BIZZY BAKES

Today was my baking day for at least part of Chanukah.  I made both cakes for the party and for our Shabbos (Sabbath) company and of course gluten-free for Hubby.  My son who is coming with his family for Shabbos asked for an apple kugel.  I have made many of these, over the years, and I now know that I like them when they have large chunks of apple inside and lots of it.  Any recipe, I draw on, I alter to fulfill these requirements. Gluten-Free Apple Kugel Ingredients:   3 eggs 1/4 cup oil 1 teaspoon orange juice 1 cup gluten-free flour mixture 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon salt 4 apples, chunked into about 1/2 inch pieces Topping: 1/3 cup white sugar 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1/4 cup gluten free flour (I used brown rice flour.) Method:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.   Grease an 8×8 square baking pan with spray cooking oil. Mix together eggs, oil, brown sugar, and orange juice.   In a separate bowl, combi...

Easy Entertaining is the them of the I Heart Cooking Club - Donna Hay recipes for this week.  I would love to do this one, every week, since Donna makes classy recipes that are easy to make and that is what I want.  After years, of cooking, I faced the truth, I like an immediate response and that is why I look for recipes that are done quickly with a limited amount of effort but with good flavor.  This is the perfect example.  The combination of the chili and pure maple syrup makes this chicken special and I would serve it to guests as well as eat it, like we did on a normal evening. Maple Glazed Chicken     Video is found here. Ingredients: ¼ cup (60ml) maple syrup ¼ cup (60ml) water ½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes (I used m y new sweet and spicy dried spice) ½ teaspoon sea salt flakes ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper 2 x 200g chicken breast fillets, trimmed Method: Place the maple syrup, water, chilli, salt and pepper in a non...

The color is off in this photo and all the others I took.  The soup is not yellow but a cream color. There is nothing like hot soup on a cold night and today was under freezing and it was cold, very cold.  Fortunately for us, this week our Donna Hay group is making a creamy warm potato and leek soup.  It also calls for bacon which we do not eat. As in most of our recipes, Donna calls for ingredients that are accessible or easily subbed for.  This week, besides leeks and potatoes, the recipe called for vegetable broth (actually beef stock), sage, cream and salt and pepper.  I have no idea what she is referring to when she says cream and I used sour cream. I also changed the recipe by using my immersion blender and mixing the soup into a nice creamy consistency.  We love the richness of this soup and we both enjoyed it. Check out Gaye , M argaret , Sarah and Kayte  and see how their soups turned out.

What is the best baked good to make for a new class?  My answer would have been chocolate chip cookies but I had little time before school and could not envision making enough cookies for the class in that time.  Second best would be chocolate chip cake.  This blog is brand new to me and I kind of stumbled over it looking for the simplest recipe, "in the world." Truthfully, I did not expect a lot from this cake.  It was too basic but it would go quickly and the ingredients were easy to come by.  I was surprised that it was very good.  I admit, I filled it with chocolate chips and that certainly made it delicious and I would make it again. Chocolate Chip Cake adapted from Chichos Kitchen Ingredients: 2 sticks butter or margarine, at room temperature 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 4 eggs, at room temperature 1 teaspoon baking powder a pinch of salt 1 bag (10 ounce) chocolate chips 2/3 cup sugar and cinnamon (1 teaspoon cinnamon) M...

I don't often buy beets because I am not sure if I like them.  Last shopping trip, I decided to give them another try.  I adore roasted vegetables which caused me to roast these.  "What is good for the goose is good for the gander."  I know, it doesn't really fit but I wanted to say it.  Roasted Beets Adapted from Ina Garten Ingredients: 3 large beets 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 teaspoon parsley black pepper to taste 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons orange juice Method: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Peel beets and cut into chunks about one half of an inch in size. In a bowl mix the beets with olive oil, black pepper and parsley. Put a sheet of parchment paper on a cookie sheet.  Spread beet mixture over sheet. Roast for 35 minutes.  Next time, I would do it longer to make it crispy.  A few pieces came out really crispy and they were the best of the bunch. Remove from oven.  Put into a baking pan or cassero...

Crustless Pizza – Nigella Lawson This week at I Heart Cooking Clubs , it is pot luck week, when we can select from any of the chefs, the club has already cooked.  I chose Nigella Lawson who I enjoy very much.  Most, I love reading her books.  She has a style of her own using descriptive words that are simply endearing.  She gives us tips that are practical and workable and of course her recipes are really good. I was excited when I came across this recipe. When, I read what was in it and how it was made, I had doubts about it coming out, like pizza, and I was correct. It did turn out to be a delicious dish and I would make it again. Crustless Pizza (adapted from Nigella Kitchen by Nigella Lawson.) Ingredients: 1 egg 2/3 cup gluten-free brown rice mix 1 cup milk Olive oil cooking spray  1 cup Cheddar 1 tomato, sliced thin 3 scallions, chopped 1/2 green pepper, chopped Method: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a small bowl, beat the e...

