Tiramisu Lightened up for Valentine’s Day

Happy Valentine’s Day!!  Can I just tell you that it has been a very long Beth Week.  Our 10th wedding anniversary was on Sunday, Beth turned 24 again on Tuesday, and today is Valentine’s Day.  After a week of planning surprises and special stuff for my sweetie, I am just a wreck!  Still, I didn’t want to just phone it in for Valentine’s Day.  Thankfully, International Delight Light Iced Coffee was here to help me make a velvety, luscious tiramisu for my darling while saving me a little extra effort.  Together, we not only lightened up the effort; we lightened up the whole dessert!

Just because we are watching what we are eating doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy a little treat from time to time.  Still, we do have to watch what we are putting into it our desserts.  The International Delight Light Iced Coffee help me to make a pretty quick take on tiramisu with a little bit of calorie savings as well.  On top of that, if you are a regular reader, you know that Beth is not overly fond of coffee of any sort.  So, while the texture of tiramisu may be something that she can get into, the flavor, even the smell, has always turned her away from it.  With that in mind, I picked the Mocha flavor and integrated that into the marscapone cheese so that we got barely a hint of the coffee, just enough to enhance the chocolate throughout the rest of the dish.

And yes, there is plenty of chocolate.  In addition to the mocha in with the marscapone, I added a fair amount of cocoa powder and then whisked it until it was light and fluffy.  I also made a double strength hot chocolate, sweetened with a little powdered sugar.  I drizzled that over cubes of pound cake (not lady fingers, I know, but trust me, you won’t put this down!).  I topped the drizzled pound cake with marscapone mixture and grated some dark chocolate right on top.  Beth could hardly taste the coffee flavor and definitely was not turning down a second bite!  For me, I was in heaven with a great big serving of the tiramisu and a glass of the International Delight Light Iced Coffee over ice.  YUM!!

tiramisu cups

Individual Mocha Tiramisu

Ingredients

1 cup milk
9 Tbsp cocoa powder, divided
3 Tbsp powdered sugar
8 oz marscapone cheese
1/2 cup Mocha Flavored International Delight Light Iced Coffee
1 lb frozen pound cake, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
dark chocolate squares for grating 

Directions

Heat milk over medium heat.  Add 6 Tbsp cocoa powder and whisk until completely combined.  Turn off heat and allow to cool completely.  Once cool, stir in powdered sugar until completely dissolved.  Pour into a container and refrigerate until ready to use.

In a large mixing bowl, combine marscapone, coffee drink, and 3 Tbsp cocoa powder.  Whisk until thoroughly combined and continue whisking until the mixture begins to thicken, resembling a thick whipped cream.  Scoop into a container and refrigerate until ready to use.

To assemble:  Add pound cake cubes to an individual serving bowl or glass.  Drizzle chocolate mixture over the pound cake.  Top with marscapone mixture.  Grate dark chocolate over the top.  Dig in and enjoy!

Are you a fan of International Delight products?  If not, why not?  If so, make sure that you join them on Twitter and Facebook for all of the latest updates. Check out our full shopping experience over in our Google + Album.

Do you enjoy tiramisu?  Give this version a try and tell us what you think?  What tips do you have for making a special dessert without all of the fuss?  Leave us a comment and let us know.

 

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This content has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and White Wave.  All opinions expressed are my own. #cbias #SocialFabric

Football SNICKERS Brownies #SNICKERSMINIS

For me football season reminds me of my time in college, I am a big VA Tech football fan. Brian on the other hand will watch any football game that is on TV. He doesn’t have a favorite team and loves the game for the game … the closer the score, the bigger the plays, the more he enjoys the game that is on the TV. This can be good or bad because this means that any time there is football on the TV, there is a chance he is wanting to watch the game. If he misses a full weekend of catching a game, he has been known to grumble about missing his relaxing time. Even though we don’t have an NFL team that we cheer for, I still love the excuse to make something when the game is on so that is why I really love football season. My brother on the other hand is trying to make us have a team to cheer for by continuously buying our kids Washington Redskin clothing. I think he is hoping to have someone to take a game one day and this is way of ensuring that happens! My brother loves to go to Washington Redskins games when he gets the opportunity. I on the other hand have only been to one of their games. I was maybe ten. It was cold. It was December. I have no idea who they played or if they won BUT I do remember that Santa Claus came on the field at half time. Yeah, you see where my priority is in memories. Maybe Greg would know who they played at that game and if they won. I would have to ask.

