at home with ann

I am having a serious love affair with this month's Cooking Light.  After this I might be done, but only until the next issue comes out.  Cooking Light isn't giving me anything to sing their praises (I wish!), I just think they're awesome.  Even though a couple weeks ago on an especially sleep-deprived day they called me with an offer to review a new cookbook.  I'm usually strong and hold my ground, but this time I agreed just to get them to stop talking to me so I could try to get the baby to sleep.  Shrimp and Corn Cakes recipe adapted from Cooking Light  Makes 16 small cakes, serving size is 3 Ingredients: 1/3 cup cornmeal 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 3 cups corn kernels 1 Tablespoon milk 1 teaspoon lemon juice Zest of one lemon 2 teaspoons hot sauce 1 large egg 1 serrano chili, seeded and roughly chopped 1/3 cup red bell pepper, roughly chopped 12 ounces...

Another recipe from Cooking Light.  Another keeper.  Jon and I both agreed these were delicious, and I'll be making them again soon.  I especially liked that I could prep them in advance and then pop them into the fridge so Jon could cook them up quickly after Colin went to sleep.  I actually enjoyed eating this slowly and drinking a glass of wine, instead of slamming down my food as quickly as possible while holding a wiggly, bouncing person on the verge of an exhaustion induced meltdown in one arm.  Hoisin-Glazed Salmon Burgers with Pickled Cucumber recipe from Cooking Light Pickled Cucumber: 1/3 cup water 1/4 cup cider vinegar 1 teaspoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (I used one clove, grated) 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger (I grated this as well - keep your ginger in the freezer) 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 24 thin slices English cucumber (I sliced a whole cucumber on the mandoline) In a saucepan, combine first six ingredients (...

If you've been reading for a while (or a week), you know that tacos are the number one requested food around here.  This recipe combines tacos and the crock pot, it's a match made in easy-dinner heaven. These met with rave reviews from my two taste-testers, although Matt scoffed at my cheapo-crock pot and declared his much better.  I am going to give his a try and see if it really is better with it's fancy digital timer and locking lid and auto-shutoff.  I don't see why you wouldn't want a crock pot that has a lid that rattles when steam tries to escape so that you think there is an animal rampaging around your kitchen.   Colin even helped get them started around noon, by which I mean he didn't totally freak out when I put him in his chair in the kitchen so I could deal with raw chicken. I hesitate to call this a recipe because it's so unbelievably easy. Shredded Chicken Tacos 1 package chicken breasts (mine was about a pound) 8 ounce can tomato sa...

I love Cooking Light.  Out of all the food and cooking magazines I've subscribed to over the years (there have been a lot), it's my favorite.  Every month I bookmark at least half of the recipes.  Aside from offering healthy meals, as the name suggests, their recipes have a lot of variety, use ingredients that I have on hand or are easily obtained, and have simple, straightforward directions.  I made these on a hot night, and they were a nice, light meal.  My brother-in-law Matt, my newest full-time taste tester, declared them to be innovative and fun.  You can't ask for much more than that.  Asian Lettuce Wraps with Hoisin Peanut Sauce based on recipe from Cooking Light Serves 4 Ingredients: Sauce: 1 teaspoon canola oil 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/3 cup water 2 Tablespoons creamy almond butter (or peanut or sunflower, any nut butter will do) 4 teaspoons hoisin sauce 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper juice from 1 lime (about 1 Tablespoon) ...

I can't believe I haven't share my Turkey Chili recipe with you.  It's one of my staple meals that I know will make a lot of delicious food, with even better leftovers.  The exact recipe changes based on my mood and what I have on hand, so it's always evolving.  That's one of the best things about chili, and I encourage you to make it your own.  You can also throw everything into the crock pot and cook it on low all day.  Turkey Chili Serves 6+ 1 pound ground turkey 1 Tablespoon olive oil 1 onion, chopped 1 red bell pepper, chopped 1 jalapeno, chopped 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1 Tablespoon ground cumin 1 Tablespoon chili powder 1 teaspoon coriander 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper kosher salt and pepper 4 chiplotes in adobo, chopped (adjust based on your spiciness preference - we like it hot!) 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes 14 oz. water 28 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed 14 oz. can red beans, drained and rinsed 1 cup corn (no need to thaw if...

The weather was gorgeous last weekend, so we decided Saturday night was the perfect time to kick of grilling season.  Last year we grilled every weekend we were home in the summer.  Leisurely nights spent on the porch while the charcoal heated, several cocktails and then dinner enjoyed by candlelight at our porch table.  Something tells me the timing and the cocktails will be a bit different this year, but Colin liked watching Jon man the grill.  This steak marinade gave the salad a little something extra, and you could certainly mix up the herbs.  I think it would be delicious with rosemary.  Some vegetables, a scoop of leftover quinoa and simple croutons rounded out the plate.  For the croutons, I heated a garlic clove in olive oil just until it was fragrant.  Brush both sides of bread slices with the oil and put on the grill for a few seconds (15-30 depending on how hot the grill is) until toasted.  Cut into cubes.  I actually had ...

