Hummers And Dessert

I'm thankful to be alive this morning.  So far I have not found any more deadly desert recluse spiders around the house.  Thank you Dave for confirming what Miss Patty Chance said she guessed it was.  I'm contemplating an even bigger weapon for protection.

Here's the thing ... I already DO have a pest control service who should be spraying around the house every month.  Maybe those critters are immune.  Just as a backup, I purchased a big jug of spray myself for the garage and windows.  And here I thought my biggest problem would be the pack rats!!  Ha!!!!!

As I tried to calm myself with coffee (not the best of solutions) some of the desert's nicer critters came to visit.  The hummers are crazy around here, fighting over territory constantly.  They buzz from tree to tree like kamikazes.  Although they look very plain and brown, when the sun hits them, they are gorgeous.

This little guy was pretty reticent at first ... then I saw why.  There was a yellow jacket hanging off the bottom of the feeder.  No shovel this time, just a good fly swatter.

Once gone, this little guy started to drink his fill.  They aren't afraid at all ... they will come eat when I'm standing less than two feet away.  I don't know how they do it in this heat.  Wouldn't you know, I got a heat warning today for the entire weekend.  I think I'm going to be housebound.

While shooting the hummers, I turned around to see this.  The sun was just coming up making the clouds tinged with pink.  I'm guessing that's the North Star on the far left ... except that's not North, so who knows.  Yes the sky really is that blue here without layers of smog covering it up.  There's nothing better than fresh air.

So ... here's the tiramisu recipe I promised.  It's super simple and really delicious.

1 cup whipping cream, whipped to soft peaks

1 cup mascarpone cheese, room temperature

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 tablespoon Brandy if you like ... I use a glug of Baileys

Whip that all together until it gets thick, which only takes a minute.

2 cups strong coffee

1 package ladyfingers ... see picture below

Cocoa powder for dusting.

Dip the ladyfingers quickly in the coffee.  Too slow and they become real soggy, which you do not want.  Put a single layer in the bottom of an 8 x 8 pan.  Spread half the mascarpone mixture over the top.  Place another layer of dipped cookies over that and finish with the last of the mascarpone.  Rap the pan on the table top to get out any air bubbles.  Dust with cocoa.  

I would make this several hours in advance and leave it in the fridge to soak up the flavors.  Excuse the wonderful tableware, but here's a nice big slice.  It's super quick and easy and tastes exactly like my original Italian recipe that takes hours to make.  If you like coffee, you'll like this dessert.

This is what REAL ladyfingers look like.  Don't get the fake ones at Safeway.  I actually drove 25 miles to find these at the Whole Foods Market in Tucson.  By the way, they make an excellent breakfast cookie dunked in coffee.  I bought four containers and keep them in the freezer.

This Whole Foods Market is not nearly as big as I'm used to, but they have something interesting going on.  They have teamed up with Amazon (who hasn't nowadays) in order to gather your shopping information surreptitiously.  Items in the store are marked with an "Amazon" sign.  When you purchase them, you get an extra "Amazon" discount by scanning your app at the store.  

I'm guessing it sends them your entire receipt of purchases.  Not sure I like that idea, but you do get discounts.

Today I'm going to attempt cooking a pork loin on my Weber Q barbecue.  This should be fun with it being the hottest day so far.  Actually it's only been in the high 90's, but with all the clouds and rain, the humidity is getting up there.  

AND ... I finally was able to get ahold of the guy to come give me an estimate on a front patio cover.  I'm also researching an RV cover.  What a project THAT'S going to be!!