Chocolate Ricotta Mousse

This is a super-duper easy way to enjoy the creamy pudding sensation with a bonus of a protein boost and without worrying about ‘breaking’ the custard. We were enjoying this and musing that everything can benefit from adding chocolate, que no? Well, maybe not grapefruit. Or rhubarb. But pretty much everything else.

Ricotta cheese can be found in stores, or try making your own, it’s easier than it looks.

Re-entry after our simpler and nearly internet-free life in the woods seems to get more difficult every year. Escapism may not be a solution—Virginia Wolff says ‘You cannot find peace by avoiding life”—but it can be a way to hold onto some sanity amidst our busy lives and the madness of our times. Books, movies, sweet treats, walks, baths, coffee with a friend, bike rides, crossword puzzles—sometimes we need to give our adrenal glands a break and simply enjoy an uneventful moment before heading back out into the world.

Speaking of escapism, what a fine pile of books from the North Woods sabbatical. A few were acquired at the beginning and enjoyed, a few in the middle and are still in progress, and a few more at the end and have not yet been read. I’ve been absorbing Braiding Sweetgrass slowly so it can be savored and percolate without a drop missed, and I just began perusing Soul cookbook—you’ll hear likely hear more about it soon.

In case you’re looking for any of these nuggets:

• Circe by Madeline Miller

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• The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas

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• Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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• Down from the Mountain by Bryce Andrews

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• What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker by Damon Young

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• The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

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• Miracle Motors by Peggy Senger Morrison

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• The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

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• The Wolf in the Whale by Jordanna Max Brodsky

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• Run for your Life by Mark Cucuzzella, MD

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• Bar Yarns and Manic-Depressive Mixtapes  by Jim Walsh

May your week be safe, and full of uneventful good moments and compassion. 

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As-Salaam Alaykum

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                        Shalom Aleichem

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                                             Shanti Shanti Shanti

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                                                                      Dona Nobis Pacem

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                                                                                              Peace be with you

Chocolate Ricotta Mousse

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Blend in a food processor:

2 cups Ricotta

3 ounces Bakers Chocolate, melted (OR mix 1/2 cup Cocoa with 4 Tablespoons melted Butter)

3/4 cup Maple Syrup or Honey 

3/4 teaspoon Vanilla

scant 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

heaping 1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg

a pinch – 1/8 teaspoon Chipotle Powder, to taste

Puree until smooth and frothy, stirring and scraping the sides occasionally to make sure everything is mixed together. 

Serve chilled with whipped cream.

Enjoy the day.

My friend Mary from the Willow Gathering (basket weavers) made this beautiful neck wrap for me last summer, and the Tim Langholz tea bowl makes many appearances in my kitchen. What amazing perquisites I’ve received from working with creative people.

“In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you.”

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— Deepak Chopra