BIZZY BAKES

Salads are a delight in the summer with the high temperature and humidity.  It nice to change them around by adding ingredients, you might not expect to find.  I have been putting strawberries into salads for years but not blueberries.  I admit, I hesitated, not knowing if they would be accepted.  They turned out to be a wonderful addition to the salad. Greens with Fruits and Nuts Ingredients: 8 ounces mixed greens of choice 1/2 cup strawberries 3/4 cup blueberries 2 tablespoons chopped pecans 1/2 cup slivered almonds Dressing - 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon honey 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper Method: In a bowl, place all makings of salad except dressing. In a separate container, mix the salad dressing ingredients.  I usually put the salad dressing ingredients into my mini food processor and mix them together so the...

I was in a playful mood so I used my challah pan to make this carrot cake.  This is another cake from what is becoming a favorite cookbook, Everyday Baking.  I made it gluten free and hubby gave it, his approval. Carrot Cake (adapted from Everyday Baking - Cooking Light) Ingredients 1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour mix  1 1/3 cups  sugar  1/3 cup chopped pecans  2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt  2 teaspoons ground cinnamon  3 tablespoons oil  2 large eggs  2 cups grated carrot  Cooking spray  Confectioner's sugar for top.... Method: Preheat oven to 350°. Spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar,  pecans, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl and  stir well with a whisk. Combine oil and eggs and stir well.  Stir egg mixture and grated carrot into flour mixture.  Spoon batter into a 13 x 9-inch...

I took photos when I made the dishes for the holiday but I was not ready to serve them for a day or two and did not want to cut them up.  This is why, you have been seeing so many pans of food rather than portions. This bread pudding is fabulous because of the cherries.  They add a sweet but edgy flavor to the dish. This is one of my favorites. Cherry Bread Pudding Ingredients: 2 cups  sugar 5  eggs 2 cups Rice Milk 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 3 cups stale bread, cut into cubes 1/2 cup light brown sugar 1/8 cup margarine, left out to slightly warm 8 ounces frozen cherries or fresh cherries 1 cup chopped pecans S auce: 1 cup  sugar 1/4 cup margarine, melted 1 egg, beaten 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract Method: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 13 pan. Mix sugar, eggs, and rice milk in a bowl. Add vanilla extract. Pour over cubed bread and let stand for a few minutes until absorbed. Mix brown sugar, butter, and pecans until...

This is another recipe brought over from My Sweet and Savory. Wednesdays with Donna Hay is back in action and the four of us are happily cooking away. This week, we are making Chili Chicken & Cashew (pecan in my case - had no cashews) Stir Fry. Gaye selected this recipe and she gets my gratitude. It made a delicious dinner and I would love to make it again, this time with cashews. I did make some changes in the recipe. Since hubby does not like HOT food, I subbed in some dried chili flakes and a few tablespoons of chili sauce, a mild one. I could taste a little heat but even hubby did not complain. I think, he is beginning to appreciate a little spice in his food.

When I was on my baking spree for Ina Fridays, I ended up making a whole bunch of goodies including these which I did not have time to write up when the linky first came out.  I plan to add it now. I made these for hubby as a special treat and did not serve them to the rest of the family. After all, they had chocolate cake, peach cake, apple crisp and sorbet.  I never served the ice cream that I bought.  A bit of overkill but I know the grand kids like the apple crisp, some of the adults are peach cake fans and everyone likes chocolate.  My daughter-in-law is a sorbet fan.  I wanted everyone to go home full but that happened before dessert. Hubby smoked two chickens and they were incredible and they disappeared quickly.  I was happy to see that two of the grandchildren were fans of quinoa but my very delicious veggie muffins were not as successful.    Sometimes, cute does not work. Gluten-Free Oatmeal Cookies - Ina Garten , adapted In...

This is a combo cake which means, I borrowed a little from here and a little from there to make it.  My husband gave it an A so I thank the various recipes that brought me to this point. Pecan Coffee Cake Ingredients : 2  eggs 1 cup coconut milk 3 cups gluten-free flour mixture 1 1/2 cup sugar 4 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup Canola oil 2/3 cup chopped pecans Topping: 1 cup gluten-free flour 1/2 cup sugar 1 tablespoon cinnamon 1/2 cup chopped pecans 2 tablespoons oil or until moist 1 teaspoon vanilla extract   Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease grease a 13 x 9 inch baking dish.  Beat eggs and coconut milk in a small bowl.  Set aside Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Stir in oil. stir in egg mixture, beating until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan, sprinkle with topping. bake for 45-50 minutes. Looking back: Couponing and Cooking made this perfect salad which I would love to hav...

