BIZZY BAKES

I think mushrooms are deceptive.  They aren't pretty.  They don't have a romantic fragrance.  They just sit there or are chopped up, hiding in a greater dish.  Yet, this simple dish is simple in its success.  It is a quick and easy dish to throw together any time, you have mushrooms and don't know what to do with them   Roasted Mushrooms 1 pound baby mushrooms, washed and pat dry. 1 tablespoon grated onions 1/4 teaspoon thyme 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder 1/8 cup olive oil  In a medium size baking dish, toss the mushrooms with the garlic, thyme and olive oil. Roast until dark and tender, about 30 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Eat and enjoy. Linked to:  Weekend Potluck         Foodie Friday      Saturday Night Fever        See Ya at the Gumbo       Real Food Recipe Round Up        ...

Meatballs with apples had instant appeal to me.  I particularly like that the apples are both in the meatballs and in the sauce.  There seem to be a lot of ingredients that go into this  but when I collected everything, it was all in the cupboard or refrigerator. I made the meatballs first and while they were cooking, I prepared the gravy.  The final dish was a dream come true;  I left small apple pieces in the sauce instead of making it plain creamy and this was a good decision.  It was a delight to get these chunks of apple which were still crisp with the creamy sauce and meatballs. I served this with roasted potatoes and a tossed salad. A true success story...... I felt happy feeding this to hubby and even better, I love it. Chicken Apple Meatballs in Onion and Apple Gravy adapted from Joy Bauer Ingredients: for the meatballs: 1 pound package ground turkey 2 (heaping) tablespoons Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon granulated onion 1...

I had not planned to make this but with a snow day, I had the perfect excuse to make it for brunch and we loved it.  As you can see, this will fill one up.  With the potatoes, onions and red pepper added to the eggs, we walked away completely satisfied.  The original recipe called for mushrooms but I was out and since we are kind of snowed in, I just ignored them.  It lacked for nothing as far as we are concerned. Having an unscheduled day off is a real treat and I think, I used it well.  Report cards are due soon so I worked on them.  I did some cleaning, I have been putting off and I cooked.  I feel accomplished and it is only early, early evening. I talian Sunday Brunch Bake - adapted from Joy Bauer Ingredients: 1 medium onion, diced 1 red bell pepper, seeded & diced 1 pound small red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2″ pieces 2 teaspoons dried Italian herbs  2 cups baby spinach leaves 6 egg beaters ...

Not too long ago, I made an Italian Egg Drop Soup with Mini Meatballs which is similar to the soup, we made tonight in our Ellie Krieger group, Eating With Ellie (EwE). I knew, I would like tonight's soup, Shotgun Wedding Soup which is also of Italian origin because it had chopped turkey, spinach and egg drops, as did the previous soup.  I liked the meatballs better than the browned turkey but it was still a very good soup. It contained, onion, (garlic), ground turkey, salt, black pepper, broth, parsley, eggs and spinach.  It was easy to make and I had it ready quickly for my hungry hubby.  He is happy that once again, I am cooking Ellie Krieger recipes and so am I. All the members who made this soup will be found at this site dedicated to Eating with Ellie.  We welcome new members so come on and join in or if you just want to cook, on occasion, that is also fine with us.   On  February - 5 - Peggy  has chosen Penne with Grape Tomatoes, Spina...

I selected this dish for this week.  It is the kind of dish that will always call my name.  Especially after refilling the arborio jar when it didn't need it is as  anincentive to make more risotto.  Who could turn away nice and creamy rice like this? This is for my Donna Hay group, WwDH. Wednesdays With Donna Hay.  You can find all of the links here.   Please do go and see what others have done with this dish. As it turned out, we made risotto, two weeks in a row but this is the kind of dish that is usually welcome.  I selected it for the spinach and feta.  Actually, I forgot to  add the nuts. Spinach, feta and pine nut baked risotto -  The ingredients are  arborio rice,  chicken stock, parmesan. butter. sea salt and cracked black pepper, baby spinach leaves, feta, and  pine nuts.   Sounds like a good combination and it is. Since this is baked in the oven, it is easier to make t...

SNOW I made this during the week I cooked mostly Rachel Ray recipes.  I am happy to report that every recipe was filled with flavor and disappeared quickly.  Three cheers for Rachel. Right now, we are waiting for snow, snow and more snow and the temperature is presently 24 degrees.  Although I have to go to work today, I doubt tomorrow that school is going to be open.  Warm food is called for and I am thinking of trading off my roasted eggplant with a nice hearty soup.  Menu plans are meant to be changed when one only hears warnings of what is to come. It brings to mind,  Hurricane Sandy, some time over two years.   My daughter had just gotten engaged and we invited everyone over to celebrate (before we knew what was coming) and I started cooking and baking.  Then the hurricane hit and we lost our power for two weeks including the evening of the big shindig.  Fortunately, the mother of the groom jumped in and took over.   I...

A while back, Joy Bauer sent me her book, Slim and Scrumptious.  At the time, I made a few dishes and posted them although I am not sure what blog, this was on.  I pulled the book off the shelf where it unfortunately has been living.  What a waste of time.  Joy has delicious looking recipes and it was easy to find several to make this Joy Bauer week.  In fact, I selected too many and I am still trying to decide which to eliminate. "Joy Bauer is one of the world's leading authorities on health and weight loss. As the nutrition and health expert for NBC’s TODAY show, Joy shares reliable, practical, and easy to follow advice that helps millions of people eat better, live healthier, and lead more fulfilling lives. She also hosts the program’s popular “Joy Fit Club” series, which celebrates determined people who have lost more than 100 pounds through diet and exercise alone." Sunday -   Chicken Apple Meatballs in Onion and Apple Gravy Monday - Roaste...

