A Year of Cooking with Anne

Here is a list of some of my favorite and most memorable moments from my third year here at Cooking with Anne:

The Cornbread Gospels Book Review - I just love this book and think it deserves another look.


Because falling three stories and nearly dying wasn't enough for my husband... HERE.


Book Review: 101 Easy Peasy Cookie Recipes . Made cookies from this two days ago - again. You really need this book.

Simon and Garfunkel Roast Chicken. No need to say more on this.


Stock and sauce making 101 - chicken, vegetable, beef and brown.


Cooking with Anne gets a new look.


Nacho Mama's Tortilla Soup


Butterflied Shrimp on Coconut Risotto with Avocado, Lime and Cilantro Cream


I get a lot of hits in for this: Puerto Rican Rice and Beans


Mango Egg Rolls with Cardamom Devonshire Cream


More hits than anything else: Sweetie Pie's Macaroni and Cheese


Making Cream Puffs


Tostones


Fried Squash Blossoms


The Cooking with Anne Video


I turned 40


Making Pasta


My New Blog - A Thousand Soups


Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Whoopie Pies

Not a bad year considering all that's gone on. Looking forward to my fourth wonderful year with you all!

Veggie Wednesday: The Lehigh Valley Food Co-op

Did you know there was a food co-op in the works for the Lehigh Valley? Good stuff, isn't it? I am reprinting here (with permission) the most recent email from the LVFC Board of Directors. If you're interested in a food co-op here, or you know of someone who is, please take a moment and read this through. Thanks!

Hello All,

We, the Board of Directors, have been working hard to get the Lehigh Valley Food Co-op up and running. We apologize for the length of this letter, but there is a lot of ground to cover. Some good things are about to happen!

Contents:

1) A Change of Strategy

2) Our Model

3) How it will work

4) How you can help



1) A Change of Strategy

For several reasons we have decided to change strategies. Rather than pursue an immediate opening of a storefront, we believe it wiser and more fiscally-responsible to take things one step at a time. What does that mean? The opening of a virtual farmers’ market where members can order online and pick up healthy and local food at a site near their home.


Do we still want a storefront? Absolutely. Why then are we not attempting to open one immediately? First of all, it would mean at least six more months of work before any storefront opens its doors. Secondly, with the economy in its present state and considering that we have a widely-dispersed membership, we think it better to begin at a point that will not put us in a significant amount of debt. Lastly, it has always been a part of our vision to service the entire Lehigh Valley; the virtual farmers’ market is a way to do that.



2) Our Model

The model we intend to imitate can be found at www.oklahomafood.coop. This model will help us establish relationships with our members and our member-producers while we raise capital for a physical store-front. Check it out and let us know what you think. We are retooling our business plan to include this model. We are working on our website to include a shopping cart; we anticipate that it will be up and running by the end of February.



3) How it will work

Members will be able to order once per week online through the Virtual Farmers' Market. Each Producer will have their place on the website for members to shop. We aim to have Fruits, Veggies, Meat, Poultry/eggs, Dairy, Bulk Foods, Personal care products, Household/paper goods, and Artisan items. Purchased items will be delivered weekly to an operation center in Macungie. They will be separated according to member and drop-off site. Members will pick up their food from a choice of several pick-up sites, located across the Lehigh Valley. We aim to make this convenient for people's work schedules. For those who cannot pick up their orders, we hope to allow for a direct drop-off (home delivery), albeit with some extra charge.



4) How you can help


Take a survey!

As we would like this part of the Co-op to be representative of your wants and needs, please take this survey about the Virtual Farmers’ Market:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=ldL9TQvKCX60glEIDEl9gQ_3d_3d



Donations are now tax-deductible!

We have been approved by the Board of Directors of the Alliance for Sustainable Communities to have them be our fiscal agent for like-minded sustainable community efforts. The Alliance has agreed to oversee grants and tax-deductible donations given to the Lehigh Valley Food Co-op that are aligned with their purpose.


Drop-off Locations!

If you know of a place that would like to be a drop-off location, we would like to know!


Lastly, we welcome anyone with time or ideas to share.


Thanks for your patience,

The Board of Directors
Lehigh Valley Food Co-op
www.lehighvalleyfoodco-op.com
610-965-6198.

Chorizo Eggs

Here's a good in-between-holidays dish. It's not very heavy, uses few ingredients and doesn't contain turkey OR ham. Really, some of us just can't take any more leftover recipes. Chorizo can be purchased either cooked - where the consistency is close to pepperoni - or uncooked like any other sausage. I used uncooked for this one, but I really prefer the cooked sticks of chorizo. Go with what you like.

Chorizo Eggs
Serves 3-4
Printable Recipe

8 eggs - beaten
1/2 pound ground chorizo
1/4 cup sliced green onion (aka scallions or spring onions)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat and brown chorizo. Drain if needed and add eggs, cheese and onion. Stir until eggs are cooked but not dry. Serve with warmed flour tortillas.

Win Ferrero Chocolates and Help Fight Hunger

Ferrero Chocolates and Share Our Strength, a leading hunger-relief organization have teamed up for the second year in a row with Share Something Sweet to help fight hunger.

So far this year Ferrero has donated $150,000 to Share our Strength and is offering the chance to the rest of us to add to it. Simply log on to Share Something Sweet and send a customizable e-card to friends or family and Ferrero will donate $1 per e-card sent, up to $10,000. You can alos log-in to Facebook and for each person that joins the Ferrero Facebook page, "Ferrero Lovers Unite", Ferrero will donate yet another $1 to Share our Strength (up to $1,000).

Click on the links above to help get Ferrero up to their goal!

Here's the truly sweet part, for each person who clicks out of this page to any one of the links above (yes, I can check that you have done so) AND leaves a comment, he or she will be in the running for one of two Ferrero Chocolate Christmas Tree gift boxes! Sweet.

PLEASE leave your email so I can contact you if you are the winner. Contest ends at 12:00 AM January 1st, 2009!

Veggie Wednesday: Zōe's Granola

Zōe Foods may be small, but they're packing some serious flavor and goodness. Take their granola's for example; We taste-tested all three flavors - Cranberries Currants, Honey Almond and Cinnamon Raisin.

Unlike other granolas, which are mostly made up of oats, nuts and dried fruit, Zōe's has these great little soy crisps and rice crisps that make the crunch a whole different experience. Not only is the flavor and crunch awesome, these granolas are chock-full of protein, fiber and Omega-3's, low in sodium and wheat and dairy free.

Here's a tiny excerpt from a conversation I had with my 7 year-old daughter over breakfast one morning:

Katie: Why does the box say, "All Day Energy"?

Me: Because it has a lot of stuff in it that's good for you.

Katie: But, it tastes good!

Exactly.

Try out Zōe's for yourself at www.zoefoods.com , online at Amazon.com or at the retailers listed HERE.