Amy and Maggie take over the Kitchen with Razz-Misu!

At least a month ago...maybe longer...Amy, her friend from San Francisco Aaron and I went on a day trip to Santa Barbara Wineries. We came home with more bottles of wine than we anticipated among them a Raspberry Desert Wine that has an intense flavor. At the tasting, we decided we should get together again to make some Tiramisu with this crazy raspberry port at a later date.

Last night was that later date.

Here's what we came up with:


Layer #1 -- Lady Fingers -- The perfect cake egg cookie

INGREDIENTS

• 4 eggs, separated
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 7/8 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• Splash of Vanilla Extract
• Confectioners sugar for dusting
  

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Line two baking sheets with wax paper.
   
2. Place egg whites in bowl and beat on high until soft peaks start to form. Slowly add 2 tablespoons of the sugar and continue beating until stiff and glossy. In another bowl beat egg yolks and remaining sugar. Whip until thick and very pale in color.
3. Sift flour and baking powder together on a sheet of wax paper. Fold half the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture. Fold in flour, and then add the remaining egg whites and a splash of vanilla extract. Transfer mixture to prepared baking sheet, spread evenly.
4. Bake 8 minutes. Dust with confectioners sugar. Cool, then cut to desired size.
   

Layer #2 THE SYRUP - Coffee/Raspberry Goodness:

INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup of raspberry port (we recommend Mosby Sofia Raspberry Dessert Wine)
  
• 1/4 cup very strong brewed coffee

Layer #3: THE FILLING-- The heart!

• 1 (8 ounce) container mascarpone cheese
• 1.5 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup amaretto
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 cups heavy cream

Extras...

• 2 (1 ounce) squares dark chocolate, grated (we recommend Hershey's Special Dark)
  
• 1/8 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (again, Hershey's does quite nicely) for dusting

DIRECTIONS

1. To make the syrup, stir together sugar, boiling water, coffee and raspberry port until sugar is dissolved. Set aside. Wasn't that easy?
   
2. To make the filling, combine mascarpone, confectioners' sugar, amaretto and almond extract in a large bowl. Whisk together until completely smooth, scraping the bottom of the bowl to remove any lumps. Gradually whisk in the heavy cream. Whip with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Stop whipping when the mixture shows the first sign of graininess.

ASSEMBLY!
We had all the layers together...so we've got the lady fingers, our syrup, the filling and our extras (chopped up Hershey's Special Dark and Cocoa powder).

Start with a layer of lady fingers, and drizzle syrup over them just to get them moist. Add a thick layer of filling, add your extras as you like them, another layer of lady fingers but this time soak those suckers with the syrup! The last layer is more filling! But top it off to look pretty with your toppings...a little chopped chocolate goes a long way!

We made 4 mini-bread pans of this stuff. To enjoy our first one right away we assembled our first tiramisu and stuck it in the freezer while we cleaned up and finish assembling the rest of our little loafs of goodness.

The strength of the flavors diminishes a bit in the settling/cooling process, so this step is important. Let your tiramisu cool in a fridge or freezer for a period of time to allow everything to mix and party.

And then...
enjoy!

Netflix 1 MONTH free trial codes

So I thought I'd post these here to get it to a wider audience.

Netflix sent me these 4 codes and said that for every one that gets activated, they'll send me a bonus DVD from my queue!

So:

Here's what you do.

1. Go to http://www.netflix.com/tellafriend

2. Then enter one of the following codes:

M476376797585
M426336797935
M416336797595
M456386797945

ENJOY the ONE MONTH (usually it's just 2 weeks) FREE trial of Netflix!

Rock ON!

Paul and I are Racing!

Hmmm...here's the deal. Paul and I are racing! Nike+ style!

Free Hugs Campaign. (music by Sick Puppies.net album out)

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd4
I

Sent from my iPhone

2pm bus from NYC to Boston

I just wanted to tell my story in hopes of improving your service.

Today I arrived with plenty of time at the bolt bus stop on 34th st
and 8th ave. When I arrived there seem to be mass confusion as to
where each bus was going when where to go and the like. There was one
bus with its doors closed and with the driver inside there was another
boltbus about a block up there street also seemingly just waiting. No
employees to sort though the crowd or create any semblance of order.
No one knew which bus was for Philadelphia and which bus was for
Boston. Or whether we could stay here and wait or if we were to meet
the bus up the block.
This mass confusion could have been relieved with one bolt bus
employee offering information and direction. Also a clearer sign on
streetlevel would have allowed your customers to make sure they are
getting on the right bus.

The crowd shifted and got impatient when another full bus pulled up.
The driver of that bus was not able to help answer questions and did
not know where the 2pm Boston bus was. Since the Philadelpia bus had
already pulled away we all felt frustrated that not only had the bus
up the street disappeared 20minutes earlier but that our bus was late.

Finally the bus did arrive. Although once we started driving I'm not
exactly sure why the driver chose the route he did. It was riddled
with construction and surface streets like Amsterdam ave and central
park west do not seem like the ideal way of getting out of manhattan.
He was also zig zagging up and down surface streets in a seemingly
futile way of avpiding traffic? After over an hour we were only at 144
th street.

Not to mention this particular driver's ability to use his brakes and
gas pedals too much. This has been the least pleasant bus trip I have
taken inbetween ny and Boston. Mainly because it has made me sick to
my stomach with motion sickness from the stopping and speeding up this
driver is doing.

