BIZZY BAKES

Peggy selected a unique recipe, Mini Pumpkin Jar Cakes found on page 291 in Weeknight Wonders.   This was easy or quick to make, and I used pumpkin pie spice in place of the various individual spices which made it even easier. I ate it hot out of the microwave and it was yummy.  Check what the other members made at Eating with Ellie.   Full Plate  Thursday  

This dish is in prep for the cold weather that will surely come our way in the near future although that is hard to believe, at the moment, with the sun shining down upon us with such a strong force. This is the perfect dish to come home to, after work, when I am tired and want to warm up.  It can be made ahead of time and it can be served with noodles, rice, quinoa or vegetables. Rush Hour Chili was selected by Gaye and is found on page 101  in Weeknight Wonders by Ellie Krieger.  This book gets closer to my heart and tummy with each recipe I make.  This is another easy to make meal that fills you mouth with flavor.  I would gladly make this again.  Thanks Gaye. Check out what our other members did this week with chili at Eating with Ellie. (EwE)

Made today....... Made in April..... This is Catch Up week at EwE, Eating with Ellie.  I look forward to these days and this is only the second one we have which makes me  sillier than I thought I was.  What did I do?  I made this yummy dish for each of the  catch-up days.  You can tell, I was well aware when I missed this the first time around. It is one o'clock in the morning and I am not going to make something, at the last minute.  Perhaps, if I had found out, earlier in the day. Actually, I made this for my youngest granddaughter who has gotten fussy with her eating.  She loves pasta and this was a way to make it healthier.  She does love vegetables but they are not filling enough alone.  For breakfast, she filled herself with broccoli and broccoli and broccoli.  She was so happy eating.  I made eggs which she pushed away.  I even offered her some crackers while I figured out what to do and she pushed tho...

Sarah has chosen  Pacific Rim Salmon Burgers found on page 91 in Weeknight Wonders.  The more, I cook from this book, the happier I become.  The recipes work and they are healthy.  I have not had difficulty finding the ingredients and most recipes are NOT time consuming or difficult. This brings back memories of our original group, CEiMB, when week after week, I made dinner that both hubby and I loved.  It was three cheers for Wednesday nights which was Ellie's night. I was as excited then as I am now, to see what we were making, each week. If you have not cooked anything from Ellie Krieger and would like to get to know her style better, feel free to join us weekly.  There are no minimum requirements.  You will find us on our page and see what we are doing. These salmon burgers are nothing like any burger, I have had, in the past.  The salmon adds lots of flavor while soy sauce, garlic, scallions, red bell pepper, sesame oil and ...

I adore Peggy for selecting this  Spinach, Herb, and Goat Cheese Frittata  found on page 228  of Weeknight Wonders.  For me, this was a week day lunch and it could have been a treat for breakfast as well.  Since, I was making this just for one person and that person is me, I didn't completely follow the recipe and I used only two eggs and no egg whites. I  ran out of fresh spinach and subbed in frozen spinach.  I had just cut a red onion for something else so I used that in place of leeks or yellow onions. I think the secret ingredient was the goat cheese because its tangy taste lit up the whole frittata.  It was delicious and I would make this again and would be happy to try sliced bell peppers instead of spinach or maybe I would use both.   I love this recipe and recommend it to you egg lovers.Check out the other cooks and see how their frittatas turned out at Eating with Ellie. Linked to Full Plate Thursday     ...

Tonight was supposed to be an aspargus mozzarella pizza but knowing hubby's dislike of asparagus as well as his sportsmanship when I have served asparagus as a group recipe, I decided to use zucchini.  Granted, asparagus has a more distinct flavor but the zucchini picked up flavor of the other ingredients.  We loved it.  (Photo Above) Thinking, it might need something more, I made another one with sauce and chopped zucchini instead of sliced and I think, I liked the plain one better but I loved the chopped zucchini in place of the spokes. (Photo Below) Peggy selected the Asparagus and Mozzarella Pizza which is found on page 215 of Weeknight Wonders and I love Peggy for this.  I could see serving this regularly and using other vegetables as well.  Broccoli or cauliflower would work well. Do check out our group page to see what others have done with this recipe. Linked to:              Whimsy Wednesday ...