As a Brooklyn girl, I grew up on knishes, especially potato knishes. We knew hole in the wall places that had the very best knishes. What, I never have had, is a knish made with an egg roll wrapper as the dough, at least I don’t think, I have. I bumped into this recipe. It comes from vision works ……huh? I decided to make it, despite its dubious origins. POTATO-KNISHES  (adapted) Yield: 14 knishes 3 large potatoes, boiled and mashed 1/4 cup plus spray cooking oil 2 chopped scallions 1/8 teaspoon black pepper 7 egg roll wrappers (6-inch squares) 1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the mashed potatoes with 1/2 cup of olive oil, scallions and pepper.   3. Place an egg roll wrapper diagonally on a large cutting board or plate, so it appears diamond-shaped. Place 2 tablespoons of the potato mixture in the center. Fold the top and bottom corners over the filling to meet in the middle, then fold the right and left corners to meet in the mi...

Hey, Hey Donna Hay, what are you dreaming up for us today.  How about Pumpkin and Goat Cheese Pizza?  That is the name of the recipe we from the WWDH group are supposed to be making, this week.  Since I had butternut squash but not pumpkin, I subbed it in, and I am sure it is as good.  This recipe is found in Modern Classics 1 on page 78 and it was chosen by Kayte. Now, this is a strange combination and I am not sure how we feel about it.  It is not that it was not good.  It was simply different and calling it pizza sounds strange.  I used Katz's gluten-free pizza crust for the base....no making my own if I can help it - on a school day.  This was another easy recipe from our gal, Donna. As a Kosher Jew, I could not use meat that was called for and you can see what the other ladies made and how that worked out.  I also did not use thyme.  Yesterday, temptation got the best of me and I bought a new spice called Sweet and Spicy and ...

I had pulled out the Family Circle Annual Recipes for 2009.  I had gotten the book for $5 at a local store,  My thinking was that if I got three good recipes from the book, I have gotten my money's worth.   As I sat, listing the recipes, I wanted to make, I was pretty sure I would do well with the book.  Many recipes stopped me and as I looked more closely, I was happy to add them to the list. I saw a recipe for Spaghetti Pie.  I have made, over the years, a number of spaghetti pies and I thinkm, we loved every one of them.  This one was completely different from those so I had to give it a shot. Hubby and I made this together.  I enjoy cooking but sharing it with my best friend is loads of fun.  Hubby really enjoyed this.  I did not like the crumbs for a coating.  I do like crumbs mixed in with pasta though. Spaghetti Pie  (adapted from Family Circle) Ingredients: 1/4 cup  tortilla chip crumbs 1 cup shredded mo...

This month, the Kosher Connection is recognizing the odd combination of Thanksgiving and Chanukah.  It is a once in a lifetime event that the two coincide and people are having a blast preparing food that covers both holidays.  The kosher cooks have their challenge to come up with appropriate food for the holiday.   I made Turkey-Mashed Potato Burgers with Cranberry Stuffing Cups.  That would cover the turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and turkey.  As far as I am concerned, the burgers could have shared the honors with mashed sweet potatoes.   Cranberry Stuffing Cups - Gluten-Free Ingredients: 1/4 cup chopped onion 1/4 cup chopped celery 1 - 2 tablespoons oil 6 cups seasoned bread cubes (gluten-free challah or white bread) 1/2 cup dried cranberries ½ teaspoon dried thyme 1 egg, beaten 1 cup organic vegetable broth Salt and pepper to taste  Method: Preheat oven to 350º F. Lightly coat a 12 cup muffin pan with nonstick spra...

   When I first made this, I was in a rush and looked around the kitchen, happy to see a small butternut squash on the counter.  The beauty of soup is that you can throw some good ingredients together and quickly have something delicious.  That is what I did. Just as I found the squash, a look in the refrigerator, showed me the yogurt and applesauce.  The cupboard hosted the vanilla and honey and I almost always have a drawer full of onions.  Lining these up on the counter, I knew this was going to be a good soup. This kind of soup is why I love my immersion blender.  It came with a mini food processor and was a new item for me.  I was not sure, I would find use for it but it has become a necessity along with my mandolin and bench scraper.  I pull these out almost daily and they make working in the kitchen, much more enjoyable. Vanilla Butternut Soup Ingredients : 1 small butternut squash, mashed 1 small onion, chopped 2 teaspoons oli...

