BIZZY BAKES

This week was my turn to pick the recipe, we are cooking, in Wednesdays with Donna Hay (WwDH).  I knew, I was going to love these from the very first.  I did not disappoint myself.  These were yummy.  Of course, loving spinach and ricotta to start with, helps my admiration for this dish. The recipe was easier than I had thought.  There was no need to roll the dough.  The recipe called for it as it came.  I unfolded it and cut it in half.  I am thinking that it could have been cut into thirds and made a better looking "pie".  It did not call for many ingredients and I had them all on hand, except for the puff pastry. It is a matter of mixing all the ingredients together, plopping this down on the dough and folding it.  Even I, who panics when I deal with pastry dough, relaxed through this. I made half the recipe which gives one two generous pastries.  It was easy to gobble one down.  I can hope, I was more refined than...

Penne with Spinach and Ricotta Usually ricotta does not last long in my house.  There are so many delicious recipes one can use it for.  For some reason, I noted this particular container just sitting there for much too long and was even afraid the date was not going to be good.  Fortunately, the date was fine, the cheese was fresh and the dish, I made with it was delicious. The recipe comes from Hazan's book, Thirty Minute Pasta. .  Often, he adds vegetables to his pasta recipes which makes this lady very happy.  Of course, you can make the dish without the veggies if your family or you are not big on vegetables. My youngest granddaughter begs for two foods, chocolate and peas and I think her first choice is peas.  It is how it is presented.  She also likes anchovies, something I have not given her but her Dad has.  One day, when I was chopping onions, she wanted to taste a piece.  She loved it although, she had trouble chewing it....

Usually, I have little to say about my weekly Donna Hay recipe for WwDH (Wednesdays with Donna Hay) except that the dish was yummy, easy to make and used available ingredients. This week is a different story, thanks to Gaye who selected the Spinach Ravioli with Basil Oil found in Donna's book, Seasons, on page 174.  It was not easy for me, nor did I have all the ingredients, nor did I think to use them, even when I did have them.  Great way to start. Ravioli to me is an Italian dish with tomato sauce - boring probably but good. To make ravioli with Vietnamese paper rolls and lemon juice sounded out of kilter to me.  The cheeses were right (Oy vey, I forgot the Mozzarella).  Just another mistake in this recipe for me.   Give me credit, I did use Ricotta and Parmesan.  What's a little Mozzarella?  I started off feeling lost and never caught up.  I didn't have the paper rolls so I used so I used rice paper which should have worked beautifully...

This was a super treat without the work of making crepes and filling them and frying them,  This is much easier to make and does not call for any frying.  A rich baked recipe is just what we want.  Delicious. Blintz Brunch Bake (adapted from Kraft Recipes ) Ingredients: 2 packages (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened 1 container (15 oz.) Ricotta Cheese 5 eggs, divided ¾ cup sugar, divided 3 tablespoons lemon juice 1 cup gluten free flour (I used brown rice flour) ¾ cup butter melted I melted butter in the microwave and forgot about it. It did not need it. Mine turned out perfect without it. ¼ cup milk 1 tablespoon Baking Powder Method: Prehear oven to 350°F.  Beat cream cheese, ricotta, 2 eggs, 1/4 cup sugar, lemon juice in large bowl with mixer until blended.  Whisk remaining eggs, sugar, flour, butter, milk and baking powder in separate bowl until blended. Spread 1/3 of the batter onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with co...

This was described as a cross between a frittata and a quiche.  I like both.  Despite that, I found this to be eggy and I would cut down to two eggs, next time.  The tomatoes gave life to the dish and it is a wonderful way to use tomatoes when you have a summer crop.  I know, it is winter, but both hubby and I brought home tomatoes and there is a limit to how many I can use. Crustless Tomato Ricotta Pi e  ( adapted from Big Oven ) Ingredients: 15 ounce Ricotta Cheese; part skim  1/4 cup Milk; low-fat 4 large Eggs  1 tablespoon Cornstarch 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated  1/2 cup Fresh Basil, chopped 1 dash Salt  1 dash Pepper  1 pound Tomato; sliced Method: Preheat over to 375.  In a large bowl, whisk ricotta, eggs,  parmesan cheese, salt and pepper until blended. In measuring cup, stir milk and cornstarch until smooth, then whisk ...

This recipe comes from  101 Cookbooks  where you find some really good recipes.  It was originally called Zucchini Ricotta Cheesecake but I added sundried tomatoes and broccoli and resorted to a more inclusive title.  I did adapt this recipe so please check out the original for lots of tips. This made an interesting and delicious meal. Veggie Ricotta Cheesecake Ingredients: 1 cups zucchini, sliced 1 cup broccoli, cut into smaller pieces 1 onion sliced 4 pieces of sundried tomato  (you can use more) 1 teaspoon sea salt 2 1/2 cups ricotta cheese 1/2 cup  shredded Parmesan cheese 2 teaspoon dried dill zest of one lemon 2 large eggs, beaten Method: Preheat oven to 325F degrees, racks the middle. Spray round casserole. Cut broccoli and sun dried tomatoes into smaller pieces. Combine the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese and lemon zest in a medium bowl. Stir in the eggs an...

