New Leaves

I think that this week's theme is going to be new. Big things are happening in our lives, things that are exciting and scary and new. Namely, a house. Of our own. To live in. The Best Husband Ever and I have been shopping around for our first home. We found an excellent one, and yesterday we put an offer on it. Today our offer was accepted. Now we're taking off on a roller coaster ride of inspections, financing, and paperwork, paperwork, paperwork. The hubby is my hero in this area and taking care of a lot of the things that I either can't due to inflexible scheduling, or simply have no idea about. Like I said, new.

So as we make our way into this new adventure and chapter in our lives, I thought I'd carry this theme of newness onto the blog. Looking back over the past week or so, I've noticed that I've been trying a lot of new things in the way of food. I've printed out and tested more recipes in the last seven days than perhaps ever before, and every one of them was tasty and delicious. Yesterday's post on trying a new bread recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day is just one example.

Another is Susan of Food Blogga's recipe for ricotta hotcakes. That's right -- ricotta. The Italian in me balked at the idea of including ricotta cheese in any non-lasagna (or at least non-pasta) dish. Thankfully, I'm more than simply Italian, and the voracious pancake-lover in me made a good case for the hotcakes. I made them. I ate them (with a side of blackberries and topped with maple syrup). I heartily enjoyed them. And I bet that you would, too, if you tried out the recipe!

The hotcakes are surprisingly fluffy and delicious while also packing nutritional contents that have more staying power than your typical pancake. I made the hotcakes exactly as the recipe dictated (other than using fat-free ricotta, skim milk, and egg beaters, which are what I had on hand). Next time I might try using a whole grain flour, but I'm not sure what that would do to their taste or texture. They're so good that I would hate to mess them up with my tinkering. That happens in my kitchen. A lot.

Here's to all things new! New houses . . . new foods . . . new perspectives. Watch the blog this week for more new dishes and culinary concoctions. And why not join me? Post with any new endeavors you are embarking upon, any new leaves you are overturning, be they food-related or otherwise. Sometimes change is fun, but sometimes it's terrifying or daunting, too. Let's face our new challenges together, foodie blogger-style!