Cooking with Anne

RSS Feed Homepage

Articles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

New Cooking Challenge
2008-04-18 15:24:00
Cooking with Anne and Lots of Kids have teamed up to bring you a brand new family-friendly monthly cooking challenge! Check it out HERE and join in!
More About: Cooking , Challenge

Angel Hair Pasta with Chicken and Tapenade
2008-04-17 19:18:00
There's the "t" word again. I can't ever get enough tapenade and seek out ways to enjoy it more than as its lovely self spread on French bread. Today's lunch found it tossed with pasta and chicken. Nothing else was needed at all. Beauty in simplicity indeed.
More About: Angel , Pasta , Hair , Chicken

New Today: Tea-Over-Ice from Tea Forté
2008-04-16 18:27:00
Available today, April 16, 2008 from Tea Forté, innovators of the contemporary tea experience , is their creative new idea for iced tea, Tea-Over-Ice. The pots are made of heat resistant glass and have a unique shape that makes them perfect for at-table service and guaranteed engaging conversation. I imagine a spring brunch or summer tea on the patio would be the perfect setting for this.Tea-Over-Ice comes in 4 flavors:White Ginger Pear: A light, refreshing blend of white tea and Japanese pear, delicately balanced with GingerRaspberry Nectar: A full-bodied herbal iced tea with the essence of raspberry and hibiscusPomegranate Blackberry: An invigorating blend of to of the most luscious and popular fruits of the moment.Ceylon Gold: This iced tea offers serious refreshment and raises the bar on a well-loved classic.Purchase yours today at select stores or online at Tea Forté.*This is not a paid advertisement.
More About: Today

Royal Foodie Joust: My UN-submission
2008-04-16 00:16:00
My last post was the recipe I submitted for this month's Royal Foodie Joust using the ingredients cardamom, brown sugar and mango. I had so many ideas running around in my head that I couldn't stop with that one entry. I can't enter twice, but there's nothing stopping me from posting my other ideas here.These are Mango Egg Rolls with Cardamom Devonshire Cream, my Oriental/Hispanic/European idea; talk about fusion!I had egg roll wrappers leftover from the Chicken Cannelonni I posted at Cookies to Caviar and when the ingredients for RFJ came up, I knew I had to use them somehow. There's no recipe here, just strips of mango sprinkled with brown sugar and rolled up in egg roll wrappers. I fried them like usual and made Mock Devonshire Cream with a half teaspoon of ground cardamom stirred into the powdered sugar.Oh, and the kids? They devoured them and clamored for more!
More About: Submission

Royal Foodie Joust Entry: Sweet Chicken Curry with Mango and Kumquats
2008-04-12 23:35:00
This month's Royal Foodie Joust ingredients are, cardamom, mango and brown sugar.I know most jousters are thinking along the lines of baked goods, but I'm more pulled to the savory side of life.Here's what I made:Sweet Chicken Curry with Mango and Kumquats1 lb. chicken breast - cubed1/2 cup flour1/4 cup cornstarch1/2 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper1 tablespoon minced shallots2 tablespoons sliced green onion1 clove garlic - minced1 small onion - sliced1/2 cup each red, green and yellow peppers1/2 cup pineapple bits - drained1/2 cup small kumquats1/2 cup diced mango1 cup chicken stock1 tablespoon curry powder (the cardamom is in the curry!)2 tablespoons brown sugar4 cups cooked jasmine riceStir together flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Toss chicken cubes in flour mixture and fry in a large heavy pot in batches until lightly browned. Set aside.In the same pan, cook shallots, green onion, garlic and onion until limp. Do not brown. Add peppers, pineapple, kumquats, ...

