BIZZY BAKES

I  know this is a strange name for a salmon dish but it is the duck sauce that made this into such an enjoyable meal. I have to preface this by saying, I don't usually buy duck sauce, not that there is anything wrong with it, but I like to make my own marinades and sauces and usually do.  My daughter, on the other hand, keeps buying large bottles of the stuff and when I last looked, I found three bottles on the shelf.  It is time to use it up after having a talk with her about duck sauce.  She tends to collect mayonnaise also.  Did I deprive her as a child? When I was making my salmon, I was thinking a honey-mustard marinade.  When, I opened the refrigerator door, I  saw a bottle of opened duck sauce.  Wonder who put it there?  Not me. I changed my choice of recipe and took out the duck sauce.  I made a great salmon with it and some crumbs. Duck Sauce Salmon ( adapted from allrecipes - recipe using mustard instead of d...

Pasta is like a chameleon.  You can disguise it easily with the extras, you include in a recipe.  You can add meat and make it a main course.  Vegetables go for a main or side.  It can be used as a salad and even as a dessert.  In this case, I used it as a side but I would use it as a main with a salad made up of greens and tomatoes. I had some mushrooms and scallions, I wanted to use and this became the disguise this pasta was going to wear.  When, I searched for cheese, I came up with an unlikely choice, gouda.  I love gouda and in my most humble opinion, I think you can add it to anything. This is an easy meal to make and to eat so throw it together and sit down with the family and friends and enjoy it. Pasta and Mushrooms Ingredients: 1/2 pound pasta of choice 1 tablespoon oil 3 baby belles mushrooms, rough chopped 2 button mushrooms, rough chopped 1 cup scallions, chopped 1 cup Gouda, shredded or chopped salt an...

This is another old recipe.  I do hope we have power and I can add some of  my new dishes. I had some leftover brown rice from a fried rice recipe.  It was not enough for a family dish but enough for a few of us. I fooled around with it until I got to a point of hope, hope that there would be a dish for us to share.  I think, the end results turned this into a kugel. Apple Rice Kugel Ingredients: 1 1/4 cups uncooked brown rice 2 tablespoon Canola Oil or Olive Oil 2 1/2 cups  applesauce 1 cup gluten-free brown rice flour or all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 2 eggs 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 2 medium apples, peeled and diced 1/4 cup packed brown sugar or 1/8 cup honey 1  teaspoon ground cinnamon Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 2 quart baking dish. Cook rice according to package directions. Combine cooked rice,  oil, applesauce, flour, baking powder, eggs, spice, brown sugar and cinnamon....

We are expecting to lose power, if we get hit, as predicted. I am working on leaving a few recipes to pop up, the next few days. I am also going to set up the linky for the Recipe Box but I won't have time to put last week's wonderful recipes up. I will try to make it up, another week, when the sun is shining and the winds are sleeping. It is amazing to write this when right now, it is quiet and calm. Blame it on the weather man. Over the years, I have made a variety of corn dishes, puddings, kugels, pies and the likes. If it is corn, by definition, it is good. I came upon this recipe in a magazine whose page is on the left of me. I tore it out, never worrying where the recipe came from. After all, I have the page. On this page is no sign of which magazine it is. Fortunately, the recipes come from John Besh's book so I can give the original source with my apologies to whatever magazine, I was looking at. Sweet Corn Pudding - adapted from John Besh - My Famil...

I have always prided myself on being honest, to a fault, and I mean that.  I have gotten myself into trouble because, I couldn't lie. I remember going to a planning meeting and I made a comment which I knew my boss would not approve of.  (He was not there.)  I said it for clarification reasons.  Of course, it went back to him.  The next day, at work, I was talking to him, in his office and he commented on the particular remark and asked me, who said it?"  I told him that I did.  It did not improve our relationship. That is me, good or bad, I find it almost impossible to lie.  Sure, if someone asks, if I like the dress they are wearing and I don't, I don't blurt that out.  I say something positive.  "I love that color."  "What pretty buttons."  "A great length." If someone asks me about  someone else's private life, I would never share the information, and usually I can say, just that but there are times, I...

