Tiramisu - A Twist on the Classical

Tiramisu conjures images of sitting outside an Italian bakery, savoring the creamy yumminess of this dessert while enjoying the Italian scenery.  I decided very last minute - literally IN the grocery store - to make this dessert for our Easter Family Luncheon.  INSIDE the grocery store meant I was going off the top of my head to recall possible needed items to make this dish.  I knew I had a package of Lady Finger cookies in the pantry.  Coffee - check (ALWAYS at home!).  Picked up some Whipping Cream.  Thought - let's make this an EASY dessert to make - grabbed a large box of Vanilla Pudding mix.  Could NOT for the life of me find Marscapone Cheese - even with asking for directions from the employees, still could not.  And if you happened to be in the chaos of grocery shopping on Saturday - THE DAY BEFORE EASTER - you can understand why I just threw in the towel, grabbing a block of Cream Cheese. 
Having checked my plan with several versions of Tiramisu, I forged ahead.  And the end result was SO GOOD!

Tiramisu - a Twist on the Classic
Ingredients:
2 cups whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp Vanilla
1/2 cup STRONG brewed coffee (instant is fine)
2 Tbsp Kahlua (can be omitted)
16 oz cream cheese
large box of Vanilla Pudding mix (sugar free is fine)
1 Package Lady Finger Cookies
Cocoa Powder for dusting

1 - In mixer, pour whipping cream.  Add sugar.  Beginning on low, start whipping the cream.  Beat till whipped.  Add vanilla pudding mix.  Add cream cheese in small portions.  Blend well.  Set aside.
2 - Combine coffee and Kahlua.  Pour into a shallow dish for dipping Lady Finger cookies.
3 - Dip cookies 2 at a time in coffee.  Leave cookies on each side in the coffee for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.  They absorb the liquid quickly. Only do 1/2 at this time.  Line the bottom of an 8X8 dish with the cookies.
4 - Top with 1/2 of the cream cheese mixture.  Save other 1/2 for next layer.
5 - Dip the rest of the cookies in coffee, layering on top of the cream cheese mixture.
6 - Dust with cocoa powder if you would like.
Enjoy!
6 - Top with rest of cream cheese mixture.

Shared over at Mouthwatering Mondays, Mangia Mondays

Do you feel lucky???? Check out these giveaways!

There are so many awesome blogs that have even more awesome giveaways (can you tell I have my 4 year old stuck in my head at the moment!).  I just have to share some of them.  Go check them, enter, and if you win, come back and tell me!

The Gone with a Handsomer Man Stonegable Giveaway over at StoneGable.
 * a copy of Michael Lee West's Gone with a Handsomer Man
 *a $100 Horchow Gift Certificate
 *a set of American Atelier Stoneware Dinnerware
 How AWESEOME!  (ok, I'll try to stop saying that word!)

Over at MommyMandy, check out the Cooking With Coke "Giveaway"
For a chance to win a Coco-Cola oven mitt and the Ingrid Hoffman  12 qt Tamale Pot and Steamer with Lid by T-fal.

Deviled Eggs - easy side dish for any potluck

 

Deviled Eggs are one of those side dishes I often forget.  If you have an hour to prepare something (or less, just need some time for the eggs to cool), this is a crowd pleasing delight!  And so easy!  Got to love that combination!

If you don't have an egg platter, no worries.  A shallow baking dish will work or a pie dish.  You just need something with a slight "lip" around the egg so these little buggers don't go slipping and sliding off your plate!

Deviled Eggs

6 Hard Boiled Eggs (need to know how to make the perfect hard boiled eggs?  CLICK HERE)

1/3 cup Mayonnaise

1 Tsp Mustard

2 TBS Sweet Pickle Relish

Paprika for a dash of color on top

Note - I typically try to plan ahead, hard boiling my eggs several hours ahead of time to allow them to cool a bit on the stove top then in the fridge.  I will admit, I have been rushed before and Iced those eggs down to spend up the cooling process.  I was stilling juggling warm and a bit steaming eggs.  Makes for some HOT cracking!

