TIRAMISU

I love Italian food, and have always wanted to make 'real' Tiramisu. The last event I catered was our church's formal Winter banquet. The theme was "A Night to Remember" and it was decorated in Italian flair, complete with red & white checked tablecloths, drippy candles, imported cheeses, grapes and big crusty loaves of bread w/ seasoned olive oil. I served Chicken Marsala, Mozzarella stuffed meatballs, Angel hair pasta, Strawberry lemonade salad, Garlic bread, and then Tiramisu for dessert. If you like coffee flavored desserts, then you will love this. So easy to put together too.

TIRAMISU

3 egg yolks
3 1/2 oz. white sugar
8 oz. Mascarpone cheese (sub: softened Cream cheese)
16 oz. cream, whipped
(if you're pressed for time, you can use cool whip - but the REAL thing is so much better!)
8 1/2 oz. strong espresso or 3 tsp. of strong instant coffee in 250 ml of hot water
20 Lady fingers (can find these in the ethnic section of your local grocery store)
1 3/4 oz. cocoa powder

Cook egg yolks and sugar over hot water until thin (to do this, fill a saucepan 1/3 of the way with hot water, place pan over med-high heat, then place a mixing bowl in the top of the pan, making sure it doesn't touch the water. Then place the eggs and sugar in the mixing bowl and continue). After eggs are thinned and heated, add them to the Mascarpone cheese (or softened cream cheese), add whipped cream and gently stir until well combined. Dip lady fingers in coffee, layer in pan, cover with cream mixture, add another layer of dipped lady fingers and cream mixture. Refrigerate until firm. Before serving, dust with cocoa powder (do this by holding a small mesh seive over a bowl, place a couple of tablespoons of cocoa in the seive. Gently move over the top of the pan of Tiramisu and begin tapping the edge of the seive as you move it evenly over the top of the dessert.

CHICKEN CACCIATORE

I know this isn't much to look at - but WOW what a ton of flavor! It smelled SO good in my house while it was simmering on the stove. I served this with rice, but it would also pair nicely with angel hair pasta. I fried the chicken for it and set some aside to serve my hubby - without the sauce. I honestly didn't think he would care for it. But he said he couldn't help tasting it because it smelled so good. He actually liked it! I was so surprised! It has a nice flavor-filled heat to it. Perfect for those cold Autumn or Winter nights!

CHICKEN CACCIATORE

• Flour, to coat chicken
• 2 (2 1/2 to 3-pound) chickens, cut into 8 pieces with the breasts cut into 1/3's
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
• 10 to 12 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
• 1 large onion, peeled and sliced
• 2 green bell peppers, cored, seeded, and sliced into 1/2-inch strips
• 2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and sliced into 1/2-inch strips
• 1 (15 1/2-ounce) can chicken broth
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with their juice
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 small can tomato paste
• 6 leaves fresh basil, chopped

Directions

Place the flour in a shallow dish and coat the chicken pieces, shaking off any excess. Heat the oil in a large saucepot over medium-high heat.

Add the chicken in batches and fry until golden brown on all sides. When all the chicken has been cooked, set it aside. Add the garlic to the pan and cook until it turns golden brown. Add the mushrooms and saute for 5 to 7 minutes, until they release most of their liquid. Add the onion and bell peppers and saute until the vegetables are soft, approximately 6 minutes.

Add the chicken broth, tomatoes, crushed red pepper, salt oregano and tomato paste. Return the chicken to the pot and bring the liquid to a boil, stirring constantly. Turn down the heat and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. Stir in the fresh basil just before serving.

This dish goes well with any pasta or rice and tastes even better the following day.

OVEN READY LASAGNA

Mmm! Have you ever used the Oven ready lasagna noodles? I used them for the first time the other night, when I made a pan of lasagna for the family. I don't think I will ever use the kind that you have to boil, ever again! This went together in a snap - so easy! It could also be made the night before and just popped in the oven the next day.

OVEN READY LASAGNA

1 (12 oz) pkg Oven ready lasagna
2 (15 oz) containers Ricotta cheese
2 cups Shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmasan cheese, divided
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 tsp dried Basil
2 (27 oz) jars pasta sauce
1 cup water
1 lb lean ground beef, cooked, crumbled and drained
1 lb lean Italian sausage, cooked, crumbled and drained

Preheat oven to 375. In medium bowl, combine ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese, eggs, and basil. Mix well. In skillet, combine cooked ground beef, cooked Italian sausage, pasta sauce and water. Combine to mix well - heat until simmering. Then remove from heat. In a 9 x 13 pan, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce. Place 1/3 of the oven ready lasagna over the sauce. Spread 1/3 of the cheese mixture over lasagna noodles, top with 1/3 of the meat sauce. Repeat layering until ingredients are all in pan. Top with remaining lasagna then sauce. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover tightly with foil. Bake at 375 for 45 to 50 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes sealed in the foil before cutting and serving. Makes 9 - 12 servings.

ITALIAN CHICKEN AND ARTICHOKES

I know, I know, you're thinking, Artichokes? Blech! I thought the same thing when I first saw this recipe. But then I thought, well I love spinach artichoke dip, so why not? I'm game. I'll try anything at least once. And the honest truth is, none of us liked the artichokes! LOL
The rest of the dish though, was quite YUMMY! I'll definitely be making this one again. I found this recipe in one of my Gooseberry Patch cookbooks. I LOVE my small, but growing collection of those. They are probably one of my favorite sets. I love all the little tips and decorating ideas they put underneath the recipes.
Also, the original recipe calls for chicken breast strips. I like to make my Honey happy, so I bought a whole chicken for .69 / lb. and cut it up myself, and used whole chicken pieces for it. I would recommend that. He's such a good sport when I try a new recipe on him. I told him that I would keep it to one new recipe a week though. I don't want to shock his "meat and potatoes" system too badly! *hehe*

ITALIAN CHICKEN AND ARTICHOKES

1 (8 oz) container sour cream
1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup fresh parmesan cheese, shredded
2 Tblsp butter
Olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 whole chicken, cut up. (Or you can use: 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into 2 inch strips)
Lawry's seasoned salt
McCormick grinders, Italian seasoning
1 (14 oz) jar marinated artichokes, drained
1 (16 oz) pkg. rainbow rotini, cooked
Garnish: Shredded Parmesan cheese, Flat leaf parsley, chopped

Season both sides of the chicken pieces with Lawry's and Italian seasoning. Rub into the meat. Set aside. Combine sour cream, soup, chicken broth and cheeses in a bowl. Set aside. Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat, and then drizzle with olive oil. Saute' minced garlic for 30 seconds. Add the seasoned chicken pieces, skin side down, to the skillet and cook until done. About 10 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of your pieces. If you are using the chicken breast strips, you will only need to cook them for about 5 to 7 minutes total. Pour sour cream mixture over chicken, cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Add artichokes, heat for an additional 5 minutes. Serve sauce and chicken over cooked pasta; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley. Serves 4 to 6.