“Better than the restaurant!” Tiramisu

I wasn’t going to post again today, but heck–it’s spring break, baby!!! While others my age are in a tropical locale soaking up the sun and copious amounts of alcohol, I am here, making tiramisu. That is because I am, and have always been, and old lady stuck in a very young person’s body.  🙂  And I like it that way.

Tiramisu is my FAVORITE dessert of life. I used to go out to get it every single year for my birthday. The coffee flavor, the creaminess, the cocoa… it’s just perfect in so many ways. My mom pointed me in the direction of Laura In the Kitchen, a young cook who has her own cooking website/online cooking show. As soon as I watched her tiramisu video, I knew I had to try it.

A little messy, but it was easy and turned out perfectly. This recipe is definitely a keeper. Below is Laura’s recipe, just adjusted to be a smaller portion.

“Better than the restaurant!” Tiramisu

• 8 oz. marscapone cheese, at room temperature
• 3/4 c. chilled whipped cream
• 3 T. pure cane sugar
• 1/2 t. vanilla extract
• 1 T. rum
• 2 T. cocoa powder
• 2 c. cooled strong coffee
• 1 box Italian ladyfingers

-Fluff up the marscapone with a spatula. Fold together the marscapone, whipped cream, sugar, and vanilla gently to make a fluffy combination.

-Combine the coffee and rum in a shallow dish. Individually soak the ladyfingers in the coffee and then place them in a square baking dish (each lady finger only takes a few seconds to become fully soaked).

-Spread half of the marscapone cheese over the lady fingers.

-Dust with half the cocoa powder.

-Repeat with another layer of ladyfingers, cream, and cocoa powder.

-Place baking dish in the refrigerator, uncovered, for 4 hours to allow it to set.

-Slice and enjoy with some berries!

Well I know what I’m making next time I have guests over! Love this recipe. I woofed a huge chunk down in like 2 minutes.

Thanks for reading, and I will try to keep it to one post tomorrow. 😉

Tropical Dream Oatmeal

Now that I have taken a few days to rest and recover (and get an iphone! :D), I am READY to enjoy spring break. Jason and I both have a strong lead on jobs for the summer, so it looks like our worrying about that might soon be over. And I am PUMPED about some of the things I’m cooking this week, the kinds of things I wouldn’t have time to do while school was going on.

In other news, my blender BROKE. Too many Green Monsters apparently. So until we get a new one I have to find creative ways to eat breakfast (and by that I mean, before I started the green monsters I wasn’t regularly eating a healthy breakfast or any breakfast at all, really just on the weekends). This is my first attempt at a unique oatmeal recipe.

Tropical Dream Oatmeal

• 3/4 c. almond milk or coconut milk
• 1/2 c. mango nectar
• 3/4 c. old-fashioned oats
• 1 mango, diced
• 1 banana, diced
• 3 T. sweetened shredded coconut

-First bring the mango nectar and milk to a boil over medium high heat in a small saucepan.

-While you are waiting for the liquid to boil, preheat your oven to 350 degrees to prepare to toast the coconut. While the oven preheats, scrunch together a sheet of aluminum foil to hold the shredded coconut.

-Mash together half of the banana and half of the mango.

-Once the milk and nectar are boiling, add the oats and whisk together. Let cook for one minute.

-Whisk in the mashed fruit. Put coconut into preheated oven.

-Cook the oatmeal for another  4-5 minutes, whisking frequently and keeping an eye on the coconut in the oven and removing it when it’s golden brown around the edges (it will only take a few minutes to toast).

-Pour the cooked oatmeal into a bowl, top with the remaining diced fruit and the toasted coconut.

This was DELICIOUS and really filling. Plus it starts out the day with a serving of whole grain and two servings of fruit. Not half bad. It doesn’t even need additional sugar because of all the fruit and the coconut.

I always add cold milk to my oatmeal right before I eat it, but I guess not everyone does that? I think that might just be me… Hey, that’s how my Granny showed me to eat oatmeal!

Thanks for reading! Stick around for more fun stuff this week!