Ricotta Pancakes

This past weekend was my church's General Conference.  Basically, it is a semiannual meeting with speakers, singing, and inspiring messages.  It is one of the highlights of my spring.  

Typically I try to do something to make it special, so a fun breakfast seemed appropriate.  I had made these ricotta pancakes before, remembered them being really great.  They definitely didn't disappoint. They were a delicious start to a terrific day.  

They would also be a great Easter breakfast, because they are pretty fast, and quite simple to make (although you do have to whip the egg whites).  

Ricotta Pancakes: 

Yields 15-20 pancakes

from Food and Wine

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

3 large eggs, separated

1 3/4 cups plus 2 Tbs milk

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs ricotta cheese

1/4 cup sugar

1 Tbs pure vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.  

In a stand mixer, take the egg whites, and whip them until soft peaks form.  

In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks, the milk, the ricotta, the sugar and the vanilla.  

Add the flour mixture and stir until smooth.  Add the egg whites and mix until no streaks are left.  

Heat a griddle until piping hot.  Pour 1/4 cup or so onto the griddle.  Once bubbles form on the top, flip and let cook for another 15- 30 seconds, then remove.  Eat while hot.  

Top with fresh fruit and yogurt or whipped cream, or butter and maple syrup (my personal favorite).  

Freeze any leftovers for up to 2 weeks.  

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Raiding My Sister's Closet: Dress it Up/Dress It Down

Valentine's Day is a low-key celebration in our house.  We don't make loads of heart-shaped sugar cookies, or buy hundreds of dollars of red roses, and expensive jewelry, but we definitely celebrate.

Adam often gets me the $4 flowers from the grocery store (which I totally love receiving), and usually there is a sweet and sappy note or two received.  I usually get him something thrilling like a $3 bar of dark chocolate (can you tell we are on a student budget?).

We also usually have a special dinner at home, and make a fancy dessert together (we are making these this year).  In fact, two years ago, Adam and I both got dressed up (fancy shoes included), to go into the kitchen to eat a heart-shaped pizza together while our baby slept.  Totally romantic.

These clogs were a post-Christmas purchase, and I am loving them, but struggle to dress them up, despite the fact that they are a heeled shoe.  This dress it up/dress it down was a challenge to see if I could really dress them up for a date.  The fancy combo isn't actually my favorite, but after 15 outfit tries, this was the best I could do with the clothes in my closet.

The casual outfit on the other hand is basically what I wear every day.  I am wearing button downs with skinny jeans and cute shoes 3 or 4 times a week right now, and totally loving every minute of it. These shoes fit in perfectly, but can be worn with a skirt if need be.

Happy Valentine's Day!

 White winter legs... 

 Gosh, I love these shoes!

 Dress it up: dress (similar)//shoes//necklaces (a gift)

Dress It Down: shirt//pants (via ThredUp - $10 off your first order through this link)// scarf (old)//shoes//earrings

Janssen and Merrick are probably better at getting fancy than I am currently. Check out their gorgeous Valentine's Day ideas! 

      

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Christmas Card Outtakes

With Christmas being tomorrow and all, I have gotten quite reflective about past Christmases and what makes Christmas time so special for me.  

I am sure many people can cite a dozen different things that make Christmas special like how people are nicer this time of year, service to others makes you feel warm and fuzzy, you can load up on tons of holiday treats, fun holiday parties to attend, buying presents for others, and receiving presents, to name a few.  

I have had many wonderful Christmases including the year my parents gave me an American Girl doll (one of my most loved gifts ever), the year we went on a cruise instead of getting presents, the Christmas when the presents flowed out from under the Christmas tree and filled the entire dining room, and the year my dad and sisters and I participated in a live Nativity.  

This year, the best part and most memorable part of our Christmas Season has been the time we have spent together as a family.  We are staying in Texas this year, so it is just Adam, Fox and me, but Adam took this entire last week off (he is mostly researching and writing right now, so he doesn't go into work currently), and it has been heaven.  

This school year has been his busiest year yet, and he has been working many, many hours every week, and then last week, he was in South Korea for a conference, where it was hard to coordinate video calls because of the 15 hour time different and spotty wifi, so having him home to play, go on outings, and talk has been so wonderful.  

I keep telling Adam that he didn't need to get me anything else for Christmas, because this week has been a gift.  It has been full of wonderful and festive moments that have brought the Christmas Spirit into my heart and home.