This is the very first Catch-Up week for Eating with Ellie.  I missed two recipes because of Passover.  The one, I am making up, this week is  Pasta Fagioli with Zucchini which I believe was scheduled for the first night of Passover (Pesach). Since pasta is one of the items, we do not eat, on Pesach, this was skipped for a very good reason.  I admit, I had wanted to make it ahead of time so it could be posted but with the preparation that went into the holiday, it just didn't happen. I wish, I had the time, to let you peek into our home before the holiday.  Ask any woman who celebrates Passover which is the busiest time of the year, and I would bet that many if not most, would say Passover.  I learned many years ago that despite the work and lack of sleep, to enjoy this prep time.  It is good to love cooking when you  plan a holiday and we did cook and cook and cook.  It can be healthier food if you choose to not to throw matzah in ev...

   Margaret Selected  Asian Chicken and Vegetable in Foil Packets page 143  in Weeknight Wonders.  It is chicken cutlets topped with veggies and sauce made in aluminum foil packets.  I love the results but did not enjoy cooking in aluminum foil.  I think, it just made it messier.  I served this with rice and used some of the sauce and vegetables to mix in the rice. I would have enjoyed broccoli added to the vegetables or in place of the green bell pepper.  Actually, carrots, cauliflower, zucchini, peas, beans or squash would be good additions to the recipe (not all of them),  I would like sweet potatoes on top of the chicken as well .  This lends itself to be a versatile dish. Check out E ating with Ellie  to see what the other members did with their Asian Chicken and Vegetables.  You might want to see what we are making in the near future and if it appeals to you, feel free to join us. Weekend Potluck   ...

This week, for Eating With Ellie, Kayte chose a delightful salad, Tuscan Kale Salad, found in Ellie Krieger's book, Weeknight Wonders , a book, I love.  So far, every recipe was a success and was healthy and delicious to eat.  Page 41 is the page to find the recipe or here. I did not have kale so I subbed in baby spinach and in place of pine nuts, I used almonds.  I followed the rest of the recipe and although this is an easy recipe, cutting the spinach into thin strips took some time.  It looked pretty this way. You can check out what the other members did with this recipe by going to the Eating with Ellie website.  We welcome new members.  There are no requirements other than to love to cook and explore Ellie Krieger recipes.  Just make the week's recipe and add your link to the site's page. Thank you Kayte for a wonderful choice.  I served it with spicy salmon with caramelized onions and mango rice.

This week, Peggy has chosen  Blueberry Chicken with Crispy Bread Crumbs   found on page 155 in Weeknight Wonders.  Each recipe brings me closer to Ellie and her wonderful recipes. Blueberries don't make for a good photo compared to peaches and peaches and New York don't go together well, in the winter.  Most of us are waiting for the warm weather and the peaches .  We had a lovely warm day and it is back to below freezing. I made this a few weeks ago since this is a super busy time of the year with Passover coming in a few short weeks and so much to do in preparation.  I hate to say, I don't remember too much about it other than we liked the chicken, but this is the case.  I am not sure if the blueberries were a good substitution . To see if anyone did find peaches and what they did with this chicken recipe, check out Eating With Ellie.

Margaret at Tea and Scones  selected this dish for our weekly Eating with Ellie.  I really couldn't make it since as a kosher cook, I don't combine cheese and poultry or meat.  Dairy and meat are kept completely separate even to the point that we don't eat them at the same meal. I did make the chicken dish without the Parmesan but the cheese is really the star of this recipe. You can see what the other women made by visiting the Ellie website . Next week, we will be making  Peach Chicken with Crispy Bread Crumbs. Are you an Ellie fan or do you want to simply try out a new cook or new recipes?  We welcome you to join us.  There are no requirements and the participants are the most warm and friendly group of women.  Just link up at Eating with Ellie.   (EwE)

Disclaimer:  I am not going to remove the saga of this wonderful chicken dish.  My terrific hubby found a way to rescue my photos and here it is, my Chicken Paprikash.  Under the line, you will find past history and a frustrating evening. Yummy.  Thanks to Kayte who selected this chicken dish.  I am not fussy about chicken dishes.  I usually like them but this time, we both loved this particular recipe.  Again, it was not a difficult recipe to make and  the results for us were cheers all around. ____________________________________________________ The dish is called Chicken Paprikash and I HAD some nice pictures of it until tonight.  My card filled up so I went to the computer to delete some of the older blurry photos that were taking up space.  When I tried to see the photos, nothing appeared.  It turned out, there is a computer problem. Hubby plugged it in somewhere else and I was ready to go until I tried to transfer the...