  I am sure, I am not the only one, who finds wonderful ways to cook squash, in particular butternut squash.  Eating chunks of it plain is good, adding a little something can be better and when I say little, that is what I mean. I took a peeled squash and separated the part with the seeds from the narrow part.  I then, using my peeler, made thin strips of squash from the outside of the part with seeds (the base?).  All I did, after that, was to put them in a bowl with about two tablespoons of maple syrup.  The result was pure deliciousness.      Ingredients: 1 butternut squash half, peeled in long strips 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup Method: Grease a small baking dish. Mix maple syrup and squash strips. Place in baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, until squash is completely cooked.  

I had an urge for chocolate and had nothing in the house (good for me).  I decided to dip some dried apricots into melted chocolate.  These are easy to make and delicious. Ingredients: 15 dried apricots 1/2 cup melted chocolate chips Method: In microwave, place chocolate chips in a glass measuring cup or small bowl.  Run on half speed, checking every 30 seconds.  Mine melted in one minute.  When chocolate is soft enough to mix into a smooth and glistening chocolate, remove and mix until smooth and creamy. Dip apricot into melted chocolate and place on  wax paper on a plate.  Place plate in refrigerator to set.  Take out and eat and have a delightful treat.

I woke up this morning, with good intentions, to accomplish all that was needed.  I had my mental list ready and clear, in my head.  One of the items was to make soup, for dinner, to serve with leftovers.  Instead, I marked sets of papers, for my class, wrote lesson plans, wrote a letter to my "class parents"and made up homework sheets and quizzes as well as creating a vocabulary list, for the week.  By the time, I finished, I had not changed the linen, made soup or did the wash.  All are waiting for me, at this time, except for the soup, which may be made on another day. After work, I did not feel like chopping and blending so I looked through my file of recipes that I want to make, now or in the future and came across this cauliflower dish.  The idea of a barbecue sauce intrigued me and my gut told me we would hate it or love it.  Fortunately, we loved it. I had no fresh cauliflower so I used frozen.  I cut the roasting down a few m...

I have an oven that you can set to time out after a certain amount of time and I use that, almost every time, I use the oven.  It gives me a chance not to burn my cakes and other dishes.  I have a nasty habit of putting something in the oven and walking away to do the wash or mark papers.  Without the timer, I don't have a chance of true success in my baking. In the recent months, there were a few times, I forgot to set the timed feature and berated myself for such carelessness.  After this happened several times, I decided, it could not be me and had to be the oven.  I mentioned it to my hubby who checked and said, it appeared the oven was working just fine. Friday, when I was making these root vegetables, I came back to well cooked vegetables with some blackened parts.  This time, I knew I had set the timer.  Proof came Friday night when I set the timer for dinner to go off in an hour.  My daughter went to get the first oven course and ...

I had leftovers from last night, my Spinach Pasta bake, posted on My Sweet and Savory , but not enough to feed us both.  It is a little difficult to think of food items to replace meat and fish.  Since we had salmon, twice this week, that was not an option and after eating so much meat, over the holidays, that was also, not an option.  Pasta, additionally, was on the "no-no" list, since I want to lose the few pounds, I gained over the holidays.   I was walking through the store for inspiration and nothing happened.  I could not come up with a substitute that appealed to me.  I went home and found my lovely eggplant and I now had dinner.  I made a new recipe, different from any eggplant, I had previously made. Eggplant Casserole   1 medium eggplant, peeled, sliced into ¼ inch slices 3/4 cup mayonnaise 3/4 cup Tortilla crumbs 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated 1 ounce tomato sauce Method: 1. Spread mayonnaise on bo...

