Simple recipes, beautiful table

Anni Ford considers her table as a canvas for providing well-cooked meals and welcoming guests with beautiful tablescapes.

“I love crafty things, things to look cute. When I set my table, not that I'm Martha Stewart, but I get really creative,” the Lake Zurich resident said. That goes for friendly gatherings and family dinners.

To be creative but frugal, Anni said she travels into her yard, incorporating pine branches or perennial flowers into tablescapes. She wants guests to not rush but spend time together.

“Having a pretty table and thinking about the whole picture, that is what I try to do,” she said. “I think my friends and family love it. I know they do. I love it.”

Just as her centerpieces have evolved through the years, so has her cooking. Yet the two share a common theme: simplicity.

“I used to look at recipes and make all these things and I'd be cooking when people came. Now I know better. I have a plan in my head, so I can enjoy my time with company too and so we can all sit down together,” she said.

While many recipes were handed down from her parents or her husband, Jeff's, family, Anni admits many cannot be found on recipe cards but in her mind, coming together as she faces the stove. This is just as true whether she pulls together a potato dish or concocts a spice rub for meat.

“A lot of it comes from my head. I like cooking over baking because you have to be more exact when baking,” Anni said. “Just like when I go outside, I think what can I do. That is how I am.”

While the ingredient list may be daunting, Anni shares the recipe for a Texas-style cowboy ribs that involves no complicated techniques.

“The simple sauce was a hit with my family,” she said. “My two sons-in-law and husband couldn't get enough, and when asked, this is a dish they want for a meal.”

She also likes to prepare ahead of time her baked potato casserole. Anni said if she makes the casserole the same morning, she does not refrigerate it but covers with foil and pops in the oven for 30 minutes before serving.

“The garlic cloves add such a great flavor,” she added. “We always used garlic in our mashed potatoes, long before they were popular in restaurants.”

With experience, Anni said she's learned to make meals special so they can be simple.

“You can still serve a wonderful meal and enjoy your guests and the food you have made.”