Strawberry Tiramisu

I had a miniature vacation in Central Market this weekend when my husband dropped me off to go wander around and find something for dinner. I got a few (surprise: Italian) things and am hoping to post the recipe for that soon. But what I really needed at Central Market was their savoiardi cookies. I can't find them anywhere else. 

Savoiardi, or "lady-finger" cookies are used in tiramisu. They are airy with a light amaretto flavor and a sprinkling of sugar on the top adding a bit of crunch. They soak up moisture wonderfully, making them perfect for this dessert. Traditional tiramisu is made with espresso, cream, marscapone, chocolate and liqueur. 

When I spent a summer in Italy, I prayed that I would make a friend who would share her grandmother's recipes with me. A tiny little prayer in my heart became a reality when a friend and I ran into Sara at one of our favorite cafes. We became fast friends and invited her to come over to our apartment and cook dinner with us. She not only accepted, but came early during her lunch break to make this dessert with me. It is her grandmother's twist to the original and is absolutely divine. 

Ingredients:

1 package strawberries

1 medium tub ricotta

2 small tubs marscapone cheese

2 tablespoons sugar
1 package savoiardi cookies 
Milk

Slice strawberries thinly and set aside. In a separate bowl mix ricotta, marscapone and sugar together until there are no lumps. Fold sliced strawberries in with a spoon. 

At the bottom of a large serving bowl, create a layer of savoiardi cookies. Pour milk over slowly until just covered. Layer cheese mixture on top of the cookies, smoothing out with a rubber spatula. Follow by more savoiardi, milk, cheese mixture, etc. until finished. 

Sometimes it helps to have a visual....cookies, milk, cheese mixture, repeat. 

Let stand in the refrigerator for 4 hours. 

Buon Appetito!

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Simple Bruschetta

One of my absolute favorite easy meals (snack, appetizer, side dish) is bruschetta. Pronounced bru-skeh-tah. It's easy to throw together and flavorful with a bit of sweet from the tomatoes and tart from the balsamic vinegar, and a kick from raw garlic. The crunch of the bread paired with the tender tomatoes is like Heaven in your mouth. And don't you love how colorful this is? Eating colorful food always makes me feel better ;)

Serves: 2-4 

Ingredients: 

1 French baguette

5-6 roma tomatoes

1 package yellow cherry tomatoes

1 garlic clove

Olive oil

About 10 leaves of basil

Salt and pepper

Balsamic vinegar

Slice baguette in half then lengthwise with a serrated knife. Place on a grilling pan (or an outside grill if you have one!) until they show grill marks. Do this on both sides. 

Drizzle a good quality olive oil on the bread. Good olive oil is usually produced in Italy and will have a green tint to it. While the bread is grilling, chop roma tomatoes in four slices and toss in a bowl. Grab a handful of the yellow cherry tomatoes and cut in half, throwing them into the bowl as well. Mince garlic and add to the bowl along with enough olive oil to coat everything. Season generously with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Place in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes to allow all the flavors to come together.

Chiffonade some basil leaves... 

Stack. Roll. Chop. 

 ...to sprinkle over the bruschetta and top with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. 

Serve immediately and enjoy.

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Dad's Spaghetti Sauce + Kitchen Essentials Giveaway!

If you're just stopping by, it's Italy week at Gather Around Our Table and I'm sharing some of my favorite Italian recipes with you! Let me tell you, we had this meal for dinner a couple of nights ago and my mouth is watering just re-typing the recipe. 

A couple weeks ago a friend sent me a text with a request that I post a spaghetti sauce recipe on the blog. I haven't really attempted my own, and to be quite honest I have no reason to. 

At my dad's 80th birthday party (yup, you read that right) all his sweet friends and family stood up and read letters to him recounting all the fun they had through the years over a few beers and most importantly surrounding my dad's cooking. I can't stress enough how sought after this man is for his cooking! Requests come in from all over the country for this guy's corned beef and cabbage, baked ravioli, and of course this famous spaghetti sauce. 

You guys, the recipe's not even hard. If we were really living in Italy, maybe he would have grown his own tomatoes and canned them all then made a fresh pot of sauce. But we don't, so I'll let you in on a little secret, he cheats with the canned stuff...gasp... And it's freaking delicious. 

I wouldn't lie to you. The old man has paid good money to ship this sauce all frozen up in packages to family across the country. It's crazy talk. Okay, here's the recipe before you faint in anticipation. 

This recipe makes a huge batch, enough to serve 12, so invite your entire family like a good Italian or just freeze the rest for future meals. It makes a great go-to dinner in a pinch.

