homemade ricotta cheese!

last week i watched this video on how to make ricotta cheese on the dainty vegetarian's blog. as soon as i watched it i couldn't wait to give it a try! we had brad's brother, his wife, and their daughter coming into town on saturday so i decided to make lasagna for dinner so i would have the perfect reason to make ricotta cheese!

i started working on the cheese mid morning and by the time steven, sonia, and lainey got into the town (around lunchtime) the cheese was just about finished! i was very excited and the fam seemed impressed so it was a win/win :)

i'm never buying ricotta again. it does take some time to make the cheese but it is SO worth it!
homemade from now on for me!

ricotta cheese

what you need-

heavy pot
gallon of WHOLE milk
pinch of salt
1/3 cup plus a splash of white distilled vinegar
cheese cloth (can be found at any grocery store. i got my at harris teeter.)
candy thermometer

what you do-

pour the gallon of milk into the heavy pot. warm on medium to medium high until the milk reaches 180*. watch this closely because if the milk gets above 180* it will scold and the cheese will be gross. :)

once the milk has reached 180* turn the heat off. add a big pinch of salt to the milk. then add the vinegar...you will start to see it curdling. mix slightly with a whisk.

put the lid on the pot and let sit for 2 hours.

after 2 hours, put a strainer over a bowl. open the cheese cloth and lay over the strainer.

ladle the cheese mixture into the cheese cloth. let sit 20-30 minutes.

[please ignore how gross i look...friday night was a late one :D]

pick up the cheese cloth with cheese in it and dump into a bowl.

it's that easy to make homemade, beautiful, tasty ricotta cheese!

i made this lasagna but plan on making this spread- (also from the dainty vegetarian)

With the ricotta cheese add a pinch of salt. drizzle olive oil over the cheese. add a handful of shreaded parmasean cheese, some chopped flat leaf parsley and a few grinds of black pepper. stir together and serve with crackers! :)

ps- we had a great time with steven, sonia, and lainey. love!

jimmy johns avocado spread

so, at first i didn't love jimmy john's. actually, i was quite confused as to why they didn't ask me what i wanted on my sub. i was annoyed. i told bradley i would never go back to eat at jimmy johns. EVER. BUT THEN i found the beach club. it has turkey. it has sprouts. it has cucumber. but the best thing it has is an avocado spread. okay, the avocado spread may just tie with the sprouts but you get my point....i love the avocados! i wanted needed this for my subs at home. lucky for me- everything is available on the internet. yayyy.

ps. this spread is also delish with lime chips! :)

jimmy johns avocado spread
source: copykat

1 sm chili pepper
1 med onion
1 sm garlic clove
1 sm tomato, peeled
2 med ripe, calavo avocados
1 tbl fresh lemon or lime juice
3/4 tsp salt
1 dsh seasoned salt
1 dsh dry mustard

chop chili pepper, onion, garlic, tomato & blend. cut avocado into halves, remove seed and skin. mash with chili mixture. blend in lemon or lime juice, salt, pepper, seasoned salt & dry mustard.

* i put everything in my blender. it worked out perfect! :)

makes 1 1/2 cups dip.

enjoy!!

FUNNY FRiDAY w/ Shan!

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

bowtie crunchies

i saw these a while back on the dainty vegetarian and have had them on my mind since! while making pasta i decided to give them a try. they were really tasty...and a little addictive.

bowtie crunchies.

what you need-

bowtie pasta

vegetable oil

lemon juice

a handful of parmesan cheese

salt to taste

what you do-

Cook pasta with a handful of salt about halfway through. Drain.

Heat vegetable oil.

Working in batches, transfer some bowties in hot oil.

As bowties golden, flip. Once both sides are golden remove from pan and immediately toss with salt, lemon juice, and parmesan. Repeat process as needed. (Frying process doesn’t take long)

Eat right away! (or they can be stored in an air-tight container for a few days)

yummm! enjoy!!

turkey pesto sliders.

these came from annie. and i thank her big time for these amazing little snacks. loooove them and make them all the time! :)

what you need:

6 slider buns
6 slices of turkey deli meat
6 slices of provolone cheese
3 tbsp. pesto
3 tbsp. mayonnaise
2 tbsp. butter, melted

what you do:

Preheat the oven to 400˚ F. Split the slider buns and lay a folded slice of turkey on the bottom half of each bun. Layer each with a slice of provolone. In a small bowl, combine the pesto and mayonnaise in a small bowl and mix until blended. Spread a thin layer of the pesto mayonnaise on the inner side of the top half of each bun. Replace the top bun over the cheese to assemble the sandwiches. Brush the tops of the buns lightly with melted butter. Bake 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sandwiches are warmed through.

i found that it was easy to stick a toothpick through the sandwich to keep them together while baking. remove toothpick after baking and enjoy!

yogurt coffee cake muffins

We are lacking on good in the kitchen right now. I just don’t feel like going to the grocery store. Don’t judge :) Even though we really have nothing I was still looking for breakfast recipes and came across these coffee cake yogurt muffins. I was overly excited that I actually had everything needed to make them. I immediately went to the kitchen and started baking. They were so easy to make! I was a little nervous when I put them in the oven because they looked horrible but 25 minutes later they were beautiful, delicious muffins!! We had them for dessert last night and I brought one to work this morning. They tasted simply fabulous both times…it’s like dessert for breakfast! Give them a try…you will be happy you did!!

yogurt coffee cake muffins.
source: cooks.com

filling-

1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. cinnamon
1/4 c. chopped pecans

Mix thoroughly ingredients for filling.

batter-

1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. plain yogurt
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda

what you do-

Cream butter, sugar. Beat in eggs, yogurt and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients and add.
Spoon 1 tablespoon batter into each greased or lined muffin cup. Sprinkle with one teaspoon filling. Top with batter and sprinkle each muffin with filling. Bake 25 minutes at 375 degrees.

Yields: 12 muffins.

Grilled Chicken and Peaches with Chipotle-Peach Dressing

I was with my good friend Leah last weekend and we were talking about our menus for the week. She told me about this chicken and peaches dish she makes that was her husband's favorite. She shared the recipe with me and I made it last night...now it may be my husband's favorite! :) The original recipe was a little different from the way I did it- on the original it says to grill the peaches...personally, I don't love grilled fruit so they way I did it is below :) ENJOY!

*as always, this picture was just snapped with my blackberry so please forgive me :)

Grilled Chicken and Peaches with Chipotle-Peach Dressing

adapted from Bon Appétit.

what you need:

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1/3 cup peach preserves
1/3 cup peach nectar
4 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons adobo sauce from canned chipotle chiles
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for brushing
1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro plus sprigs for garnish
3 large peaches, rinsed, fuzz wiped away, each cut into 8 wedges
4 boneless chicken breast halves with skin

what you do:

Coat grill rack with nonstick spray. Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Or, use George Foreman (I did)

Stir preserves, nectar, red wine vinegar, adobo sauce, 2 teaspoons evoo, and chopped cilantro in small bowl; season with salt and pepper.

Peel peaches and cut into chunks.

Add dressing mixture and peaches to a skillet. Heat on medium to low for about 5 minutes.

Grill chicken until cooked through, about 7 minutes per side.

Place grilled chicken on the plate and top with the dressing/peach mixture.

enjoy!!