I was excited to hear about the SNICKERS® Brand NFL Minis at Walmart as part of a #SNICKERSMINIS promotion. I hear some Walmart had pallet display but our Walmart is a smaller Walmart and apparently opted for an in aisle display …

These are the large bags of  SNICKERS® Minis so I happily put one in my shopping buggy at Walmart. Any excuse to not wait until Halloween for big bags of chocolate is a good excuse at my house, how about yours?

So now what to do with this big bag of SNICKERS Minis? I decided to chop them up. (OK, Brian chopped since I am rarely trusted with a sharp knife around here … in all honestly Brian has cut himself more than  me but I guess he figured that is better!)

I dug around in my cupboards and settled on a cheating recipe … semi-homemade recipe … whatever you want to call it recipe. So it is …

Football SNICKERS Brownies

  • 1 box of chocolate cake mix (I used Duncan Hines Butter Fudge Chocolate)
  • 1 stick of melted butter (1/2 cup of butter is 1 stick)
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups of quartered SNICKERS Minis

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×12 baking pan. Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix them up good. Spread the batter in the greased pan (it will be very clumpy and this OK!)

Bake for 25-30 minutes. Allow the brownies to cool if you don’t want them gooey. If you like gooey, then cut and serve them warm!

Ta-da!

If that doesn’t, make you ready for some football games, I am not sure what makes you ready for a football game. See it as a chance to cheer for your favorite team or an opportunity to bake with SNICKERS Minis … up to you! Head over to Follow SNICKERS on Twitter and Like SNICKERS on Facebook!

What would you make with SNICKERS Minis because you know you can’t save that bag until Halloween? Leave us a comment and let us know!!

NOTE:  I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and SNICKERS® Brand NFL Minis but all thoughts and opinions in this post are my own. #SnickersMinis #CBias #SocialFabric

Great Gift Ideas On a Budget

After the craziness of Christmas, we are starting to tighten our purse strings a little.  Maybe some of you went over budget last month or are saving up for a vacation this summer.  Doling out money on birthday gifts (or even Valentine’s gifts) can be pretty tough this time of year.  Here are just a couple of ideas to make a lovely homemade gift without breaking the bank.

DIY Gift for Girls

For that special little one, maybe your daughter’s friend or your niece, who loves wearing girly things like dresses, tiaras, and diamond rings, why not make them their very own jewelry display cabinet? Here are three simple steps t­­o this thoughtful gift idea.

Step 1 – Take a pink cutlery drawer divider and cover the base in pink shimmering material.
Step 2 – Cut out foam rectangles to fit each segment and cover with velvet material to form mini cushions.
Step 3 – Glue your cushions into the slots and stick a small pin in each cushion (this will hold up the jewelry). Accessorize the rest of the box with ribbon or any leftover velvet material.

Voila, I beautiful little jewelry cabinet for that special girl!

Easy Gift for Guys

We all know the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, so why not make your friend, brother, or dad something they will enjoy eating? A customized giant chocolate slab is sure to be a treat.

Step 1 – Begin by melting down their favorite blend of chocolate (whether it’s white, milk or dark) and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Step 2 – Sprinkle their favorite filling into the melted chocolate, for example, dried cranberries, chunks of honeycomb or brazil nuts, and stir well.
Step 3 – Pour into a baking tray and allow to set before breaking into chunks. Wrap in tissue paper and decorate with a ribbon.

Oh, and guys….this would be a great Valentine’s day gift for just about any woman.  First, you are cooking.  Second, it’s chocolate!!

 

We hope that you try out this simple gift ideas.  Do you have any budget gift ideas that you use after a tough holiday season?

Disclaimer:  We were provided with compensation to provide this post. All thoughts and opinions are our own.

Friday Favorite: Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Friday Favorites is another almost weekly feature here at Simply Budgeted.  The whole point of this feature is to share some of our favorite finds.  Anything is game. Food. Cleaning supplies. Kid stuff. Garden favorites. Recipes. Anything that I really like and want to randomly  post about. Reminder/Disclaimer/Whatever: Everything in Friday Favorites is something that we use and bought on our own.

