Maple Baked Ricotta

The trees in New England are looking great right now!

I love ricotta.  It isn't unusual for me to purchase ricotta, forget about using it, then decide I need to use it right away before it expires.  I need an EASY recipe for doing this!

The last time I had this problem, about a week ago, I researched and found a recipe for caramelized ricotta pudding.  Seemed easy enough.  Except that when I went to caramelize the sugar, something went wrong.  It didn't get caramel colored, and instead of being a nice gooey mass at the bottom of my custard cups, it was a solid brick of white. 

Enough of that.

The ricotta custard itself, however, was quite tasty. 

Hmmmm.....why not just bake the ricotta like a custard or pie filling, and leave it at that?  If I added a bit of flour, and used the right amount of eggs, it would be nice and firm to cut and serve in squares. 

The twist in this recipe comes with using maple syrup as the sweetener.  If you don't have real maple syrup, the kind from real maple trees, try substituting honey and call this Honey Baked Ricotta. 

I can see this as a dessert, but also a breakfast item, or a snack.

Maple Baked Ricotta


Preheat the oven to 350.
Spray an 8x8" square glass baking pan with GF cooking spray.

Take one 15-oz package of ricotta, and
place it in a mixing bowl with
1/4 cup of REAL maple syrup,
2 Tbs gluten free flour,
3 eggs, and
1 tsp vanilla.

Blend with a hand mixer until nice and smooth.

Pour the mixture into the pan.

Dust it with cinnamon and nutmeg.

Bake 30 minutes.

Cool.  Refrigerate.

Cut into 6-9 squares.

Serve drizzled with more maple syrup. 
(And maybe some whipped cream, like we used!)

Hubby really loved this.....we each had two helpings!

Easy Unwind Ahh-melet

Brrr!  Baby, it's cold outside!

And it's busy these days!

Recently I got home from my Zumba class to an empty house. 
I wanted a nice dinner but no fuss.  It was just me that night.  Hmmm....

I took out my 6-inch cast iron skillet and whipped up a nice omelet right on the spot. 
It was easy, fast, and satisfying. 
The 6-inch size turned out to be perfect for a one-egg omelet. 
(BTW, the 8-inch was perfect for a two-egg omelet when I made one earlier.)
 

Easy Unwind Ahh-melet

In a 6-inch skillet, heat up 1/2 Tbs oil on medium heat.

Scramble up an egg with 1 Tbs water. 
(This is a trick we learned years ago at a food show.  It makes the egg fluffier.)

Add the egg-water mixture to your pan. 

Sprinkle the egg with garlic powder and your seasonings of choice. 
(I like Italian seasoning.)

Once it's looking kind of set, layer on your filling. 
Check your refrigerator....what do you have? 
I cut up a mozzarella stick and sprinkled it all with parmesan to make a cheese omelet. 

Carefully fold the omelet over and let it cook a minute or so.

Flip it over and cook it a little more.

Light a candle.  Serve with your favorite relaxing music. 
I turned on Josh Groban. 
I also recommend a nice cup of decaffeinated tea. 

Flying Off the Handle: Blueberry Sauce

John went to an open mic night last night.  He played guitar while his friend, Steph, sang.  After them, another friend of his, Laura, played keyboard and sang.  For one of these songs, John joined her, playing his new melodica.  Here is what a melodica looks like:

Tonight my parents will be coming over for pizza.  We often invite them for this.  It's a nice way to see each other, and they enjoy it. 

Remember the blueberries?  My Dad loves blueberries.  Mom doesn't.  I can't figure out how anyone can not love blueberries, but there is no accounting for taste....

So for dessert, I made this lemon cake, purchased from my local Whole Foods Market.

I know Mom likes lemon cake. 

I will top this cake with a blueberry sauce, from a recipe that I have been using for years.  We put it on pancakes, ice cream, or cake.  Mom can skip the sauce if she chooses.  This cake is delicious without it.  To me, the blueberries will harmonize with the lemon in the cake.   Here is the recipe for.....

Blueberry Sauce

In a small saucepan, combine

1/4 cup sugar

1Tbs cornstarch

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1tsp lemon juice

Gradually stir in 1/2 c. water

Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and comes to a boil.  Add:

2 cups blueberries, rinsed  (either fresh or frozen)

Continue stirring until sauce reaches a boil again. 

Reduce heat; simmer 5 min.

Serve warm. 

Eggs and Home Fries

A short while ago, we had company.  My cousin's daughter, Trish, lives in Albuquerque.  She came across the country to the east coast just to see her relatives!  I hosted a cookout of burgers for her, her husband, the three kids, my parents and my brother.  It was a nice evening.

Our daughter, Katie, is 23.  She is a certified teacher and is getting married soon.  She took the youngest, a 3-year old girl, to do some crafts in the basement.  They used glitter glue to make pictures.  She warned me to be careful of pictures drying on the treadmill when I went there in the morning.....and here is one of the things I found.

I wasn't sure if it was for me or not, but I do answer to "Mom" so I took it and posted it in my kitchen.

Soon after that, Katie noticed it and remarked something to the effect of this:

"I told Victoria to make something for her mom, because whatever you do, your mom will like it because you made it.  It doesn't have to be perfect."

Um.....was this intended for me, or for Trish?

Me!  :) 

Well, that made my day....

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Here is another thing that moms do:  When your local family-run coffee shop (Ken's Corner) closes for summer vacation, and you aren't sure the other area restaurants will be diligent enough to avoid cross-contamination with your gf food, then your mom will make breakfast after Mass on Sunday. 

I fired up my 8" and 12" skillets.  I heated up some olive oil in both....fried up half an onion in the smaller one, then added a can of sliced potatoes and spices.  The larger pan got to fry the eggs.  Good grief, they slid off better than the nonstick pan that I formerly used! 

It's nice to have someone else pour my coffee on a Sunday, but this was fun for a change.