Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Homemade Blueberry "Syrup"

  
   A little over a year ago, a friend took me to the restaurant Bottega Louie's in La, where I tried their Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Blueberry Sauce. Let me tell you, I have never tasted pancakes so delicious. Ever since then, I've been wanting to recreate those pancakes. I've finally gotten around to experimenting and modifying a recipe that I found for just plain lemon-ricotta pancakes to be closer to what I remember the Bottega Louie pancakes to be. 

   I have to say, these pancakes turned out so well! The lemon is refreshing and compliments the richness of the ricotta cheese, while the blueberry throws a tart-sweetness to the mix. I am very pleased with this recipe, and so glad I made the modifications that I did. I highly recommend trying these if you are a breakfast food fiend like my husband and I, or if you want to make a fancier breakfast for family/friends. This is a really easy recipe, but it does take quite a bit of time to put all the ingredients together. The syrup takes the longest. Try these pancakes at some point despite the time they take to make, because they are absolutely delicious and totally worth the effort!

   Get ready though, this is going to be a long one...

Vegetarian Pozole Verde

   It’s been a few weeks since posting anything, and quite a lot has happened. My husband and I are finally moved in to our new place! While most everything is unpacked and organized, there are a few boxes left to sort out, and a few details that need attention. I’ve been photographing the whole moving in process to show the before and after. I am looking forward to finally having all the boxes unpacked and every last item in its appropriate place. There are few things as frustrating as wasting extensive, precious time trying to dig through boxes in search of some necessary item.

   The day after we moved, I came down with a cold and slight fever. As if moving and unpacking while having to still work wasn’t enough on my plate, now I felt physically miserable. Super. I’m not sure if getting a cold was the result of the stress from moving or simply because I work around young children and they’re all sick; either way, I was not pleased. All I wanted was some soup, but nothing too heavy or creamy. The time had come to break out my mother-in-law’s Pozole (Posole) Verde recipe. 

   This is an excellent soup, but a variation of traditional Pozole. This version trades the typical pork or chicken for squash, making it a vegetarian soup. I took a few liberties this time around in adjusting the recipe to be more to my taste, and I absolutely love how it turned out. The “broth” has a lot of flavor and kick to it, and the vegetables are hearty and filling without being overwhelming.

   Here's what I did…