cook more often and share my recipes

So I made this for my Brother-in-laws birthday. Everyone seemed to love it. However I don’t think i soaked my lady fingers enough. I could only find those soft one and I think the recipie uses the harder kind (?) so i dont’ know I think it needed more coffee flavor which the longer soak would have added but if i actually dipped them into the coffee they fell apart to i had to barely dip one side place them into the pan then brush on coffee. Anyways here it is.

It serves 6, but I think you could get 8 if you were mean and cut them smaller. :)

Ingredients:
6 egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar
1 pound mascarpone cheese
1 1/2 cups cooled espresso
2 teaspoon dark run
24 ladyfingers ( i suggest buying a couple more just for some “oops” room, I think i bought 36 and used about 30 of them, just a suggestion)
cocoa powder or bittersweet chocolate shavings (this one depends on your preference)

Directions:
1. in large bowl, using electric mixer with whisk attachment, beat egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale about 5 minutes.
2. Add mascarpone cheese and beat until smooth. (I suggest adding it in stages depending on your mixer, I had a hand held so i added it in half pound portions so the mixer wouldn’t fly out of my hand and kill someone.)
3. Add 1 tablespoon of espresso and mix until thoroughly combined
4. In a small shallow dish (I used a pie pan/plate) add remaining espresso and rum.
5. Dip each ladyfinger into espresso for only 5 seconds, letting the ladyfingers soak too long will cause them to fall apart (once again I think it depends on the type of ladyfingers you use but whatever)
6. Place soaked ladyfingers on the bottom of a 9X13 baking dish, breaking or cutting them if necessary to fit.
7. Spread 1/2 of the cheese mixture evenly over the ladyfingers.
8. Arrange another layer of soaked ladyfingers and top with remaining cheese mixture.
9. cover tiramisu with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to 8. (I did it for 2, I advise a little longer or as long as you can give it so it sets up harder, because at 2 hours in my refrigerator it was slightly slippery, but still good.)
10. before serving sprinkle with chocolate shavings or cocoa powder.

By the way this is a Giada De Laurentiis recipes and my first time ever making tiramisu but it was good and a fun learning experience.

Serves 8-10
Prep 35-40 minutes

Cake:
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
A few drops of Vanilla
2 cups sifted all purpose flour
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
Preheat oven to 350 F. Will electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light a fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, along with vanilla. Fold in flour and baking powder and mix until smooth. Divide batter between two buttered and floured 8in cake pans and smooth surface. Bake 20-25 minutes.

Butter Cream
1/2 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1-2 tablespoons milk.
Use electric mixer, beat butter until light and creamy, then add vanilla. Gradually add sugar. Add just enough mil to make mixture soft and spreadable.

To assemble
Raspberry Jam
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting.

Once cake is cooled, spread on half with jam the other with butter cream. Put the two halves together, with jam and cream facing each other. Place on a cake stand, dust lightly with sugar.

Mine got kinda messing, but i think thats just because I wasn’t use to the tipping of the cakes. It was really good, super sweet, so use it as a treat. I was thinking in september when the peaches are in season to use freash peaches with a little sugar rather than the jam.

Get some good bread with a crusty crust, so just not your basic wonder bread style.

put a thin layer of cream cheese on two pieces of bread. Then layer some sandwich meat, ham turkey whatever strikes your fancy. Then get some juicy tomatoes. Put together then put on a hot pan, as if you were making grilled cheese. Once its golden brown, open a the sandwich and add some lettuce or sprouts. Yum!

Its good because sandwiches allow you to use whatever is around, and you can build them to whatever you want, add subtract whatever. But grilling it just gives it an added boast. Especially if you put a little salt and pepper on the tomato and lettuce.

I got my sister addict to these sandwichs so now we have them kind of all year round. But its a great new way make turkey sandwhiches after a turkey craving day.

Basic sandwich:
Two slices of break
Brie
Turkey
Cranberry sauce.

My sister really likes the spreadable brie because of its simplicity and we don’t like the mess of dealing with the rind. But i know people who love the rind. So its all up to you. And you can always use just sliced turkey from the deli for a surprise in the lunch pale. I know there is a squeezable cranberry sauce, so if you can find that go ahead and use it. We just take a spoon of from the canned version (with or without berries)

When i had it originally in Dublin. I do believe they put shredded lettuce or cabbage in there too. But you could try spinach. The freshness would be a great taste next to the rich brie and the tarty cranberries.

Prep: 40 minutes
Bake: 10 minutes
Stand: 5 minutes
Makes: 36 mini cupcakes

Nonstick cooking spray
1 – 1 layer-size package white cake mix
½ c – canned eggnog
1 – egg
1t – vanilla
1/8t – ground nutmeg
3/4c – shredded coconut
food coloring – if desired
1 – 3 oz. Package cream cheese, softened
2T – butter, softened
¾ c – powdered sugar
½ t – vanilla
1-2T – canned eggnog

-Preheat oven to 350
-Lightly coat thirty-six 1 ¾ inch muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray (or line muffin cups with paper bake cups
-In a medium bowl, combine cake mix, ½ cup eggnog, egg, the teaspoon vanilla and nutmeg. Beat with an electric mixer on low until just combined. Beat on medium for 2 minutes or until well combines.
-Divide batter into cup, filling about 2/3 full, about 1 rounded teaspoon.
-Bake for 10-12 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean.
-Cool on racks for 5 minutes. Then remove from cups and place back on racks and cool completely

Color coconut:
-Combine some of the coconut and several drops of red or green good coloring in a small resealable plastic bag
-knead the bag until all coconut is tinted, add more if needed, for desired color.
-set aside

Frosting:
-In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and butter with mixer on medium until well combined.
-Beat in powdered sugar and the ½ t of vanilla. Beat in enough eggnog, 1t at a time, to make frosting dipping consistency.

Assembly:
-Dip tops of cooled mini cupcakes in frosting.
-Immediately dip into coconut. Set up right.

These are actually from the Rose Manor Bed and Breakfast. I made them as part of our thanksgiving dessert, its just taken me forever to put it up here.

Yield: 1 dozen

Ingredients:
1 cup butter flavored shortening
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup Big Train Spiced Chai mix
1 egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chunks or mega morsels
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375°F.

In a mixing bowl, combine the shortening, brown sugar and chai mix; beat for 2 minutes. Add egg, vanilla and chocolate syrup; blend. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl; gradually add to creamed mixture, mixing well after each addition.

Stir in chocolate chunks and chips. Shape batter into 2-inch balls; place 3 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until brown. Cool for 2 minutes on baking sheets before removing to wire racks.

its yummy!

Cake:
4 tablespoons – butter/margerine softened
1/2 cup – sugar
1 – egg
1 teaspoon – vanilla
1 cup – flour
1 teaspoon – baking powder
1/4 teaspoon – salt
1/3 cup – milk
1 1/2 cup – fresh/frozen blueberries

Topping:
1/3 cup – flour
4 tablespoons – butter/margerine
1/2 cup – sugar
1/2 teaspoon – nutmeg

Instructions:
+Preheat oven at 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9in pan.
+cream butter and sugar. Then add egg and vanilla
+Sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the wet mixture, slightly mix.
+then add milk, beat until smooth.
+Spread batter into pan and sprinkle with blueberries
+Assemble topping, combine the four ingredents in a bowl with a fork until crumbly. Then spread over batter.
+Bake for 55-60 minutes
+Run table knife around edge and serve warm.

Note – I had a bit of problem with the topping. So you might have to add some extra flour to make it crumbly…espeically if its super humid outside.