Do you remember a time when you cooked a meal, simply because it was dinner time?  You wanted spaghetti so you boiled up some pasta, opened a jar of Marinara sauce and served it with a side dish, maybe a side dish.  You didn't worry about the dish, it was placed in, or how it was placed.  You didn't clean up, some sauce that spotted the plate, you just ate it, spot and all. You selected pasta because that is what sounded good and not because you hadn't had a creative pasta dish, in a long while or because you had to make as dish for the cooking group you belong to.  You didn't take notes as you cooked so you had the exact amount of ingredients and you stretched your mind to see what spice, you could add, to make it even more interesting. Gee, you didn't even think of a quaint or unique name to give it so it would grab the attention of other food bloggers.  Oh my, you didn't have your camera on hand to take photos and then tell everyone to wait while you ...

I decided to make this because it was done completely on the stove but as I worked with the ingredients, I decided, it should really bake, at least, at the end of the cooking.  Plopping the cheese on top in a skillet did not sound as appealing as baking it with the cheese on top. Almost A Skillet Dinner Ingredients 1 teaspoon olive oil 1 small onion, chopped 8 ounces  sauce (Marinara or a tomato based sauce) 2 cups uncooked gluten-free fettucini 1 cup water 1/2 cup chopped zucchini 1/2 cup  ricotta cheese 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and cook the onions until translucent. Stir in the sauce, noodles, water and zucchini.  Heat until water is boiling. Lower heat and let simmer for 10 -12 minutes.  Regular pasta needs less cooking than gluten-free. Transfer cooked noodle mixture to ...

My husband was describing what he wanted for lunch and it sounded good.  Basically, it was potatoes, eggs and cheese.  I started on my merry way, frying the potatoes and realized it was going to take too long so I poured out the potatoes and oil into a baking dish and put it, into the microwave and that changed everything.  I ended up baking this in the oven with Mexican spices and a Mexican cheese blend and voila, I had lunch as asked but different. Baked Mexican Omelet Ingredients: 2 - 3 medium potatoes ( peeled and sliced in two directions so you have what looks like French Fries. ) 2 teaspoons of olive oil 1 teaspoon parsley 1/2 teaspoon Mexican chili (spice) 1/2 cup Mexican cheese blend 5 Egg Beaters Method: Heat oil in large skillet and put potato pieces in skillet.  Cook until lightly browned and cooked through OR take them out  partially cooked , place in a greased baking pan,  and microwave for 2 -3 minutes until cooked through. ...

I love Mark Bittman.  I have three of his cookbooks and without a doubt, I can find answers for all my cooking questions, in one of them.  I, also find the recipes, I want to make.  This time, I used The Food Matters Cookbook.   I had four mangoes, in the house, and nothing planned for them so I looked up mangoes in the book and there was a crisp, waiting to be made. I have made many types of crisps but never a mango crisp.  This was a happy recipe.  You can sub in other fruits in the recipe.  I am going to add blueberries to the mango, next time, I make it. Mango Crisp adapted from Mark Bittman’s The Food Matters Cook Book Ingredients: 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) margarine, softened, plus more for greasing the pan. 2 tablespoons Canola oil 1 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 cup gluten-free flour mixture 1/2 cup rolled oats (old fashioned, not quick cooking) pinch of...

I don't use two vegetables enough in my cooking.  They are corn and carrots.  I adore corn in almost any form from eating it almost raw to incorporating it, into a casserole.  Carrots, I do use, in soup and salads but not enough as the star of a dish.  In this recipe, the carrot is certainly the lead character in the loaf. This looks like a bread but it is not . It is a kugel which means it is closer to a pudding than anything else. If you look closely, you can see it is wet inside which is what it should be.  It can be made round, square or rectangular as well as in a loaf. Carrot Kugel Loaf - Source: The Kosher Palette - Serves: About 6 4 large carrots, mashed 1 cup gluten-free flour 3/4 cup honey 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 cup oil or apple sauce 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract cinnamon is optional (1/2 teaspoon) Method: Mash carrots. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. To th...