Glennis selected Grilled Tandoori Chicken Breasts from Weeknight Wonders - page 137. I think the world of Glennis. In the short time, I have known her, she has been a positive force and a happy voice within our group. Please explain to me how this lovely woman sent us out to grill in a temperature of only a few degrees. I do forgive her though since this was a fabulous dish and we both ate every bite and wanted more. I served it with a spicy quinoa dish with red bell pepper. They went well together. I did have to make a major change since the recipe called for yogurt and as a kosher cook, I don't use dairy and meat together.  Thanks to Tofutti sour cream - I had a good substitute. This recipe had mostly spices mixed in with the Tofutti sour cream.  It marinated for a short while and then was grilled.  Another easy dish that was not time consuming. Do check out what the other Ellie cooks have made and if there were any changes.   Eating with Ellie has al...

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...

This brings back memories of the days of our weekly cooking group featuring Ellie's recipes.  I loved those days, making weekly successes and healthier foods.  Out group was made up of dedicated and lovely women and I think, we all looked forward to our special time of the week. This week, I happened upon this recipe by Ellie and I knew, it was time that Ellie and I became reacquainted.  It was a happy meeting with a yummy dinner. Instead of couscous which hubby can't eat, I subbed in quinoa. Balsamic Chicken with Baby Spinach adapted from Ellie Krieger I ngredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved 8 ounces baby spinach 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth 1 cup low-sodium canned chopped tomatoes with juice 2 cups rice or quinoa, cooked Method: Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add the olive oil and heat.   Add the...

  This month, Chinese Food is the theme for our recipes for Kosher Connection.  This is not authentic fried rice but I think it still fits the category.  This is Ellie Krieger's Spicy Fried Rice with Peanuts and it is good, even better than my more traditional recipes for the rice.  For those of you who do not know how much respect, I have for Ellie's dishes, let me say right now, I have found her food to be healthy and tasty and hubby loves anything I make from her books.  He does not know they are Ellie recipes but when I make one, he always comments on how good it is. I have made this recipe a number of times with minor changes, each time, such as leaving out chicken, this time.  I already had a chicken dish made and saw no reason to add it to the rice.  This was part of a Chanukah meal. I have this posted on My Sweet and Savory with Cashews in place of the peanuts. Spicy Fried Rice with Peanuts - adapted from Ellie Krieger (Comfort Food ...

It is Chanukah and it is traditional to eat fried foods.  The custom of eating fried foods is in remembrance of the miracle of Chanukah, which is centered around oil (one cruse lasting for eight days). Latkes (fried potato pancakes) are traditional, topped with applesauce or sour cream, but there are all kinds of vegetable pancakes that are also delicious. Jelly doughnuts are also popular during this holiday. I decided to go the healthy route and followed Ellie Krieger's baked latke recipe and also made three of them in a skillet.  We had the best of both worlds, mostly baked with a naught y bite of fried pancakes. I like the idea of including zucchini.  I have made potato latkes with carrots in the past, also.  I did alter the amounts used in the recipe and since we finished them up, I did a good job.  On the other hand, hubby tends to finish whatever is there.  Skinny men can get away with it. I made this before and fortunately and I had t...

Greek Style Suffed Peppers This week, I am going to be cooking from Ellie's Krieger's "Comfort Food Fix".  I have made several recipes from the book, in the past and I plan to make additional ones, this week.  I am including some photos from Ellie's recipes.   Balsamic Chicken with Baby Spinach Recipe  For a number of years, we had a wonderful group who cooked Ellie Krieger recipes, weekly.  We have kept the linky active but as a group, we have not formalized any recipes for the group to make.  We would like to re-create this group.  CEiMB, Craving Ellie with My Belly is found here. Broccoli and Mushroom Strata Margaret of Tea and Scones is our cheerful and competent leader.  We discussed a good way to bring back CEiMB is to select a theme and what is more appropriate for December than cookies.  There are several recipes online as well as in Ellie's books. Energy Bars Ellie is charming and if ...

Spaghetti Fritata  (adapted from Ellie Krieger) I only have kudos for Ellie, each and every time, I cook her recipes.  This time is no different.  I omitted the sauce and it was still delicious.  I, first had this posted on Chaya's Comfy Cook, The egg puffed up nicely and the spinach and roasted peppers added the right flavor to the frittata.    I grew up on a dish, noodles and eggs, which is similar to this so  spaghetti in a frittata felt just right.  This is real comfort food although, if I had put the sauce in, I would not have called it, comfort food.  Food with tomato sauce does not fall into that category, as much as I like different sauces, using tomato, as a base. Fortunately, I had bought a big bunch of fresh spinach and ended up, using it in a few dishes.  I also bought a lot of cilantro and threw that in every dish.                     ...