Ricotta » Just 5 More Minutes

tartine

There is nothing I enjoy more than coming home from corporate America and preparing dinner in the Airstream on these beautifully sunny Seattle days. Except for of course, preparing dinner in our Airstream when we are actually on the road – on vacation, lol :)

As our Airstream sits in our driveway, I climb inside and get started on dinner. With the door wide open, I listen to B and Oliver play in our front yard and for a moment, in my mind, we are glamping :) It’s a good feeling. I also begin to think about the very near future. We have some pretty exciting road trips planned. Some of which I have been waiting to take since I was 13 years old!

We will be visiting Orcas Island again here shortly and I can hardly wait to share more of the beauty that special island has to offer. Do you remember Farmer John and my Farm to Fork experience? Or how about Buck Bay Shellfish Farm and Toni’s Shucking Shack? Let’s not forget Doe Bay Resort with Jon Chapelle now named “Executive Chef” as so rightly deserved. I hope to visit the spectacular landscapes of Turtleback Farm Inn and take a invigorating hike up Turtleback Mountain. We are very excited! Especially since we are bringing our little Oliver along with us!

Oliver

Then not too long after that we take almost three weeks and make a round trip from Seattle to Jackson Hole to Yellowstone and many other stops along the way. Stops to places I have never heard of that offer some pretty exciting outdoor adventures. We will be heading through Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. We will be white water rafting, horseback riding, fishing, gold panning, visiting ghost towns and even “Glamping” in tents (sans Airstream). It will be a trip of a lifetime that I am looking forward to sharing with you.

And this was our dinner. Super simple and SO delicious. A ricotta and cream cheese spread atop crunchy toasted bread with fresh peas, radishes, tomatoes and a delicious thin slice of salty prosciutto. The hardest part was the topping of chive oil. No really – just kidding. I have chives coming out of my ears in the garden (and if you live nearby – or are passing through – please do come over and get yourself some!). I put a handful in my blender along with some oil and just blended away. It’s the perfect compliment to this crunchy tartine :)

I hope you all are having a wonderful start to the spring season ♥ and thank you for following along :) xoxo

Photography by MonicaBennett.com

“You must go and visit the tulip fields Monica,” a friend of mine told me a very long time ago when I first moved here to Washington.

Now that I am here, I am wondering why I waited for so long to make the trip. As far as your eyes could see, there were brilliant colors of reds, pinks, purples and yellows rolling over the gentle hills.

It was an early morning actually. Very early. That is probably one of the greatest benefits of having your home on wheels with you. You can go anywhere and get there early before all of the crowds.

It was so beautiful here. I’m sorry I didn’t make the trip sooner.

Also happening at the same time was the farmers market in Mt. Vernon which is very nearby to the fields. We needed something for lunch and I was so happy to find fresh English peas, ready to eat edamame and some smoked salmon. What a perfect way to enjoy our lunch that afternoon.

Fresh and simple with a light spread of savory mascarpone that I seasoned with plenty of salt and pepper.

That’s it :)

Oh and I won’t forget to tell you about those radishes :) They were very, very spicy and added a nice crunch.

Mt. Vernon Farmers Market, Washington

~ an outdoor market in Mt. Vernon, Washington

What an amazing weekend full of bright colors, delicious food and just being together. I hope that you can come and visit it here one day. It is truly something to experience once in your life.

This is where we stayed on our visit — maybe you could to?

http://just5moreminutes.onsugar.com/Beautiful-Peaceful-Fidalgo-Bay-Resort-Breakfast-Stuffed-Pancakes-19312650

The week before last, the Seattle area was greeted with a record breaking snowfall. This meant no school and no work.

We. Were. Stuck.

Snow in Seattle, 2012

But that was okay. Actually, it was good!

It is times like this when the best memories are made, I think. B and I went through scrapbooks and photos rekindling our memories of the past. We played board games and we baked bread.

Oh the bread. It was delicious.

Today I sit in my Airstream as I type this. The snow is gone and B is back in school. But I still have that bread we baked. It is a buckwheat loaf with seeds and honey. If you like a heavy, dense type of bread that is full of natural earthy flavors, this is the recipe for you. It freezes very well and when you toast it the flavors deepen, the outside becomes crunchy and the inside is nice and soft. Did I mentioned how delicious it was? You can find the recipe here if you like.

I’m enjoying my lunch this afternoon in my Airstream. It is our bread with a salty ricotta and pepper spread topped with crunchy radishes, green onions, grape tomatoes and some watercress which is nice and peppery. I have drizzled just a tiny bit of olive oil ontop with some crunchy sea salt. I can eat this every day.

I am also in my Airstream because I am planning. I am planning in my mind about our upcoming ski trip hubby, B and I are going on. I have never been on a “cat” skiing adventure before. As I go through the pictures of hubby’s last ski trip I begin to get excited. Our trip will be a rather lengthy one and I am thinking on how to pack everything, deciding on our meals and putting them into my recipe book and generally making sure we have everything we need. I am a little overwhelmed and think that a list is in order. But not just any list, but rather an on-line list of sorts that I can share with you on how I prepare for these trips of ours. Packing, organizing, planning. Things like that.

In the meantime, I would like to share with you two great articles about Airstreaming and skiing as well as advice about towing in the snow. These articles are not only a joy to read, but are full of invaluable information. These articles come from the Airstreamer newsletter. If you have not yet read it, here is the link.

Also in this newsletter is an article about me and my book. It was my very first interview. I was SO nervous. But I was also SO very, very honored.

As the next few weeks evolve I hope that you will join me in my journey as I get the Airstream ready for our big trip. I am really excited about it.

Ricotta Spread with Crunchy Veggies

And that ricotta spread? It was so easy to put together. Simply take some low fat ricotta and put it in a bowl, mix in (to taste) your salt and plenty of pepper along with a dash of olive oil. Mix well and spread on your bread of choice and top with whatever veggies you have on hand. Today I had crispy radishes, grape tomatoes, green onions and watercress. Finish with a dash of olive oil and crunchy sea salt. Have you ever tasted Maldon’s sea salt? It’s my favorite salt for finishing :)

Sweet Roslyn. Deep history and some of the friendliest, down-to-earth folks you will ever meet. But you’ve heard me say that before…

If you are planning a trip to the area next summer, the Roslyn Sunday Market is a must. Fresh veggies from local farms, homemade goods, beautiful art and best of all, the people. It is a guaranteed excellent, heart warming good time.

A breakfast of orange ricotta hotcakes and we were out the Airstream door headed here . . .

The Roslyn Sunday Market and Orange Ricotta Hotcakes

That’s Paul looking at me funny (before I introduced myself) – you can find him at the Ellensburg market every Saturday from Parke Creek Farm. Just about the nicest guy you’ll ever meet. I say in Ellensburg because, sadly this was the last Sunday Market in Roslyn.

Roslyn Sunday Market and Ricotta Orange Hotcakes

I will miss you Roslyn, so much. The weather is slowly changing and it’s time to change our Airstream venue — I can almost hear the San Juan Islands calling . . .