BIZZY BAKES

I don't remember goat cheese being popular a decade ago and certainly not twenty years ago.  Today, goat cheese seems to be a buzz word for yummy.  At least, it is for me.  I see goat cheese and I have a new recipe to make.  I made this Mac and Cheese and it proved me right.  The tangy flavor of the cheese and the creaminess it brought to a simple mac and cheese made all the difference. I used to add some sour cream to mac and cheese recipes and it made the dish a lot creamier but it did not add the flavor, one gets from goat cheese. Creamy Goat Cheese Mac and Che ese Ingredients: 1⁄2 pound gluten-free macaroni (Elbows, Shells, Ziti) 2 tablespoons olive oil (or butter) 2 tablespoons brown rice flour or any other gluten-free flour of choice 2  cups milk fresh ground black pepper 1⁄3 cup packed grated parmesan cheese 1⁄3 cup goat cheese Method: Cook pasta according to package directions. In a medium saucepan, me...

Although I am not up to blogging normally, I do realize, this is a good time to share random thoughts and perhaps to even share a little about the Jewish customs, at the time of mourning.  Right now, nothing seems real in my world.  I am functioning and doing what must be done but there is still a fuzziness surrounding me. To ground myself, let me start with "shiva", the week after the funeral, when we sit with other mourners. "......... once shiva begins, the focus shifts to the mourners. The mourners experience a week of intense grief, and the community is there to love and comfort and provide for their needs. This is a critical point, for if one must feel the heart-wrenching pain of grief and loss, it should be done at a time when all those around are there to help and comfort. The laws of mourning have the purpose of focusing a person on their own spirituality. We experience an overall feeling of physical discomfort as we totally focus on the soul of the one who h...

 Pasta Salad with Feta Cheese and Walnuts – Ellie Krieger This is an Ellie Krieger recipe which means it has the odds on its side for being a success. It is uncanny how almost all her recipes are right, for my family. Whether it is an appetizer or dessert, we almost always like the dish. This is yet, another success. Pasta Salad with Feta Cheese and Walnuts (adapted from – Ellie Krieger) I made this gluten-free. It called for whole wheat pasta and I substituted a gluten-free brown rice pasta. Ingredients: 1/2 pound gluten-free fusilli or other spiral shaped pasta 1/2 cup walnuts 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese 1/2 cup diced red onion 1 1/2 cups chopped baby spinach leaves 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard freshly ground black pepper Method: Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain the pasta, rinse it under cold water. In a dry saute pan toast the walnuts over a medium-high flame un...

When, speaking with my husband, he mentioned that he would like to have a simple macaroni and cheese, for dinner.  I had been thinking soup since, we had not had any, this week.   I picked up Nigella Express to see if there was an easy recipe.  While soup has peeling and chopping, it is easy to make.  This mac and cheese had to be also simple to create.  When I looked at this recipe, I was surprised at how few ingredients it took as well as the small number of steps.  Mac and Cheese, here I come. This is very, very good mac and cheese.  I was not expecting it, looking at the recipe.  I thought it would be boring but it was not .  I did add 2 tablespoons of cream cheese to the recipe and I give some of the credit to that.  I also used a Mexican blend for the main cheeses. Simple Mac and Cheese (adapted from Nigella Lawson - Nigella's Express)(adapted) You can find  Nigella's recipe here . Join us at Forever Nigella...

Last night, I planned to make a nice chunky soup, you know the kind that fills you up.  One bowl, and you are groaning, you are so full.  That was the plan.  What do they say about the best laid plans? I walked in, after work, and all I could think of was my bed, a place to fall into to sleep.  I was sure that peeling, chopping and seasoning was too much, for me.  Please tell me, you get like this, at times.  I usually pull, one day a week, like this. Forget the carrots, potatoes, onions, lima beans, sweet potatoes, kidney beans, celery and anything else, I would have thrown in.  Forget the aroma of a rich and vegetable soup, simmering on the stove.  Forget it all.  Forget dinner to. I was ready to skip making dinner and scouting the freezer for something to stick in the oven but hubby called and in that loving voice, asked what special dish, was I making.  The question comes from his satisfaction with weekday dinners, when I lea...

This is an old post that I really like.  It brings back good memories, memories of that class and memories of good sweets.  I hope you enjoy it. I decided to split this post in two parts, one here and the other in My Sweet and Savory.  All the recipes have gluten and I will post those over at My Sweet and Savory and I will tell most of the story here. I teach all boys, so having a baking day is going to be different than if there were some girls in the group.  It is very interesting how some boys can bake, by themselves and others don’t have a clue about any aspect of baking.  Regardless, they all jumped in and put their efforts into turning out a lavish dessert table.  I would say that this fifth grade smorg of desserts was quite a success if not a bit misshapen or mis-sized.  Some of their “major mistakes” still came out, not only to be edible but to be delicious and the right consistency.           ...

I posted this a few weeks ago but I am repeating it so I can use it for my contribution to Ina's Garden Linky.  I am finding, making Ina's recipes, pasta or any other choice, has been fun and I am glad that the ladies opened up this group.  I hope you will join us.   Let me introduce our hosts: April of The 21 s Century Housewife and The 21 st Century Housewife’s Kitchen Louanne of Louanne’s Kitchen Mia of Bright Morning Star Peggy of Pantry Revisited Yummy Chunklet and me, Chaya of Comfy Cook's Kosher Kitchen and Bizzy B Bakes. You can link your Pasta with Pizazz at any of these blogs.  You can also check out our new blog, Ina's Garden.  We plan to set up some items of interest there.  You also can find the information on thenext linky that we are doing. Ina Garten has been on my mind, ever since, we started Ina's Garden.  Since Pasta with Pizazz is going to be the theme for the third Thursday in May, I have been ...

   As comfort foods stand, my guess is that mac and cheese are on the top of the list.  One of the best macaroni and cheese recipes, I have had, was one from Paula Deen (I am sure I cut back on the butter.).  She has a mac and cheese with sliced tomatoes on top which was creamy and benefited from the tomato taste. Bittman comes through with flying colors and I topped this with a Nigella Lawson recipe which could only bring it over the top.  The curried tomatoes even beats Paula's sliced tomatoes and we also have peas.  You never knew these vegetables could taste so good until the three of us, Mark, Nigella and Bizzy got cyber together and made this fantastic recipe. Baked Macaroni and Cheese  ( adapted from Mark Bittman ) Makes 4 to 6 servings Time: About 45 minutes Ingredients: Salt 21/2 cups milk (low-fat is fine) 1 pound elbow, shell, ziti, or other cut pasta 3 tablespoons margarine 3 tablespoons rice flour 11/2 cups ...

Mac and Cheese used to be served, quite often, in this house.  I am guessing, as the kids grew up, there was less of a quest for better mac and cheese dishes.  One of the best, I have had, is Paula Deen's with tomatoes.  Seeing Ree's recipe, I was excited to see tomatoes included until I realized, I had none in the house.  In this frozen winter, I am not willing to run to the store for almost any item.  It is cold and it is slippery and one gets tired, climbing over the NY garbage that has not been picked up as well as the snow mounds that are getting higher and higher, even with the rain trying to wash them away. I made the recipe without the tomatoes.  After all, it is a Pioneer Woman recipe.  I do suggest keeping the tomatoes as a nice balance to the gooey cheese. Mac and Cheese…and Panko! Prep Time 20 Minutes Cook Time 20 Minutes Ingredients 1 pound Cooked Pasta (slightly Underc...