THE ?FLAYVORS OF WASHINGTON? RECIPE CONTEST
2008-04-10 17:51:00
This definitely looks like fun! I'm not sure if I'll get the time to cook something up and enter for myself, but I know that several of my readers are up to the challenge. You have from April 15th through May 31st to enter. Give it a look and see what you think.Thanks to Jillian McMenamin of GolinHarris for giving me the "heads-up" on this!********************COLUMBIA CREST WINERY AND FOOD NETWORK STAR BOBBY FLAY PRESENTTHE ?FLAYVORS OF WASHINGTON? RECIPE CONTESTAcclaimed Washington State Winery to Sponsor Contest onFoodNetwork.com with World-Renowned ChefPaterson, Wash. (January 24, 2008) ? Columbia Crest Winery, in conjunction with Chef Bobby Flay, today announced the upcoming launch of the ?Flayvors of Washington? recipe contest. The month-long contest, which launches April 15, 2008, will be hosted on the Food Network Web site. The contest is part of a partnership between the Washington-based winery and Flay that highlights the unexpected rewards of dining with Columbia Crest G...
More About: Recipe

Veggie Wednesday: Linguine with Baby Spinach and Almonds
2008-04-09 17:56:00
This is very reminiscent of pesto and so good even the two littlest at home with me at lunchtime today loved it! Simple and delicious.Linguine with Baby Spinach and Almonds Serves 21/4 pound linguine cooked al dente1 cup baby spinach leaves - whole1/2 teaspoon dried basil - crushed1/2 clove galic - minced1 tablespoon olive oil1 tablespoon sliced almondsToss together until heated through and spinach is slightly wilted. Salt to taste.
More About: Wednesday

Leftover Sausage and the Sausage Sandwich Tart
2008-04-07 18:20:00
*Disclaimer: These photos are really bad. My poor old camera is not doing so well, I guess, but a new one is absolutely out of the budget for now. Hey, it still looks like food, right?*My mother brought over the mammoth of all sausages - a full 3 1/2 pounds from her favorite butcher. I have no idea why she thought we needed that much, but she was thrilled that they still use real butcher paper and tape, and so, I humored her and told her how fabulous I thought it was. In truth, I still get meat from my own butcher in real butcher paper, but I let mom have her moment. I cooked all of it at once, knowing we would never eat it all in one sitting, and set aside what we didn't eat with homemade waffles and thought on what else I'd like to make. I had a bit of puff pastry leftover and some lovely red and green peppers and a very nice yellow onion. I really enjoy a good sausage sandwich and decided a tart based on that would be pretty darn good. I was right.I pressed the pastry into a 10...
More About: Sausage , Tart , Sandwich

Another Blog
2008-04-06 01:35:00
Ever noticed how large the Foodie blogosphere is? Ever wonder how on earth to keep up with it all? I'm hoping Foodie News will help bridge the gap, at least with news as it pertains to the food blogging community.If you have news and would like everyone else to read about it, or if you're just the type that has to know all that is going on, check out Foodie News!
More About: Blog

Puerto Rican Rice and Beans
2008-04-04 20:20:00
I learned how to make Puerto Rican Rice and Beans about 15 years ago. I was in the throes of my culinary education and my husband and I and two small daughters lived next to a lovely Puerto Rican family. Carmello and Brauli were parents to 3 kids of their own and we spent a lot of time trying to bridge the cultural divide. We would teach them English and they would teach us Spanish. Brauli sent food over to us and we would treat them in kind.They would often have large numbers of family over to visit and each time there was a huge undertaking in the small kitchen they had. Women would converge there - aunts, mothers, cousins, daughters, grandmothers - and they would each take up something that contributed to the large meal they would all share.The men would head outdoors to play horseshoes or stay in to watch sports on TV; no cultural divide there!On one of these occasions, Brauli invited me over so I could watch her make rice and beans. There were many questions from me, which she ...

Must Read
2008-04-03 19:18:00
I have a food post ready, and I'll get to that later, but for now I'd like if you would stop by A CF Husband's Blog to visit with Nate and Tricia and Gwyneth Rose to read their amazing story.Gwyneth Rose was born 15 weeks premature to her mother, Tricia, who was waiting for a double lung transplant and daddy, Nate, keeps tabs on all of it and updates everyone with such love and courage. Tricia received her lungs early this morning (!!!!) and that little family could sure use your prayers to help them continue on this amazing journey.
More About: Read

Daring Bakers' Challenge: Perfect Party Cake
2008-03-31 03:48:00
This month's Daring Bakers ' Challenge was hosted by Morven at Food Art and Random Thoughts.She chose what turned out to be the best cake I've ever had - and my entire family feels the same way. Dorie Greenspan's Perfect Party Cake from her book Baking: From My Home to Yours, is just that; perfect.I made this one twice, for two reasons. The first was that I didn't think the cake was supposed to be so flat. It really doesn't rise much at all. It was so good, though that I thought it must be right. When I checked with other DBers I found that they had the same "problem", which wasn't a problem after all. The second reason was that the cake was so good, there was no reason not to make it again.The full recipe can be found at the above link to Morven's blog and these are two photos of the delectable confection:**I feel like I need a little addendum here ... this cake does not really look pretty. At all. Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows that for me to have attempted to a...

Festa Italiana Time!
2008-03-25 16:19:00
Entries are in for Festa Italiana, hosted by Marie of Proud Italian Cook and Maryann of Finding La Dolce Vita! There were so many delicious submissions that they both have listings on their blogs. Please go and look at these fabulous dishes! My own entry is HERE.
More About: Time

Middle-of-the-week dinner
2008-03-25 16:02:00
Artery clogging with a little fattening on the side and greens to balance out my conscience.Little meatloaves - the kind made in mammoth muffin tins and covered in BBQ sauce with Pierogi Casserole smothered in caramelized onions, and roasted broccoli and field greens salad.
More About: Dinner , Middle , Week

Our Big Day Turned Out to be Far Smaller
2008-03-20 18:31:00
Well, somehow communications got garbled and none of the specialists were at the office today. No trauma doctors, no hand specialist. Tuesday is the only day they are there and we'll be going back April 8th.I guess we got a free (not really) sight-seeing trip to Philly today.Thanks so much for all the well-wishes!

Royal Foodie Joust Entry
2008-03-19 17:57:00
This is my very first "Royal Foodie Joust" and my entry is:Butterflied Shrimp on Coconut Risotto with Avocado, Lime and Cilantro CreamI know I shouldn't pat myself on the back, but this was so good I could have eaten all 4 servings! If I ever get that restaurant to run, this will be on the menu!For 4 Servings:Risotto:1 cup arborio rice1 can (14 oz.) coconut milk2 - 3 cups chicken stock1 Tablespoon sliced green onion1 Tablespoon neutral oil1/4 cup shredded coconut - toastedShrimp:12 large shrimp - tails on and butterflied (sliced down the back nearly all the way through)1 Tablespoon neutral oilCream:1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves1/2 small avocado1 Tablespoon lime juice1/4 cup sour creamMake the risotto:Saute green onion in 1 T oil briefly. Add rice and toast lightly. Mix coconut milk and chicken stock.Add stock mixture to rice one cup at a time - letting rice absorb stock before adding another cup.Add the toasted coconut after the second cup of stock.Stir nearly constantly. When you...
More About: Entry

A Thursday Visit
2008-03-17 19:00:00
This is a "Dr. visit week" for us, which always means a bit more hectic than usual. I have several posts I'd like to get up, but there's a lot to do so I may not get the chance.Really, it's not all that far away, 2 hours one way no matter which route we take, and all-told we're usually gone less than 12 hours, but that seems to be really trying for the kids with both of us parents gone for the day. I need to have everything "just-so" before we head out at 6 a.m. so nobody explodes while we're gone. It's funny, it's nowhere near as difficult as my friend Kate's trips to the hospital for her son, but challenging in it's own way. Usually one of the older girls is home with several of the little ones and we take the two youngest. Well, last time that was a fiasco. We had SO much to discuss and neither Lara nor Ian would sit still or be quiet. We talked to the doctor for an hour, and whole it was awesome getting so much time in with her, it was rather hellish trying to keep thos...
More About: Thursday , Visit

Nacho Mama's Tortilla Soup
2008-03-15 23:42:00
I've always liked tortilla soup. It's so easy to make, very full of flavor and one of those things that makes a very attractive bowlful.I'm not going to give you a recipe that simply calls for tossing everything into a pot and simmering for 20 minutes, though. I think any good dish is built from the bottom up, flavor-by-flavor - and this one especially benefits from that philosophy.While divine in it's own right, I think the addition of chicken makes it hearty enough for a meal.Here is the basic recipe, but pay close attention to the method - it's not what you think.Chicken Tortilla Soup 1 small onion - diced1 small green pepper - diced2 cloves garlic - minced8 cups chicken stock2 cups peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes2 cups cooked and chopped chicken breast1 sprig of epazote - chopped OR 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves1 lime - zested, halved and juiced1/2 teaspoon cumin seed1/2 teaspoon dried oregano - rubbed1 small dried chile such as arbolFor garnish:8 corn tortillas - cut ...
More About: Nacho

Cooking with Anne - The Show
2008-03-15 15:37:00
No, not really. It's actually part of a cute comic called, Bitmap World (created by my loverly hosts Michelle and Jim) in which they have created a cooking show based on, well, ME! Double-neat, huh?Go and see it at BitmapWorld.
More About: Cooking , Show , Anne

Look at That!
2008-03-15 14:02:00
I've only written two articles for Helium so far, and one of them, my article about Irish Soda Bread, is on the FRONT PAGE at Helium today! Neat.

I'm back!
2008-03-10 15:15:00
Like my new outfit? I have to redirect you here; this work was not done by me. I got tired of pulling my hair out and trying to learn all new web rules etc. and handed it over to a fabulous husband and wife team. They are Michelle and Jim and they own and operate Mirz-Jiles HostingThis isn't all there is, though! If you'll notice the little links above you, they are directed to my website, cookingwithanne.com and Michelle and Jim did that whole site, too! I'm too excited, can you tell?If you need hosting, design or otherwise, give them a look, it's really worth it!
More About: Back

Be back soon!
2008-03-09 18:52:00
Some spring cleaning is being done here at Cooking with Anne and will take a little bit of time-not too long, I promise. I'll be back ASAP! Keep checking back for the new look!
More About: Back

Cauliflower Casserole
2008-03-06 16:03:00
I don't care that I stripped the nutrients from this lovely winter vegetable and ground them into the dirt ... really. This stuff is just too good for me to care. Besides, I'm sure there's something left there in the peppers. Or not.Cauliflower Casserole 1 large head cauliflower1/2 cup diced red pepper1/2 cup diced green pepper1 cup shredded cheddar cheese1 cup sour cream1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese3/4 cup dried bread crumbs1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepperBreak cauliflower into bite-sized pieces and cook in boiling salted water for 5 minutes. Mix peppers, cheeses, sour cream and salt together well. Fold in drained cauliflower and 1/2 cup of the bread crumbs until well blended. Turn into a greased 2 quart baking dish and top with remaining 1/4 cup of bread crumbs.Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-30 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown.Try not to eat the whole thing youself, it should serve 4-6 people.

Veggie Wednesday: Festa Italiana!
2008-03-05 15:22:00
Marie of Proud Italian Cook and Maryann of Finding La Dolce Vita are hosting a new food event called Festa Italiana and this is my entry, which serves two purposes this week. It's meatless, so it's a great dish for Veggie Wednesday , and it's one of my favorite Italian dishes, so it's perfect for Festa Italiana!You may notice there is no garlic in this recipe - it's not really necessary with the garlic that is in the marinara and you really want to be able to detect the nutmeg in the Béchamel. Add it if you like, though, it certainly wouldn't hurt!Lasagna Rolls on Sauce BéchamelSauce Béchamel (a.k.a. white sauce):2 tablespoons unsalted butter2 tablespoons all-purpose flour1 cup milk (use whole milk)salt and pepper to tastefreshly ground nutmeg - a pinch or soMelt butter in a heavy saucepan and add flour. Stir together and add milk (at room temp.), stirring over a medium flame until thickened. Pour into a greased 9x13 baking pan - I used a 10" round cake pan, anything that will ...

A Needed Break
2008-03-04 14:08:00
Sometimes this is all I have the energy to make - is that really so bad?
More About: Break

Let's Put This to Rest, Finally
2008-03-03 19:00:00
Way back in January of 2006 we started playing a game based on the cooking show, Ready, Set, Cook! . We played for quite some time and had a LOT of fun.I think it's time to quit, though and I'm going to refer you instead to The Leftover Queen, Jen, and her Royal Foodie Joust, which was started in June of 2007. They have a lot of fun there, too and she gets far more entries than I. It's basically the same premise, except that you really have to make something for the Royal Foodie Joust, where my R,S,C could be virtual or real.At any rate, I'm busy, busy, busy and may throw in a game from time-to-time just for kicks.
More About: Finally , Rest , Ready Set Cook

Sunday Dinner
2008-03-02 20:12:00
"Thank you for the world so sweet,Thank you for the food we eat.Thank you for the birds that sing,Thank you God for everything."Child's Mealtime PrayerBreaded Pork FiletsRisottoBroccoli with Orange GremolataChocolate Cake with Peanut Butter IcingIs that Risotto you see up there? Why, yes - it is! It's not really as difficult to make as anyone thinks, and so delicious I couldn't think of a better way to spend half and hour at the stove. This is one of those classic dishes I've wanted to share the preparation of for some time anyway. No time like the present.The Gremolata is most often made with lemon zest, but I was missing lemons today so I subbed orange zest. It was perfect.First, here are the pork filets. One 1/2" thick boneless prok chop, trimmed of fat. The "stick" I beat the pork with (a.k.a. Grandma's rolling pin). The beaten pork. Strike from the center outward in a steady motion until the pork is 1/4" thin. One clove of garlic cut in half. After rubbing the pork with t...
More About: Dinner , Sunday

Daring Bakers Challenge - French Bread!
2008-02-29 15:05:00
This month's Daring Bakers Challenge (my first!) was hosted by Mary at The Sour Dough (this link is where the recipe is at) and Sara at I Like to Cook .They chose a recipe from one of my most favorite people ever - Julia Child. Her 18 page-long recipe for Pain Francais (French Bread ) seems daunting at first, but once you get going, it's not difficult at all, just time-consuming. All told I spent 8 hours making this bread! It is so very worth it, though. My own bread certainly didn't turn out bakery-pretty, but it was absolutely delicious!Here's my bread making day in photos: Flour - I used King Arthur's unbleached bread flour - and salt.Dissolved yeast.Everything together.Dough formed.The kneaded dough ready to rise.Three batards shaped and risen.My state-of-the-art unmolding board.The finished-if-not-so-pretty bread.

Sunday Dinner
2008-02-24 18:32:00
This was actually a few weeks ago. Today I'm cheating and making easy chili and cornbread. I may take photos, but it's not really different than anyone else's recipe, I bet!Herbed Roast Pork and GravyRoasted Garlic Mashed PotatoesWilted Baby Spinach with Honey and BaconApple Cobbler Pork roast, thyme and rosemary. Salt and pepper the roast first--rub it all over well. Chop the herbs and cover the roast with those as well. The roast seared on all sides and ready for the oven. Roasting garlic--3 cloves in a small square of tin foil. Wrap up and toss in a 400 degree F oven for about 20 minutes until soft. Mash well before adding to potatoes. The mashed potatoes with roasted garlic added--these are Yukon Gold. Spinach with bacon and honey. This was really yummy--even if the photo is blurry. Another blurry-but-yummy - the pork roast gravy. I didn't get a photo of the finished roast or the cobbler, but they were sure good!
More About: Dinner , Sunday

Stocks 101, Part 2 - Chicken and Vegetable
2008-02-22 23:03:00
We've covered brown stock and the resulting brown sauce, let's move on to chicken stock and the vegetable stock I used for the Mushroom Stroganoff. Stocks are classified as "white" or "brown". Anything can be used for either type. If the bones and mirepoix I used for the brown beef stock had not been roasted first, the stock would be called "white beef stock". Chicken stock is almost always a "white" stock, and vegetable stock is also usually "white". The vegetable stock I made was to be used expressly for a vegetarian stroganoff, so I made it brown by roasting the vegetables first.This is how that went: The correct mise en place for vegetable stock is the veggies above and the sachet shown, which is slightly different than a standard sachet. A teaspoon of fennel seed and a few whole cloves were added. The veggies are: 1 large carrot, 2 stalks celery, 1 medium onion, 2 medium leeks, 1 medium turnip, 1/2 small cabbage, 1/2 cup fresh parsley, 1/4 cup tomato paste and 3 garlic cloves...
More About: Vegetable , Part