Ricotta Cake

I made Ricotta Cake this weekend for Charlie's birthday. Charlie is an avid ricotta fan, his love for this cheese is apparent whenever we make lasagna or calzones. I was surprised that Charlie had never had ricotta in dessert form prior to this weekend. When I found this Moosewood recipe, I knew it was the perfect chance to introduce it to the birthday boy!


Two pounds of fresh ricotta cheese, eggs, white sugar, flour, salt, vanilla, almond extract, fresh lemon juice, and lemon rind... all blended up until smooth.


Not gonna lie, I was totally excited to use my new Microplane grater for this project. The grater is amazing! Doesn't pull up any pith and the small plane makes grating more manageable.

After combining everything, I baked the cake, watched the World Cup, cooled the cake, studied some schoolwork, chilled the cake, checked my email, cross my fingers, popped the cake from the spring form pan, sipped hot coffee, and decorated the birthday cake with freshly picked blackberries and raspberries. Of course, no birthday cake is complete without a smattering of candles:

Happy birthday, Charlie!

Berry Ice

It's finally summer in Seattle! I've been wanting to make Berry Ice for some time, and today was finally the day.

First, you blend blackberries with a little sugar and lemon juice in the blender. Then you strain the blended mixture to separate out and discard the seeds. I poured the smooth mixture into a container and left in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Stirred, left it for another 30 minutes. Then, I tasted it! So fruity and divine. Cooling and sweet. Love at first bite!

Chilled Berry Soup

Chilled Berry Soup is super delicious and cooling. It is a little heap of juicy berries with a blend of yogurt and orange juice poured on top. It's not too sweet and refreshing. I love the way the colors swirl together!