It seems unnecessary for your drivers to follow other vehicles as
closely as your driver currently is.

Thanks for the wifi though I used it to send this complaint.
-margaret brockmann

Sent from my iPhone

I Blame the Gap Ads

How I love, LOVE a man in a form-fitting sweater. It's a very beautiful thing.

There once was a boy at a concert I went to that sat in the corner of the bar with a keyboard in an argyle sweater and glasses. I couldn't keep my eyes off him. Went up and met him after his band played, super cool dude. Turned me on to the Weakerthans. Guys in sweaters. I'm telling you. SO BEAUTIFUL, SO HANDSOME.
GORGEOUS.

There's just something very innocent and warm about a man wearing a lovely sweater. Well, especially when John Krasinski wears them, and especially in a Gap ad.

So hot. So handsome. I just want to jump onto a couch with a sweatered guy and a fireplace. That would make me so very happy.

It might be the knitter in me that appreciates sweaters and understands the time and energy that does go into making and designing an amazing sweater. But I totally love to see beautiful sweater on a beautiful guy.

Can't get enough.

Let's cuddle is all those Gap ads say.

"Let's cuddle in a cold December afternoon."

Thank you Gap, thank you.

The Rules For Politely Using Wired's Antisocial Gadgets

Wired.com came up with a list of the 5 Anti-Social Gadgets That Should Be Banned. Here's some guidelines worth heeding when you want to pull out one of these 5 gadgets. 

1. Speakerphones - Wired cites the example of someone using this to play music on a train. That in itself is rude. DON'T DO IT.  In any Train situation...don't do it. No one should hear you, period. If you must listen to music, grab some headphones. Speakerphones themselves are useful in situations where you don't have your bluetooth headset, or don't have one at all. Especially useful is this feature if you find yourself in a state that requires headsets while driving, like California, New York or Connecticut. 

Rule of Thumb: Keep it to yourself, unless in an enclosed car.

2. Bluetooth Headsets - Again, something that, I believe, should be reserved for the long commute to work, or when you find yourself driving alone. Not only is it weird when someone looks at you and is on their bluetooth headset, it also says to the general public, "I have no time to give you my full attention because I'm talking to someone else." Even rude to the grocery store cashier. C'mon...give them your full attention.

Rule of Thumb: Save it for the drive home, or drive alone.

3. Customer Ringtones - Customer Ringtones are like the answering machine of the future. Remember when it was fun to leave crazy songs or slogans on your answering machine simply because you wanted to be different? Then your boss calls or a future boss calls? Not so funny anymore to hear 50-Cent cursing before the beep. Same goes for custom ringtones, only with ringtones you're standing right next to the cell phone when it rings BLARING "Sexyback", or "When I Grow Up." While fun and customizable, I say keep it simple stupid. You don't need 50 ringtones to distinguish people's calls, necessarily. Choose one, stick to it, and make it something you won't be embarrassed about if your grandmother were standing next to you when it goes off, or if it went of in a job interview. Don't deny it, you will be judged based on your ringtone choice, so choose wisely.

Rule of Thumb: Keep it simple, stupid.

4. E-Books - I completely agree with Wired on this one. Totally unromantic is the Amazon Kindle. Also, what's to say for eye-strain and fatigue? Real books you can hold in your hand are much much more fun and lead to much more interesting adventures. I bought a couple of copies of one book at a local used bookstore for some co-workers because I had raved about it so much. When I sat down to read the first few pages of one of the copies, I noticed a note on the inside cover. This is another side of the romanticism taking place here. The scroll is no substitute for handling the pages in your hand, or noticing the notes your grandmother or a previous reader made. This is what makes books all the more special. They're treasure chests with worlds inside. Crazy huh? So don't do it, I say! Don't do it!

Rule of Thumb: Save it for the morning paper on the subway and that is IT.

5. Satnav (who calls it that anyways? ) GPS Navigation Systems - I once had a co-worker who got lost while driving between a hotel and the film set with a GPS, iPhone with Google Maps, and a set of paper directions with her. Not only that, she had done that route before. So even with all those aides in hand, she was still lost for 30 minutes. This is an extreme example, but the same holds true with a lot of people. They rely SO much on these GPS systems that they forget where they are! One of the most valuable tools my Mother ever taught me was how to use a map. Don't OVERUSE it. That's the problem. The information is really only valuable when you don't know where you're going. 

Rule of Thumb: Save it for getting to new places.

I would also like to add a new rule: When in social situations DON'T USE YOUR GADGETS!

If you are in a room with more than 2 people, why do you have a need for checking your e-mail on your Blackberry/iPhone/Sidekick? Why do you need to send a text message just to send a text message when you're at a friend's house? Why do you need to IM someone when at the movies? or at a Party? A show? Really?

If you do feel the need to use your gadgets...use them to stimulate conversation, engage the group and overall add to the social situation instead of subtracting from it. Google the actor someone mentioned, or can't remember the name of. Once you find the name, PUT IT AWAY. Send a quick Text Message to someone who's running late, but MAKE IT QUICK. 

If it has little or nothing to do with the scene you are in at the moment, or is not a Life or Death situation...IT CAN WAIT. 

All in all, use your gadgets responsibly and bloggers will have no need for these articles at all. Use common sense and take advantage of the people sitting right in front of you.