to asia-land i go

i'm taking a but of a blog break for the next 2 weeks while i travel for work in asia. i'll be visiting the usual favorites: taiwan, japan, and south korea, and my trip lasts 11 days starting tomorrow. 

i'm sad to leave my 3 boys at home, but already excited about having some time to really miss them and look forward to coming home! we take time together so much for granted, and trips like these when i get to miss my hubby and pups makes me even more thankful for them!

see ya in 2 weeks blog world! 

leftover ricotta version 2-ricotta pancakes

part 2 of my leftover ricotta saga....

after the kale dip was made, i still had about 3/4 cup ricotta cheese to deal with. we love our pancakes around the segura household, so making a pancake batter for the next day's breakfast was a perfect solution!

this recipe is based on martha stewart's lemon-poppy seed ricotta pancakes, but i modified it in several ways to fit the ingredients i had on hand.

these pancakes are so light and fluffy, thanks to the egg whites, and just sweet enough without being overpowering. so so good and unusual!

here's what you need:

-3/4 cup all-purpose flour
-1/2 tsp baking powder
-1 1/2 tbsp sugar
-pinch of salt
-1 cup ricotta cheese (i only had 3/4 cup, so i added a little plain greek yogurt to make up the difference)
-3 large eggs, yolks and whites separated
-3/4 cup milk (i used almond milk)

[the original recipe calls for lemon zest and poppy seeds, which i'm sure would be fabulous in these pancakes, but i didn't have either on hand at the time]

1. in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder.

2. in a large bowl, mix ricotta, milk, egg yolks, and vanilla.

3. add the dry mixture to the cheese mixture and mix until just combined.

4. beat egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff. gently fold egg whites into batter. [we put the batter in the fridge, covered, overnight at this step. turned out fine!]

5. cook and enjoy!

leftover ricotta version 1-kale dip

after making the spinach and artichoke stuffed shells that were such a hit, i had well over half of a container of ricotta cheese left in the fridge.

i don't know about y'all, but i am awful about buying one ingredient for a particular dish, then letting it expire before i use the rest. i have guilt issues about throwing away all that food!

i was bound and determined to use the rest of that ricotta, so i went on the search for something new and different to try.

the first recipe i found is courtesy of fitsugar.com. it's a kale dip that i made as an appetizer to one of our weeknight dinners, and it is so good! i didn't have any chips on hand, but i did have whole wheat tortillas, which i cut into wedges and baked with some salt until crispy.

here's what you need:

-1 bunch of green kale, leaves sliced, stems/ribs discarded

-half of an onion, sliced

-4 cloves garlic

-1/4 cup water

-3/4 cup low-fat ricotta cheese

-1 1/2 tbsp parmesan cheese

-juice of 1 lemon

-salt 

-red pepper flakes

1. put kale, water, onion slices, and garlic in a large pot. begin cooking over medium heat. my pot was a little dry, so i added about another 1/4 cup water to get the greens moving around.

2. in a food processor, add ricotta, parmesan, lemon juice, salt, and red pepper flakes. i added roughly 1 teaspoon of the red pepper flakes, and i honestly didn't taste them that much in the dip. i might add a little more next time.

3. you may wonder if your greens pot will ever cook, but it will! mine looked like this after about 6 minutes of stirring and cooking. once the onions and kale are tender, remove the pot from the burner and let it cool for about 5 minutes.

4. add the kale mixture to the food processor and blend until combined. the dip is pretty chunky (great word, huh?) so it doesn't take much. you can add a little more water here if you need it.

5. serve with chips and enjoy!

spinach, artichoke and feta stuffed shells

i found today's inspiration recipe over at tracey's culinary adventures. the fact that she compared the taste to spinach and artichoke dip caught my eye. my husband could eat gallons of the stuff, so i figured he would like this version.

this meal is very hearty and creamy, but since you have full control of the ingredients you use, you can make it fairly light. it's also a great vegetarian meal for those of you who like to include veggie-based meals in your diet.

here's what you need:

-1 cup part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese

-1 cup crumbled feta cheese

-1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

-1/4 tsp black pepper

-1 can or frozen package of artichoke hearts, chopped (and thawed, if frozen)

-1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry

-1 clove of garlic, minced

-20 jumbo shells

-about 15 oz tomato sauce (i used a canned version for this recipe, but you could also use the homemade tomato sauce from this blog post from december)

step 1: spread half of the tomato sauce on the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish. preheat oven to 375.

step 2: begin cooking shells according to package directions. once done, drain and let cool.

step 3: prepare filling. mix spinach, artichokes, feta cheese, ricotta cheese, pepper, garlic, and half of the mozzarella cheese in a medium bowl.

step 4: fill cooked, cooled shells with spinach mixture and place in the prepared 13x9 dish.

step 5: sprinkle the remaining mozzarella over the shells.

step 6: bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes. 

step 7: eat all except 5 of the shells, then remember to take a picture of the final product. :)

as expected, michael is in love with this recipe. i really liked it too, and it's nice to take a break from the usual chicken, ground turkey, ground beef recipes. it will definitely be in rotation in the future!

copper fever

happy  monday everyone! what a boring football game that was last night, but we got to celebrate anyway with lots of great friends. i hardly noticed the game was on anyway until bruno mars and his gold sequined band caught my attention.

this post was inspired by a brunch we had with some friends a couple of weeks ago. the restaurant where we ate (napa on providence in charlotte) serves water in the cutest copper cups. they are really heavy and beautiful and make you feel like a medieval queen (no? i'm the only one? ok...)

those copper mugs led to many internet searches of ways to incorporate copper into the home. it's such a pretty metallic shade that is getting more and more love these days after decades of gold, brass, and silver/nickel all over home decor. 

here are a few favorites:

copper canisters - pier 1

copper cups - napa style

copper flatware set - lenox via bed bath & beyond

copper mug - west elm

copper pepper mill - crate & barrel (there's a salt mill to match!)