1 - Crack and Peel hard boiled eggs.  My eggshells go to our wonderful compost area.  The plants love them!
2 - Cut each egg in half with a sharp knife.  You want a "clean" cut.
3 - Empty the yolk of each half into a medium size bowl.  Set empty cooked whites aside.
4 - Smash the yolks a bit with a fork till yolks are broken into small fluffy pieces.
5 - Add mayo and pickle relish.
6 - Mix together, breaking apart any more lumps of yolk.  Blend till smooth.
7 - Using a table spoon, fill egg cooked white shell with the yolk mixture.  I typically have a small bit of mixture leftover.
8 - Sprinkle a touch of Paprika over the filled eggs.
Enjoy!
 



Baked Banana Oatmeal - almost Too Sinful to be called Breakfast!

Baked Banana Oatmeal - I spied this recipe at Kath Eats Real Food.  Confession time - I LOVE oatmeal for breakfast.  Period.  I used to eat Instant Oatmeal and was happy.  But I didn't know any better, I had not experienced the wonderful goodness of Old-Fashioned Oatmeal.  Oh My - I just savor the creamy goodness!  I LOVE bananas as well.  So the combination of Oatmeal and Bananas - had to be a winner!  And it was!  The smell alone was delicious!
Note - I used Steel Cut oats only because I had them, needing to be used.  Had bought them to try out, just wasn't Wow'd.  I really like my Old Fashioned Oats so much!  BUT with that being said, this recipe made the Steel Cut Oats SO YUMMY!

Banana Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients:
2 Bananas sliced
2 cups Old Fashioned Oats (I use Steel Cut in the pics)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
2 Bananas - mashed
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup brown sugar, plus 1 TBSP
1 1/2 cup skim milk


1 - Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place parchment paper inside 8X8 baking dish.

2 - Place sliced bananas over bottom of parchment paper.
3 - Mix together oatmeal, brown sugar (less 1 TBSP), salt, and baking powder.  Set aside.
4 - Beat egg.  Add mashed bananas, milk and vanilla.
5 - Add dry ingredients to wet mixture.
6 - Pour over banana slices. 

7- Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes, sprinkle extra brown sugar over oatmeal.  Bake another 12 minutes.
8 - Remove from baking dish and allow to cool for 5 - 10 minutes.
Serve alone or with milk poured over.
Enjoy!
Shared at Melt in Your Mouth Monday

Cubed Beef Steak in Wine Gravy - Yum Yum Yum!!!

This was a first for both Big Guy and I - neither of us had ever cooked, nor eaten cubed steak.  I know, deprived childhoods!  LOL!  With the 1/4 of a cow we recently purchased, we now have in our freezer several different cuts of beef - Cubed Steak being one of them.  Cubed Steak is an inexpensive cut of beef that can be tough to chew if not cooked slow and tender.  This recipe was so easy to make and AMAZING to my taste buds!  Definitely TWO THUMBS WAY UP!
Cubed Beef Steak in Wine Gravy
4 cubed steaks (our package weighed about 1.5 pounds)
4 tbsp All Purpose Flour
2 tbsp Garlic Salt, divided
2 tbsp oregano, divided
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/4 cup water
1 packet dry gravy mix
1/3 cup red wine (I used a Pinot Noir that we didn't really care for - though we had bought 4 bottles of it!)
1 green pepper cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups fresh white mushrooms, sliced

1 -In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat.  Add sliced mushrooms with 1 tbsp garlic salt and 1 tbsp oregano.  Saute till golden.  Remove from pan, set aside for later.
2 - Mix flour, garlic salt, oregano in a plate.
3 - Dredge beef through flour mixture, coating each side.
4 - Heat oil in skillet over Medium heat.  Add coated beef into skillet, browning on each side for about 5 minutes (each side).
5 - In measuring cup, mix together dry gravy mix and water.  Pour over beef.
6 - Add wine, green pepper, and mushrooms.
7 - Simmer over low heat (or high simmer if you have that feature) for 25-30 minutes.

