at home with ann

Like hummus, but not hummus.  If, like Colin, Tuscan Mashed Chickpeas are too much of a mouthful for you, you can gesture wildly and say, "hummah, hummah."  Sometimes in the afternoons I turn on the Food Network while I make dinner.  Barefoot Contessa is on at 4:30 and Colin says "Iinaaaah."  My poor child is growing up without Sesame Street and instead will be saying things like, "how easy is that?" The recipe says to serve this warm, but we also enjoyed it cold and at room temperature.  Tuscan Mashed Chickpeas original recipe from Barefoot Contessa 2 (15.5-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed 1/2 cup chicken broth 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for serving 2 ripe medium-size tomatoes, seeded and small-diced (or about half a pint of grape tomatoes) 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 3 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice Kosher salt and freshly ground black ...

As we do every year, we celebrated my Mom's birthday by all going to my parent's house and helping clean up their yard and put in their garden.  Similar to last year, everyone worked very hard, especially Jon and John, and I hung out with Colin and avoided all yard work.  My day consisted of running after Colin while he used a bat to hit a ball around the yard, drew on the driveway with chalk, tried to eat chalk, moved chalk to various areas where chalk doesn't go, chased the cat, and ran through the dirt.    The birthday girl requested Strawberries and Cream Cheesecake for dessert, and I happily obliged.  This might be my favorite cheesecake of all time, which is saying something. I know the whole water bath thing seems like just one more step, but I've found it really does work to prevent cracks, so it's worth it.    Strawberries and Cream Cheesecake original recipe from Martha Stewart Ingredients 1 pound strawberries, hulled 3 Tablespoons...