Page 36 February 2012 By Amanda Goossen Feb. 5 is Super Bowl Sunday and whether you’re throwing the party or bringing a dish to your friend’s soirée, Arcadia resident Libby Noble has the perfect snack to share with friends. Twelve years ago, Libby’s friend Janet gave her the recipe and she’s been preparing it for holiday gifts ever since. While everyone else is handing out their favorite cookies each Christmas, Noble can be found mixing up large batches of Sweet and Spicy Nuts to give to her friends and family. “It’s great to have something different,” said Noble, who swears she’s not a cook, yet her well-stocked kitchen and list of favorite recipes says differently. As a mother of two daughters, Libby said she has watched her daughters grow up and in recent years has reprioritized her life. With one daughter already in college and the other on her way next fall, she said she has pushed cooking to the side and gone after her passion: Art. As a high school student in Minnesota, Libby said art was something she didn’t do well. Her favorite thing, though, was the upstairs art room; it was the place she said she most belonged. In college she majored in fi ne art, but when her father questioned her direction and future, Libby said she gave up on art as a career. Continued on page 38 Nuts for the Super Bowl? Libby Noble has just the snack for your party. Photos by Amanda Goossen. Super Bowl nuts will fi nd Noble treat for the big game Sweet and Spicy Nuts 2 cups unsalted pecan halves (or almonds) 1 - 1/2 tbsp. unsalted butter 2 tbsp. fi rmly packed brown sugar 1 -1/2 tbsp. granulated sugar 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper 1 tsp. salt In a medium size skillet, cook the nuts over medium heat in the butter one-two minutes. In a separate bowl, stir together the sugars, peppers and salt, and sprinkle the mixture over the nuts. Continue to cook about four minutes while stirring constantly, toggling between medium low and medium heat to avoid burning the sugar or nuts. The sugar should be melted and brown. Transfer the nuts to a cool countertop, drizzling excess melted sugar over the nuts, and allow to cool. Break the nuts apart. Keep in an airtight container. 3943 E. Camelback Rd. Phoenix AZ 85018 6 0 2 . 3 9 6 . 4 6 9 0 Find us...

Page 37 February 2012 Dessert traces its history to variety of Italian regions By Gabe Bertaccini From the Academia Barilla website (academiabarilla.com), the story and recipe of one of my favorite desserts: “Without a doubt, tiramisù is the spoon- eaten dessert most loved by the Italians. “For this reason, many different regions claim to have invented it, each one with its own legend to back it up. “Even if this creamy dessert probably derives from some traditional recipes that were modi fi ed over time, one of the most widespread legends suggests that a primitive version of this dessert was created at the end of the 17th century in Siena. “According to the same story, the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Cosimo II de’ Medici, was in town for a couple of days to attend the city’s famous horse race, the Palio. “To honor his presence, the pastry chefs of Siena got together to invent a new dessert using the most decadent ingredients for the grand duke was known to be a real food lover. “The dessert, which in honor of Cosimo II was called the ‘soup of the duke,’ was such a huge success among the Florentine nobles they decided to introduce it to the court, a sort of nursery of intellectuals and artists, who in turn helped to spread the dessert throughout the rest of Italy. “Tiramisù fi nally reached Venice where, according to the legend, it was considered a powerful aphrodisiac by the courtesans. It was here in the city of Giacomo Casanova the dessert was given its current name, which means ‘pick me up’ in English.” Cafeteria staff works for nutrition By Amanda Goossen The children at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic School in Phoenix are given a gift every day. As they walk into the school cafeteria, they are greeted by Lori Kroener and her staff, who have been running the kitchen for 18 years. The hard-working group of eight serves 350 students and 30 staff members each day, striving to make a difference in the lives of everyone they feed. “Children with adequate nutrition are able to better focus on learning,” Kroener said. “We encourage children to establish healthy eating behaviors, which hopefully will be maintained throughout their lives.” She said she plans the menu with help from the National School Lunch Program and uses computer software to conduct a nutrient analysis of the menu. Beyond software and analytics, though, are the men and women chopping fresh Continued on page 39 Tiramisù 4 egg yolks 2 egg whites 5 oz. sugar 1 lb. mascarpone cheese 16 lady fi nger cookies 1 cup coffee 2 tbsp. cocoa powder Separate the egg yolks from the whites one at a time by pouring the whites into a cup and transferring the yolks from one part of the broken shell to the other. Beat the yolks and the sugar together for a couple of minutes with a whisk or mixer until frothy. At that point, fold in the mascarpone and mix until you have a soft, smooth cream. Then whip two egg whites, using an electric whisk or by hand, until soft peaks have formed. Then gently fold the whipped egg whites into the mascarpone and egg cream. Carefully mix everything together with a spoon, stirring from the bottom up. Once the mascarpone cream is ready, you can begin to assemble your tiramisù. Tiramisù can be prepared in different ways, from a single mold to individual portions. When preparing one single tiramisù, begin by lining a dish or small cake pan with the lady fi ngers dipped in the espresso for not more than a second. Once the pan is fi lled with cookies, cover them with half the mascarpone cream. Level the cream using a spatula and dust with cocoa powder. Then add another layer of espresso- soaked cookies on top. Cover with the remaining cream, level it off and dust generously with the cocoa powder. Place the pan in the refrigerator for at least three hours before serving cold. If you prefer to serve the tiramisu pre- portioned, you can use cups or martini glasses. Use four lady fi ngers for each portion, dipping them, one at a time, in the espresso and arranging them vertically in the cup. One end of the cookie should be at the base and the other should poke out of the top. Fill the cup with a couple of spoonfuls of mascarpone cream, evenly distributing it across entire cup. Tap the base of the cup on the palm of your hand to help level out the cream. Dust the cup with a generous amount of cocoa powder and let set in the refrigerator for two-three hours before serving. Serves 4. arcadiadaily.com arcadiadaily.com Catch ALL Our Stats at www.ZippsSportsGrills.com