Roasted Smashed Potatoes

These potatoes make a perfect potato side dish. They are crunch and creamy, easy to make and full of flavor without much fat. I love them plain with sea salt, fresh cracked pepper and a bit of olive oil. I enjoy them with chopped rosemary and I've also made them with chives and thyme.

It seems like a recipe repertoire always needs another good potato side dish. You cook red potatoes until they are fork tender and then mash them flat onto a rimmed baking sheet. Brush them with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs to taste. Pop them into a hot oven and allow them to become crispy. I hope you enjoy these potatoes as much as we do.

Lemon Ricotta Cookies

Spring is just around the corner and I can't think of a better way to embrace it than by baking up a batch of these cookies.  They are pale and the bottoms are a beautiful golden color. They remind me of daffodils with the bright yellow flecks of lemon zest in the glaze. The cookies themselves are soft and pillowy, almost the same texture as a cupcake top. More like tiny glazed cakes than glazed cookies. They are full of lemon flavor.

The cookies themselves aren't super sweet, but the glaze walks the line between tart and sweet. These are the perfect little afternoon nibble, the cookies just beg to be devoured. 

Vanilla Bean Egg Cream

Old fashioned soda fountain drinks are fun and nostalgic. An egg cream is a beverage consisting of milk, and soda water  and vanilla or chocolate syrup.  It is associated with Brooklyn, New York. Most modern versions of the drink contain neither eggs nor cream. 

This is a mildly sweet drink, that isn't super rich, but tastes strongly of vanilla. It is a classic soda fountain drink. It doesn't include eggs, but it might be fun for Easter since it is called an Egg Cream.