Meyer Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

I absolutely love brunch. I'm constantly experimenting with different recipes (expect Chai French Toast next!). I also love hosting guests. As you can tell, both of these loves marry together pretty well.

I want my home to feel like a comfortable bed and breakfast where guests are welcomed with little scented soaps and toilettries and freshly laundered linens. In the morning, I greet guests with a beautiful delicious breakfast spread. Here is one of the recipes that I recently made for a house guest. It's citrus season and the farmer's market is full of unbelieveably beautiful fragrant meyer lemons. I couldn't resist making these. The citrus flavor is vibrant and enhanced by the lemon curd. The egg whites lend a fluffiness to the pancakes and the ricotta adds a richness.



Meyer Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

2 large eggs, separated
1 1/3 cups milk
1/3 cup ricotta cheese (low fat or skim)
1 tablespoon grated Meyer lemon zest
1/3 cup lemon curd
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

(1) Mix flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.
(2) In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites until peaks form.
(3) In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk milk, egg yolks, lemon zest, and lemon curd. Fold in ricotta cheese and dry mixture.
(4) Gently fold in egg whites into the egg yolk mixture.
(5) Heat a non-stick pan. When hot, dot some butter into the pan. I measure pancakes using an ice cream scoop. This ensures perfect round pancakes every time. Cook until lightly brown on each side.

Enjoy!

Winter Gardening....

Below are pics from the seeds that I planted in November. I was worried that the plants would not survive the frost last week. However, the plants were cozy under blankets and made it through. Here are the most recent pics of the plants. Last week, I planted radish (watermelon, globe, french breakfast, and icicle), mustard, spicy lettuce mix, arugula, spinach (tyee and teton) and bok choy. The lettuce will be ready in a couple of weeks and the radish will be harvested in a month. Today, I planted sugar snap peas, radicchio, fennel, broccoli raab and parsley. Below are pics from the garden.

Moss growing in the backyard.....



Look what I came home to after my trip...the oranges ripened after 4 months on the tree! What a perfect Christmas present!!





Russian Red Kale



Curly Blue Kale



Parris Island Romaine Lettuce



Marvielle of Four Season Red Lettuce



Chiogga Beets





Rainbow Swiss Chard. The seed packet comes with seeds that are hot pink, red and yellow. In the past, the only seeds that germinated were the hot pink ones but I was dying for yellow and red ones. That's the point right...getting a rainbow of colors. It's not much of a rainbow if you only get one color ;-) This year, I finally got them all. Yay!!









Indian Mustard



Cilantro. I planted a purchased cilantro plant last year from the nursery. The weather became hot shortly after and the plant bolted. I let the plant go to seed and left it alone. I collected some seed and let the rest just disperse in the garden. This year, I have 6 cilantro plants which is great for me. Can't wait to make some salsa!!



Spring is around the corner...new chives sprouting....

Farmer's Market Dinner

last night, dinner made from the garden and the farmer's market on richmond and eastside.

soft goat cheese with dill...made my mouth pucker
roasted beets..sweetened the palate
wild arugula...bitter to the taste
greens from the garden..colorful and a myriad of tastes
meyer lemon vinaigrette..acidic

balanced perfectly.

simple things i forget-
how great cheese made from raw fresh milk tastes
how dill is the best wild weed
how harvesting from my land gives me such joy
how comforting it is to know where my food comes from

last week, i took a friend to the market and she was overwhelmed by the options. houston just isn't skycrapers and highways. outside our town lie hundreds of farms that sell food straight from farmers wanting to give us a taste of real food. the best thing she said to me was, "i always thought it was more expensive than the grocery store but its actually cheaper." i think she will become a regular visitor. that gives me happiness.