Clearance Racks

My last entry I talked about things I'm doing to cut wasteful spending. Saturdays (note: today is Saturday, so I want to Meijer this morning) are Meijer days. Since I made "policies" to cut wasteful spending, I wanted to find a reusable lunch bag so I can bring some snacks to school.

I kinda ran into the clearance by accident. Wanna guess what I found? An insulated lunch box. 75% off. Which means I paid $1.75 for a $7 Thermos (brand) lunch bag. It's of Superman. But whatever.

Tiramisu recipe I will make for Thanksgiving:

1 cup brewed espresso

1 cup white sugar

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon coffee liqueur

4 extra large egg yolks

1# mascarpone cheese

2 tablespoons sweet marsala

1 cup heavy cream

40 store bought ladyfinger cookies

1/4 cup cocoa powder

Put the espresso, 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup of the coffee liqueur into a heavy sauce pan and bring to a simmer over med-heat. Whisk until sugar dissolves, 3-4 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let the syrup cool.

Put the yolks, mascarpone, marsala and remaining 1/2 cup sugar and remaining 1 tablespoon of coffee liqueur in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment. Whip until light and airy, about 7 minutes. Transfer the mixture to another bowl. Clean out mixer bowl and whip attachment.

Put the cream in the bowl of mixer and whip until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the cream mixture into the marsala mixture.

To assemble:

One by one, dip the ladyfingers into the espresso syrup and arrange a layer into the bottom of a 12x8 pan. Spoon a layer of cream over ladyfingers. Dip and arrange another layer of ladyfingers over the cream, with the second layer perpendicular to the first. Spoon the remaining cream over the top.

Dust the tiramisu with cocoa powder. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days. To serve, use a kitchen spoon to scoop out portions into small bowls or glass dishes.

For a lovely presentation:

Freeze the tiramisu and then use a cookie cutter to cut into a round shape. Place ladyfingers around the edges and tie with a bow.

recipe courtesy of Buddy Valastro, author of Cake Boss (a book and a hit tv show)