Italian Recipes

As promised, here are a couple of the recipes I used for our Italian meal last night.

I don’t think I have craved anything as much during my pregnancies as I have this salad and simple dressing.

Italian Salad: 

• Mixed Baby Greens, White Raisens and Toasted Pine nuts 

Lemon Dressing:

• 2 Tbs Lemon juice (fresh if possible–about 1-1/2 to 2 lemons)
• 3 Tbs Olive oil

Mix the lemon juice and olive oil and pour over salad immediately before serving. Toss the salad well. And add salt to taste.

Gretencord Variation:

I still use the Mixed Greens salad, but when I don’t have the raisens or nuts on hand, just mix in whatever salad veggies  you like. I’ve recently taken a liking to topping my salads with Feta cheese…yum.  If you have a Good Seasons Cruet, fill with lemon juice upto the “V” marking, then water upto the “W”, and olive oil to the “O”.  This make about twice the amount.  I like making this dressing in the cruet because I have plenty left over and everyone can pour as much as they like in their own salads. 

Tiramisu

This turned out to be a truly Gretencord variation.  I combine what I liked out of two different recipes I found.  Note that I went easy on the coffee and liquer because of my pregnancy.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb (16 oz) Mascarpone Cheese
• 1- 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
• 2 tbs Brandy (Or substitute Brandy and Vanilla for 1/4 cup Marsala Wine)
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
• 2/3 to 1 cup Strong Coffee
• 30 lady fingers or (Family Size of Sarah Lee Pound Cake–found in frozen food section.  I used the pound cake as the grocery store was out of lady fingers. It makes the tiramisu a bit denser.)
• 1 tbs cocoa or grated chocolate

Cream together the Mascarpone cheese and 3/4 cup sugar.  Add whipping cream, brandy and vanilla.  Set aside.

For the strong coffee I used 4 tsp coffee with 1 cup of water in the coffee machine.  If you have instant coffee or expresso, you can use that as well.  In a sauce pan heat coffee and 1/2 cup sugar until boiling.  Set aside and cool.

In a large dish (about 2 inches deep) place one layer of lady fingers (or pound cake cut up in strips) to cover the bottom of the dish.  Brush with half of the coffee syrup.  Spread half of the cheese mixture on top.  Repeat with remaining lady fingers, syrup and cheese.  Sift cocoa over the top cream mixture.  Refridgerate for at least 4 hours.