I hope you are having a wonderful Christmas, and that you get to spend it with the ones you love.  

*These photos are the ones that didn't make it onto our Christmas card this year.  We had so many that I loved that I wanted to share them here!  

Get your baby to cooperate for family photos by letting them play with the camera remote.  

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My Favorite Holiday Recipes

Here we are just days away from Christmas, and I am finally posting this.  You probably already have your menu all planned out, but in case you don't, here are a few of my favorites that I think would be amazing for Christmas or New Year's.

Sadly, we are observing a month of no-sugar (from December 20th- January 20th), and I will be skipping all of these items, but you can revel in your stretchy pants, and make them all.

clockwise from top left: double chocolate peanut butter cookies//lemon spice muffins// angel food cake//chocolate lava cake

Great Recipes for Great Holidays: 

Honey Bran Muffins - I mentioned these on Instagram the other day, because they are so dang good!  They are the kind of thing you wouldn't make everyday, but they are SO great for a holiday!

Orange Crumble Muffins - Muffins don't come much better than these...  I always love a good crumble on my muffin.

Lemon Spice Muffins - These are so pretty, and would make a great Christmas Morning snack.

Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies - I may have just posted these earlier this week, but these easily make it into a favorite category in my mind.  They were incredible.

Nutella Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies - These are amazing.  If you haven't stuffed your chocolate chip cookies with nutella, you are seriously missing out.  They are amazing.

Caramel Apple Pie:  This is basically my favorite pie recipe of all time.  Last year, my brother-in-law requested I bring it to Thanksgiving dinner, and my father-in-law (who was in the restaurant business for 40 years) said it was the best apple pie he had ever had.  I take that as a win.  Try it out.  I promise it won't disappoint.

Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles - This one is almost healthy.  Great for people avoiding refined sugar, or trying to avoid a lot of the junk around the holidays.

Chocolate Hazelnut Pie - This one is quite a lot of work (although none of it is hard), but it is rich, and very, very delicious.  And gluten-free.

Angel Food Cake - I always thought angel food cake was kind of a weird cake.  Then I made it my own, it has become one of my favorite cakes out there.  It is SOOO good.

Chocolate Lava Cakes - I can't ever have too many of these.  They are simple, delicious and are tiny serving sizes, which I love!

Brioche Praline - A lot of work, but SOOO worth it.  It is just like being in France.

Creamsicle Ice Cream - Dreamy, creamy and orangey!

My Favorite Brownies - They are my favorite.  Enough said.  You should just go make them now....

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Mini Brownie Peppermint Cake

I saw this amazing brownie cake on Instagram a few days ago, and then I ended up needing a birthday treat for a friend just a few days later.  I realized I had all the things to make a delicious peppermint cake.  And delicious it was! So much better than most chocolate cake.  I don't even like most chocolate cake, so using brownies was a welcome change.  

Mine is certainly not as pretty as the one from isntagram, but there is something lovely about a mini-cake.  Also, using brownies means it doesn't have to be quite as perfect looking as a regular cake (I just made that up, but I will stand by it!).  

AND, I got to eat all the edge bits on the brownies, and I will never say no to those, because YUM! I hope your Christmas season is loaded with tasty baking, gentle snow falling, and brownie edges.  

Mini Brownie Peppermint Cake:
Makes 2-3 two layer cakes

1- 6x9" or 8x8" pan of brownies (boxed or homemade, but mine had chocolate chips baked into the brownies which was a delicious addition)
Peppermint Icing  (see recipe below)
Crushed candy canes
Chocolate chips, melted, then spread on wax paper and cooled until hard

Peppermint Icing:
2 Tbs softened butter
1 3/4 cup powdered sugar (more for a stiffer icing)
1 -2 drops of peppermint flavor
2 Tbs milk

Combine all icing ingredients in a large bowl, and whisk for a minute or so until the mixture is smooth.  Set aside.

Cook your brownies.  Once they have cooled, use a biscuit cutter (or 2 1/2" diameter glass), remove 4 or 6 rounds.  Spread a layer of icing on the top of one brownie round.  Put a second brownie round on top, then spread icing on the top, then around the sides with a stiff spatula.

I did my icing 'naked cake' style, where you skim off the icing so you can see the cake underneath.  The icing is a little runny, so this is the easiest way to do it.

Freeze for about 10 minutes, until the icing is set.

Top with a dollop of soft icing, then add the chocolate pieces and peppermint pieces.

Enjoy!!!

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