LIGHTEST LEMON RICOTTA PANCAKES

Hello, Friends!

We’re two months deep into a New Year, and tons of the things I planned on bringing you in January and February faded behind the blur of snow days and school closings, two weeks of construction (we have new wood floors!!) and occasional escapes to the mountains to ski. I am learning to have a looser grip on all the things I’ve planned (including my kids staying little forever) and riding the wave. I like this looser version of myself, but it’s not always quite as productive.

No matter, sometimes time gives us new and necessary inspiration. Instead of the menu planning and strategic Sunday Prep schedules I’d planned to give you at the turn of the New Year, I’ve been dipping back into my first cookbook—The Newlywed Cookbook, and revisiting old favorites—seeing what still stands.

GOOD NEWS: so far everything I’ve made from my first book, written when I was still growing my oldest daughter, Greta, inside me when I had 10 years less experience as a cook and zero years of experience as a parent—still holds. And is bloody delicious!

What’s crazy is that while Greta ate absolutely everything in this book while in utero (I turned in my manuscript exactly 10 days before she was born!), I have forgotten to make some of these things for her —and her brother—on this side. In the constant pursuit of new and better and more beautiful (wow, the food world is RIPE with options!!) sometimes a delicious classic falls off your radar for a while.

So let’s get right to it—these Lemon Ricotta Pancakes are light, ethereal, beautiful and easy to make—and they really take to any topping you can think of. I made them during a blustery white squall last week that left us with another dusting of powder—and they are very apropos apres ski feeling fare (something about the lemon! And Egg? And the souffle-like quality of the egg whites folded in? We pretended we were in Austria).

But don’t save them for winter alone—they will be excellent with the season’s first strawberries when we get there, and of course any of the other berries that come after. They are dessert-like / after-school-snack feeling with a luscious dollop of apricot preserves or marmalade, too.

I’ve made some tiny tweaks to the original version—if you’re a diehard Newlywed Cookbook fan, you may notice them. They serve only to improve the outcome and make them more flexible—more on that later. And speaking of, you’ll see that I’ve added in some butter—optional. I love the lighter no-butter version for after school snacking and the truly lightest, lemony finish, but if you’re used to the richness of butter from other pancakes, I’ve included an option to add a little here.

And, now, without further ado…..NEWS!!!

Starting last week, I have a NEWSLETTER on SUBSTACK—-a wonderful platform that supports writers and independent publishing. If you SIGN UP for a subscription, you will get exclusive recipes directly into your inbox—every week—plus tips, my favorite new cooking tools or food products, Q + As, and other insider stuff.

You’ll find the same types of recipes you find here (wholesome, healthyish, easy, delicious, beautiful!) but a lot more too. What’s truly special about SUBSTACK, is that there you’ll have a place to become a more intimate part of my world—and support my work via a PAID subscription, which helps me to continue to produce beautiful, tested content for you for years to come. Come join us, I’d be SUPER HONORED to see your name on the list.

recipe, below

SIGN UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER