BIZZY BAKES

The photo above is to show you the adorable patty pan squash in the rice dish. The dish is a result of my independence in cooking. There was a time that zucchini was an exotic vegetable, to me. I stuck to green beans, yellow potatoes, carrots and other basic vegetables. What do I mean by basic? The vegetables my Mom used to cook as did my Mother-in-Law. The joke in our house comes up when I make a new dish or use a new ingredient and the husband says, "My mother made it differently," meaning he never saw that dish, in his Mom's home. There are times, we struggle to remember the food we ate, as kids and get stuck at the vegetables above plus corn, chicken, ground beef and salads with tomatoes and iceberg lettuce. We come from another generation and the world was different. I was going to say, money was tighter but it is probably not true. My in-laws were comfortable (not at all rich - comfortable) and my parents struggled. Dad had a small business which meant sometimes,...

Tomorrow, you will see my stuffed potato muffins which were in need of something else to complete lunch.  I usually go to a green vegetable when I have a starch for the main dish.  This time, it was broccoli, dressed up in wine, almonds and shallots.   Broccoli seems to be an adaptable recipe as long as  you don't cook it for a long time and I often fall back on it, when a green is needed.  Spinach is good but it is a "pain" to have to squeeze out all the water, from it.  Beans are OK but they don't have the same "class" as broccoli.  I love peas but for some reason, I did not see them, with the potatoes and normally, I love mashed potatoes with a side of peas.   Broccoli & Shallots with Browned Almonds Ingredients: 1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic 2 large shallots, chopped 1 teaspoon black pepper 1/4 cup sliced almonds 1/4 red bell pepper, chopped 1 - 2 cups broccoli florets (I used frozen) 1 tablespoon...

In my plight to use up everything, I must get rid of, I end up with some good recipes, quite unexpectedly.  That is what happened today when I found myself staring at a bag of frozen corn with about a cup of corn in it.  What was I going to do with just a cup of corn? The answer was obvious - build on it until I would have enough for a serving dish, a small one, though.  Adding was easy because it was based on what was available in my kitchen.  There was a partially cut red pepper, on my counter so I chopped about a one inch slice into tiny pieces and threw that in with the corn.  Also, sitting on my counter, forlorn and alone was half a small onion which was chopped and added to the corn.  You guessed it, there was also a half of a zucchini that graced this dish. Looking at my counter again, a bottle of balsamic vinegar sat there with about 1/4 of an inch of  liquid.  Throw it in.  Better add some sugar to modify the flavor of the vine...

I tend to be a cook that throws extras into dishes.  When, I saw this delightful dish, Mad Hatter Salad, I could not resist.  It is fun to have a bit of the mad hatter in each of  us.  I gather the idea is to be creative and add what you want to the salad and I did. Mad Hatter Salad  (adapted from All Recipes Ingredients 1 (16 ounce) package cabbage, shredded 1 cup carrots, shredded 8 green onions, chopped 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced thin 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 package frozen broccoli florets 1 cup pine nuts 1/4 cup slivered almonds 1/2 cup unsalted sunflower seeds 1/2 cup dried cranberries 1/2 cup white sugar 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 teaspoon soy sauce Directions In a large bowl, toss together the coleslaw mix, green onions and broccoli.  Set aside. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the green onions, carrots and broccoli  for 5   minutes.  Add r...