Happy New Year!

I hope that everyone had a restful holiday season and an inspiring start to your new year! We spent a lot of time hanging out with family/friends which was wonderful and we rang in the new year with a celebration involving good food and kids having a blast. We usually do new years’ resolutions together as a family and I am always amazed at what my kids come up with – and they both (Nisa is still too little for a resolution!) follow through on them! I got this in my inbox and I think it’s a great idea, so sharing with you:

Link for the calendar: Happiness Calendar

To start the year off right, I am sharing some fun/inspiring links with all of you:

1. Inspirational food + travel: Beauty and the Feast
2. Something that I am always working on: How to be a better listener
3. Where to travel in 2018 (Northern NA Wine Country is on this list!). Bhutan is a dream destination for me: Places to visit in 2018
4. Oprah’s Speech!!! Oprah
5. Skincare products that will change your life, I’m skeptical but worth a read: Products
6. Clean out your (kids’) closets: Where to donate used toys. I know firsthand the amazing work that Homeless Prenatal Program does in SF and so our toys/baby things are going there but this list has many great options. We have also done Project Night Night – another great program.

Lemony Ricotta Sweet Pea Dip

This something that we (Diya and I) invented when we were trying to come up with a dip for crackers using the stuff that we had. The combination of flavors works really well – although a bit of mint would have made it perfect. We hope that you enjoy!

Ingredients: 

2 cups peas (frozen)

Zest and juice of one lemon

1.5 cups whole milk ricotta

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt/pepper to taste

handful of chopped mint (optional)

Methods: 

1. Blanch the peas (boil some water, cook them in the boiling water until they are bright green – just a few seconds – then drain and rinse with ice cold water to stop the cooking)
2. Combine the remaining ingredients in a food processor and mix thoroughly until the dip is creamy
3. Serve sprinkled with chopped mint. Enjoy!