Ingredients:

Olive oil 

1 medium white onion, diced

5 cloves of garlic, minced

Small box of sliced mushrooms

1 pound  ground beef

1 pound mild italian pork sausage 

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 (28 ounce) can tomato purée 

1 (15 ounce) can diced whole tomatoes

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

1/4 bottle of Chianti wine (Ruffino is a good brand)

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon basil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon sugar

Pour a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot, set to medium low heat. Add onion, garlic and sliced mushrooms and sauté until soft.

Add ground beef to the same pot, breaking into small pieces with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Remove pork sausage from the casing and chop into 1 inch pieces. Add chili powder, stirring to combine with everything, and continue to cook until browned.  

Pour in tomato purée, chopped tomatoes and tomato paste.

Take 1/4 of a bottle of good Chianti wine and use it to wash out the remaining tomato purée from the can. Add to the mix.

If using fresh herbs, rinse and dry them, remove the leaves from stems and chop them up finely. Add to the sauce. If you are using dried herbs, rub between your hands to bring out the flavors of the spices before placing in the sauce.

Add the sugar and salt and pepper to taste, and bring heat to a medium simmer. Check to make sure the heat is not too high so the sauce wont scorch. Continue simmering for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally. 

Check for taste and add seasonings as desired. 

We served ours over a bed of spaghetti squash, but this sauce is delicious over your favorite pasta, in a baked lasagna dish, with ravioli and sopped up by warm french bread. 

Giveaway time! I'm a brand new contributor for My Cooking Spot, along with some other amazing women. We all got together and wanted to share our love for cooking by giving away a 51-piece Kitchen Gadget Set! 

I am so honored and excited to be sharing recipes with them each month. Hop on over to MCS for my twist on teriyaki chicken legs and don't forget to enter below for these kitchen essentials. 

Below are the contributors who helped put this giveaway together. Check out their inspiring blogs and see all the amazing recipes these ladies have to share.

Contributors - Clockwise

Jana: Life Could Be a Dream Blog - Rachel: Oh Simple Thoughts - Marcella: Marcella Roses

Erin: My Cooking Spot - Natasha: Gather Around Our Table - Madison: Wetherill Say I Do

Jen: Jen's Favorite Cookies - Nathalia: Creatively Conscious - Meme: Meme Inge - Erin: The Speckled Palate

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Bella Italia on the Blog!

That's right, I'm dedicating this week to the incredible deliciousness that is the country of Italy. I was lucky enough to spend a summer living life among the people of the endearing food capital of the country, Bologna. Bologna is nestled along the mountains and about an hour train ride from Florence and Rome. I crave Bolognese food all the time, and with the lack of specialty food stores in my area, it's rare that I get to recreate my favorite dishes. 

I'll start this little series with some delectable meals for you to drool over...

Get your jaw off the floor and book a flight immediately. I'm not kidding.

And from the markets....

Oh, how I wish my grocery shopping looked like this these days! It's definitely a different system, bagging and carrying your groceries back to your apartment, several blocks or sometimes a bus ride away. But wouldn't you pay that small price for the freshest ingredients in season? 

Stay tuned for more this week as I share some of my favorite Italian recipes. 

Responding to Him and Staying Home

I’ve always felt that I should be going. The one having the adventure, the one to tell the nations about Jesus. I’ve had the opportunity. It was hard, draining, exciting, uplifting, challenging, worth it. I wanted to live abroad with my husband a couple years ago. Part of me still does. Part of me thinks that’s just CRAZY now that we have a baby. Part of me just doesn’t know. 

All of me knows that God’s plan for me has been far greater than anything I could have ever planned for myself. I also know that loving the world from home is an option, and it’s not second best. God has given me the task of responding to Him by loving the world from my home, here in America. There are two ways I see this playing out in my life and I want to encourage you in case you find yourself saying good-bye often to all the people who seem to be going while you seem to be staying "home." 

1. I can pray. I can pray every day. In fact, since the missionaries in Bologna began a prayer chain this past semester, I have had a reminder in my phone every day to prompt me to pray for them. I pray for Italian friends, the ones raising support to go, my own heart, and the country. This is a simple thing to do and yet can not be underestimated. 

Jordan and I pray each night for places like India, East Asia, Greece, Mexico, Kenya, and others. We can keep the world before us and look for opportunities to play a role while being faithful to our neighborhoods and sphere of influence here in America. 

2. I keep in touch. Would it not speak volumes to you if a friend kept in touch with you even though they lived thousands of miles away? It certainly spoke to my heart when I received a gift from an Italian friend for my daughter, and I want to do the same for them. It means a lot to receive letters from our Compassion kids, so we make an effort to write back to them as well. The years that we've been able to afford it, we've sent Christmas care packages to missionaries overseas. Even just a simple email to let someone know you have not forgotten about them can make all the difference. 

Another Cru staff woman with Giada, our Bolognese friend

“Responding to Him and Staying Home” is part of a blog relaunch series entitled 
"31 Days of Responding to Him" 

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