Tiramisu

I have been making this for a long time and don't really use a recipe but to the best of my ability here is how I make it:

Ingredients

1 pint heavy whipping cream

2- 8oz containers marscapone cheese at room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar

2 bars of good quality milk chocolate

3 cups of cold black coffee

1 pack of ladyfinger cookies 

Baileys (optional)

Make some strong black coffee and set aside to cool

Grate 2 bars of chocolate

Beat cream until stiff peaks form, add powdered sugar and Baileys if you wish, set aside

Beat mascapone cheese and then gently fold in cream mixture. Taste and add more powdered sugar and/or Baileys if desired.

In a trifle dish similar to this one add a dollop of the cream mixture to cover the bottom. Then one at a time soak the ladyfingers in the cold coffee and place on top of the cream to form a layer. Then add a layer of cream, followed by a layer of grated chocolate. Continue to layer cookies, cream and chocolate ending on a chocolate layer. Leave in the refrigerator for 24hrs before serving. 

As you can see I make a drunken tiramisu (!) and also omit the eggs. Traditional recipes call for raw eggs but I stopped using them when I was pregnant and just omitted them from then on. Hope you enjoy it.

      

Signature Drink

Everyone knows that James Bond prefers a Martini. And that the girls on Sex and the City drink Cosmopolitans. What about you, do you have a favorite alcoholic beverage? Or do you order something different every time you go out?

I like wine or champagne with my meal, but prefer to start (or end) my evening with a cocktail.

During my twenties I was a gin and tonic girl. During my thirties I was busy with babies so a night out was such a rare treat that I usually took the time to read the drinks menu and started experimenting with different cocktails. That lasted for a few years but then one night I ordered a G&T and that has pretty much been my go to drink ever since.

Several new gins had been introduced onto the market during my hiatus so that now whenever you order it you are always asked which gin you prefer. I was determined to know the answer to this question so tested a few. I had long been a fan of Bombay Sapphire, went through a small Hendricks phase but then quickly settled on Tanquery 10. It was introduced in 2000 and is the only gin that includes fresh citrus which may be why it tastes so delicious since I prefer to add a slice of lemon in my gin and tonic anyway.

I have noticed that many American bars and restaurants use their soda gun when making my drink so have learned to request bottled tonic to avoid being served gin and soda.

Do you have a signature drink?

      

Favorite Thanksgiving Recipe's

Although I am English, I met my husband who is American when I was twenty, so I have been hosting Thanksgiving meals for a long time. I like to make little changes every year as well as bring back some of the favorites that we all love and look forward to. Here are a few suggestions in case you too plan to change things up a little this year.

Williams Sonoma Molded Cranberry Sauce
I have made this for years, and my daughter always slices the pineapple off the top for herself! It is very easy to make and so far, although I have a mini panic attack every year, it has always released from the mold perfectly. Don't serve a can of cranberry sauce. Just. Don't. Do. It. (Please!)

Roast Potatoes
Sorry, but I have to sneak something English into the meal!

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes
(Williams Sonoma no longer sells this pan, but you can get one on ebay)

Orchard Punch
For the children's table, although I like to add some to my champagne! I usually skip the apple slices and just float cranberries in it.

Baked Brie
An old favorite.

Ina Garten Roasted Butternut Squash Salad 
This will be new for us this year, but I tested the recipe at a dinner party earlier this week and it is wonderful.

Do you have any recipe suggestions that you want to share? Link them in the comments section below.

      

5 on Friday - for the Kitchen

1. Noodle Bowl 

We eat a lot of stir fry. It's just such an easy to cook meal, the whole family likes it and I'm always amazed at how many vegetables I can get my kids to eat just by cutting them up into tiny pieces.

The other day I went into Pier 1 and saw this beautiful bowl.

I'll have four, please and thank you.

2. Custom Place Cards

I use place cards whenever we have a formal meal. They're a little different every time because I like to customize them in some way. I just purchased these avery printable stickers which will make my life so much easier because my calligraphy is not that great.  For Thanksgiving this year, I plan on printing names onto these stickers, attaching them to cream colored place cards and using pumpkin place card holders. Simple, elegant and easy.

3. Apple Corer

If you're a fan of baked apples then you need one of these.

4. Vase for your dishwasher tablets

Even though I keep my tablets under the sink I still prefer to keep them in a beautiful container rather than the plastic tub that they came in. I found mine at Pottery Barn.

5. Mini Pie Plate

If you like to make chicken pot pie then try serving it in individual dishes. It just makes a much more elegant presentation than a piece cut from a larger pie. I purchased mine here. 

Do you have a great recommendation for a kitchen item?

      

The Best Bakeware EVER.

Anyone who loves to cook should try these goldtouch nonstick pans from Williams Sonoma - it's the best bakeware ever!

