Author: ThriftyMomma

My mom is an amazing baker. She makes all her delicious desserts from scratch. When she asked me what I wanted for my birthday, then I immediately replied Tiramisu please. I recently asked her where she found the recipe so I could share it on my blog. She got it off the back of the bag of lady fingers she uses (the brand will be listed in the recipe below). The Tiramisu cake was just as divine as it looks in the picture.

*Note: She usually uses Brandy but did use Marsala which made it taste a little stronger. You could smell the wine more than the brandy. Strange but true.

Tiramisu Recipe

To make tiramisu begin by making zabaglione cream as follows:

5 egg yolks from Large Grade eggs – 1/4 cup sugar – 1/2 cup Marsala

In the top part of a double boiler, beat eggs and sugar together until the mixture is pale yellow in color. In the bottom part of the double boiler, bring water to a boil then reduce heat to simmer. Place egg yolk mixture over water and gradually add Marsala, beating continuously. Scrape bottom and sides of pan occasionally and cook 6-10 minutes until soft mounds can be formed. Transfer to bowl, cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

1 cup whipping cream, chilled

4 tbsp. sugar

1 lb. Mascarpone Cheese (if unavailable, substitute two 8 oz pckgs. cream cheese combined with 1/2 cup whipping cream and 5 tbsp. Sour cream)

1 recipe Zabaglione

2 cups (16 oz) freshly brewed espresso or other strong brew coffee

1/2 cup Brandy or Marsala

1 tbsp. vanilla

2 7oz pkg Alessi Savoiardi Cookies

3 tbsp. cocoa powder

*Chocolate curls or edible flowers for garnish (optional)

Whip Cream with 2 tbsp sugar until soft peaks form. Fold in Mascarpone and Zabaglione and mix till well blended. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour. On a separate bowl, mix espresso, 2 tbsp sugar, Brandy and vanilla. Arrange 16 cookies on the bottom of a 9″x13″ pan. Carefully spoon about 1 tbsp of the coffee mixture over each cookie so they are well saturated but not falling apart. Spoon 1/3 cheese mixture over cookies and sprinkle with 1 tbsp cocoa. Repeat two more times ending with cocoa. Cover and refrigerate at least 5  hours or overnight so that cookies can soften as they absorb moisture. Garnish and serve. Makes 12 servings.

*My mom does not use either one for garnish and just leaves the cocoa powder on top.

Enjoy the wonderful tiramisu cake and please let me know what you think.

Help me celebrate my birthday by entering for a chance to win a $50 gift card with the Thrifty Momma Ramblings Birthday Celebration Giveaway! Happy Birthday to me today! I promised you guys a giveaway to celebrate my actual birthday (not the blog). While I will not disclose my actual age, flattery will get you extra entries. Just kidding.

I decided the best way to celebrate my birthday is by giving away a $50 gift card! I will have the choices listed below. I also wanted to show off the redesigned blog in my new home. I moved to WordPress which was very simple (ok so I had someone move it for me), but I love being self-hosted on WordPress. I still need to add the final touches, but school is keeping me very busy. I am glad I only took 4 classes this semester. I want to thank everyone for being so patient with me while I made the move.

Now on the actual $50 Gift Card Birthday Celebration Giveaway!

I am using Rafflecopter for the first time and I must say it is going to be much easier to manage the giveaway. I have one mandatory entry of leaving me a comment on which gift card you would choose, and then tell me how you will spend my gift to you! It will be easy as pie (or cake). Yummy!

All the information such as when the giveaway ends (March 4th at 11:59 EST) and the rules are listed at the bottom of the widget. I will say this giveaway is only open to US residents aged 18+. The winner will be pulled using Random.org the following day. The winner will be emailed within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will need to let me know which gift card they want. Good luck to all who enter. Below are the choices for the gift card. Enjoy.

$50 GIFT CARD LIST:

• Wal-Mart
• Target
• Amazon (online code)
• CVS
• Walgreen’s
• Best Buy
• Rite-Aid
• Itunes

Today’s thrifty living tip is to use OxiClean to get out old stubborn stains. I used to sell clothes that I would buy and resell on Ebay. I came across clothes that would have set-in stains which is hard to get out. I would make a paste of OxiClean with a little water in a plastic bowl and just spread a little onto the stain. I used this on colored clothes, and it never left bleach stains. I used the regular OxiClean since the color safe version didn’t exist. I would let it sit for 30 minutes and just throw it in the washer. It always got out the stains.

I also used another trick for whites and light pastel colors. I would boil water and pour into one of those plastic tubs (the free ones from the hospital), and dissolve 1 tbs of OxiClean before adding the stained parts of the garments. I didn’t leave too long in this mixture, and usually let the garments soak for about 10-20 minutes. I made this batch when I had several garments, and the water stayed hot for a while. It was extremely rare for neither process to remove a stain.

I still like the other stain removers for new stains, but this Oxiclean method was the best I found for removing old or set-in stains. What is your method of removing old stains from clothing?

This post brought to you by NMEDA. All opinions are 100% mine.

I love to drive as I have so much freedom to go anywhere I want. I cannot imagine not being able to drive. Unfortunately, there are many people who cannot drive due to a disability or age. No one wants to be dependent on anyone. I want to share with you a great non-profit organization called NMEDA which helps educate consumers on buying products from a NMEDA qualified dealer.

This great organization does not sell anything, but just wants to educate people. NMEDA is the only organization to promote safe driving and equipment for disabled people. Mobility equipment can be very expensive, and you want to make sure you are dealing with a reputable company. Everyone’s situation is different so it is very important to visit a dealer to help with the process of finding a customized vehicle suited just for you. The best way to make sure you are not being scammed is to shop with a NMEDA approved dealer in your area.

The Quality Assurance Program (QAP) is the only nationally recognized accreditation program for the Adaptive Mobility Equipment Industry. It is based on the principle that in order to satisfy customers consistently, companies must have a systematic and documented approach to quality.

If you are interested in learning even more about mobility equipment, then please visit nmeda.org to use the dealer locator. Just type in your zip code to find the nearest qualified dealer near you. I was surprised to see about 4 dealers within 50 miles of my zip code. Leave me a comment with your closest qualified dealer.