at home with ann

A few weeks ago we went into Boston for the day. After chasing little people up, down, and around the Children's Museum, watching Colin climb up three stories on a jungle gym and James' excitement at a room filled with golf balls, we went to Flour Bakery for lunch.  I had the Roasted Sweet Potato sandwich, and it was amazing. I just checked the menu , and it looks like they don't offer it right now, but lucky for you I made a salad that's just as good.  The original sandwich was roasted sweet potato, apple, walnut pesto, blue cheese and kale on wheat bread.  I took some liberties, changed up some ingredients, and made it into a salad. Roasted Sweet Potato Salad Romaine and Kale, shredded Olive oil Sweet potato rounds, roasted Apple, sliced Avocado Roasted tomatoes Goat cheese Balsamic Vinegar Drizzle kale and romaine with olive oil Sweet potatoes - coat slices or cubes with olive oil and roast at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. Tomatoes - toss with olive o...

You know how when you get so far behind on something you can't even think about it because it's just too daunting to start?  That's part of how I was feeling for the past six weeks.  I have pictures and recipes and stories to share, but I felt like I needed hours to get back on track.  Of course starting and doing anything is always the best way to get back in the swing of things, so we'll ease in nicely with one of my absolutely favorite sandwiches. I'm hoping I can keep the momentum going since Jon is busy renovating our half bath and we have finally caught up on Game of Thrones.  Wow, we are old and boring. I served this on Christmas Day, which is why you see my festive decor and bloody marys in the background.  It takes a bit of prep work, but once everything is ready to go, they are easy to assemble for a crowd. Fancy Roasted Butternut Sandwich Crusty Sourdough or French Bread 1 Butternut Squash, sliced and roasted (directions below) 1 Granny Smi...

My sister and her family came by for a quick visit last weekend on their way to Nantucket.  Amidst the craziness of a 6 1/2 and 2 1/2 year old who had been in the car for over 3 hours, they ate this quiche.  It met with positive reviews all around. This is a basic recipe that can be customized however you like.  I made it last year with spinach and cheddar, but really any combination of vegetables, meat, or cheese works.  Crustless Quiche with Goat Cheese and Tomato 6 eggs, beaten 1 cup milk 3-4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled 1 tomato, sliced 1 Tablespoon fresh basil, chopped 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped Salt and Pepper Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 9 inch ceramic dish or pie plate with cooking spray, or grease with butter. In a bowl, whisk together eggs and milk.  Stir in herbs and season with salt and pepper. Pour into baking dish and crumble goat cheese evenly over the top. Lay slices of tomatoes over the top.  Attempt an a...

This is just a variation on the quinoa recipes I've shared before, but it's so good.  Plus, the addition of the roasted butternut squash is great and fall-ish.  I'll give rough estimates for the quanities of the ingredients, but really I just added until the ratios looked good.  I have a whole bunch of leftover butternut squash, which I've been eating on salads with apples all week.  Of course, you could always make the best risotto with it, too.  Fall Quinoa Olive oil 1 onion, chopped 1 garlic clove, chopped 1 cup quinoa, rinsed 2 cups vegetable broth or water 2 cups (or one can) chickpeas 2 cups roasted butternut squash 1 apple, chopped 1/2 cup dried cranberries goat cheese In a saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute onion for about 3 minutes until softened. Add garlic, cook for one minute more. Stir in quinoa, cook for one minute, stirring. Pour in broth or water, reduce to simmer and cover for 20-25 minutes, or until liquid is ab...

I didn't do a whole lot of cooking this past weekend.  Sometimes I take on new recipes, or we make a big dinner together on Saturday night.  Instead, we got Chinese takeout on Saturday night and I made this simple crustless quiche for Sunday.  I used the same basic recipe as for the Crustless Spinach Quiche that I posted back in April.  You can certainly substitute any vegetable and cheese combo you like.  Don't get me wrong, I love pastry crust, I'd just rather eat it with pie than eggs.  Swiss Chard and Goat Cheese Quiche olive oil 1 onion, chopped 1 bunch Swiss chard, washed and torn into small pieces 4 ounces goat cheese 5 eggs 1 1/2 cups milk salt and pepper Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare a round ceramic baking dish by coating with cooking spray or butter.  (I have a handy quiche dish, but a pie plate would work, as well). Heat olive oil over medium heat in a frying pan. Cook onion for a couple minutes. Add in Swiss chard....

You know I am a big fan of kale, although I admittedly mostly eat it in chip form.  Kale is crazy good for you, lots of vitamin K, A, and C, among others.  One of my friends sent me this recipe (I love when they do that!), and I was excited to try it with some of the giant bag of kale I picked this week.  I modified the original recipe a bit to add some more ingredients and make it into a meal (and consequently, no longer officially raw, if you care about that sort of thing). Kale, Tomato and Avocado Salad adapted from Happy Foody 1 bunch of curly kale (I filled up about half a salad spinner to serve 2 as a main course) 1 large tomato, chopped 1/2-1 avocado, chopped 1/2 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil Juice of 1/2 lemon sea salt goat cheese, crumbled, for serving Rip kale leaves off stems and tear into bite size pieces. Mix in olive oil and lemon juice with your hands.  Really, use your hands.  The more it gets worked ...

Continuing on the trend of things to cook when it's 95 degrees outside, here are a couple simple salad ideas. Caprese My all time favorite.  Juicy tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, and fragrant basil dressed simply in balsamic vinegar. Roasted Beet with Goat Cheese The beets were from our CSA share this week.  After scrubbing, I drizzled them with olive oil, wrapped in foil, and roasted at 375 for about 40 minutes.  They probably could have used a few minutes more, to be honest.  Served over red leaf lettuce (also a CSA pick), topped with crumbled goat cheese, and dressed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.   I can't eat beets without thinking of The Office.  Actually, that's pretty much the main reason to eat beets at all.   Bears, Beets, Battlestar Galactica.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-POY08-Mro

I think all wonderful salads have a combination of vegetables, fruit, cheese, and a little protein.  This salad starts with a bed of greens, then topped with sliced apple, dried cranberries, crumbled goat cheese, and sliced almonds.  Dressed simply with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  Perfection. For more beautiful salad ideas, check out Salad Pride .  I bookmark a post from them at least once a week.

It's not all hors d'oeuvres and pasta around here, folks.  While we did a pretty good job last week keeping vacation indulgences to a reasonable level, I'm still feeling ready for a bit of a detox.  Maybe a break from the rum for a few weeks.  And a few meals including whole grains and plant based protein.  And gallons of water. I've had my eye on this recipe since January when I saw it on Oh She Glows .  I've never cooked with wheat berries before, but based on my love of couscous, quinoa, and good old brown rice, I knew this would be another favorite.  I used Bob's Red Mill Organic Hard White Wheat Berrie s and I am happy to report they were very easy to cook.  I sort of want to go to the Red Mill and meet Bob.  He looks kindly. Wheat Berry and Chickpea Salad based on Oh She Glows and Bob's Red Mill Ingredients 1 cup dried wheat berries 1-2 cups cooked chickpeas, or one can 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped 1/2 large English cucumber, chopp...

We are home from Florida!  It was a fantastic week of hot sun, golfing, swimming, cocktailing, and nightly golf cart trips out to look for the gator (sadly, we never saw him).  On our second night, we had a small cocktail party out on the lawn to continue the celebration of my Dad's 60th birthday. The hors d'oeuvres were simple, tasty, and a big hit!  They included: Bruschetta Two Ways : small toasted bread rounds.  Half topped with a thin layer of goat cheese and a dollop of fig preserves.  The other half topped with a mixture of cream cheese and pesto (store bought in this case). Cucumber Tea Sandwiches : Thin bread slices topped with either mayo or cream cheese, thinly sliced cucumber, a few chopped tomatoes and a sprinkle of fresh dill. Spinach and Artichoke Dip : One can of artichoke hearts, chopped.  One package of chopped frozen spinach, defrosted.  Something creamy like mayo, cream cheese, sour cream, or greek yogurt.  Mix everything ...

I normally eat dinner on my own.  My husband works crazy hours in Finance, and we have lunch together instead.  Saturday and Sunday we actually get to sit together at the table at night, but this past weekend he passed on me for some better plans.  I did come home that afternoon to see that he had washed and emptied all the dishes and scrubbed the stove top, so I think it was a fair trade.   There was just under half a small butternut squash leftover from the kale soup.  I had already peeled it last weekend, so all I had to do was slice it into bite size pieces, toss with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and pop it into a 400 degree oven for 40 minutes, flipping once. During the last five minutes of cooking, I filled a big bowl with arugula, half a chopped granny smith apple, and some crumbled goat cheese.  Topped with half the roasted squash, and some balsamic vinegar.     The next day, the remaining roasted squash went into a sandwic...