Serve with Rice or Mashed Potatoes!  Enjoy!

Shared at EKat's Kitchen: Friday Potluck

Pork and Sweet Potatoes - What a meal!

A meal my Mother in Law would enjoy! Those were the words the Big Guy spoke as he enjoyed this meal of Pork Chops cooked with cranberries, sweet potatoes, and apples.  It was amazingly tasty!  The combination of apples, sweet potatoes, and apples were fabulous.  The pork chops were so tender.  YUM!!!
Adapted from Taste of Home's website
Pork and Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients:
2 pound pork tenderloin (this is average size in the double package), cut into 15 slices
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 cups chicken broth
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1 medium apple (I had a Fuji on hand)
1 small onion chopped

1 - Flatten pork slices to 1-1 1/2 inch thickness.  To do this, simply place pork slices in a Ziploc bag, grab a soup can, and get out your frustrations!
2 - In another resealable bag, mix together flour, salt, and pepper. Drop pork one at a time into flour mixture to coat.
3 - Add oil to a large non-stick pan.  Heat to medium heat.  Brown pork slices on each side, cooking about 5 minutes per side.
4 - Remove pork from pan.  Add chicken broth, sweet potato cubes, onion, and cranberries to skillet.Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and cook for about 10 minutes.  Cook till sweet potatoes are tender.  Add mustard.  Mix together well.
5 - Return pork back to the pan.  Cook together for another 8-10 minutes.
Enjoy!

This made a double portion for our family - 5 mouths eating.  I froze the second portion, reheated for a fast meal one evening!  Worked great!

Shared at Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday, The Saturday Evening Pot -make a food-e-friend- monday

Luscious Lemon Bars - Perfect Treat for a Tea

Need a treat for a coffee date or afternoon tea?  These are a compliment to either.  Super easy to whip up and quite delicious!  I needed something to serve to a group of ladies one morning.  I pulled this recipe, found I had all the ingredients on hand (most are basic pantry items) and in no time had these bars cooling on a rack.  Really super easy - I had the crust baking, missed the lemon topping all while preparing breakfast for my crew and baking blueberry muffins!  And my SuperWoman cape was in the laundry that morning *wink*!
Luscious Lemon Bars (as found in the USA Weekend March 25-27, 2011)
For Crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
1 stick (8 Tbs) butter, melted but not hot

For Filling:
2 Large Eggs
3/4 cup sugar (I used 1/2 only to reduce the sugar content a tad)
1 1/2 Tbs all-purpose flour
6 Tbs juice from 2 lemons
2 tsps finely grated lemon zest

Adjust oven rack to lower-middles position, preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Spray an 8X8 in baking dish with cooking spray.  Fit a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil (I used reg as that was on hand) inside baking dish with an overlap for a "handle".  This will be lift the bars out to cool.  Spray the foil with cooking spray.  Make sure the bottom of the foil covers up all sides about 2 inches.
Mix together flour, salt, powdered sugar in a medium bowl.  Stir in butter to form dough.  Press the dough into the bottom of the pan.  Use your hands (or the bottom of a measuring cup dipped in flour is suggested).  Bake until pale golden, about 20 minutes.
While crust is baking, whisk together eggs, sugar, flour, lemon juice and zest in a medium bowl.
Remove crust from oven.  Pour lemon mixture over baked crust.  Place back into oven, bake for an additional 20 minutes until the filling is "set".  Let cool for about 20 minutes.
Using the over-hanging foil as handles, carefully lift the bars from the pan and cool on a wire rack.  Once room temperature, dust with powdered sugar.
To dust with powdered sugar, simply pour a small amount of powdered sugar (about 1/4 cup) into a small mesh strainer.  Lightly tap the strainer while moving it over the lemon bars.
Once completely cooled, cut into squares.
Yields 16 bars.
Enjoy!

Shared at Full Plate Thursday at Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Seasonal Saturday, and Sweets for a Saturday