BIZZY BAKES

I know, we are not alone in having an abundance of tomatoes from our garden.  Many of us have this terrific problem.  For a foodie, this is a challenge and what we do with the tomatoes is the game.  Since we are doing on side dishes from Ina Garten, this month, what better crop to use than tomatoes. I chose this roasted tomato because of our love for roasted vegetables.  It would seem than any roasted vegetable is better than the original.  With some balsamic and something sweet added, this was a joy to eat. Roasted Tomatoes  (adapted from Ina Garten ) Ingredients: 4 large round tomatoes, sliced 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon basil leaves, chopped 2 teaspoons sugar 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper olive oil cooking spray Method: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Arrange the tomatoes on a sheet pan, cut sides up, in a single layer. Drizzle with  balsamic vinegar.  Sprinkle the gar...

The first Friday of the month has arrived and so has Ina Garten Fridays.  Ina Fridays is a group who cooks recipes from the Barefoot Contessa monthly.  We do have a theme as to what part of the meal is represented.  This month, we are sharing appetizers.  I left my choice to the end of the month and as life would have it, an answer came to me by chance.   My husband went to a Bris (ritual circumcision) in the morning and brought me back a bagel and a large piece of cheese cake.  The day before, looking for appetizers, I had come across this spread but was not enthusiastic.  When I saw the bagel, I thought perfect, I will have it on a bagel.  I only cut up half to make it an appetizer.  It would have been yummy between two halves of the whole bagel. Smoked Salmon Spread (Ina Garten)   (adapted) Ingredients: 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature (I used whipped cream cheese) 1/2 cup sour cream 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 teaspo...

It is good that Alyce reminds us when Ina Fridays are upon us.  I love monthly challenges but at times, forget they are coming soon.  This is dessert month and since I am having chocolate lovers for guests, I decided I could indulge on this chocolate ganache cake.  When I selected it, I did not know it was the easiest recipe around.  Using chocolate syrup in a recipe make it a snap to put together. I did have a major problem with this recipe and it probably is because I used oil instead of butter.  It took forever to finish baking.  I must have put it back in the oven a half a dozen times.   The knife kept coming out wet.  After the original 45 minutes called for, most of the cake was a puddle of chocolate.  I bet that would have been delicious but I was after a cake so I patiently kept putting it back. It happens that I was baking oatmeal cookies, at the same time, and I had to be in the kitchen anyway.  Otherwise, I doubt that I...

Ina Fridays yields pure deliciousness and her apple crisp is just another example of this.  I have already baked a yummy chocolate cake and could sit back and relax as far as my commitment to the Ina Friday group.  Who says that we should only cook Ina recipes once a month when they are so good. I did make a few changes to this recipe.  I had a container from Costco with five pounds of apples which consisted of 12 apples.  That is an awful lot of apples.  While that is what Ina asked for, I cut it back to 7 apples which more than filled the pan.   I did forget the two zests.  I love zesting, particularly oranges because of the fragrance and was delighted this was called for in this dish.  I put the zest in a small glass bowl and just didn't see it when I was putting together all the components.  Silly me. I don't have gluten-free oatmeal so I took my rolled oats and grinded them in my mini food processor.  Instead of butter...

We are having an extra amount of company, this Shabbos (Sabbath) which means I do additional baking.  I have Ina's book, How Easy is That?   I was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee and I landed on the page with this recipe. I just knew the coffee would be that much better with a piece of cake. This also is another dessert recipe to use for Ina Fridays.  Please do join us. Fresh Peach Cake   (adapted)  Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?  Ingredients: 1/2 cup oil 1½ cups sugar, divided 2  eggs, at room temperature 1 cup sour cream, at room temperature 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 cups gluten-free flour 1 teaspoon baking soda  zest from 1 orange and 1 lemon ( I left this out of the apple crisp and was not going to let it go to waste.) 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 3 large, ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced Method: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch square baki...

This is the first Friday of the month and that means, INA FRIDAYS.......Wow!  This month is main dishes and I looked through many of Ina's delicious recipes until I came upon this Chili.  I had just baked some cutlets and wanted to make a sauce for them but it was more fun turning them into chili. You can make this as spicy as you want.  Since hubby does not enjoy spicy, I used a mild salsa.  Go ahead and choose a spicy one.  Add more red pepper flakes or cayenne.  Follow your instincts on this one. This month, the theme is main dishes.  I am going to include the monthly themes and I do hope, you would like to  join us.  Just link up.   APPETIZERS/DRINKS:  April, August, December SALADS/SOUPS/SIDES:  May, September, January MAIN COURSES:  June, October, February DESSERTS/OTHER:  July, November, March Today is the day after a Jewish holiday and here I am cooking for the Sab...

Although, I am not posting daily yet, I am making sure to keep up with as many groups as possible. One of my favorites, which was started by Alyce  of  More Time at the Table ,  is Ina Fridays. (When my daughter died, Alyce was there for me and she kept in touch through these difficult months and I do want to acknowledge this publicly.) Ina has a ton of books, she has authored and the Internet is filled with her recipes. It is always easy to find what you are looking for with an Ina search. This month is Sides, Salads and Soups. I love all three but decided on a soup.  Winter is coming to an end and that means hot soups will disappear from our table. The minute the weather gets the least bit cool, my husband starts reminding me how much he loves hot soup, how it warms him in the cold winter and how it fills him up.  I hear this almost daily.  Do you think he really likes soup?  If I ask him what kind of soup he wants, his answer is "any kind,"...

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...

The month does fly by.  I can't believe, it is time to post another Ina recipe but I am happy about it.  I always find a number of recipes, I want to make, and it happened again, this time.  There was a coffeecake and an orange cake which I knew my hubby would love and of course, there was chocolate for me.  I decided on the lemon because I had lemons in the house and I love the fragrance of the zest. Lemon Cake (adapted from I na Garten) Ingredients : 7 ounces oil 2  cups granulated sugar, 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature 1/3 cup grated lemon zest (6 to 8 large lemons) 3 cups gluten-free flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice  3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Method: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 (8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch) loaf pans.  Mix the oil  and 2 cups granulated s...

This month, at Ina Fridays, is side dishes and frankly, I could live happily, only on sides.  When I go to restaurants, I don't want to order one of the mains, I look to the sides and often order a few of those instead.  That is a meal I love. This group was started by the dynamic Alyce from  More Time at the Table  I am excited to share that she will soon be publishing a very special cookbook, Soup & Sides for Every Season   and I, for one, can't wait to get my hands on a copy.  If you check out Alyce's site, you will understand why I am so excited about it. With our super delicious tomatoes from our garden, I couldn't resist, making Ina's roasted tomatoes.  Although, I did not take a picture, I served some of these with bright green broccoli.  A beautiful plate and one that we love. Roasted Tomatoes (adapted from Food Network ) Ingredients : 4 tomatoes, sliced,  2 tablespoons good olive oil...