Angi's Ham and Cheese Torta

Hospitality is becoming a lost art replaced by social networking sites, text messages, and tweets. Few are the mornings spent in a friend's kitchen, laughing together, sharing experiences, and sometimes even crying. Friends still claim to be close to one another, but sadly, the depth of closeness is often characterized by a status update. This change in culture makes it even harder to develop meaningful and intimate friendships, something I long for.

What do you think of when you think of hospitality? I immediately think of a hospital, how it is a place that cares for hurting people and strives to meet their physical needs. How can a hospital be related to hospitality? I want my home to be a hospital of sorts, a place where friends can feel loved, be served and refreshed.

I care so much about hospitality that it's a recurring theme in my 101 Things in 1001 Days list. Why does it keep showing up on my list? Because I must be purposeful about it. If I don't set a goal for myself, I'll never hit the target. One of my hospitality goals is to start inviting more friends to my house for lunch, and hand in hand with that goal is my attempt to lower the expectations I have, like the expectation that everything should be perfect. My focus should be on my guests, after all, not on my silly quest for perfection.

Let me share a peek at one of my best recipes for hospitality. My favorite brunch recipe, Ham and Cheese Torta, comes from a beautiful friend, Angi Stewart, who first baked the torta for me when I was recuperating from having a baby. Angi is the type of lady who could make a potted plant laugh out loud, and she somehow manages to make everyone feel special. Even though we now live miles apart, I still call or email Angi to let her know whenever I make the recipe. Every time I put a bite of her torta in my mouth, I'm overwhelmed with thankfulness for her sharing the recipe with me. The torta is very similar to a quiche, but with lots of cheese.

This week I fulfilled one of my many hospitality goals by inviting a friend over for lunch. It was a wonderful morning, and I am so glad I took the extra effort to invite her over. I'll be doing it again soon! I encourage you to call up a friend and invite her over for a meal, or even just for coffee. You'll be glad you did.

Ham and Cheese Torta (recipe below)
Spinach and Clementine Salad
Blueberry and Orange Bread
Milk Chocolate Pudding with Raspberry Sauce and Cream (joy the baker)


Ham and Cheese Torta
from Angi Stewart

1 pie shell, unbaked
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 TBL all-purpose flour
4 eggs
8 oz. sour cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 to 1 tsp pepper
Dash of Tabasco
1 cup (4 oz) chopped or minced ham
2 cups (8 oz) grated cheese, preferably sharp Cheddar or Swiss, divided

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine ricotta cheese and flour in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix until smooth and creamy. Add eggs and beat until evenly blended. Add sour cream, salt, pepper, Tabasco, ham, and half of the cheese. Beat just enough to blend ingredients

Sprinkle half of the remaining cheese in the bottom of the pie crust, and pour egg mixture over the cheese. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of egg mixture.

Place in oven and imediately reduce heat to 350 degrees. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and torta is slighty puffy and set.