store in the refrigerator.