Threw a little cut wood and moss in this week because I always feel woodsy when I sport the flannel. Happy Friday! ♥ B
These are a few of my favorite things: Flannel Friday
Dinner / Dessert Recipe
Dinner and dessert. Valentines Day weekend I decided to go all Italian and make a whole bunch of awesomeness.
Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
*Recipe from my mamma via a sweet old Italian man.
Steam, in extra virgin olive oil, in a Dutch oven until tinder: 1 medium onion chopped, 1 green pepper chopped, 2 tbsp of minced garlic.
Meanwhile, brown and drain fat from 2 lbs. ground chuck, then add to ingredients in Dutch oven. Also add 1 qt. tomato juice, 3 12oz cans tomato paste, 1 28oz can crushed tomatoes, 1 cap full cider vinegar, stir.
Then sprinkle basil leaves, parsley (and whatever other spices smell good) to cover entire surface of sauce.
Add 1/2-3/4 cup sugar (I left it out this time around).
Throw in a little salt and pepper.
1 cup of red wine.
Stir well and simmer for about 1 hour.
Tiramisu
* This amazing recipe brought to you by Global Table Adventure
Ingredients:
4 eggs, separated
1/3 cup caster sugar
3, 8oz tubs marscapone cheese
40-60 lady fingers (Can be found in the bakery section. I could only find the soft kind though.)
2 tsp dark cocoa powder
For dipping liquid:
2 cups water
3 tbsp instant espresso
3 tbsp rum
Now lets get crackin!
First, mix up the instant espresso with warm water and rum in a small bowl.
Next, divide the egg whites and yolks into 2 separate bowls (the larger being for the yolks). Whip up the egg whites with half the sugar, until it looks like a soft cloud.
Then–without washing the beaters, mix the rest of the sugar with softened marscapone and egg yolks. Softening the marscapone makes it whip smoother.
Next, fold the whipped egg whites into the marscapone mixture.
Once it’s light and fluffy, take your trifle bowl and being layering tiramisu.
First, put a layer of the whipped marscapone mixture into the bottom of your bowl.
Then, add a layer of lady fingers. Each lady finger gets dipped into the coffee mixture before going onto the tiramisu. Now, I didnt want the tiramisu to be squishy so I sparingly dipped the lady fingers in the coffee mixture. In hindsight, I’d dip them a little more to bring in the coffee flavor more. I just wouldn’t immerse the lady fingers in the coffee mixture.
In order to make the lady fingers show up on the outside of the glass bowl, be sure to smush them against the glass, sealing the layer. Keep alternating between cookie and marscapone layers. Fill the whole bowl and end with a marscapone layer. Polish off the top with a dusting of unsweetened cocoa powder.
Refrigerate overnight to let the flavors develop.
NOTE:
I could not for the life of me (and 3 different grocery store stops) find marscapone cheese.
So here’s how to make your own.
1 8oz package cream cheese
1/4 c heavy whipping cream
2 1/2 tbsp sour cream
Mix well.
I would let the cream cheese soften before you mix it all together. The recipe I got this from said not to substitute low fat cream cheese or sour cream. For the Tiramisu recipe, I doubled this recipe to get the 3 8oz tubs of marscapone cheese that the Tiramisu called for.
Hope you enjoy this as much as I and everyone I shared this with did! ♥ B
These are a few of my favorite things: Casual Friday
Wonderful Whimsical Wednesday
Sometimes I just like the random, playful, and wonderfully awesome! So, here’s some things that fit the bill this Wednesday.
If I lived at the beach (which I will someday), I’d make sweet images like this!
Image via StumbleUpon
Jean Dessès’ Evening Dress at The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Castle Key Bottle Opener from Anthropologie... kinda want one!
Love this song! Breathe Owl Breathe – Swimming
I dont know where to get this… but I thought it was awesome! via StumbleUpon
If I lived in the country… or the mountains (which I hope to do at least for a time during my life), then I’d want a house like this. I love it… maybe every part of it. Enough to finish out this blog post with nothing but pictures of this house.
Ok… so I’d probably switch out some of the furniture and artwork but for the majority… LOVE!
These amazing photos came from Twig Home via Atlanta Homes
Happy Wednesday! ♥ B
Anytime Recipe
Apple Dip Recipe from Janet Thorngate
Janet gave me this recipe years ago because I had it at her house and loved it so much. About four years later, I found it in my recipe box and finally got around to making it. Pretty glad I did!
Janet’s Apple Dip Recipe:
12 oz. low-fat cream cheese, whipped
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 c chunky peanut butter
4-8 red and green tart apples
Blend 1st 5 ingredients
Core and slice apples. Enjoy!
Brianna’s modified version:
2 8 oz packs of Neufchâtel (the stuff that sits beside the cream cheese that apparently has less fat. I only substituted because Kroger was out the two times I went and I didnt want to make yet a 3rd trip.)
‘Some’ brown sugar, white sugar, and vanilla. Yes, ‘some’ is a really tool of measurement, and I bet my ‘some’ ratio is actually less than what the recipe called for.
Couple dollops of crunchy peanut butter
And however many apples I decided to buy.. probably 6 but they were tart which added a nice punch.
First I beat the Neufchâtel until it looked whipped then added the rest of the incidents, sliced the apples with the greatest invention ever, and then partook in this easy, tasty snack.
I hope you enjoy! ♥ B
Breakfast Recipe
This yummy breakfast sandwich was inspired by an excellent one I had in Marlinton, WV at the Dirt Bean. Last weekend I spent 4 days in this sweet Pocahontas County town for West Virginia Uncovered‘s Immersion Weekend. The Grad students probably frequented this Coffee/Bike shop 2-4 times a day, so I definitely have the authority to recommend the Dirt Bean for anyone visiting the town.
1 over-hard cooked egg
1 Whole Wheat lightly toasted bagel
2 Strips of bacon
Spinach
Swiss Cheese melted on the bagel
Basil pesto mixed with sun-dried tomatoes (I tossed the tomatoes in the pan for a few seconds after I cooked the egg)
Easy and pretty darn yummy. Happy Saturday! ♥ B
DIY 1
So it’s a strong possibility that I may be slightly addicted to Pinterest. It inspires craftiness, creativity, and all things awesome! On one of my Grandma’s migrations back from Florida she brought with her several large frames that my Uncle … Continue reading
