Little Miss Muffet...

...knew what she was talking about when eating her curds and whey. The new love of my life is homemade ricotta. I never knew...never dreamed...never imagined the difference in homemade ricotta and that store bought stuff that doubles as spackle. Making ricotta is like a delicious science experiment that results in the creamiest, most delicious concoction imaginable. There are several methods of making ricotta as far as the milks and creams you can use. One word of caution, stay away from the ultra-pasteurized stuff, pasteurized is ok, but not ultra! Ultra...bad!

My favorite way of making ricotta (with store bought ingredients - yet another reason I regret not living on a farm)...is using a whole milk/heavy cream combo with a bit of kosher salt and an acid like white vinegar or lemon juice. The easiest and best recipe I've come across is from the Barefoot Contessa herself and you can find it here...Homemade Ricotta.

I'm telling you, this homemade delight will single-handedly transform lasagna, stuffed shells, parfait, etc. It's so much fun to make and see the curds develop right before your very eyes and there are no crazy weird chemicals or preservatives like that off the shelf stuff. I've died and gone to curd heaven. Make it...and then thank me!

P.S. How about a big shout out to the super cute vintage Pyrex dot bowl. I love you just as much as ricotta, I promise.

image courtesy of me

If I Can...You Can

What do you do with 40 lbs. of tomatoes?

• Option 1) Go to open mic night at a comedy club
• Option 2) Make an "uh-oh I've been sprayed by a skunk" bath
• Option 3) Can them

My parents had gone to the beach to pick a ton of fresh tomatoes.  Yes, they drive to the beach in the morning, pick tons of tomatoes {and pick up fresh fish and shrimp-YUM!}, and drive home.  Weird I know to spend 8 total hours driving but to them it's worth it as they appreciate the homegrown variety {as their garden doesn't produce near the amount they need.}  Therefore, tons of tomatoes that need a nice warm home; well I gave them one.

Yes folks, today I finally learned the fine art of canning.  Apparently there are two types of canners - people that can, and people that don't can.  I come from a canning family but I've never really paid that much attention to all the steps.  So today, I finally told my mother that I wanted to do it myself, of course with her instruction.   I successfully canned seven quarts of fresh tomatoes that will eventually be used in soups and sauces.  You would not believe the difference in these tomatoes and the bland, but I know sometimes necessary, store bought cans.  No preservatives, no chemicals, just the soothing sound of {POP!} when the lids seal.  Music to my ears.

Now that I know how easy canning is {yet a bit time consuming but worth it}, my goal is to have a huge pantry filled with fresh canned tomatoes, beets, green beans, salsa...chocolate {just kidding, but I would if I could.}  Anyway, one more thing to check off my simplicity checklist.  I {heart} mason jars, I really really do!

image courtesy of me