I make chicken weekly and over the years have made a variety of dishes.  I wonder which wins in quantity salmon or chicken.  Both are popular in our household.  Both are easy to adapt with different spices or with different vegetables.  Both go with pasta, rice or quinoa.   Here are just a few ideas on how to use chicken.  Each one has a link attached so you can find recipes, not my recipes but good ones.  I chose, from this Wikipedia list, the chicken dishes, I have made. Arroz con pollo Barbecue chicken Biryani Brown stew chicken Cashew chicken Chicken and dumplings Chicken bal ls Chicken curry Chicken Divan Chicken fingers Chicken Kiev Chicken Marengo Chicken marsala Chicken nugget Chicken paprikash Chicken pie Chicken salad Chicken soup Chicken tikka masala Chilli chicken Chinese chicken salad Coq au vin Country Captain Crispy fried chicken Fried chicken General Tso's chicken Kung Pao chicken Lemon chicken Orange c...

I found this wonderful recipe on Bon Appetit , a blog, not the magazine.,  Go take a look and see for yourself. I knew it would be a hit and even though, I was missing some of the ingredients, I went ahead and put it together. What a success!!!! It was easy to make and delicious to eat. For the original recipe, go to the source and get all the details. Of course, it doesn't hurt that this is a recipe, originally from Nigella Lawson, one of my favorites. What I like about her is the way she writes her books, with cute phrases, hints and interesting pieces of information.  It is like reading a novel with fantastic recipes included. This recipe is from a few years ago and I see that she has a new recipe for this salad that looks interesting too.  It is on Food Network. Peanut Butter Noodle Salad adapted from Nigella Lawson Ingredients: Dressing  2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon sesame Oil 1 teaspoon garlic flavore...

I made something similar to this, in the past, but the meatballs had rice in them and the seasoning was different.   I am sure, I am not the only one who does not want to repeat recipes but after a certain amount of time, without even knowing it, finds it has to happen.  I found out about this one, when I went to get my photo and saw a picture and grabbed it.  My mistake  of course, was that it was a different soup.  Below is the photo and you probably can see, why I confused them.  If you look closely, you can see the rice in the meatballs and even the way, I broke the egg down is different. Italian Egg Drop Soup - adapted from Rachel Ray Ingredients: 4 cups vegetable  broth 1 pound ground turkey Salt and pepper 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 3 tablespoons grated onion 1/2 cup corn flake crumbs 4 eggs, divided ( 1 & 3) 2 tablespoons  parsley, finely chopped 1 bunch scallions, very thinly sliced 1 tables...

When, I first started blogging, I used a lot fewer ingredients than I use today, particularly in the area of produce.  I was a lettuce, tomato and cuke kind of person, of course using potatoes and onions.  I didn't use too much more.  I did buy lots of frozen vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower and i still do. If you asked me about leeks, kabacha, bok choy, even garlic.  (I knew what garlic was but not what it looked like.)  We ate well despite these limitations. If you have followed the blog, you probably have seen my, praising a new vegetable that I just "discovered" and now use frequently.  This happens regularly.  Thanks to the groups I have cooked with and recipes with some of the exciting additions, I now call them friends.  Leeks is one of these - newish to our household and other than the dirt, it comes with, I love it.  Tonight's soup was great and I think the flavor was from the leek. All I know is, I made enough for...

This is the first week of Eating with Ellie , the one and only Ellie Krieger, who cooks health consciously and deliciously.  The recipes, at this point are coming from the book,  Weeknight Wonders . About a year or so ago, we had a group of dedicated women who belonged to CEiMB (Cooking Ellie in My Belly), a name I never liked.  What I did like were the participants and the recipes.  Each week, hubby and I would kvell over the delicious meals, I made with ease and joy. I have three of Ellie's books and they are well used.   To be honest, in recent months, I have not been making recipes by Ellie, not for any good reason, just because........ The starting of the new group is good for me. I love the recipes, we have chosen for the first two months. A new group feels like an adventure. Although, I know most of the women participating, it is nice to regroup and cook together again. Some are already in the Donna Hay Wednesday group. We welcome anyone...

Hey, Hey Donna Hay.....we are back with this lovely eggplant with tomato, basil and parmesan rissoto.  Sound good?  Well, it is. Margaret  chose this recipe and it is from one of Donna Hay's books,   New Food Fast. Hubby wasn't thrilled with eggplant and would have been happier eating only the risotto. I had no idea, he is not a fan of eggplant.  I love it, made in certain ways and  I make if often.  He has never said a word.  I am pretty sure, it does not fall into the same category as asparagus which he simply despises.  I think that it is more a "take it or leave it" dish. This was not my favorite way of making eggplant either so this dish is probably not going to be seen again.  I think, if you like risotto, this is worth a try.  The sauce was broth, wine and tomato puree and I liked that very much.  Lots of basil and a little black pepper and Parmesan seasoned the dish. The dish is a three pot dish, one for the ...

I was about to make a Rachel Ray Potato Cake when I remembered, I had torn out from a Food Network Magazine, a recipe for a potato cake that looked more interesting.  Rachel's used sliced potatoes like a crust and the Food Network recipe used mashed potato.  I will always vote for mashed over sliced. This is the epitome of comfort food.   The mashed potatoes are creamy, the cheese adds zest and roasted red peppers were just right.  I am proud, I took only one generous slice.  Hubby ate the rest of the nine inch cake. My guess is children would like this even with the red peppers.  Next time, I would like to add caramelized onions to the cheese mixture.  I used smoked Mozzarella because I had it, in the house.  I had gotten it for my grandkids but they left a good share of the package behind.  It worked perfectly. Sicilian Potato and Egg Cake   Adapted from Food Network magazine - November 2014  Sicilian Potato and Eg...