Almond Trifles

Trifle is a traditional English dessert dish. This delicious and decorative dessert is often served at Christmas time. Every September since 2002, Terling, United Kingdom has been the location of the annuual Terling International Trifle Competition.

Ingredients: (Serves 4)
8 Amaretti di Saronno cookies
4 tbsp brandy or Amaretto liqueur
8 ounces raspberries
1 ¼ cups low-fat custard
1 ¼ cups low-fat unsweetened yogurt
1 tsp almond extract
½ ounce toasted almonds, slivered
1 tsp cocoa powder

Directions:
1) Using the end of a rolling pin, carefully crush the cookies into small pieces.
2) Divide the crushed cookies among 4 serving glasses. Sprinkle in the brandy or liqueur and let stand for about 30 minutes to allow the cookies to soften.
3) Top the layer of cookies with a layer of raspberries, reserving a few raspberries for decoration, and spoon over enough custard to just cover.
4) Mix the unsweetened yogurt with the almond extract and spoon over custard. Chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
5) Just before serving, sprinkle with the toasted slivered almonds and dust with a little cocoa powder. Decorate with the reserved raspberries and serve at once.

Pancetta and Hash Brown Casserole

Ingredients:
32 ounces of frozen hash brown potatoes
8 ounces cooked, diced pancetta(Italian bacon)
2 cans condensed cream of corn soup
2 cup chopped onion
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. dried parsley
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups grated parmesan cheese


Method:
1) Preheat oven to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking pan with butter or vegetable oil.
2) In a large bowl, mix together hash brown potatoes, pancetta, cream of corn soup, chopped onion, minced garlic, dried parsley and cheddar cheese.
3) Spread ingredients evenly over the prepared baking pan. Top with parmesan cheese.
4) Bake for 50 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the cheese is melted and the potato casserole is nicely browned.