Sometimes you need dinner to be simple, healthy, and able to be prepared hours before you eat.  This fit the bill on all counts.  My new love affair with mushrooms continues.  Leftovers are excellent, even eaten standing in front of the fridge holding a fork.  Balsamic Roasted Eggplant and Mushrooms with Quinoa based on Eat Live Run Ingredients: 2 medium eggplants (or one large) 16 ounces mushrooms, sliced (I used crimini) kosher salt 1 cup dry quinoa 1 3/4 cup vegetable broth 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 2 tsp dijon mustard 1/3 cup warm water 1 clove garlic, grated 2 Tablespoons olive oil 4 green onions, chopped Directions:  Using a vegetable peeler, peel long strips on the eggplant so that it looks striped. Chop eggplant into 1/2 inch cubes and put in a colander in the sink. Sprinkle liberally with kosher salt and let sit for an hour.  This draws out some of the liquid and also takes the bitterness out of the eggplant. Preheat oven to ...

Four months have gone by since we welcomed this tiny guy into the world. He's much less tiny now (up to 18 pounds!), and has a whole personality that lights up the room.  I spend my time with a little wiggly, kicky, almost rolling, baby cooing, toothless grinning, chewing on everything, giggling bundle of joy.   Although I could certainly go on and on about how wonderfully amazing he is, and how he brings me immeasurable happiness every moment of the day, this month I wanted to share some of my favorite baby items.  I know some of you are expectant moms, or have friends who are, so these might be baby shower ideas! Baby K'tan - This wrap is probably the single best baby item I own.  As Colin has gotten a little bigger and more independent, I don't rely on it quite as much as I used to, but there were many weeks when I wore him in it for the bulk of the day.  I would wash it in the middle of the night because I couldn't be without it for even...

This is not takeout sweet and sour.  No breading, nothing deep fried.  Just a light, sweet sauce that is delicious on vegetables, fruit, and shrimp.  My only advice would be to take the tails off the shrimp before adding them in, otherwise you will be picking them up with your fingers, which is not very elegant, can be messy, and is hard to do when you're holding a little squirming person with one hand. Sweet and Sour Shrimp based on recipe by Emeril Legasse Ingredients: 1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons water 3 Tablespoons ketchup 3 Tablespoons sugar 3 Tablespoons pineapple juice 2 Tablespoons vinegar 2 teaspoons soy sauce 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes  2 teaspoons cornstarch  1/2-1 pound shrimp (I used frozen, precooked) 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger 2 cloves garlic, grated Canola oil 1 medium onion, sliced 1 bell pepper, cut into chunks 1 can pineapple chunks 1 bunch green onions, sliced In a bowl, combine 1/4 cup water, ketchup, sug...

This is one of those meals you make when you don't feel like cooking.  Easy, healthy, and made up of all pantry/freezer items.  You might even have everything on hand. The potatoes give this a creamy texture, without any cream.  Leaving half the broccoli and cauliflower as florets gives you something to chew on so it's not just a puree soup.  Add the bacon for a little extra smokiness and baconess.  Leave it out and you've got a vegan soup.  Broccoli, Cauliflower and Potato Soup Ingredients: Olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 1 stalk celery, chopped 3 garlic cloves, chopped 1 large carrot, chopped 4 Yukon gold potatoes, or about a pound and a half of any potatoes, chopped 1 lb. frozen broccoli florets 1 lb. frozen cauliflower florets 1 teaspoon dried thyme 4-6 cups vegetable broth Hot sauce Salt and Pepper Crumbled bacon, for topping In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium. Add in onion, celery and carrot and cook for a few minutes...

This is the same mushroom millet bowl that I made last month, but I bet a few of you passed it over because the picture was less than awesome.  It's hard to photograph mushrooms and kale at night.  I'm here to tell you to give it a try, though, because we had it again yesterday, and it is delicious!  Also, thanks to the sun staying up later and a slightly earlier dinnertime for me yesterday, I have a better picture now.  I changed the cooking process a tiny bit, so I'll just reshare the recipe with my new notes.  To mix it up even more, try adding diced chicken to the mix.  Mushroom Millet Bowl with Kale original recipe from Oh She Glows 1/2 cup uncooked millet extra virgin olive oil 2 cups chopped sweet onion 3 garlic cloves, minced 16 oz. sliced baby portabella mushrooms 1 tsp minced dried rosemary 2 tbsp nutritional yeast 1.5 tbsp tamari or soy sauce 1/2 tbsp cornstarch 1 1/4 cup vegetable broth 1 bunch fresh chopped kale, stems removed ...