BIZZY BAKES

I have missed the Secret Recipe Club .  I love looking through other foodie's blogs and finding out how they approach cooking and eating.   The approach of Jen's Journey  is to make recipes that are doable.  You can get the ingredients easily and the recipes, in most cases, are easy to make and look delicious.  I had no problem finding something to make.  At this point, I am stressing baking so that hubby has snack food.  When I saw the scrumptious sounding muffins, I knew this would be the ones to make. We love muffins and I have made quite a variety over the years.  One year, I made a different muffin each week and we loved every moment, eating them and planning the next variation. Jen is a family person with hubs and two teens, one gal and guy.  It seems, they grew up overnight and she is enjoying every moment of this growth.  Anybody else wonder where they years have gone?  Tucker isJen's beloved Chihuahua and it sounds to...

This month, I needed a Hubby friendly cake for you know who and I found this one on my designated blogger for the Secret Recipe Club. Suzanne, a beloved blogger, who we all know through her hard work in the Club has the blog, I was to cook from.  Suzanne was participating in a surprise online party for Shelby and she made this delicious cake below with raspberries.  I had blueberries so I changed the recipe slightly and made this with blueberries.  I also made it gluten-free so hubby could eat it.  He loved it. Blueberry Coffee Cake adapted from Thru the Bugs on my Windshield Ingredients : 1 cup fresh blueberries 3 tablespoons brown sugar 1 cup gluten-free flour 1/3 cup white sugar 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/2 c up greek yogurt (plain or vanilla) 2 tablespoons butter melted 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 egg 1/4 c Sliced almonds 1/4 c sifted confectioners' sugar 1 tsp milk 1/4 tsp vanilla extract Method: ...

It is time for the Secret Recipe Club where we cook from an assigned blog.  This month was a first for me.  I could not find a recipe I did not want to make.  I was super fortunate to be given Smells Like Brownies. After reading Melissa's introduction about herself, I like her even more than her recipes.  She is charming.  She is a stay-at -home Mom who doesn't like fruit.  Can you imagine?  Despite this, her blog is filled with delicious and appealing recipes. I plan to be cooking from this blog for quite a while.  My list of recipes to make is long and lovely. Soups and muffins top my list.  They seem to be my favorites these days. I chose this salmon because that is what I needed at the moment.  We have weekly salmon the day, I planned to cook for Smells Like Brownies, was salmon day.  It turned out that these simple fillets were delicious and hubby who takes salmon for granted, "kvelled" (was extraordinarly pleased)....

By now you know, I love Secret Recipe Club Reveals, and it is that time again.  I had such fun exploring my assigned blog, Jenny's Cookbook.   She has a plethora of wonderful looking dishes and I ended up selecting two.  It was hard enough to get down to just two and I hope to get back there and make some more.  Thanks Jenny for offering such a great selection.  I made another lentil soup, a few days ago and both hubby and I loved it so I decided to try another one and we love this one, even more. Lentil Soup  ( adapted from Jenny's Cookbook) Ingredients 1 onion diced 1 large carrot diced 2 celery stalks diced 1 teaspoon olive oil 1 1/2 cups dry lentils 1 tsp paprika 1/2 tsp cumin 1 tsp dry dill 1 tsp chili powder salt & pepper to taste 5 cups water 1 19oz can diced canned tomatoes with juice 1 cup chopped fresh parsley Lemons Method:   Cook the vegetables in oil until they're tender. Stir in lentils to coat and stir in sp...

T he Secret Recipe Club - group B has its reveal today.  Of late, I have been getting blogs that are relatively new to me and that is fun.  Venturing into a new blog is an intriguing experience, opening a door, looking around, cheering and shouting at all that is to be seen.  Then there are the surprises, maybe a gluten-free blog, one with tons of veggies or maybe lots of chocolate.  The adventurer has no idea what to expect and the fun is in the looking. My blog has some really interesting recipes that I would have loved to make but did not have some of the ingredients and in this crowded month, everything has to be as easy as possible.  I found lots of recipes, I do want to make, when I have time to pick up the missing ingredients. Even at that, I settled on 5 recipes and decide to treat my hubby to one of his favorites, a blueberry coffee cake.  Since this recipe belongs to This Mama Cooks on a Diet, I must apologize to Mama.  I carefully put ...

