{Meet My New Friend: Ricotta}

My life always involves food and new recipes and combinations. I don't always want to include my recipes in my normal blog postings, so I am writing a separate blog post just to share a few recipes from this past weekend.

Friday afternoon I wrapped up at work a little early, so after stopping at UPS to drop off a package I decided to do a little dilly-dallying. In reality, I decided to run one more errand since I was so close by. I had a few things to pick up for Christmas gifts at Old Kentucky Chocolates. After making about three complete loops around the store to check out every single item I made my purchase and headed out. I was feeling a little lazy about dinner so I decided to stroll into the Fresh Market next door and see if they had anything pre-made that would strike my fancy or just inspire me. This grocery store overwhelms all of my senses. It is filled to the brim with the freshest flowers, fruits and veggies, meats, cheeses and pastries galore. You can find the most exotic ingredients and lots of organic items as well. 

Well, in my "it's Friday at 6 p.m.", state of mind it was a little too overwhelming and I wasn't feeling too inspired. I decided to pick up a few lasagna noodles and ricotta cheese to use with the fresh spinach and tomato I had waiting at home. Of course, I also had to create a pick-6 pack of beer for Alex and I as well.

I used the recipe on the back of the whole wheat organic lasagna noodles as a guide with my own ingredients and came up with a very fresh, "healthier", less-filling lasagna for two. Lasagna is usually easy to assemble, but it does require some patience to wait for it to finish baking. 

Lauren's Impromptu Spinach Lasagna

{You can use whatever ingredients you have laying around, and just eyeball it based on your preferences! In parentheses I've marked down approximately how much I used of each ingredient, but it truly doesn't matter. Just make sure there is enough sauce because that's what makes the noodles tender!}

• One package of No-Boil Whole Wheat Lasagna (Used half a package)
• Shredded Mozzarella Cheese & Parmesan (1 1/2 cups)
• Fresh spinach & tomato (2 cups)
• Pasta sauce (1-2 cups)
• Part-skim ricotta cheese (1 cup)

I use my medium size pyrex container (6 cup) to make the perfect amount for two! Enough for dinner and one round of leftovers. 

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray the baking dish with cooking spray. Lay two sheets along the bottom slightly overlapping. Add a layer of sauce and then the spinach and tomato. You could also add onions, cooked italian sausage etc. Add another layer of lasagna sheets. Spread a layer of ricotta over the sheets. Then add a layer of cheese and your vegetables or other fillings. Add one last layer of lasagna noodles and cover with sauce and a little bit of cheese. 

2. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes  Uncover and bake another 20 minutes. Let lasagna stand 10 minutes before serving. Serves 2-4. 

After eating our delicious lasagna I was inspired for the next morning's breakfast menu by the ricotta and pulled out a recipe from The New Abs Diet Cookbook (obsessed with this guide to healthy eating!). My dear sweet Alex put the plan in action and I woke up to find him cooking with the table already set with napkins, candles and fresh coffee. What a multi-talented guy. 

French-Toast, Italian-Style

(For one-serving)

• 2 tablespoons part-skim ricotta cheese
• 2 slices whole grain bread
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tablespoon sliced almonds
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon 1 percent milk
• Handful of fresh berries

1. Spread the ricotta on 1 bread slice. Drizzle the honey over the ricotta, top with the sliced almonds, and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. Top with the remaining bread to form a sandwich.

2. Coat a nonstick griddle or skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Whisk the egg, milk, and add any  remaining cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Dip the sandwich into the egg to coat both sides. Place in the pan and cook until the break is lightly browned on both sides. Serve with the berries. 

What The New Abs Diet Cookbook has to say about ricotta: Ricotta cheese is technically not a cheese at all because it's made from the whey (liquid) drained from other cheese. But that makes it naturally low in fat and sodium with a fat content of 4 to 10 percent. 

After some wrapping of Christmas gifts yesterday I happened to stumble across another version of a ricotta-inspired breakfast that Alex made this morning. So easy and a nice twist on a classic.

Ricotta Pancakes

• 2 c. instant pancake mix
• 3/4 c. water
• 8 oz ricotta cheese
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/2 t orange or lemon zest

{We did not have enough ricotta left to follow this recipe to a T so Alex improvised and used the rest of the ricotta and added a little more water until he had the normal consistency for pancakes}.

1. Lightly mix together all ingredients. Pour 1/3 cup of batter on a warm, buttered cast iron skillet. Cook until golden brown on each side. Serve with berries. 

The possibilities for ricotta are really endless and I am still learning, but we also like to use it in post-workout or snack size smoothies!

