Hearty Ricotta Dumplings

I love a good dumpling.

The first time I tried to make them with ricotta cheese, they did not turn out good.

I tweaked my recipe every time I attempted them, and after multiple failures (meaning they would immediately dissolve or fall apart when dropped into boiling water), I believe I've found The Ones.

They're soft and firm at the same time without being 'doughy,' and you can sneak almost any kind of finely-shredded and sauteed veggie into them that you want.

A great go-to when you're surrounded by winter greens and winter winds. Here's what I did:

Hearty Ricotta Dumplings

Makes enough for around six hungry people.

1 15-oz container of whole milk ricotta cheese

1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 cup all-purpose flour (don't use whole wheat this time- 

it'll make these guys too dense and will add to the fall-apart factor)

3 eggs

2 packed cups of washed and chopped greens of your choice

(I've used Swiss chard, spinach, kale, the dark green tops of Romaine lettuce,

and also finely shredded carrots, zucchini and yellow squash!) 

3 cloves garlic, minced

~1/2 tsp oregano

~1 TBS sherry vinegar

salt to taste

your favorite marinara, at least 1 quart

Saute greens and/or veggies in some olive oil with garlic, salt and oregano until wilted/tender.
Once wilted, add vinegar and continue cooking until most of the moisture has evaporated,
then remove from heat and allow to cool a little.

Mix ricotta, parm, and eggs in large bowl.

Add slightly cooled greens and mix. Add flour. Mixture should be thick.

Meanwhile, heat a deep pot of water with some salt to boiling, and warm your marinara. Keep them close together
because you'll be fishing out dumplings from the boiling water and dropping them directly into the sauce.

Once the water is boiling, drop heaping spoons of ricotta mixture gently into the water. I didn't put more than
3-4 dumplings in the pot at a time. Watch them closely, and as soon as they float take them out.
Overcooking will make them start falling apart in the water.

Place finished dumplings directly into heated marinara without stirring, cover, and keep at a low temp until they're
all done. Serve with more parm on top and a chunk of crusty bread for wiping up the sauce!

Make leftovers into a sandwich, much like you'd make a meatball sub, and cross two dinners off your weekly to-do list... that is, if there are any leftovers!

Enjoy!

46/52

A portrait of my kids every week for 52 weeks.

Henry in our woods, looking for fall colors.

Audrey in the grass, trying not to smile.

Right Now

Right now, I'm loving a weekend that saw...

...four of our outdated, totally random, inappropriate-for-the-space light fixtures come down and their replacements go up!
...boxes, packing material, boxes, and more boxes... everywhere.
...a visit from both sets of grandparents, and all the goofiness and spoilage that you'd expect with 'em.
...a birthday celebration and a successful first attempt at making cake balls (using coconut oil instead of frosting to bind the cake- so good!).
...air conditioners on! How ridiculous... and to think we'll probably have to have the heaters back on tonight... and this coming weekend they say it might sleet or snow! This crazy weather...
...lots of progress on our to-do list, lots of time together, and lots of good company.

This weekend, we stayed busy almost non-stop from waking to falling back into our beds, but it shows around the house! This morning we'll be gathering and breaking down all the packing material that came wrapped around our new lights and making a trip to the recycling center at the dump, among other things. This home improvement stuff- it's not for the faint of heart... and I also can't imagine what it'd be like to attempt all this without support like what we have around us.

Starting this week out feeling grateful, and hoping the same for everyone else! Happy Monday.

This Moment

Playing along with Amanda today... in her words: 

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Our Rake

I have a confession to make: I have never owned a rake.

I guess you could say I shared in owning one when I lived with my parents, but since having my own house I have not had one. I've never had cause for one. In our very first house we just didn't rake. When we rented before we bought our second place, we had to have a lawn service as part of our lease and they handled the chore of cleaning up the yard as needed. Our last house had only one 'real' deciduous tree, and it was just a baby, barely producing enough leaves to be noticed when shed.

But now? Now we live flush against woods full of oak, and though they are still mostly cloaked in green, they have managed to discard enough leaves to make a point: it's time to get a rake.

So I did.

I grabbed the most basic, sturdy, cheapest rake I could find at my nearest one-stop-shop, and that same afternoon I broke it in.

And I did it over...

...and over...

...and over again.

I have another confession to make: I flippin' love having a rake.

(I think we all do.)

45/52

A portrait of my kids every week for 52 weeks.

Audrey helping to make pumpkin scones with her "cooking helmet" on.

Henry with his "wrolly cart" in the field.

Right Now

Right now, I'm...

...listening to a hoot-owl of some kind- very close to the back door- while it taunts the dog. Seriously, I think it knows exactly what it's doing.
...wondering what to expect tomorrow when this cold front comes in that every weather person is saying will be the strongest one of the season thus far. We haven't fired up the furnace or used the fireplace yet... I hope everything is in working order!
...thumbing through a couple new books that promise to further my appreciation for plants as medicine- The Cherokee Herbal and Home Remedies from a Country Doctor. If we end up having a fire in the fireplace this week, you can bet I'll have them handy!
...anticipating a few deliveries to further our home renovation (including this light for over the dining room table, and perhaps these- eventually- for redoing our fireplace surrounds?).
...looking around at all the chores to be done inside, daunting despite all the willing help, and wondering if it wouldn't be better to put it all off until tomorrow... you know, for when we're all inside as the weather turns. Yes. Definitely wise to put it all off.
...feeling inspired to learn more about growing grapes in our area after lunch at a kinda-local vineyard.
...also feeling (more) inspired to plot and plan the garden and chicken coop for this spring... and as we linger outside in the evening light most days I can't help but repeatedly walk the area we think might end up being the best candidate for the garden location, thinking and thinking and dreaming.
...loving the slow transformation of these woods out our back door, the crunch of so many bronze oak leaves underfoot, and the joy of the kiddos in finally being able to rake and jump into piles and piles of them, just like Charlie Brown and Linus (Henry has even taken to dragging around a black-and-white plush dog which he calls "My Friend Snoopy).

Happy Monday.