Cooking With Love

08/20/2026

Good morning! These are the best cinnamon rolls ever. Moist and oozing with flavor. This recipe I found on Amy Bakes Bread so it is not my recipe. They are made with sourdough sweet levain and is a process but well worth the wait.

08/11/2026

Yesterday I fed my starter with some of the left over whey from making the ricotta cheese. Starter loved it, grew nice and bubbly. When I started my mini loaf, it did not rise like I'm used to seeing and was a little worried that it would not turn out. Baked it this morning and it turned out perfect, crunchy on the outside and spongy on the inside. There is a slightly different flavor. I made my ricotta using lemon juice instead of vinegar and you can almost taste the cheese and lemon...very pleasant. I've been keeping my whey in the fridge but I feel that it was not warm enough when I used it in making my loaf. Needs to be room temperature.

08/09/2026

I have been wanting to try making ricotta cheese for a long time and finally got the nerve up to try it out. Super easy. Got all kinds of directions off of YouTube and later made ricotta gnocchi. I used lemon juice from 1 lemon with this batch and made a very small batch just to try. I am very impressed and recommend you all give it a try!

08/01/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1KtwQWhoiq/
If you love cooking with flavor, here is a must stop on your next trip to Sedona. They offer complimentary tasting of all their oils and vinegars. I have tried infusing flavors in olive oil but mine do not come out as flavorful as theirs. They have a website and they ship. http://www.divineoliveoils.com

Divine Olive Oils and Vinegars has the finest extra vigin olive oils and vinegars.

07/11/2026

4 loaves Cinnamon Raisin Bread. 1 Oval of Sourdough Italian Herb, Garlic and Pecorino Cheese Bread, 1 Round Sourdough Jalepeno and Cheese Bread, and 1 Round Plain Sourdough loaf.

05/15/2026

Made fresh pesto this morning. My basil bush was growing out of control and the summer heat is coming. No pine nuts so used walnuts instead. Delicious!
Pesto is great as a sandwich spread or over crackers. I love using pesto over pasta. I also love making gnocchi using pesto.

04/25/2026

I thought I would give this a try and they turned out gooey delicious. I recommend using a larger pan so it is not as thick and cool completely before cutting in.

04/25/2026

Grandkiddos are here for the weekend and want sourdough bread with Nutella. Pronto!

04/03/2026

Maria’s Ricotta Pie ( Pastiera Di Riso) Italian Easter Pie

Ingredients

For the Dough (Pasta Frolla) Pie Crust

4 cups all-purpose flour + extra for dusting
14 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature + extra extra greasing
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 eggs
2 teaspoons grated orange zest

Rice

1 cups Arborio Rice
3 cups whole milk
3 cups water
1 teaspoon cinnamon or whole cinnamon stick
Peel from an orange
2 tablespoons butter

Filling

32 oz. Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
Cooked and cooled Arborio Rice
5 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons Orange Blossom Water or (Fior d’Arancio)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla
About 8 to 10 strips of candied orange peel, cut in pieces or grind into fine pieces
1 egg beaten for egg wash over top of pie

Begin by making the crust. In a bowl, combine flour, butter, sugar, eggs, orange zest. Mix well until dough forms. (if dry, add a few drops of water)
Form dough into ball, wrap in plastic wrap and place in fridge for about 30 minutes.

In a saucepan, add rice and water and let come to a boil over medium heat. Boil for about 8 to 10 minutes stirring often so it does not stick. Then add milk, sugar, orange peel and cinnamon. Cook over medium to low heat, stirring often. Add more water if necessary. Remove orange peel (cinnamon stick if used).
Add butter, turn heat to low and continue cooking for about 8 to 10 minutes. Rice needs to be cooked beyond al dente.
Place cooked rice on flat dish or baking sheet to cool.

In mixing bowl, combine ricotta (if ricotta is runny, drain it), cooled rice, eggs, sugar, orange blossom water, cinnamon, vanilla, fine pieces of candied orange peel. Stir well or blend with be**er on low speed. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Roll out pie crust on lightly floured surface. Be sure to leave some extra to make lattice top. Generously grease pie dish (I use a 9x13 pyrex dish). Place dough in dish so it covers the bottom and up all 4 sides. Press dough down so it fits snuggly (use the overhang dough for the lattice topping).
Pour the filling into the dish over pie crust. Decorate top using the strips of dough making a lattice top. Brush egg wash over the lattice top.

Bake in 400 degree oven on middle rack for about 25 to 30 minutes, then turn down temp to 350 degrees and bake for another 30 to minutes until top is golden and feels firm to touch.

Remove from oven and let cool at room temperature.

You can top with powdered sugar if you want but we enjoy it just like this.

I usually make this a day or two before Easter, cover after it cools and place in fridge so we can enjoy Easter morning!