The baking sheets stay looking like new for far longer than any other cookware that I have ever owned. There is just something that feels so professional when you cook food on something that is not covered with baked on grime.

A cookie sheet combined with a homemade jar of cookie mix would make a wonderful gift. I am going to try this recipe from Bakerella with red and green M&M's for Christmas gifts.

Wouldn't this make a wonderful teachers gift?

  

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Pie Safe

Do you often have a house full of people and like the idea of being able to leave baked goods out for friends and family to help themselves to?  A pie safe is the perfect way to make sure that the food remains safe from pesky flies.

I found mine here

I bought these pie dishes, and then baked three varieties of muffins, and voilà...

How do you serve baked goods?

A New Hobby

Do you have a hobby? Or do you collect something? In both cases, once you find that thing that you're passionate about, you will willingly spend your time and money pursuing that passion.

Maybe you love to play games, and every time you find yourself with 10 minutes of free time you sit down and try to beat the level that is currently frustrating you.

For me, my hobby, my passion, my collection are all one and the same. My passion is my home and family. I gladly spend time cleaning and organizing. I enjoy hunting for just the right items. I love to have house guests and host dinner parties. I don't look at time spent cleaning as a waste of time, because it makes me happy to live in a clean environment. I don't mind putting things away because it makes me happy to know where to find things when I need them. I don't mind ironing because I like to see my family looking nice. If it takes me six months to find the perfect sofa, that's OK because I know that I will love it for many years to come.

Change the way that you look at housekeeping. Instead of thinking of housework as a never ending chore, think of your home as the way that you express yourself. Buy bedding that you love and make your bed every day. Pick a china pattern and start collecting it one plate at a time. Use your lovely things, don't leave them sitting on a shelf. How you live each day, will add up to how you live your life. Make it beautiful. You won't remember the time spent playing games, what you will look back on are the times spent around the dinner table. Take the time to set the table, cook a delicious meal, make memories with your family and friends.

Think of caring for your home and family as your favorite hobby. Sometimes a change in perspective changes everything.

      

Beverage Dispenser

We often have houseguests so I am used to serving a lot of people. Last weekend my son hosted a sleepover for some of his 8th grade friends. There were 8 of them. By our standards that was actually a small group.  For breakfast I served fruit, muffins and juice.

Sometimes I will just serve store bought drinks in their original containers, as I did then...

But sometimes I want to serve home-made drinks or gussy up the store bought ones and the best way to do that is by using a beverage dispenser.

I love this beverage dispenser from Z Gallerie.

But I wanted something a bit more rustic looking to go with the simple decor that we have at our lake house, as well as something that would work when we have 30 people so I bought 3 of these from Amazon.

Make sure that you also buy some colored chalk so that you can be artistic on the chalk board. (I need to work on this!)

Once you have your beautiful beverage server you will want to use it often so here are some suggestions...

Mint Iced Tea

In the south people drink a lot of iced tea. Being English, I never liked it, and I still won't drink sweet tea but in the summer I really enjoy a glass of unsweetened iced tea. I put a sprig of mint from our garden into the dispenser and I just love the flavor combination. I sometimes make a tiny amount of simple syrup to slightly sweeten it.

Sangria

Orchard Punch - I love to add some fresh cranberries to the dispenser when I serve this. You can also replace the ginger ale with champagne for special occasions.

Pancake Day

A British tradition that I continue to follow even after living in America for 20 years is to celebrate Pancake Day.

In America it is known as Mardi Gras and it is traditional to eat a King Cake.

In England the day before Lent in called Pancake Day and growing up my mother would serve as many pancakes as I could eat for dinner that night.

I top it with sugar and lots of lemon juice.

I use Delia Smith's recipe , but its basically the same as a crepe if you have a recipe that you already love.  Just remember to smother in lemon juice, and then sprinkle with sugar.

I always roll mine up, and put more lemon and sugar on the top...delicious!

Serving the Perfect Cheese Board

I like to serve a cheese board at the end of a nice meal. I sometimes make a small dessert but I will always serve cheese and port. It amazes me how terrified a lot of people are of the cheese counter. It can be a bit overwhelming trying to pick just a few cheeses when faced with so many choices, so here are some tips for selecting a good variety of cheeses.

Select a mixture of hard and soft cheeses.

Select some blue cheeses. They are an acquired taste, I know, but once you learn to love them you will LOVE them.

Have one unusual cheese on your board.

A basic cheese board could include :

Cambozola
Stilton
Goat Cheese
Cheddar
Brie

If you wanted to serve more varieties then you could add :

Boursin
Edam
Camembert
Port Salut

Once you become familiar with these cheeses and know which are your favorites then you can start experimenting at the cheese counter. Ask for a sample of something that looks interesting.

I like to display my cheeses on this.