This week at I Heart Cooking Club , we are making tarts, and I knew immediately, I would make a savory one.  Donna has the easiest tarts to make.  A while back, I made an apple one and it was delicious and a cinch to make.  So was this.  This was supposed to be an asparagus and ricotta tart but I used cauliflower for the vegetable.  I gobbled down (I hope not really) two of these tarts, enjoying every bite.  The cheese was creamy and the cauliflower crunchy - marvelous combination.  I want to try this with the asparagus and also with spinach and broccoli and so many other vegetables. It is a quick and easy lunch and two filled me up. I love Donna Hay. cauliflower and ricotta tarts - Donna Hay (adapted) Ingredients: 1 sheet sheet puff pastry, thawed ¾ cup fresh ricotta 1 teaspoon basil  cracked black pepper to taste 2 cups cauliflower florets, chunked olive oil, for brushing  Method: Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Cut out f...

Here we are again and this week Gaye chose our dish, cole slaw.  I have never made a cole slaw like this.  I left out the capers and since I don't use raw eggs, I mixed a bit of may with the white wine vinegar.  What impressed me the most was the radishes.  They seemed out of place but when I mixed them into the cabbage they blended beautifully.  Certainly, the add a nice color and texture to the slaw.  I also did not make cabbage wedges since I already had, in the refrigerator, a bag of shredded cabbage. I served this with chicken burgers and potato kugel and this rounded it off and brought in the healthy side of the meal. This recipe came from Modern Classics 1 and is found on page 46.  I have two of Donna's books and a list of others, I want to own.  There are many good recipes on her site so anyone can cook from her collection.  We welcome anyone who would like to join us.  Let us know and we will send you the list of recipes...

My husband has his moments when he is not subtle and today was one of them.  Emails and phone calls all mentioned that this is the season for soup, nice hot soup.  When he called before dinner and I told him, I was having leftovers, his comment was, "Have I told you how good soup is in this weather?"  Yes, he certainly had. What I did not tell him was that bubbling, on the stove, was a pot of rich delicious vegetable soup with spicy meatballs.  (not very spicy since that is not to his liking)  Needless to say, I had a happy husband enter the kitchen tonight. This is my magic soup.  Feel free to substitute your favorite veggies, add beans, quinoa, rice, sweet potato, you name it. Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil Meatballs, cooked in the freezer (you can use browned chopped meat or make you favorite meatball recipe - making a small sized ball - about a pound ) 1 large onion, chopped 2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped (small pieces - about 1...

I haven't been making kugels for quite a while, opting for vegetables in their natural state, more or less.  This week, a vision of a potato kugel with broccoli popped into my mind and I was determined to make it happen. Broccoli Potato Kugel (makes a large kugel plus 4 kugel muffins( Ingredients: 6 large potatoes 2  onions 2 box frozen broccoli 2 tablespoons dried chopped parsley 1 cup tortilla chip crumbs or potato chips 1 teaspoon salt black pepper to taste 2 tablespoons olive oil 6 egg beaters Method: Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Place potatoes, onions, broccoli and parsley in a food processor.  Use the shredding blade. In a large bowl mix t the dry ingredients. Add potato mixture.  Mix together. Add eggs and oil and mix these in. Grease a large baking pan and a number of muffin shapes (4-6) Pour the mixture into the pan and the muffin tin. Bake about 45 minutes.  The top should be golden and turning brown. Serve hot....

It is time for the Secret Recipe Club where we cook from an assigned blog.  This month was a first for me.  I could not find a recipe I did not want to make.  I was super fortunate to be given Smells Like Brownies. After reading Melissa's introduction about herself, I like her even more than her recipes.  She is charming.  She is a stay-at -home Mom who doesn't like fruit.  Can you imagine?  Despite this, her blog is filled with delicious and appealing recipes. I plan to be cooking from this blog for quite a while.  My list of recipes to make is long and lovely. Soups and muffins top my list.  They seem to be my favorites these days. I chose this salmon because that is what I needed at the moment.  We have weekly salmon the day, I planned to cook for Smells Like Brownies, was salmon day.  It turned out that these simple fillets were delicious and hubby who takes salmon for granted, "kvelled" (was extraordinarly pleased)....

Every time, I vist  KalynsKitchen , I come away with a recipe.  It happened once again and I have discovered an easy and delicious, breakfast, lunch or snack recipe. This is a "mix the ingredients and put them into muffin tins and bake" recipe.  What do the kids say? Easy Shmeezy or something like that. I made 6 muffins and a small casserole that I added some heat to since hubby likes everything mild.  Hubby tasted mine and let out a shriek, "that's hot" and went back to eating his muffins.  I admit it, I really made them hot with cayenne pepper and a heavy hand. Kalyn recommends using lots of veggies for a healthier variety and I used red pepper, corn and spinach.  I think any vegetable would work with this.  Any spice would as well.  Even the choice of cheese should be left open to your liking. I made about a third of the recipe but Kalyn says these can be saved or even frozen so next time around, I plan to make the whole recipe. K...