I woke up on Saturday with the idea of having a lazy morning watching Parks and Rec reruns.

Thirty minutes later I was out the door on my way to meet a friend for some city hiking and exploring.

Ten hours and 22 miles after that I had crossed four food establishments off my “to try” list, explored seven new to me SF neighborhoods, and gained a shiny new fitbit badge after logging 52k steps for the day. It turned out to be the opposite of the lazy day I had in mind, but was all the more relaxing for that.

Some highlights on the tour of SF:

Short stop at Plow to check the wait. Two hours? Really? We moved on.

Wise Sons Deli. I will be going back repeatedly until I eat my way through the entire menu.

Earl Grey ice cream at Mr. & Mrs. Miscellaneous. So good in the moment but felt like a mistake so soon after the giant pastrami sandwich I ate for breakfast. That might also have been the four sticks of homemade licorice I just had to try.

Beretta. A much needed dinner break before the final push. Standouts were the Brussels sprouts and the eggplant with burrata. Yeah. Burrata. What else do I need to say?

Mission Pie for dessert. Turns out I don’t know what dutch apple pie is so I didn’t get what I thought I ordered, but it was still delicious. I took it to go and paired it with wine for my "recovery".

All the views. I think every 20 minutes I had to stop and take a picture.  

So what does this all have to do with that photo up top?  

Nothing. I just wanted to brag that I walked 22 miles. 

Also, I recently made cheese!

And then I ate it with delicious things!

I think you should make cheese too. 

Goat’s Milk Ricotta Recipe

This yields about 1 cup of cheese.

1 quart goat's milk (regular cow's milk works too)
½ to 1 tsp sea salt (to taste; the first time I made this I used ½ tsp, this time I wanted a little more salt)
3 Tbs fresh lemon juice or distilled vinegar (I like the flavor the lemon gives it)

1. Heat the milk and the salt in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat until simmering but not boiling, stirring occaisionaly so it doesn’t scorch (if you want to use a thermometer, heat the milk to 180-190 degrees F).

2. Remove from the heat and add lemon juice. Give it a quick stir and then let sit for 5 minutes, undisturbed.

3. Pour the curds into a sieve lined with cheese cloth (it’s helpful to prop the sieve over a bowl to catch the whey as it drains).

4. Let drain at least 20 minutes, or up to an hour (just keep in mind it gets less “fluffy” and more dense the longer it drains).

5. Share with friends (yeah, right) or hog for yourself!

This would be great to eat with crackers or possibly even dollop on pizza. My favorite way to eat it is to spread it on toast and top with delicious things. Some suggestions are below.

Olive Oil, Sea Salt, Cracked Black Pepper and Chili Flakes  Super simple. Drizzle ricotta toast with  extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with a high quality sea salt, fresh ground pepper, and a few chili flakes. If you're feeling ambitious a few swipes of lemon zest would be wonderful too.

Roasted Grapes with Thyme  Toss red grapes in a little bit of olive oil and roast in a 400 degree oven for about 8-10 minutes. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and fresh thyme.

Roasted Hazelnuts and Honey  Roast hazelnuts in a 450 degree oven until dark and fragrant. Let cool slightly and then rub together in a kitchen towel to remove as much of the skins as you can. Roughly chop the hazelnuts and sprinkle on ricotta toast. Drizzle with honey.

Pesto and Smashed Blackberries  My favorite! Before spreading ricotta onto warm toast, spread a layer of pesto first, so that it can soak into the toast a bit. Then spread a layer of ricotta and top with blackberries that have been slightly smashed with a fork so the juices run. 

Notes: 

There are many interesting things you can do with your leftover whey, such as using it in stocks or smoothies. I was wasteful and poured mine down the drain. Don't be like me.