I am thankful and overwhelmed.

Let’s throw this back to November 2015.  One of our sweet members left a Food Network Thanksgiving Edition magazine on the table.  After reading it back to front and front to back 1,000 times I needed all the food.  So, I did what any rational person would do and made Thanksgiving dinner using Food Network Magazine.  Thankfully, I work in customer service, so while I never baked a turkey got a lot of helpful hints and tips from our members.  Even more thankfully a large percentage of our clients is older so they know what they’re doing.  (And the biggest thankfully is Target selling already cleaned out turkeys.  And everyone said, “Amen!”.)

 

Food Network Magazine: Thanksgiving 2015 Edition

It was going to be ready for 1:00 and I had it all on the table by 12:59 and warm.

I was a little excited.  It was just my dad, grandma and I as everyone was out of town.  That sounds insane, but it didn’t matter if it all was a flop.

My dad’s response to my cooking paranoia was “We’ll just eat sandwiches.” 😀

It turned out great and kept the magazine and still use various recipes.  I also told my family not to get used to it as it was a challenge to myself and not an annual tradition. 😛

Remember how I learned to cook?

Ok…flashforward to present time… One of our sweet members gave me a bunch of food magazines.  Y’all, I’m impatient so I want to make all of the recipes right now, but there is only so much time and money….and room in my belly.

Two weekends ago I opened the Italian Food Network magazine and all of a sudden needed all of the tiramisu.  I’ve only had tiramisu once in my life.  I had high expectations and expected fireworks and an epiphany.  I used to watch Food Network all the time with my Mom and Ina Garten and Giada made tiramisu sound so fancy and awe inspiring.

We were living in Memphis at the time (2007?) and whatever bakery we got said tiramisu  from was disappointing.  I wondered what the big deal was and hadn’t had it since…

Until …

There I am flipping through the Food Network Magazine: Italian Edition in front of me and my life turned into a food emergency.

Regular tiramisu.  Tiramisu donuts.  Tiramisu pudding.  Tiramisu cake.

Chocolate. Espresso. Carbs.

I needed all of it.

I settled on the donuts, but then realized if I was going to make the donuts I may as well make the real thing.

Y’all don’t understand how real my life got.  I’d never bought lady fingers.  The people on Food Network always used them and I finally got to buy them and use them in a recipe like a professional.  It’s the little things, you guys.

It took me 4 stores to gather all of the ingredients.  My fancy attitude was getting real, but I was on a quest.  I was making this tiramisu, dangit!

The cashier at Fresh Market did the math with the ingredients on the belt…
“Must be making tiramisu…”
“YESSS!!”
…and then proceeded to tell he and his coworker way too much about the food magazines and my excitement about these recipes.  They either humored me or were just as excited and encouraged my endeavors.

I headed home and picked up the groceries.  All I needed was the Marsala wine.  I could wait until the next day or try ONE MORE TIME.  Once you get into stretchy pants there’s no way you’re going to want to get out of them so I headed to Rouse’s (before stretchy pants).  On the way decided to try World Market first as I wouldn’t be tempted to buy anything else (Pillows. Aprons. Mugs…) as I would in a grocery store.  I ran in, but of course they don’t carry it year round.  (My reaction was throwing my head to my knees and crying “Noooooooo!”.  The lady laughed and was very helpful in choosing wines though.  I don’t drink and don’t know anything about wines so while I mentioned I was reading about substitutes also read there is no substitute for Marsala wine and she agreed.  It has a distinct flavor.  I wouldn’t know the difference, but was on a mission and the recipe called for Marsala.  I went to Rouse’s and BEHOLD, MARSALA!  I almost bought 3 bottles just on principal.

FINALLY!

Here is the recipe from Food Network for Tiramisu Bombolini

 

Here is the Food Network recipe for Traditional Tiramisu with Chocolate

As you can see it was a hit.

I had leftover heavy cream and made this fettuccini for my grandma.  I’ve been trying to cook healthier things for her, but since she’s 90 and thinks healthy food is garbage I let her live her life through food…

Food Network Magazine Fettuccini Alfredo

Y’all, I’m a recipe hoarder.  Seriously.  After I discovered you can hide things on Facebook my entire wall is recipes I have saved to myself.  I don’t remember if this recipes was in the magazine or where I even found this one, but keeping with the Italian theme had all of the ingredients for biscotti.

I lack self control, apparently…

The next weekend I chose America’s Test Kitchen…

Current repeat kitchen and life music:  Misty Edwards: Songs of Deliverance

I could listen over and over.  It is well with my soul.
Worship. ❤

***I am in no way affiliated with Food Network or any ther magazine mentioned.  All opinions are my own.  However, if they would like to sponsor a recipe I would be down. 😜