Despite the fact that it's not technically cheese, I still love it because it's related. I love ingredients that can be used in savory and sweet dishes or for any time of day!

'Tis The Season To Be Jolly

I'm quite jolly that I am finally getting around to blogging this morning. It's Sunday morning, and I woke up to a heavy rain outside my window. I left Alex sleeping and I am making myself some coffee and am curled up on the couch in front of our Christmas tree. I love the way the lights twinkle and the ornaments reflect the light. Our Christmas tree gives off such a warm glow and evokes happy thoughts, which stem from a childhood of Merry Christmases. Once I put the tree up, I never want to take it down.

The past two months have flown by. I had so many thoughts for a blog posting and just never gave myself enough time to sit down and do it. Even though I blog for fun, it's still a creative process for me and I have to be in the right state of mind so that it doesn't start to feel like another chore on my to do list.

{A little sidebar on my found love for blogging: I have always loved to read and write. I would devour books when I was younger and still love to read. I would keep a diary when I was in elementary school and gradually got into writing through my classes at school. I had a pen pal in England that I wrote to for years. I was in an advanced reading class and still read for pleasure every night before bed, whenever I wasn't talking to a boy on the phone. I loved to write poetry in my spare time and for class. I eventually became an Editor for a poetry group through the Cincinnati Library as well as the Co-Head Editor of my high school yearbook. I considered starting a novel and even saved a few beginnings on my computer.

I took a cue from my mom and corresponded with both of my grandmothers the old fashioned way once I moved away for college. Although I considered applying to Ohio University's Journalism Program, I somehow wound up at Ohio State in the Business Program focusing on Marketing, which also relies heavily on words. Somewhere between graduating from high school and college I was introduce to the world of blogging. I always loved scrapbooking and taking pictures so it seemed to be a natural fit. Now it's a way for me to express my creativity and keep in touch with everyone. I still think it would be fun to write a children's book with my mom, but I am still trying to figure out my true passion}

October included two more beautiful weddings which concluded the wedding season for 2012.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Cincinnati and our weekend trip to Chattanooga, but there is truly no place like home! The last weekend in October we made a day trip to Elk Creek Winery to meet up with my parents to celebrate my Dad's birthday. Although it was slightly chilly weather we had a great day together and it was fun to explore somewhere new.

In November we enjoyed some down time, but also had some visitors to Lexington. Pat and our friends Rob and Tricia came in for a weekend and we visited the Woodford Reserve Distillery in Versailles, KY. The weather was absolutely perfect for our adventure. The men also had some business to attend to with their new venture, One Twenty Properties. Since then, things have been progressing smoothly with their first rental property, but I'll leave that to Alex to share. I am so proud of all of the hard work they've done so far, but mostly I am so ecstatic to see one of Alex's dreams becoming a reality. He's such an inspiration to me.

Tricia snapped a picture of us at Woodford that became our Christmas card for this year!

The following weekend we finally bought a washer and dryer after a year and a half without one! It's taken quite a while, but our house finally feels like a completely home, although the projects will never end. As excited as I was to get a washer and dryer it was a little bittersweet. Alex and I would go to the laundromat every other Sunday before church. We'd let the clothes dry while we went to church right now the street. Then we'd come back and fold everything together. It was married teamwork at it's finest. It's one of the moments I think I'll always remember as part of our journey as newlyweds.

We then spent Thanksgiving with my family in Toledo, and Alex's family in Cleveland. It was also a nice chance to see many of our friends in Cleveland. I love that we can always count on our friends to get together for the holidays. The following weekend it was time to switch months and holidays and go to my work Christmas party. This weekend we did a little Christmas shopping and gift wrapping. Alex is spending today studying for his finals which come up in a few days. I'll be finishing up all our of Christmas cards and doing some things around the house, maybe even letting myself watch a cheesy holiday flick while I am at it.

I can't believe Alex is almost done with his first semester at UK! It was a challenge from the start for both of us, but we've adapted pretty well and it should get easier from here. It seems like as soon as you adapt to your set of circumstances everything changes, and you have to start again. I've been keeping myself busy with a book club, work out classes and plenty of chores and errands. I am always signing myself up for more home improvements too. They never end! After Alex's finals this week, we'll be heading to Louisville for his work Christmas party. It'll be a great chance to unwind and have a little fun. After that it'll be time for Christmas in Cleveland and then another round in Cincinnati. Phew! It can be an exhausting, stressful time of year, but I have made every attempt to keep it simple this year and just remember 'tis the season to be jolly for so many reasons.