Whipped Ricotta with Mixed Berries, Or Reminiscing on Holidays Past

Medically reviewed by Christiana George Updated Date: January 6, 2026

This Fourth of July, Chris and I will find ourselves alone, with nary a barbecue or picnic to attend. It’s a lonely position to be in, but such is the case when you’re a stranger to an area I suppose.

We should really be used to it by now.

Last Thanksgiving, we were in Puno, Peru. I believe we ate street hamburgers, 33 cents each, and arroz con leche—also bought off the street from a man with a cartful of the stuff—for dinner. We were resolute about not making a big deal out of the day. I made a big deal out of the day.

For Christmas, we were in Mendoza, Argentina, and celebrated the evening at a huge hostel-organized dinner where we endured ham stuffed in chicken stuffed in something else because I didn’t want to spent the holiday alone, just the two of us. The evening quickly devolved into a girls-gone-wild soiree, where tequila shots were generously given out to those brave enough (or wanton enough) to slurp them from some poor girl’s bellybutton (I was not wanton enough to be that girl).

And New Year’s Eve was celebrated in Santiago, Chile. We’d debated trying to be in Valparaiso that night, but, again, in the attempt to not make a big deal over the holiday, we opted to stay in Chile’s capital instead. Where we were invited to a concert which turned out to be more like a rave and spent the entire night alternating between momentary blindness and momentary deafness. It turned out to be one of our more fun New Year’s Eves.

If this last year has taught me anything, it’s how not to make a big deal over holidays.

But I’m not saying we won’t be a little lonely.

Sometimes, all it takes is going through the motions to make a day feel festive. Or make-believe motions in this case.

If I were playing hostess to a yardful of guests, I would totally serve this dessert as a 4th of July finale, after an evening of food-gorging, fireworks-watching, and beer-guzzling. It’s sweet, velvety, and cold, the cream cheese imparting a slight tartness, the ricotta grounding it firmly as a luxurious dessert. While not heavy, it’s certainly rich. And the berries, oh the berries: I will miss them when they’re out of season.

WHIPPED RICOTTA WITH MIXED BERRIES

Adapted from Bon Appetit

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese
4 ounces (1/2 cup) cream cheese, room temperature
4 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp honey
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups mixed fruit (strawberries, blueberries, peaches, raspberries, etc.)
2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Mix ricotta cheese, cream cheese, 2 Tbsp sugar, honey, and vanilla extract thoroughly (alternatively, blend everything together in a food processor and transfer to a bowl). Cover and refrigerate until slightly set (about 2 hours).

Toss fruit with lemon juice and remaining 2 Tbsp sugar in a large bowl. Let stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

Divide ricotta among six bowls. Top with berries and serve.

Note: You can go all-out patriotic like I did, and use blueberries and strawberries in your fruit blend, but I think peaches would work terrifically as well.

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Baileys Caramel Pecan Fudge

Recipes

Christiana George
Updated Date:
December 19, 2022

I really can’t believe how fortunate we were to move into our neighborhood. Everyone is so friendly and most of them love just hanging out together outside chatting while our kids are contently running wild up and down the street. We seem to have a lot of impromptu block parties. It starts with a couple of people and just grows. The other day it was dark out and way past dinner time, but no one wanted to go home so someone order pizzas and fed those that were hungry. This is definitely the type of neighborhood I want my kids to grow up in.
Today I was passing around these Baileys Caramel Pecan Fudge squares to the neighbors. Last year I made some awesome Dark Chocolate Guinness Fudge, so this year I had to change it up a bit and use Baileys. This recipe is actually adapted from my Tequila Lime Coconut Fudge. They are two different methods of making fudge, but both equally easy to make with successful results.
I will admit, I didn’t do a very good job of distributing the caramel while I was swirling, so some pieces of fudge had more caramel than others. To cut the fudge I made sure I had a sharp knife and cleaned it after every cut and I also dipped it in some warm water before cutting. That made my squares come out a little straighter.

This fudge came out so smooth and creamy. The coffee flavor of the Baileys Irish Cream, the white chocolate, and the caramel came together in a symphony of flavor. I was only going to add two tablespoons of Baileys, but I am glad I went with three. It really gives the fudge it’s flavor, without having too much of an alcohol taste. The pecans give the fudge a nice texture and their sweetness blends right in.
The neighborhood kids are not too happy with me right now because they can’t have this fudge, but their parents are happy to get in on the taste testing.
Baileys Caramel Pecan Fudge
by The Sweet Chick
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Keywords: no bake stove top dessert white chocolate chips pecans caramel Baileys Irish Cream St. Patrick’s Day fudge American

Ingredients (64 squares)
1 can (5 oz.) evaporated milk
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 2/3 cups mini marshmallows
2 cups white chocolate chips
3 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup caramel, divided
Instructions
In a large saucepan, combine milk and sugar.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture comes to a boil.
Then cook for 8 minutes, again stirring constantly so that the milk does not scorch at the bottom of the saucepan.
Remove from heat and stir in the marshmallows, chocolate, Baileys, and vanilla.
If you mixture begins to harden up, simply place pot back on stove top and heat on low until the mixture becomes soft and smooth.
Next add in the pecans and stir until all incorporated.

Pour half the chocolate mixture into an 8×8 pan lined with parchment paper and spread out evenly.
Take 1/2 the caramel and drop it by spoonful on top of the chocolate mixture. Take a knife and swirl the caramel into the fudge until it is about evenly distributed.
Pour the remaining white chocolate mixture on top. Then add the remaining caramel to the top of the fudge, dropping it by spoonfuls and swirling it with a knife. (It doesn’t have to look perfect.)
Then place the 8×8 pan in the fridge until fudge is completely set, about 1-2 hours.
Cut into squares, eat, and enjoy! ( I was able to lift the fudge out of the pan with the parchment paper, then cut it.)