I named the recipe with a question because there were so many good ingredients and in the final dish, each played a starring role.  I would choose the cheese as the star because, it added the creaminess and flavor.  This is not my favorite way to cook eggplant and I found it too gushy.  I made the same recipe with spinach and it tasted and looked a lot better.  The pieces of garden tomatoes perked up the dish and that would be the second star in the dish. Which ingredient, do you think, is the star of the recipe?  Adapted from Recipe for Living Ingredients: 1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes. 8 ounces of a small pasta, ziti, rotini, shells, elbows 1 cup ricotta cheese 2  plum tomatoes, diced 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil ground pepper to taste 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese 1 tablespoon olive oil Method: Place  cut-up eggplant in a microwave-safe covered dish with 2 tablespoons water.  Cook on High 5 minutes. Check for d...

I was reading Food Network magazine and saw a recipe for stuffed zucchini.  Actually, they had four solid recipes for stuffed zucchini.  The one with Ricotta is the one that caught my attention and the one I decided to make. When I gathered the ingredients, I found one of my zucchinis had a bad spot and I had to peel them to make sure they were usable.  I cut off parts of the bad zucchini and then cut them in half lengthwise in preparation to stuff them.  I decided, I was not scooping out the seedy part of the zucchini which we usually eat and was almost seedless.  My problem then was I had nothing to fill so I changed the name of the recipe and the way I put it together as well as one of the ingredients.   When I took the first  bite, I realized it was not cooked as well as it could have been and ended up liking it much better this way.  It gave the whole dish a firmer base and it was a good bite.   This is a dish, I can see...

Pizza is no longer the pizza, we drooled over, in past years.  It can be healthier and much more interesting.  I like to serve pizza, at least, once a month.  I had some pre-baked pizzas, in the freezer, so I happily withdrew them from their cold home and went to work on a topping. I mentioned, recently, with Passover approaching, I am attempting clean out the cupboards and freezer and I am using whatever, I find.  This time, it is my pizza crusts and frozen broccoli.  The Ricotta was also without a planned purpose.  I make a habit of keeping Ricotta or cottage cheese on hand if I decide to make lasagna or stuffed shells.  I was in pretty good shape in terms of ingredients, on hand. Since my crusts were ready to be put in the oven, I mixed the topping.  I combined a few ingredients with the Ricotta cheese and spread it on the crust, topping it with three cheeses and the broccoli.  I went heavy on the Ricotta and broccoli.  It was ...

If you have read the previous post about Claire Robinson and her Pasta Carbonara, you already know how I came to making this recipe.  I served this as dessert tonight after the pasta.  It says that this tastes like a cheesecake but it is low fat and I agree with that statement.  This was light and delicious and I would gladly make it to serve as a cheesecake.  We enjoyed it.  I am thinking of different toppings to make for it.  The cherries worked well but blueberries or peaches sound great, as well. This is a QED (quick, easy, delicious) recipe.  It took no time to put together the cheese part and I let the cherries cook, while I was making dinner, only checking on it and mixing it, occasionally. Baked Fresh Ricotta with Stewed Cherries (adapted from Claire Robinson -  Five Ingredient Fix ) I ngredients : 1 1/2 cups ricotta 1 large egg 3 tablespoons honey, divided zest and juice of 1 lemon, divided 6 ounces dark and sweet cherries, Method:...

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...

Do you ever get an urge for a particular food?  All week, I have wanted scallions, not just a few in a simple dish.  No, I wanted scallions, lots of them but what does one do with all those scallions? I had a vision of eggs with these scallions so I knew that was going to be an ingredient.  Cheese, of course, has to be there.   I needed another taste and also another color and I thought either tomato or bell peppers.  Tomatoes won. This is a recipe made as I went along.  I had called it a kugel in my  Monday menu.  It doesn't feel like a kugel even though kugel is pudding.  Pudding won.  I think, the most difficult part of this recipe was naming it and I certainly don't have anything creative. To the ingredients: 1 cup chopped scallions 3/4 cup tomatoes, chopped 1 cup Ricotta cheese (I thought about using Farmer cheese since I have some in the refrigerator.) 2 eggs 1/2 cup milk salt and pepper to taste Spray oil Method: Spray a lar...

  Not being able to lift objects, makes a difference in my present life and there are all kinds of curves and bends to get around.  We tend to take our ability to take action,  for granted.   It is interesting, when one has to think out the actions, s/he takes.    Hubby and I decided to do the shopping.   I think, my husband wins the prize for worst shopper.  He despises shopping or at least, he does not like shopping together.   I completely understand.  When, I shop, I look around.  If I were a child, it would sound like this.  "See the new products."   "It's on sale.  Can I have two of them?" "Chocolate, I love chocolate.  Which one do I want?  Maybe the chocolate marshmallow.....no the mint.....oh fudge, CARAMEL-that's it, caramel.  Put everything else back.  Get me the caramel.  I want the caramel now.   Sob.  I said, NOW." "Oh, look over there." You get the picture....