Yeah -  a new blog to look through - new recipes - lots of fun - good eating - that must mean the SRC is at work and today is Reveal Day.  My assigned blog is Sid's Sea Palm Cooking .  What an interesting writer and cook.  There are three blogs belonging to Sid and reading what I will call the more personal one, I see a deep thinker and an interesting person, someone who notices the world that surrounds us. The recipes on the blog are temptation personified from the gluten-free to the Danish.  Check out the Tapas and Boat Club Nights where you could visit for long stretches of time. I chose these corn dog muffins because they are minis.  I know that sounds like a weird reason to select a recipe but for those who know my love of anything mini, you might just understand.  These are adorable and were gobbled up quickly. Corn Dog Muffins  Ingredients: 2 cups Yellow Cornmeal 1/2 cup Gluten-Free Flour 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder 1 Teaspo...

It is that time again ------ Secret Recipe Club Reveal for Group B.  We have seen, over the years, many groups start and many have not been able to continue for lack of participation.  The SRC has not had that problem.  They went from a once a month group to four monthly groups on each of the Mondays of the months.   What is the secret to this group's success?  There are two answers to that.  Heather started this whole thing with organization and lots of hard work.  I believe it is that organization that has kept it going.  April   took it over and continues both the organization and hard work.  If there was a third reason, it would be communication.  Notifications are timely and questions are answered.  Each group has a leader and mine is Suzanne  This month Flavors by Four is my secret blog to make a dish from.  I have enjoyed this blog, for a while.  It is written by a mother-daugh...

One of the highlights of the month is the reveal of the Secret Recipe Club.  This highly successful group led by A pril brings you wonderful recipes chosen by a secret partner.  My group leader is Suzanne .  Thanks ladies for making this happen. I was super excited when I found out who my assigned blog was run by, the well-known and charming Miz Helen with the big and welcoming smile.  Many of you know, Miz Helen from her linky, Full Plate Thursdays but she has so much more, on her blog.  Check out her garden and then there is adorable Max.  You don't know Max?  Get over to Miz Helen's Country Cottage and find out. With apologies, I had to make some changes in the recipe, I chose.  I decided to make the quiche without the crust.  One of the ways, we have cut down on our calories and fat intakes is to eliminate pie crust from our diet with a possible few exceptions.  Also, being kosher meant not including both dairy and meat and ou...

Remember as a kid how much fun it was to belong to a club.  Then came sororities and it got a little more competitive.  Now, joining a club is fun and easy if you enjoy cooking.  Just become a member of the Secret Recipe Club.   Wait for a delightful surprise each month when you are assigned a blog to cook from.  Then have lots of fun, looking through the blog and very likely finding many recipes to make.  Then, eliminate most of them and finally pick the one you are making.  We then wait for the Reveal which is now. My assigned blog was Growing Up Gabel.  Camille and her husband Mitch live in Las Vegas.  Their warm and loving family include a daughter and a son,  Ella and Miles.  Gabel is the kind of blogger I respect, one who loves what she is doing and gets joy from blogging. It was easy to select a recipe because I needed a sauce for pasta, the night, I was cooking my recipe.  I found this straightforward, easy t...

Secret Recipe Club (SRC) time is here. again, for the second group under the capable leadership of Suzanne of Thru the Bugs on my Windshield and April from Angel's Homestead . The blog, I was assigned is No Reason Needed.   Strangely enough, she had my blog, last month, in another group.  It happens, I was about to bake and happily found this yummy apple cake.  I knew hubby would enjoy it which he did. This is easy to make and I had all the ingredients on hand. Aunt's Apple Cake ( adapted from No Reason Needed) Ingredients: 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 3/4 tsp baking powder 4 large apples  2  eggs 3/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon rum extract 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon   8 tablespoons oil Method:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour a square baking pan.    Beat oil and eggs until foamy. Add the sugar, flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and Rum flavoring; mix well. Add apples, diced to the size you prefer.  I like chunk...

