Tiramisu Trifles

Posted by: Maggie

Almost everything you see posted here is something I've made within the past week, or two weeks at the most. Neither Annie or I have a huge backlog of recipes waiting to be posted like a lot of food bloggers seem to (P.S. super-jeal of you bloggers who do since I'd looove to post daily!), so it's easiest just to share recipes with you as we make them. 

However...on occasion, a really awesome recipe slips through the cracks, and doesn't get posted in a timely manner. I made these trifles about 5 weeks ago on a night that I cooked for Jeff. I made us roasted garlic crostini and homemade spaghetti and meatballs, and I wanted a dessert to go along with the Italian theme.  I even hinted about the recipe over on Twitter and never delivered!

Now, weeks later, you finally get to know that the mystery desserts I mentioned on twitter were tiramisu trifles. I'm sure you've all been waiting with bated breath. Right? 

This isn't your traditional tiramisu by any means, and I'm pretty sure that real Italians would scoff at my use of Oreo cookies over ladyfingers, and ricotta over mascarpone, but they were extremely delicious and simple to make. I also liked that I wasn't left with a ton of leftover dessert - I used large stemless wineglasses to serve these, and it perfectly filled three glasses. 

Here's what you'll need:

For the base:

1 cup heavy whipping cream 

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or 1 tablespoon Kahlua if you have it)

1 teaspoon instant espresso granules

For layering:

1 cup heavy cream, whipped with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/2 cup chocolate cookie crumbs (Grind Oreos in a food processor without the cream centers. The centers are easily scraped out of divided cookies with a butter knife.)

For the garnish:

Fresh Strawberries

Chocolate shavings

Prepare the whipped cream and cookie crumbs (indicated under the "for layering" portion of the ingredients) and set aside. 

Combine whipping cream and granulated sugar (from the "for the base" section of the ingredients) in a medium bowl. Beat until cream is stiff, and set aside. 

Combine ricotta cheese, cocoa powder, vanilla, and instant espresso granules in a medium bowl. Beat until blended. 

Add ricotta mixture to the whipped cream, and gently fold in with a rubber spatula until no white streaks remain. 

To assemble, start with a layer of the ricotta mixture. Next, add a layer of the whipped cream, and then a layer of cookie crumbs. Repeat until all ingredients are used, and garnish with chocolate shavings and fresh strawberries. 

These can be refrigerated for up to a day before serving. I made these about 4 hours before serving, and the cookie crumbs stayed crisp, however on day 2 they had absorbed a lot of moisture (but were still delicious!) 

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Source: My Baking Addiction  

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

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Posted by: Annie

I found myself awake this past weekend at 7:50 a.m. Like, really? My alarm goes off every day for work at 5 a.m. and I dream about the weekend when I get to wake up naturally and sleep past nine. Of course, once I wake up and realize I have lots of errands to run, lessons to write, and cookies to bake, the guilt kicks in. That is how I end up baking pumpkin snickerdoodles in the kitchen at 8 a.m. on a Sunday morning.

Last year I made these gems, which at the time became one of my favorite pumpkin recipes. While pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are still up there, pumpkin snickerdoodles are my new favorite. These cookies scream fall, and fill your house with the best scent EVER.

Pumpkin the cat, meet pumpkin, the cookie:

What you will need:

For the cookies:

3 3/4 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the coating:

1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Dash of allspice

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk together to blend. In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugars on medium speed until well combined. Next, still on medium speed, beat in pumpkin. Then, add the egg and vanilla extract. Lastly, add in the dry ingredients. Beat until combined, but do not over mix. Cover the dough, and refrigerate for one hour, until firm.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and spices for the sugar coating. Scoop dough (approximately 2 1/2 tablespoons) and roll into a ball. Roll the dough ball in the sugar mixture, and place on the lined baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Take a drinking glass with a flat bottom and moisten with water. Dip the glass in the sugar mixture, and use it to flatten the dough balls. Re-sugar the glass as needed.

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. Remove when the centers of the cookies have set. Let cool on the baking pan for approximately 5 minutes, and then transfer to wire cooling racks to cool completely.

Helpful tools for this recipe:

Cookie Dough Scoop

Parchment Paper Baking Sheet Liners

Heavy Duty Cookie Cooling Racks

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Source: Adapted from Annie's Eats/Recipe Girl/DLYN

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Spicy Bean and Rice Burritos

Posted by: Maggie

I have made this recipe so many times, and have neglected to share it with you for one reason: I cannot take a good photo of it. Beans just aren't pretty, especially when they're all smushed into a tortilla. Don't let this homely burrito fool you though...it's super delicious, and could give Chipotle a run for their money.

One of the best things about this recipe is that it's customizable based on how healthy you want to be. I went to a wedding on Saturday with exceptionally delicious food and cake, and may have had several drinks more than what would be considered reasonable. When you start your day with a Bellini at 9 am, and finally finish it with an Irish coffee at 11 pm, you're going to want something healthy-ish for the following days, and fast. Needless to say, I made some healthy tweaks when I cooked this on Monday.

To somewhat healthify this recipe, I used brown rice instead of white, fat free greek yogurt instead of sour cream, and reduced-fat cheese instead of regular. I did stick with regular flour tortillas though, because whole wheat tortillas make me sad. If anyone knows of a brand that doesn't taste like sandpaper, please enlighten me.

I've said it a million times on here that I'm not crazy about leftovers, but these are definitely an exception.  I have the rest of the burritos all assembled and wrapped in foil in the fridge, ready to heat up for the rest of the week.

P.S. Don't forget that we started a Facebook page! Feel free to "like" us if ya want!

Here's what you'll need:

For the filling:

1 tablespoon canola oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 pepper from a can of chipotles in adobo, minced
1 tablespoon sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Several dashes cayenne pepper
1/3 cup water
1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups cooked rice (I used brown)
1/4 cup fresh salsa

For serving:

6 burrito-sized tortillas, warmed
8 ounces shredded cheese (I used a reduced-fat Mexican blend, Cheddar or Monterey Jack would also be good!)
Shredded lettuce
4 green onions, chopped
Fat-free Greek yogurt (or sour cream)

Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, chili powder, chipotle, adobo sauce, cumin, and cayenne. Cook briefly until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds. Add in drained and rinsed beans, and water. Bring to a simmer, then lower heat to medium-low and cook for 8 minutes, mashing the bean mixture slightly. Remove from heat, and stir in rice and salsa.

Divide mixture evenly among the center of each tortilla. Top with cheese, lettuce, green onions, and greek yogurt. Roll up, and serve!

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Source: Adapted from Cooking Light