BIZZY BAKES

Our Donna Hay group usually leaves the fifth week of a month free or we do our own thing.  This month, Kayte invited any of us, who would like to cook this spinach dish with her.  The dish is easy to make and it mainly spinach so how could I pass it up? I used baby spinach instead of "the momma spinach" so my spinach was much shorter than shown in Donna's book.  It looked beautiful with long strips of spinach The recipe comes from Modern Classics 1 by Donna Hay.  There are very few ingredients and yet it tastes great.  This makes a lovely side dish.   I also placed it under a piece of salmon and served it as an appetizer. I am not sure how many of the members made this recipe but be assured, they will have something interesting on their blogs so if you have a minute, drop in on  Gaye , M argaret ,   Sarah  and Kayte  .    I thought you might be interested in what we plan to make in August.  If you like w...

We are not hot dog eaters but, in the summer, there is always a package in the freezer for last minute barbecues, just like there is chopped meat and chicken cutlets.  With some potatoes and salad, we can throw a  party together in minutes. Today, I found three packages with a total of 4 hot dogs in the freezer.  Time for a new package and to get rid of these.  So for dinner, we had hot dogs (in place of sausages) and bell peppers.  I stuffed a gluten free hot dog roll with lots of caramelized onions, three different colored peppers, seasoning and of course, the hot dog.  My hubby was about to get the mustard but I strongly suggested not to.  The vegetables blended with the seasoning and added enough flavor that we would not want the mustard to dilute it.  We ate it with a green salad with tomatoes from the garden and we were perfectly content.  Don't forget the glass or orange juice. Peppers and Dogs ( the hot dogs were chicken dogs ) ...

This week is being dedicated to school.  There is lots of prep work to do and it would be nice to get some of the more technical paper work, out of the way, and leave the more interesting planning for right before school starts. I am hoping the week's recipes are more exciting then the paper work. They certainly sound interesting to me. Sunday - wedding Monday - Sausage and Peppers Tuesday - Baked Spaghetti Wednesday - Vegetable Lasagna Thursday - Salmon Corn Cakes Friday - Chicken and Cabbage Saturday - Chulent Check out Menu Plan Monday for lots of great ideas.

I should call this, "My Love Affair with Brussels Sprouts," but that would be unfair to bok choy and spinach.  Spinach is the best in my opinion.  I have made three recipes with a bit of sweet added to the vegetable it makes a major difference. Brussels Sprouts in Onion Honey Sauc e Ingredients: 12- 15 brussels sprouts 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 large white onion, quartered and sliced thin 1/4 cup vegetable broth 2 garlic cloves, finely minced 1 1/2 tablespoons honey 1  tablespoon Dijon mustard  1  1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar, start with 3 then add more if desired salt and pepper Method: Boil brussels sprouts for 7 - 10 minutes or until tender. In large skillet, heat olive oil and saute onions for 7-9 minutes.  Add garlic and saute for another 2 minutes. Stir intermittently.    Add the broth, raise the heat to high and cook for approximately 4 minutes until the liquid is reduced by 1/2. Add the mustard, honey, vinegar,and pe...

I  did not expect to enjoy cooking from the Ukraine as much as I am.  I also made this soup with trepidation.  I first had to take into consideration the hot weather which is not soup weather.  Hubby and I had decided, other than cold soups, hot soups would wait until the Fall to be served in our house.  I have even taken a break from making the weekly Sabbath chicken soup. Secondly, meatball soups have never attracted me.  Meatballs in water ...... ugh.  How I did change my mind and hubby's response was, "Don't lose this recipe.  It is the best......" This soup sang in your mouth.  I am not even sure what flavors were coming through.  They just blended into a wondrous concoction.  This would be a five star recipe. Yanka's Ukrainian Meatball-Spinach Soup 2 large eggs 2/3 cup long-grain white rice 1 pound ground lean beef   1/2 cup finely chopped onion 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel 2 tablespoons lemon juice...

This month, Cook Like a Star is cooking recipes from Curtis Stone.  Just click on Curtis Stone recipes and you will find many good sounding recipes. Also, Curtis has written a number of cook books and these too are listed on his site. We would love to have you join us. Contact Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids . This month's hosts are Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids , Baby Sumo from Eat your heart out and Grace from Life can be simple. Show me a fried rice recipe and you will find me in the kitchen.  This is probably my favorite way to make and eat rice.  I have discovered over the years, tricks to make fried rice a little different.  I was curious to find out if Curtis had a trick of his own. Fried Rice Serves 4 Ingredients : 2 3/4 cups water 1 1/2 cups uncooked long grain white rice, rinsed, drained 4 tablespoonsl canola oil, divided 2 large eggs, beaten to blend 4 small carrots (about 4 ounces total), peeled and finely diced Salt and freshly ground blac...

Hey hey, Donna Hay.  It is WwDH and I love cooking her recipes, more each week.  I selected this week's recipe and you might just notice, more and more of my recipes feature brussels sprouts.  I completely forgot to put the almonds on this dish.  Please picture it with almonds. You can find this recipe, Brussels Sprouts with Lemon, Garlic and Almonds here. Even without the almonds, I liked this simple dish.  It balances with most other foods.  It took almost no time to make and I would like to make it often since it is easy and we like it. I have been making lots of brussels sprouts but the last two were sweet, one with maple syrup and now I have one coping up with honey.  This last one is absolutely delicious.  Who would have thought that the sprouts would be good sweet and of course they are tasty as a savory vegetable, such as this one. What did Gaye ,  Margaret , and Kayte make?  Let me introduce Sarah , ou...

The Joy of Kosher site is filled with recipes that work.  They are usually easy to make and so far, every one, I have made has proven to be delicious.  Although the site is kosher, anyone can find recipes there. Spinach Pakura (adapted from Joy of Kosher) Ingredients : 2 cups chopped fresh spinach 1 onion, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 cup brown rice flour  1 teaspoon turmeric 1 teaspoon garam masala 1 green chili (optional) 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1/4 cup oil for frying Method: Mix all ingredients except for the oil in a bowl, add water just enough to moisten. The batter should turn sticky.  Heat oil over high heat in a large skillet. Spoon tablespoonfuls of the batter into the hot oil, flatten with fork. When browned, flip over and cook the other side until brown. Remove to a plate covered with paper towels.    Serve pakora with chutney of choice.  I used a mango chutney and it was scrumptious with the pat...