Three cheers for the SRC ( Secret Recipe Club) and the second Monday of the month.  It is time to share again an to thank the ladies behind the scenes, Suzanne and April and all the other hard workers, you can find on the SRC blog . When the name of my assigned blog is mailed to me, I open it with excitement.  I love getting new blogs although when I have gotten someone I know, it has been even more fun.  Questions run through my mind, "Will there be recipes that appeal to me?"  Such a silly question.  I have not yet found a blog without interesting and appealing recipes and yet, each month, I have a moment of fear. This month, absolutely was no problem.  Not true.  There was a problem.  I could not make a decision what to choose until I heard my husband, in the background, "Bake for me."  How could I turn him down?  So, I looked through Ashley's baked goods from her wonderful blog, Cheese Curd in Paradise.   Isn't tha...

It seems like a long time since I posted for the Secret Recipe Club .  I enjoy it a great deal and when I don't have a blog to search through looking for my pick of a recipe, I am looking forward to my next assignment. A s pe cial thank you to Suzanne, leader of Team B.  I can't imagine the logisti cs that go into scheduling our secret recipe blogs. This month, lucky me g ot Amy's Cooking Adventures .  Yes, A my has wonderful recipes but  I am in love with are her two adorable sons.  It must be a delight to cook for these two darlings. Amy , like me, did not have extensive experience cooking in the kitchen, as a child and in fact, she was already a Mom before she discovered her desire to make healthier and more appealing f ood, for the family.  If you visit , you will tell by her photos, she has accomplished this. I selected her Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries.  I had difficulty making the crust and that may be because I had to sub in sweet p...

With the loss of power, I didn't think, I was going to get to post my secret recipe online nor would I be able to notify anyone to get a replacement.   I was thrilled when we got our power back, (no not just for this reason - for the warmth and light) and I could get back online. Most of you know about the Secret Recipe Club where we are assigned a blog and we select a recipe to make and post, on a specified date.  A lot of work goes into this and I want to thank Suzanne who is responsible for week 2 of the month.  April i s the one with broad shoulders and keeps us all together sharing away and a big dose of gratitude goes to her.  Check out both of their blogs and see how much they have to offer you. This month's blog was particularly challenging for me.  Ashley of Kitchen Meets Girl has too many recipes, I wanted to make.  Maybe, it is fortunate that I did not have power; I think I would have recreated her blog, in my kitchen.  Tonight...

The summer is passing by much too quickly, for me.  It is hard to believe, it is time for another posting for the SRC.   You do know what the SRC is?  In case, you missed what has been going on around you on Mondays, this is a group of foodie bloggers who are assigned bloggers to cook from and to reveal on their assigned Monday.  Each Monday, a different group reveals the fruits of their labors of love. A genius is our Amanda who created this group.  Even, she could not have known how this was going to take off and become part of all of our lives.  Thanks again, Amanda.  Jane is the leader of my group and I will vouch for the hard work she puts in and the nonsense she ends up taking, at least from me.  You can find our wonderful Jane at the Heritage Cook .  Please do visit all the gals who work so hard to make the SRC a reality.  There are many others and you will find them listed at SRC.  Each month, I describe a fantasti...

  Today is a busy day with both the Crazy Cooking Challenge and the Secret Recipe Club scheduled at the same time.  I have my Monday Muffin recipe ready to go, as well but I am holding it back, until tomorrow. It is always exciting, waiting to hear who our partners are going to be and I am delighted that mine is Shelby from The Lives and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch.   My first reaction though, was that I have already cooked from Shelby's blog and I dropped a line to my team captain Jane from the Heritage Cook.   Jane is the sweetest person and has such patience when I run into a little wall. Jane came back to me to tell me that Amanda from Amanda's Cookin'  who started the Secret Recipe Club (3 cheers) didn't have a record of it.  I looked back and sure enough, for another group, I had cooked from  Shelby's blog but not for SRC so I am the lucky one to get a second chance. Now comes the real problem.  Shelby has too many great re...