Giovanna’s Family Secret Tiramisu Recipe

Feb 18, 2013

Tiramisu is possibly the best food in the world. Sweet, cold, creamy, with the bite of coffee and liquor. But I rarely have it, and almost never make it. I’ve found that restaurants in the U.S. get something wrong (not sure what it is—too bready? flavor’s off?) and while actually making tiramisu isn’t difficult, finding the right ingredients IS.

My host mom from when I studied abroad, Giovanna, was the best cook, and gave me her family’s recipes for her pasta con pesto and tiramisu. And all of the sudden last Saturday night, I got it in my head that I HAD to make it for dinner the next evening. However, none of the stores had lady fingers (I called around), so I made my own. See separate post, the recipe I used is here. It was surprisingly easy. Or you could substitute madeleines or pound cake or angel food cake (the first would be better than the other two).

I even made myself my own little personal-size serving in a cute little ramekin that I could eat that night! 

Black Magic Chocolate Cake

Jan 13, 2013

You just can’t go wrong with chocolate cake. When I’m asked to bring a dessert to a dinner and I don’t know everyone’s preferences, I usually default to chocolate cake because WHO DOESN’T LIKE CHOCOLATE CAKE???

I’ve been trying to find the perfect chocolate cake recipe (and have been fairly successful). First I tried this one, which was awesome. I wanted to try this one since it had coffee in it (the other had vinegar which helped make it fluffy). I loved both, but I think this one was better. Practically foolproof.

The secret ingredient in this cake is coffee, which brings out layers of flavor in chocolate without actually adding a coffee flavor to the cake. 

Current Obsession: Trader Joe’s Mini (Soft) Almond Biscotti

Jun 24, 2012

This one will be short (and—promise—isn’t sponsored or anything). When I was on the West Coast last weekend for a girls’ weekend with my best friend, she loaded up on Trader Joe’s snacks to keep in our hotel room for when we were feeling peckish. Our first morning at the resort, she brewed up some french press coffee & busted out these gems.

They’re soft, crumbly awesome biscotti. About three of them equals one regular biscotti (both in size & calories), and what I love about them is that you don’t have to gnaw on them to be able to bite into them. They have them in almond and chocolate. Delicious!

While we’re on the subject of things I absolutely love, this is the only coffee I drink at home. Eight O’Clock hazelnut whole bean coffee, brewed extra strong. It’s like $3-5 at most grocery stores. Add some frothed milk, a little cinnamon, and you’re good to go!

Perfect weekend morning!

Making a huge mess, all in the name of caffeination (Pioneer Woman’s Perfect Iced Coffee)

Apr 26, 2012

I’m fairly new to iced coffee. Actually, by most people’s standards I’m fairly new to coffee altogether. My parents drink gallons but it never appealed to me (beyond the smell, which is awesome mixed with amazing)—that is until a visit in Italy in ’08. We had church every morning at 10:00 a.m. and between jet lag and staying up late, we were desperate for a pick-me-up at breakfast. Enter Lewlo, our awesome waiter/concierge, who hooked us up with as much free delicious cappuccino as we could put in our bellies. And I’ve been in love ever since.

I normally drink the Nespresso at work (with a tiny bit of milk and two raw sugar packets, in case you care), but we also have Keurig machines so I’d tried making iced coffee a few times when the hot brew wasn’t doing it for me. Unfortunately, it was super watered down and just…OFF. Then I read about the Pioneer Woman’s cold brew iced coffee recipe and it made perfect sense. I’ve tried it a couple times now and overall it’s awesome, plus I’ve found a couple twists that work for me.

The best part? For the price of a venti Starbucks iced latte, you can make 2-3 weeks’ worth of iced coffee for yourself—$4 or so for the coffee, a tiny bit for milk & sugar, and you’re good to go.