BIZZY BAKES

When I first got married, I used to make a carrot soufflé, often and it was one of our favorites.  I don’t remember the recipe except that it called for beaten egg whites and they terrified me, completely.  Fortunately, we do get the opportunity to further our expertise in cooking and now, I can beat egg whites, without trembling. As I think about it, it must have been a big deal for me to make this dish and conquer, momentarily my fear of separating eggs and beating the whites.  I was one of those newly marrieds who knew nothing about cooking and before you say, “Me too,” keep in mind, I did not know how to make instant coffee or spaghetti (plain).  I know my Mom cooked but I have no memories of us bonding over a mixing bowl or a hot flame.   When my oldest daughter was young, I always baked with her and her friends and wondered about those mothers who did not.  One day, it hit me; this was my rebellion against my mother.  She did nothing wrong b...

I guess you are wondering how potatoes could have personality.  Think about it.  You eat a baked potato.  You have a solid potato, not particular sociable but responsible and likable.  Then, there are those favorite mashed potatoes, warm and cuddly.  Personality is warm and friendly and everyone likes them.  Oh me, French fries are independent souls, staying with their neighbors but holding themselves to the side.  Some are just too pompous for me, thinking their length determines how superior they are.  They are not well liked.  Think about other types of potato dishes and what personalities they have. Potatoes with Personality (these are the most popular potatoes -- they always have friends over and they love company and going places) 1 onion, chopped 2 teaspoon margarine 2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed 4 carrots, sliced 1/4 cup whipped topping (believe it or not - it replace sour cream, which I did not have) salt to taste c...

Let's have fun!  Kristen from Frugal Antics of a Frustrated Housewife tagged me to share a Mothers' Day Menu.  When you are done her, stop by her place and check out her menu.  You will find some edible delights.  At the end of my list, I will pass this on to ten other foodies.  If you can't do it, at this time, I will suggest what Kristen suggested, use it for Father's Day, if possible. Now, what will I serve? Let's start with Mini Cornbread Puddings Ricotta Pancakes with Spiced Apples  Gefilte Fish Puffs Brown Sugar Baked Salmon     Crustless Pizza  Desserts Cherry Baby Bundts   Apple Strawberry Crisp Delicious, trust me. Pavlova - I must make this again soon.   Mile High Chocolate Pie  I know, I am heavy on dessert but this is my Mothers' Day Brunch.  I love salads even though they are not here. Now, I turn this over to you.  The recipes must already be on your blogs.  You should list between 5 and 10. I no...

Since, I have closed down Chaya's Comfy Cook, I am moving my group recipes from Craving Ellie in My Belly  (CEiMB) .  For those of you, who are new to this group, we are cooking Ellie Krieger recipes from her two books, So Easy and The Food You Crave.  Ellie known for healthy eating and the group has found that most of her recipes are easy and delicious.  We make everything from main dishes, sides, salads, soup, to desserts, baked goods and drinks and anything I may have left out.  You might want to join in with us and if so, stop by the site and sign up.   The group is composed of the nicest people and there is an active core. This week, we made Asian Noodle Bowl.  I looked at the long list of ingredients and moaned but found out quickly, each was easy to locate and to work with.  The recipe calls for three items, I changed.  Instead of soba noodles or wheat spaghetti, I used gluten free  thin rice noodle (not the usual rice noodles bu...

I don't know about you but I know that two of my favorite vegetables are sweet potatoes and butternut squash.  Can you imagine the magic of putting the two together?  The dish was soft, smooth and sweet.  It mashed up beautifully.  All I added was some maple syrup and a bit of cinnamon - yum. The "difficult" part was cutting the vegetables with a knife that is less than good.  It took a lot of strength to get it to cut through but success was, at hand.  It must have looked like a comedy in action, with me going from one cutting tool to another, making little progress.  When, I succeeded with a piece, you heard my cheer, wherever you were.  That slowed me down and hopefully knocked off some calories. Preparing for this holiday is cutting and cutting and browning and boiling and more chopping.  I think, I once said that I find this therapeutic.  I love using the bench scraper to chop and slice and when I could, I did use it.  Unfo...

I had a piece of baked salmon left from the Sabbath and knew I had to use it, quickly.  I was browsing through recipes that interested me and hit upon Bittman’s vegetable pancakes.       These looked great and I thought of them as a side to the salmon until a light bulb went on and I decided to add the baked salmon into the pancakes.  Bittman leaves you a lot of choice in these recipes and I ended up choosing potatoes, zucchini, carrot, and onion.  I also added some frozen corn and frozen peas. Vegetable Pancakes, adapted from Mark Bittman ( I think Food Matters)  Ingredients: About 1 1/2 pounds grated vegetables, peeled first if necessary (3 cups packed), and squeezed dry 1/2 small onion, grated; or 4 scallions 1 egg 1/4 cup corn meal Salt and freshly ground black pepper Olive or vegetable oil or butter for greasing the pan Grate the vegetable or vegetables with the grating disk of a food processor. Squeeze out the liquid.  Save for s...