This week, I baked these muffins, for a friend of mine, who loves muffins.  I had no idea what she has experienced in muffins but I think those with carrots are usually pleasers. I found this particular recipe on muffinrecipes.net  and at the rate my hubby and guests ate them, these are a success.  I adapted the recipe slightly. Carrot Muffins Ingredients: 2 medium eggs 1 ½ cups of gluten-free flour 1 cup of shredded carrots 1 cup of sugar ½ cup of oil ¼ cup of orange juice 1/2 cup of chopped pecans (I forgot to put these in so I sprinkled them on top, before baking.) 1 teaspoon of baking powder ½ teaspoon of baking soda ½ teaspoon of cinnamon ½ teaspoon of nutmeg ¼ teaspoon of salt Method: Preheat your oven to 350°F . Prepare muffin tins with paper liners. Add sugar, oil, juice and eggs. Process until thoroughly blended. Sift the dry ingredients together and add to processor bowl with the chopped pecans. Process until the ingredients are moist. Fill the muff...

I know it is not Muffin Mondays but I baked muffins and I want to share some thoughts.  Muffins leave the door open to a wide range of choices.  One of my favorite muffins has a spoonful of jelly inside of it.  I don't make chocolate chip muffins but it is a good idea.  I like fruit inside a muffin from fresh blueberries to dried pears.  My husband's favorite is a muffin with pecans. Of course, you can use vanilla extract but what about rum, strawberry or coconut.  Mix up the flavors and the filling and create your own brand of muffin. I made a basic muffin recipe which is found in almost every cookbook and Internet site.  The differences are small.  I use oil in my muffins.  Some of the recipes used butter.  Others use applesauce.   Since, I added 1/2 cup of pecans, I will label these Pecan muffins.  They were, of course, for the nut lover, in the family. Pecan Muffins Ingredients: 1/4 cup oil (Canola) 1 egg 1 ...

In my home and surrounding areas, Blondies have actually been requested more than Brownies.  My neighbors are all discussing this.  Forget Iran, President Obama, the economy.  The topic of the day is, "Blondies."  Just turn on your radio.  You will hear a debate about which kind of blondie is the best.  One station was discussing the merits of blondies and brownies and took a batch over to Occupied NY, to have them tested.  I understand the results will be, on the news, tonight.  Just remember, those are my blondies and brownies, they are eating. Tonight for dessert, President Obama is being served blondies.  They did make them explode first, to make sure, they are safe to eat.  What kind of a world are we living in? Even the boys in my class have requested Blondies.  With all the mutterings, I have been hearing about blondies, of course, I made them. The only person who did not want blondies is my husband.  He likes th...

Time for another opportunity to cook in the Secret Recipe Club.   This was the brain child of Amanda from Amanda's Cookin'  and as I am sure you have seen, it has taken off like wildfire, presently with 4 different large groups. My recipe came from Cupcake Muffin .  I have been to Sara's blog a number of times before receiving her blog  to find my secret recipe.  She has a variety of recipes and they are just right for me.  This is such a good match.  I decided to check out a number of recipes so I could take a good look at what she is doing.  A number of times, I picked my recipe but talked myself into looking further.  When I got to this bread, I knew it was right.  After making a number of apple dishes, I was ready for pears and hubby loves pecans.  A match made in Heaven....   Thanks Sara. Pear-Pecan Spice Bread  (adapted from  The Kitchen Sink Recipes , original recipe  here ) (the only change I m...

I used to think applesauce cake was nothing special but times have changed and I have learned that it can be part of a wonderful cake, like this applesauce spice cake.  Of course, using applesauce means I can cut down on the fat, in the cake and I love that.  I also love brown sugar in anything.  The fragrance of brown sugar is intoxicating.   Often, when there are two sugars in a recipe, white and brown, I trade off the amounts so that there is more brown than white.  This one came that way. Applesauce Spice Cake                                                                   Ingredients: 1 cup  g olden raisins 1 teaspoon rum extract 2/3 cup granulated sugar 1 cup packed brown sugar 1/3 cup Canola oil 11/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 1 egg 1 teaspoo...