at home with ann

I know, more muffins.  I should probably write a muffin only blog.  But, don't you like muffins? Our Christmas festivities are going to involve a lot of traveling and celebrations, and likely end with overtired kids, one of whom has lived on sugar and present-induced adrenaline for days.  If I feed him something remotely healthy for breakfast, I can overlook the candy cane chasers. Carrot Apple Muffins Modified from Minimalist Baker Ingredients: 1.5 flax eggs (1 1/2 tablespoons flax seed in 5 1/2 tablespoons water) 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted 1/3 cup mashed banana (one small banana) 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey 1 apple, grated 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup milk or milk alternative 1 heaping cup grated carrot 2/3 cup oats 1/2 cup almond meal 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees and prepare muffin tin. In a small bowl, co...

My big Le Creuset soup pot is in near constant use during the winter.  I love a bowl of soup with a baguette for dinner, and leftovers can be eaten for lunch the next day while trying to juggle a 4 month old baby who makes it his life mission during every meal time to hurl himself onto the table and try to grab all the food. For a kid who has never actually eaten anything solid, he puts a lot of effort in.  He swiped an orange slice off Colin's plate the other day and spent several minutes trying to get it into his mouth.  Another foodie in the making. This is a healthy and hearty meal that is family friendly.  Although, if you have a small child like mine who is wary of soup and usually bathes in it instead of eating it, it's easy to portion out the components onto a tasting plate.  You can easily make this vegetarian friendly by substituting white beans for the meatballs and vegetable broth. Italian Meatball Soup recipe from Skinny Taste Ingredients: M...

So, remember that time that I wrote a food blog?  About 6 months ago, it stopped being a priority. I was pregnant and in my third trimester, and the precious hours of naptime were used for napping myself.  Then, in the middle of July, our family grew by one.  Baby James has a sweet, easy going personality, an impressive capacity for handling his big brother's antics, and a giant, round head.  Our lives went from busy to chaotic, but now I feel like I have mastered the art of one handed cooking, eating, and toddler wrangling.  At least, sometimes. I've thought about how I'd like this blog to evolve with our changing lives.  I will share the food that our family enjoys these days.  Maybe the occasional menu plan for the week. This means the recipes are fast, easy, and (mostly) kid-friendly.  On that note, I'll now share a recipe that takes upwards of 3 hours to prepare, but it's all hands off. These apple chips are delicious, and make your ho...

I've been wanting to share this recipe with you for a while, for several reasons.  First, they are my favorite salmon cakes, which is saying something considering how many I've tried.  Second, because Colin will actually eat them, and in this time of toddler finickiness, that is never a guarantee.  I quite frequently hear that something I lovingly prepared for him is yucky.  So rewarding. And finally,  they fit into a Paleo diet.  We, quite clearly, don't eat Paleo, but it's great to have a tried and true recipe to fit any special dietary need.  I've been burned (literally) by trying a new complicated recipe for guests. Salmon Cakes recipe from Everyday Maven Ingredients: 1 large sweet potato, cooked and mashed 2/3 cup almond meal* 1/3 cup chopped parsley 2 Tablespoons chopped onion 1 Tablespoon lemon juice 1 Tablespoon hot sauce (or to taste, depending on your spicy preferences) 1/2 Tablespoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspo...

Sometimes turkey burgers can be bland.  Or dry.  Or you try to cook them on the grill and they don't work because they are so low in fat.  These turkey burgers, however, were delicious.  Adding a couple extra ingredients gave them a great texture and flavor, and the layer of goat cheese on the bun was just the thing to take them to the next level.  After photographing, I topped with a little bbq sauce and lettuce, but you can roll however you like.   Colin and I eat dinner at the early-bird-special hour of 6:00.  Now that daylight savings has come this means it's light enough when we eat to photograph my food with the benefit of natural light as opposed to the yellow hue of our dining room chandelier.  Colin finds this fascinating, and this photo shoot went like this: C: What are you doing with your plate on the window sill, Mommy? A: I'm taking a picture so I can share the recipe. C: I'll help.  I have a bite? A: I'm almost done...

Muffins just might be Colin's favorite food, and I can't blame him.  Perfect little snack sized treats, delivered in a cute tin, filled with delicious fruit - you can't go wrong.  That being said, we go through a batch of baked goods at an alarming rate around this house, even when they are hidden on top of the refrigerator (the last remaining surface that is out of reach of tiny hands).  We made these muffins to accompany our vegetarian chili last week, thinking they'd be a good replacement for cornbread and also be a nice snack for anytime.  Plus, they are full of healthy sweet potato and millet, so they are nutritious and it's ok to eat two (or four). Sweet Potato Millet Muffins recipe from Eat Live Run Makes about 16-20 muffins Ingredients: 2 cups flour (I used whole wheat pastry, but all purpose would work, too) 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 cup millet 2 eggs 1 medium sweet pot...

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:...

If you follow At Home With Ann on Facebook   you saw this picture last night.  If you don't, you are missing out on even more of my hilarious commentary and pictures of Colin wreaking havoc in the kitchen. Given that Colin is a toddler and prone to occasional pickiness or completely nonsensical mind changes, the success of dinner can be quite varied.  There are days he surprises me and eats two cups of green beans, and days he decides he doesn't like pasta anymore.  Who doesn't like pasta?  In any case, I knew the Cobb Salad would be a bit of a stretch for him since he's been wary of any red vegetables since the hot pepper incident last summer, and eggs go in and out of favor daily.  He ended up eating mostly bacon and chicken with a side of yogurt.  I, however, loved the salad and even he agreed the dressing is good. I usually make a very simple vinaigrette for our salads, a quick combination of salt, pepper, dijon, vinegar and olive oil. ...

Cheesecake is my go to dessert.  I have made many, many flavors.  From classic, to the ever popular roasted strawberry, to the Thanksgiving favorite pumpkin, to the key lime that nearly crippled my fingers from juicing so many tiny limes.  When I considered what to make for Christmas dessert (yes, still backed up posts to Christmas here at AHWA), I naturally landed on cheesecake.  I have a couple tricks for ensuring they are always perfect and delicious. My secret weapon in the food processor.  Use it to the make the crust, then give it a rinse and use it to make the filling.  It ensures everything is evenly mixed and a lovely smooth consistency.  My second trick is to bake in a water bath.  It can be a bit of a pain to wrap your pan in foil and fill up the roasting pan, but it keeps the top from cracking, so it's completely worth it. Classic Cheesecake modified from  Tyler Florence   Crust: 2 cups finely ground graham crackers (a...

Thank you so much for all your sweet comments and notes from my last post.  It really does help to know Sarah has so many people in her corner! These cookies are so healthy, you can eat them for breakfast.  Plus, they only have four ingredients and come together in less than five minutes, so you could even bake them in the morning.  I made them with the help of my trusty kitchen assistant one very cold morning last week who ate handfuls of batter straight from the bowl.  By lunchtime we had nearly finished off the batch, but it's ok, because they are good for you! Peanut Butter and Jelly Oatmeal Cookies recipe from Skinnytaste 2 ripe bananas, mashed 1 cup uncooked oats 2 Tablespoons peanut butter ~1 Tablespoon jam Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet, either  by spraying or lining with a baking mat or parchment paper. Mix banana, oats and peanut butter together. Drop heaping tablespoons (I like my little cookie scoop for this) onto ...

I usually like to keep things light hearted here At Home With Ann.  Simple recipes, awkward jokes, toddler antics and kitchen fiascos.  But we all experience times in life when we are thrown for a loop and face something that stops us in our tracks.  I, like a classic control freak, tend to keep things to myself.   Everything is under control, see? My house is clean, dinner is cooked, the dishes are done, I'm on schedule, I blow dried my hair, I don't need help.  See?  See?   But this time it's not about me, it's not something I can control, and wishing it away won't actually make it go away. Me, my Mom and Sarah last Summer Three years ago my sister, Sarah, was diagnosed with a form of leukemia called AML (acute myeloid leukemia).  My reaction was typical.  This happens to other people.  Not my 33 year old sister who lives by the ocean, gets tons of fresh air and exercise, and eats healthier than anyone who has ever entered Whole...

Way back in the beginning of January, my little boy turned 2.  In the blink of an eye he's suddenly a whole grown up person.  He's hilarious, a ton of fun, and full of opinions.  I hear a lot of "What's this, Mommy?," "I can do it myself.  Colin does it!," and "Oh, dump truck, I love you so much, would you like to play trains with me?"  That last one might not be typical two year old behavior, but it's pretty funny to hear.  To celebrate his birthday, we had a brunch with family and friends.  This year's theme was trains, as the birthday boy loves "chookin chookin."  He is also of the opinion that it's not a party without balloons and cars, so both were included in the day.  I didn't do a good job taking pictures of the food or the dining room because I was a busy bee and enjoying the celebration, but here are a couple glimpses from the day. The menu had some repeats from last year, and a couple new items.   ...

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...