Two recipes I simply have to share....



Unfortunately, my new kitchen did not produce and dinners this past weekend!  Tis the season of high school and college graduation parties, which all seem to land on Saturday and Sunday late afternoon/early evening!  Therefore, I was actually able to focus my cooking on appetizers and desserts for a change!

My closest friend, Sharon,is an unbelievable cook.  She makes everything from home made pasta, to amazing soups, salads, etc....you name it!  The picture below does not do justice to what this dessert dip really looked like.  This recipe basically  makes the filling of what goes into a canolli.  It is served with cinnamon sugar Stacy's Pita Chips.  How clever you say?  Absolutely.

All you do is put 2 cups (or however much dip you need to make) of ricotta cheese in some sort of strainer or in a piece of cheese cloth and let the liquid drain for a while.  You want the ricotta to be as dry as possible.  When it is finished draining, put it into a bowl, add 1/2 cup of sugar and 2 tsp. vanilla.  Beat with an electric mixer until it is smooth.  Add as many mini chocolate chips as you would like and refrigerate until you are ready to serve it.  It's that simple and so delicious! You can always adjust the sugar and vanilla amounts to your taste.  (I also read that you can add some cornstarch, a little at a time to take some of the moisture out if it seems too "wet")

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The other recipe I wanted to share also comes from Sharon.  This is a salsa....probably one of the best salsas I have ever had.  And it is easy to make as well! 

The ingredients are strawberries, mangos, avocados, purple onion, salt and pepper, and lime juice!  That's it!  There aren't any exact measurements. Once you have everything cut up, add approximately 1/4 cup of lime juice and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.  You can put in as much or as little as you want.  Serve with nacho chips, and watch it disappear!

I hope you enjoy these easy dishes as much as I did!