by: Joelle Charbonneau

If you are like me, spring makes you want to kick up your heels and celebrate. Don’t get me wrong. I love living in Chicago where each season brings a new and exciting adventure. I love the first eighty degree day and the leaves changing colors. The first snow of winter makes me feel like running outdoors and making a snowman like I did when I was in grade school.

But spring is special. There is a promise of something new and exciting that comes with the changing of the weather and the spouting of leaves on the trees. It is also the time of year that I find a renewed belief that my writing career will take off. Last Spring, after a year and a half of facing a family illness, I finally started thinking about submitting my writing again. I’m not sure why I found this new hope in my writing career after such a long hiatus, but sitting with my computer, feeling the cool breeze come through the open window, I started searching for an agent again. I submitted to my top choice agent and got a full request within 2 days. Nineteen days after that I received an offer of representation from my fabulous agent. Two months later the book sold.

So this year, I challenge everyone to find the hope of spring in your writing. And to help you, here is one of my favorite desserts. It is easy to make and filled with a bit of sugar and caffeine to keep you jumpstarted.

Tiramasu Cake

1 8-10 inch round angel food cake
1 8 oz package of cream cheese
½ cup sifted powdered sugar
3 TB coffee liqueur
2 cups whipping cream
¼ powdered sugar
2 TB coffee liqueur
¾ cup strong black coffee
¼ cup coffee liqueur

For filling, combine cream cheese, ½ cup powdered sugar and 3 TB liqueur. In a chilled bowl combine whipping cream, ¼ cup powdered sugar and2 TB liqueur. Beat until stiff peaks form. Fold ½ cup of whipped cream mixture into cream cheese mixture.

Use serrated knife to cut angel food cake horizontally into 3 layers. Place cake layers on plates. With a fork poke holes in tops of layers. In a small bowl combine black coffee and ¼ cup liqueur. Drizzle over each layer of cake. Spread the first layer with half of the cream cheese filling. Add a second layer and spread with remaining filling. Add third cake layer. Frost with remaining whipped cream mixture. Cover and chill. If desired, drizzle top and sides with Mocha Fudge Sauce. Enjoy!

By Pamela Roller

Raise your hand if you love those sugar-coated marshmallow chicks and bunnies. Now put your hand down quickly. I don’t really want to know.

For those of you fortunate enough to be unfamiliar with them, marshmallow peeps are those squishy, sugarcoated confections packaged in clear cellophane to show off their, um, beauty, and are usually available around Easter.

Please understand. I love marshmallows. I eat them raw—right out of the bag! I knead them between my fingers until I get a white string to twirl like a tiny jump rope. I melt them under chocolate and graham crackers, or toss them into a mug of hot chocolate. I love to skewer them and hold them over a flame until they’re black and crusty—the outer, burned part reveals a soft inner core that puts me in mallow nirvana.

But for some reason, I can't bring myself to eat those little sugary peeps. Which is okay, because I'm an adult and I can make that choice. However, my son loves them. He’s expecting a whole slew of them in his basket on Easter morning. Unfortunately, the chicks don’t lay eggs and the marshmallow bunnies can't reproduce at light speed like real bunnies, and I don’t want to be seen buying several packages of the things.

So I researched instructions on making homemade peeps and found a plethora of recipes. Be sure to visit the websites for photos. After you make the peeps, please do not put them in the microwave to watch them puff up and explode. That’s just mean.

This one is by Elizabeth LaBau

And another by Martha Stewart

Here's one from The Washington Post

And What's Cooking America

Finally, Meemo's Kitchen

Pamela Roller is the author of On Silent Wings, a gothic historical romance set in Restoration England. No marshmallow peeps in this novel! Visit her website at http://www.pamelaroller.com/.©Pamela Roller

Happy Easter everyone!

Sherry's Neapolitan Cookies

1 Pkg or Can (7 to 8 oz) Almond Paste

1 1/2 Cup (3 sticks) Butter

1 Cup Sugar

4 Large Eggs, Separated

1 Teaspoon Almond Extract

2 Cups Unsifted All-purpose Flour

Red and Green Food Coloring

1/4 Cup Raspberry Jam

1/4 Cup Apricot Preserves

1 Pkg (6 oz) Semisweet-Chocolate Pieces

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease bottom and sides of three cookie sheets; line with waxed paper; grease waxed paper.

In large bowl, with electric mixer, beat almond paste, butter, sugar, egg yolks and almond extract until fluffy; stir in flour.

In small bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form; stir into almond-paste mixture.

Place 1 1/3 cups of the batter in each of two small bowls. Add red food color to one and green food color to the other. Spread red batter in one cookie sheet. Spread green batter in second cookie sheet. Spread plain batter in third cookie sheet. Bake each for 15 minutes at 350°; Remove from oven and cool completely.

On large cutting board or additional cookie sheet, invert green layer; spread with raspberry jam. Add plain layer; spread with apricot preserves. Top with red layer; cover with wax paper or plastic wrap; set heavy pan on top; refrigerate overnight.

The next day, in small glass bowl, microwave chocolate pieces on HIGH 3 minutes, stirring once; spread over red layer; trim edges. Let chocolate set slightly; cut crosswise into 1/2 inch strips; cut each into four pieces.

Makes about 8 Dozen.

I have tweaked this recipe to perfection. My 14-year-old just made them and they were by far the most delicious cookies we've ever enjoyed-- even better than Neapolitans from the Mr. Cookie bakery in New York. These cookies require two days of hard work. The almond paste is hard to find and costs about $5.00, but my oh my are they worth it. I highly recommend them to everyone, especially if you have a special occasion where you want to impress and spoil people.

©2007 Sherry Morris