Tiramisu

There is some discussion on whether we should "soak" the ladyfingers or just "dip" like the recipe says. Those ladies were so thirsty though, I don't see how 2 cups of espresso would ever be enough for a "dip". We ended up doubling the espresso mixture.

2 eggs, separated
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 pound (40g) mascarpone cheese
1 tablespoon Meyers Rum
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups espresso coffee (Kimbo is my brand of choice)
2 tablespoons Frangelico liqueur
2 tablespoons Tia Mari liqueur
2 7-ounce (200 g) packages plain ladyfingers, soft or dried
7 ounces (200 g) semisweet chocolate, grated (we used bittersweet Scharffen Berger)

1. Place the egg yolks and sugar in a 5-quart mixer. Beat them together on medium speed until well blended, pale in color and slightly thickened
2. Add the mascarpone and beat until smooth. Reduce the speed, add the rum and vanilla and blend until well mixed.
   
3. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold half of the egg whites into the mascarpone mixture.
   
4. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the espresso, Frangelico and Tia Maria.
5. Dip the ladyfingers in to the espresso mixture and use them to line the bottom and sides of a 9 x 9-inch casserole dish (we used a 13 x 9-inch dish).
6. Place half of the Mascarpone mixture over the ladyfingers.
7. Sprinkle half of the chocolate evenly over the first layer of the tiramisu.
   
8. Repeat with the dipped ladyfingers, the remainder of the masecarpone mixture, and the remainder of the chocolate to finish.
   
9. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
   

Creamy Spinach Lasagna

A delicious and semi-healthy lasagna. It's a good way to get Kenneth to eat his greens.... ;-) You can cut down on the prep time by starting the milk mixture at the same time that you start browning the onions.

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 1/2 cups chopped onion
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 (16-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (26-ounce) jar marinara sauce, divided
Cooking spray
12 cooked lasagna noodles, divided
3-4 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 375°.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook 10 minutes or until onion is browned, stirring occasionally. Stir in garlic and spinach. Add desired amount of salt and pepper to mixture. Reduce heat, cover, and cook 3 minutes or until spinach is tender. Set aside.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, milk, salt, black pepper, and red pepper in a small saucepan, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and simmer 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add 2 cups milk mixture to spinach mixture. Cover remaining milk mixture, and set aside.

Spread 1/2 cup marinara sauce in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles over sauce; top with half of spinach mixture. Top with 3 lasagna noodles, 1 cup marinara sauce, and 1 1/2 to 2 cups of cheese. Layer 3 more lasagna noodles, remaining spinach mixture, and remaining 3 lasagna noodles. Top with remaining marinara sauce. Pour reserved milk mixture over the top, and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 375° for 50 minutes or until lasagna is browned on top.

Serves 6-8