at home with ann

There are few things quite so satisfying as baking homemade bread.  But, let's be honest, I rarely have the foresight or inclination these days to plan ahead a day in advance and go through all the steps.  As such, it's been quite a while since I made bread.  So long, in fact, that when Jon saw this he asked where it was from, ate some, and commented that it was good, like real bread.  I don't even know what that means, but I chose to take it as a compliment.  My little bread monster could barely wait for it to cool down before digging in himself, but he is an easy win with anything freshly baked. There are several great reasons to make focaccia.  It can all be done in one day.  It's essentially a glamorous version of pizza dough.  It makes a whole tray full.  It has an olive oil crust.  I could go on, but I don't think I need to. Focaccia recipe based on  Anne Burrell Total time: About 3 hours Prep: 20 minutes Inactive:...

Last week I bought tangerines.  I don't know why.  I think they were the first citrus I saw at the market and I got all excited because they were so cute and orange.  The problem with tangerines, though, is that they have about a million seeds in them.  I ate one, bit into a seed, and the rest sat on the counter while I ate clementines instead.  Not wanting to waste them, I decided to whip them into a little treat.  A few quick internet searches for ideas and I came up with this super quick, simple orange bread.  Or tangerine bread, as the case may be.  Orange Bread 2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature 1 egg 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice 1/2 cup plain yogurt (could use vanilla as well) 2-3 Tablespoons orange zest (tangerines aren't quite as zesty as oranges, so I only had about a tablespoon, more would be better thou...

Due in part to the large amounts of hummus (this week's flavor was roasted red pepper) we consume on a weekly basis, we also eat a good amount of pita bread.  Usually the stuff from the market does the trick, but since it was also the accompaniment to the Vegetable Chickpea Curry , I wanted to try something a little bit better.  This isn't a difficult recipe, but it does take a few hours for rising time, so I'd recommend it for a weekend.  In my case I needed to wait until I had help at home, because invariably every time I got my hands covered with flour and dough the baby wanted something, and I drop enough crumbs on him as it is.  Thicker and fluffier than store-bought pitas, these were the perfect doughy scoop along with the curry. Mine didn't puff into pockets, but they were easy enough to separate the layers if you want to make a sandwich.  Whole Wheat Pita Bread recipe from Epicurious Ingredients: 1 (1/4 oz) package active dry yeast ...

One of my friends asked for a garlic bread recipe.   It's a few more steps than you might think are necessary to make bread, but so good. Garlic Bread Ingredients: 4-5 cloves garlic, finely diced or grated 1 stick butter, softened salt and pepper 1 baguette, sliced in half horizontally 1 1/2 cups cheese, shredded (mozzarella or Italian blend) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small pan over medium low heat, melt 1 Tablespoon butter and cook the garlic until golden, about 5-10 minutes. Mix together garlic mixture, remaining butter, salt and pepper in a bowl and spread thickly on both cut sides of the bread.  Sandwich bread back together and wrap in foil.  Bake for 15 minutes. Preheat broiler. Unwrap bread and sprinkle with cheese.  Broil until cheese has melted, 1 to 2 minutes.  Keep an eye on it, if you walk away it will totally catch fire and you will be sad.

Remember that giant zucchini/weapon I picked up off the free table at the CSA last week?  It was destined for zucchini bread, or to be used as defense against intruders.  Since we live out in horse country, where the biggest crime in recent history has been mailbox baseball, zucchini bread it was. Zucchini Bread recipe from Baking Illustrated Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 pound zucchini, seeded if, like me, yours is giant 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional) 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup plain yogurt 2 large eggs, beaten lightly 1 Tablespoon lemon juice 6 Tablespoons butter, melted and cooled Shred the zucchini.  I used my food processor with the shredder disc.  You can just add chunks straight into the food processor, or grate by hand. Transfer the shredded zucchini to a strainer and sprinkle with 2 Tablespoons of the sugar.  Allow to drain for at least 30 minutes....

You've seen variations on both caprese and panzanella here before.  They are favorites around our house.  Today's salad included pesto coated chickpeas for a little variation, and a little protein to make it a meal.  Panzanella is one of my favorite ways to use up stale bread, right up there with french toast. Caprese Panzanella with Chickpea s Ingredients: 1/2 loaf french baguette (or really any bakery bread), cut into bite size cubes 1 15 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas) 1 pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half 8 oz. fresh mozzarella, cut into cubes 1/4 cup pesto olive oil vinegar (I used red wine, balsamic works, too) Lightly toss bread cubes in olive oil.  Toast in a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes. In a large bowl, mix together chickpeas and pesto. Add in tomatoes and mozzarella. Mix in bread cubes.  Drizzle with a little vinegar.  I really like vinegar, so I'm usually pretty liberal with my pour here,...

I like Rachael Ray.  I've liked her since the early Food Network days when she would pour gallons of EVOO in every pan (I guess that hasn't changed), and I'll occasionally watch her daytime talk show.  The reason I like her, aside from the breakneck speed with which she whips together 30 minute meals, is that her recipes always give me ideas.  I'll often make something of hers once, and then get the idea to change 12 things about it and make a whole new recipe.   This is another great make-ahead recipe.  It's eaten cold or at room temperature, and I think it would be a great pot-luck or picnic addition.   Spicy Moroccan Bread Salad from Rachael Ray 1/2 cup olive oil 1 clove garlic, grated or very finely chopped 1 teaspoon cumin 1 pound loaf of bread, cut into 1/2 inch pieces salt and pepper 4 ribs celery, chopped 1 cup chickpeas 4 ounces swiss or jarlsberg cheese, cut into 1/4 inch cubes 1/2 cup slivered almonds 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 1/...