Up this week …

Liberty Mills Farm’s Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Recipe …

1/2 cup soft butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup sour milk (add 1 teaspoon vinegar to fresh milk)
2 1/2 cups flour
4 Tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups grated zucchini
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup chocolate chips

In mixing bowl, cream butter, oil and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla and sour milk. Blend. Add flour, cocoa, baking soda and cinnamon. Stir together Add zucchini. Mix well. Spoon into greased and floured 9×13 pan. Sprinkle with nuts and chocolate chips (if eliminating nuts, double amt. of chips).

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

My thoughts …

We have made this cake three times already. I made two and didn’t follow the directions. I know … shocking! I put the chocolate chips inside the batter. I made one in a bunt pan and it was beautiful with icing melted over it (I used can icing as I was in a rush to take it with us!)  The second I made as a thank you gift in a disposable cake pan and I just iced the top. The third Brian made. He actually followed the directions and that is the picture above with the chocolate chips on the top. I am torn. I loved the surprise of chocolate chips in the cake. Everyone was shocked to taste them in there which made me smile. So think I am partial to the version that puts the chocolate chips in the batter, bakes it in a bunt pan, and then drizzles icing over the top. At any rate, it is an awesome cake … even better if you have an insane amount of zucchini like we do.
Would you want this cake as a thank you? Let us know by leaving a comment!
Oh and be sure to visit Liberty Mills Farm’s website and on Facebook. We are members of their CSA and love their veggies!

Shari’s Berries for Mother’s Day

** This giveaway has ended. Thanks to all who entered! The winner was comment #19! **

I recently had the chance to review the Cheesecake Trio & Full Half Dozen Giant Dipped Fancy Berries thanks to Shari’s Berries whom included me in their Mother’s Day promotion event including Strawberries Covered in Chocolate for Mom!

Details …


  • 6 Fancy Berries
  • 3 Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes
  • Item #30005204

A delectable assortment of individual serving mini cheesecakes including a Classic New York cheesecake, a rich and smooth white chocolate cheesecake and a luscious chocolate Rocky Road cheesecake. Enjoy these decadent desserts with six Fancy Berries.

My Thoughts …
Ever want Chocolate Dipped Strawberries Delivered? The service at Shari’s Berries is great. The items came in a box with a cool pack so they stayed fresh and cold! I picked this item as an early birthday for my husband/Mother’s Day celebration. My husband’s birthday is May 7th so it always near Mother’s Day and we try to combine the celebrations.
He loves cheesecake and I love chocolate covered strawberries so this was a perfect sweet treat for us. The strawberries were definitely giant in size. I have picked a lot of strawberries in my day and these were insanely huge! The chocolate was nice and rich but not too sweet. Yum. The cheesecakes were beautiful. They are so pretty in the little box and can be frozen for up to 2 months after you get them. That might just happen to one of these. I did get a few bites of the one cheesecake and it was yummy too.

If you are like me though, your biggest problem will be deciding what to get at Shari’s Berries. The selection is so amazing that each time you click a link you find something that looks so good!

Want to order something now for Mother’s Day?! Get 15% off your order with the coupon code BERRYGOOD. So when you think about Mothers Day Chocolate Dipped Strawberries … think Shari’s Berries for sure!

I am pleased to announce I have been provided with the opportunity to giveaway a $50 gift card to Shari’s Berries to a reader!!!!

This drawing will end Monday, May 9th at 11:59pm EST. I may pick the winner using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to reply with their address. You must include your email address in your comment or have it in your profile so you can be contacted if you are a winner! Please make sure I can see your email address!!! You must complete the Mandatory Entry for the additional entries to count.
So how do you enter?

Mandatory Entry: Tell me which product on Shari’s Berries site you would order if you win!

Additional Entries:

1) Like Shari’s Berries on Facebook HERE: http://www.facebook.com/SharisBerries Leave a comment saying you did this!
2) Since you are already on Facebook, like Simply Budgeted on Facebook HERE: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Simply-Budgeted/129997329472 Leave FIVE comments saying you did this!
3) Leave a comment in any of the Wednesday Random posts! Leave a comment here with what you did for each comment.

4) Follow me on Twitter. Leave a comment with your twitter name.
5)
Tweet about this giveaway with this tweet:

RT #Win a $50 gift certificate to Shari’s Berries – @SharisBerries @simplybudgeted http://bit.ly/fRDWC2 #giveaway #giftcard ends 5/9

Leave a comment with the URL for your tweet. (One Tweet per day until end of giveaway!!)
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NOTE: I was sent a the product mentioned in support this review. No other compensation was received. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.