I wanted a pretty salad for dinner, tonight, besides one, we like.  I decided thin sliced radishes would do the trick as well as add a bite to the greens.  In reality, this is your basic salad but I replaced tomato with radish and added celery and carrots.  I was going to add cheese but we had a cheesy dinner. Greens and Radish Salad Ingredients: 1 head of romaine lettuce 5 radishes sliced very thin (used mandolin) 1 carrot, sliced very thin 1 stalk celery, sliced very thin Dressing: (adapted from Meatless Meals for Meat Eaters) Go see Miriam for her other recipes here. 1/8 cup grapeseed oil (use any one of choosing) 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 teaspoon sesame oil 1 tablespoon honey 1 1/2 teaspoons white wine vinegar 1 teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon orange juice 1 teaspoon minced onion 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1/8 teaspoon salt Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk until, there is a smooth dressing.  Pour over salad and mix gently.

We just arrived home from out of town, where we spent the last days of the holidays.  It is bedtime so I am going to quickly put up the linky and ask for your understanding, for the last minute, incomplete posting. Linked to Wordless Wednesdays

I found this recipe at Allrecipes . com.  It appealed to me because it included a number of vegetables.  I had planned to make a stir fry but this persuaded me to make a salad.  I added additional honey since the consensus of opinion was that it needed toning down.  I had too much liquid for the amount, I made, and drained some out. Spicy Bok Choy Slaw (adapted) Ingredients: 1 head bok choy, finely shredded 1 cucumber, finely shredded 3 carrots, peeled and finely shredded 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar 1/4 cup coarse-grain brown mustard 1/4 cup soy sauce 2 tablespoons honey 1/8 teaspoon shredded ginger black pepper to taste Method:  Place the shredded bok choy, cucumber, carrots, and cherry peppers into a large salad bowl.  (I shredded the vegetables in my food processor.) Pour  the apple cider vinegar, brown mustard, soy sauce, and honey into a small bowl and mix well. Pour the dressing over the vegetables...

It seems to me that cooking has opened new doors to the modern cook.  We mix and match our ingredients in ways, we never did before.  My personal challenge is using the wonderful mango in a number of recipes, in ways that are not presently popular.  I have found, anything I add mangoes to, is enriched by its presence.  To clarify, this is my second pancake recipe using mangoes.  Usually, the fruit seems to be made into a topping for the pancake.  I like them inside the pancake. This morning, I took one of my basic recipes, added a little almond extract and cinnamon and of course the mango.  Made these up and served with maple syrup.  We filled ourselves with good coffee and pancakes. Mango Pancakes Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups gluten-free brown rice flour mix 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon sugar or honey 1/4 teaspoon almond extract 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1 1/4 cups milk  (Coconut milk would be better) 1 egg 3 tablespoons oil 1...

This is the second time I have thought I should write a book called, My Romance with Squash.  Each time, I bring home a new squash, I fall in love again.  I have had a crush on Butternut Squash for many years and this dish may have been the fulfillment of my dreams, easy to make and just right to eat with a slight sweetness that gives it charm. Roasted Butternut Squash Ingredients: 2 medium sized butternut squash 2 large sweet potatoes 1 - 3 tablespoons of  olive oil 1 tablespoon of honey 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or a few drops of hot sauce mixed with the honey Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place parchment paper on large cookie sheet. Cut butternut squash and sweet potatoes into cubes about one half inch in size. In a bowl, mix together the oil, honey, cayenne and cubes.  Make sure, all the cubes are coated. Spread the cubes of squash and sweet potatoes on parchment covered pans. Bake for 1 hour or until the cubes are soft enough to ...

For the holidays, I look for new and interesting recipes that use the vegetables , available to me.  I discovered a new place for good solid recipes, The Kosher Channel .  This is an adaptation of a winter vegetable recipe.  I placed the words, Sukkot recipes, in my search engine and I was expecting certain sites to appear and they did and this one also did.   It is not that their recipes are strictly unique but they are good solid recipes which can be adapted easily, yet keep the true nature of the dish.  For example, my major change to this recipe was to use mashed potatoes instead of shredded tomatoes and to increase the quantity of potatoes. These are crispy on the outside and soft in the inside and delicious all over. Vegetable Potato Fritters Ingredients: 3 huge potatoes, peeled and mashed 2 zucchini, shredded (all the following vegetables went into the food processor. 2 carrots, peeled and finely shredded 2 parsnips, peeled and finely shredd...