Office Pranks and Mini Trifles

My husband is the closest thing to Jim Halpert that I know.

In case you don't know Jim, he's a character from the show "The Office".  Jim plays harmless office pranks on his coworker, Dwight Schrute.  A few of my favorites have included when Jim tricked Dwight as to what day of the week it truly was, when he hid his cell phone in the ceiling tiles, and when he put his stapler in a jello mold.

Hubby's Dwight Schrute is his coworker Drew.  Because I'd like to keep my relationship with hubby the way it currently is, I think I am legally bound to not go into details on the things he has done in office fun to Drew. 

However, I will say that he may or may not have moved Drew's car from the office parking lot to the gym parking lot across the street.

But again, he may or may not have done that, I'm not at liberty to honestly say.

Occasionally, an office prank can get foiled against the plotter.

What a sad day that is.

Drew is a co-member of the two person party planning committee at the office.  Each month they plan a celebration with desserts to commemorate the birthdays of that month.  May, being hubby's birthday month, caused hubby to stress to Drew that he wanted to pick the dessert item since in years past he had been overlooked.

He told Drew he wanted trifles for the dessert.  "Trifles?" asked Drew.  "Where am I gonna get trifles?"

"Not my problem, just do it," said Lance.  "Oh, and I want them to be mini," he added.

Drew, knowing that I make a delicious chocolate trifle, then suggested that I make them.  

This led to Drew approaching me on Wednesday to ask me if I could make trifles for the following Monday.  Monday, as in five days later Monday.  Trifles, as in mini trifles.  Enough for 70 people.

Not exactly what hubby's secret plan had been.  

The secret plan was to cause Drew to have to search the earth high and low for a bakery, supermarket, restaurant, or roadside stand that makes trifles.

And while I don't really mind making desserts, in the end, it was hubby who truly suffered.  First, by partaking in ingredient shopping Friday night with Drew and me.  Then by being forced to participate in five hours of trifle making Saturday evening.

It was quite the event, but lets look at where it all began:

The Chocolate Trifle

Deliciously decadent, first made for my dad on his birthday.

Which was soon followed by the creation of:

The Strawberry Shortcake Trifle

Sugary sweet, made first for my soon-to-be sister-in-law's birthday.

The mini trifles had a somewhat less romantic beginning and it looks like this:

As I was gathering the necessary supplies, I had a mixture of panic and excitement for making one of my favorite desserts for so many people.

Panic because, oh-my-goodness, I was making dessert for 70 people.
Excitement because, oh-my-goodness, I was making dessert for 70 people.

It would've been one thing if this dessert was something like cookies or cake.

But trifles?

There is a true art to compiling them.

Three batches of brownies,

and two yellow cakes later and I was ready to start the long process of building the perfect mini trifle factory in my kitchen.

I'm going to be honest.  It was a rather chaotic time that I'm sure will come back to haunt me in my sleep.  Because of this, I lost my sanity and usual drive to snap pictures along every step of the way.

You're lucky I was able to capture this moment:

The chocolate trifles were done first and moved pretty smoothly.  Drew came over and helped me put the cups together while hubby wrapped them in plastic wrap and found room for them in the fridge.

He also did a few dishes.

But then again, so did I.

The craziness pictured above came from the strawberry (and blueberry!) trifles.  Drew found that process to be a bit too creative and after putting together a few cups, he decided it was best if he just watched.

Five hours from go time, my refrigerator was stockpiled with mini trifles for an army.

Chocolate trifles,

and strawberry shortcake trifles, oh my!

Note: Please don't point out that I didn't have a third thing mentioned here as in, "Lions (1) and tigers (2) and bears (3), oh my!"  Sometimes one forces something that doesn't work to work.  As I just did.

Please forgive me.

When it was coming down to the end and I still had a monster load of yellow cake, but no mousse left, I got creative and used a little of the chocolate mousse that I had extra of and created a whole new beast of a trifle.

The Strawberry Shortcake with Chocolate Mousse Trifle....With Blue Berries, too!

Hubby was sweet enough to snap a few pictures in the morning when he loaded them up to take in to work.

I was especially thrilled to find the following pictures texted to me later in the day:

It's amazing how creative hubby can be when he puts his mind to it.

The mini trifles were a complete hit in the office.  I received appreciation in the form of phone calls, emails sent to hubby, sonnets written in my name, proposals, and first born children named for me.

That's what trifles can do to you.

They're that good.

So Bad, But Oh, So Good

Recipe: Alfredo Sauce
Source: The Old Farmer's Almanac: Everyday Recipes
Time: 10 minutes
Ease: 1
Taste: 5
Leftover Value: 5, does not freeze well
Down the Drain or Keep in the Strainer: Keep it in the Strainer

Alright.  We all know that heavy cream is the devil, and butter is his close, faithful subject.  We also know that sin in sweet for a short time, and then you wake up one morning with your thighs twice their normal size and when you stand up your feet disappear.

If you can forget all that, please enter the world of Alfredo sauce.

The good news is that by making this recipe you avoid all the preservatives of buying Alfredo sauce in a jar and you shave off probably half the fat you would have had if you ordered it at a restaurant.

The bad news is that it involves heavy cream, and if you've been paying attention so far heavy cream = devil.

While this is not the absolute best Alfredo sauce I've ever had, it is workable all things considered.  Up until this recipe, making homemade Alfredo sauce involved a Kraft recipe where cream cheese was the main component.

So again, all things considered, this is a pretty good recipe.

The only issues I had were:
1. It does not freeze well.
2. Even though I was generous with the amount of garlic and seasonings I put in it, it could have still used more.

Here's what you'll need:
+1/2 stick butter
+1 cup heavy cream
+1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan
+minced garlic
+salt
+pepper
+nutmeg
+parsley

This sauce literally takes less than ten minutes to make.  Make sure to boil the water for the fettuccine well beforehand.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat.

I love melting butter.  It is one of my top ten reasons for getting up each morning.

After the butter is completely melted, stir in the cream.  Simmer for five minutes.

While the butter and cream simmer, grab a hunk of Parmesan cheese and grate a cup and a half.

Smile to yourself because you've had that Parmesan cheese sitting in your fridge lonely for a little over a month.  For a short time there you had been worried that it would never fulfill its lifelong destiny of becoming Alfredo sauce.

Perhaps I'm the only one with such an experience?

I hope not.

Add the cheese to the butter and cream.

Toss in some minced garlic.

Sprinkle in a little nutmeg.

If you want to get fancy, throw some broccoli or peas into the boiling water with the fettuccine.  Drain, then return back to the pot.

Give the Alfredo sauce a little whisk.

Realize that you forgot to add some parsley.  Sprinkle it in (and take a picture focusing on your pretty bracelet rather than the parsley).

Pour the sauce over the noodles and stir.

Convince yourself that this was so much healthier than buying a jar of Ragu Alfredo Sauce, which in the end, it really, truly, is.

It's all about eating with a clear conscience.