BIZZY BAKES

It is Improv time again, thanks to Kristin of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker. This month the challenge is to cook with sweet potato and honey. I wanted to include these potatoes in a dinner and chicken seemed to be the perfect answer.  Thanks to Laureen of Fox in the Kitchen, I found my answer.  She has no sweet potatoes in her recipe but I added them and what a great combination, I had. Cashew Chicken Stir Fry  ( adapted from Fox in the Kitchen) Ingredients : 2 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 cup cashews, chopped 2 small carrots, chopped 1  zucchini, sliced 1 large sweet potato, chopped 1 tablespoon garlic rice vinegar 2 tablespoons honey 2 teaspoons lime juice, about 1/2 lime 1 tablespoon honey mustard 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground Method: Poaching the chicken before stir frying, keeps the meat juicy and creamy-white. In a large saucepan, or a wok, boil 4 cups water. When water comes to a b...

Taken in the dark in blackout  I decided to post another of Miriam's recipes here since I was setting up the Recipe Box, this morning, and wanted a delicious dish.  This was creamy and for those of you who are gluten-free, it fits the bill. Again, I am going to list only the ingredients.  Below is the recipe for the sauteed spinach. Pasta of choice (I used shells) 1/2 cup butter (I used less - I rarely use butter so I chose to put in two tablespoons instead the amount given - I would guess, it would have been better with all of the butter) milk garlic cloves Parmesan Cream cheese (I said it was creamy.) salt and pepper sauteed spinach Sauteed Spinach ( adapted) 5 cups fresh baby spinach 1/4 cup olive oil 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic salt and pepper to taste In a large skillet, over medium heat, cook all ingredients together, stirring frequently, until spinach is just wilted. Thanks to Miriam of Meatless Meals for Meat Eaters. Now for the Recipe ...

I have decided to select one of my cook books or one of my cooking magazines, each week, and make some of the recipes found in the weekly choice.  I decided to start with one of our fellow bloggers, Miriam from Meatless Meals for Meat Eaters.   I have more papers sticking out of this book then one would imagine.  Each time, I open to book, I find another recipe, I have to mark. I cooked from Miriam's blog first so when her book was published, I did not hesitate to order it.  I knew, I would love it and cook from it, the latter being more important.  I will share one here and post the other two, I just made, on My Sweet and Savory , in the next few days. Miriam has divided the book into sections, my favorite being Dairy and Egg Dishes.  Despite this, the three recipes, I plan to share, do not come from that section.  Tonight's dish comes from , Beans, Legumes and Grains.  The book is laid out well with a recipe to a page which makes it easy ...

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...

Along with 90 thousand others, we lost our power, getting it back for 1 1/2 days.  In that time, I did the wash, got rid of anything left in the freezer or refrigerator, cooked up the vegetables, we had, went shopping twice and did a lot of cleaning.  I did not rush to fill the refrigerator.  The only perishables, I filled in on, were cheese and they held up through these last two days.  We kept our food on our porch in a picnic box.  With ice, it stayed beautifully.  I am so thankful. They were giving out ice daily where my husband works so we had plenty.  Everyone has chipped in to help those affected. Now, we are dealing with gas lines.  We have been fortunate, none of us waited for more than an hour.  Can you imagine being relieved at an hour wait?  It seems that this is to continue for a few weeks and that is our new challenge. My school has been closed for the past two weeks.  They have generators now but it means let...

**** Warning - I think, my posts for a while, will ha ve information on our experience and the experiences of the many people, in my community and in others, that still do not have power.*****   I decided to bake some cookies for my class.  I had not done so for this group of boys and they were patiently waiting ---- maybe not so patiently.  I thought a cookie with jelly on top would be a big success for a starter.  (I certainly regretted this after we lost our power.  It gets worse, I made two other cookies.  All went into the garbage. ) I am sure, many of you have baked under pressure and sometimes, it can spur us on to be more efficient and productive.  This time, listening to the news and the predictions, was distracting and I kept questioning whether, I had added the sugar or doubled the eggs.   I might have done any of these things but if I did, I wish I knew since each batch tasted just right. While I baked, I also scurried aroun...

 *The post before this one tells about the hurricanes and there is more at My Sweet and Savory.  There has been so much tragedy in New York and New Jersey.  Last night, we found out that one of the schools was completely destroyed.  We have many friends who send their children to this school.  I started asking questions.  Where will these children go to school?  What does this do to a child?  A school is theirs and despite their not "liking" school, they really love it and are comfortable in it.  This is only one example of many organizations that was hurt badly.  So many people are going to have their lives turned upside down, when they go to put it together.  I feel such sadness as I write this. I have come back to continue.  It seemed shallow to write about this breakfast which was joyous for us after thoughts of children who will have to deal with this. This morning, the first  day with electricity, I ...