BIZZY BAKES

The above would make a lunch worth, sitting down, with a glass of wine, to enjoy.  OK, if you are not a fan of eggplant, maybe this wouldn't work but for the rest of us, this is to enjoy.  It is kind of cute with the yellow patty pan, near the top, of the stack. I have come across, recently, a few people who were cooking with patty pan squash and I decided, just for the cute factor, I had to do something with them.  I had planned to make eggplant Parmesan for dinner and wanted to figure a way to include my little patty pan friends. My great decision was to use a tomato as a buffer between the eggplant and patty pan and top it with cheese.   I was going to use goat cheese but I didn't have enough for all the stacks, so I changed my plan and used mozzarella.   I didn't know what to expect and I am happy to say, I was pleased with the results.  Not only, is this a luncheon dish, it is a good as a side dish.    Patty P...

Is there such a thing as a bad soup?  If so, I have not found it unless you want to count some of the over salted soup served at some weddings.  Salt is supposed to bring out the flavor, not cover it up, yet I have had soups that tasted like pure salt with a hint of flavor. Wholesome Chunky Vegetable Soup - Cooking Inspired cookbook  - Estee Kafra Ingredients: 2 medium onions, diced 2 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut in chunks 6 stalks celery, cut in chunks 6 large carrots, cut in chunks 1 pepper (any color - I used red), seeded and cut in chunks 2 parsnips, cut into chunks 12 cups chicken or vegetable broth 1/4 cup minced fresh dill (or 3 cubes or 1 Tbsp dried dill) 1 cup pearl barley, rinsed and drained -  Hubby can't have the gluten 1 1/2 cups dried red lentils, rinsed and drained salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1 19-oz can baked beans Method: Place all cubed vegetables in the slow cooker and let cook on high for about 1 ...

I am going back to something, I used to do but dropped it for practicality.   I am going to Cook the Book.  Each week, I am going to cook a few recipes from a specified book. It failed for me, last time, because I wanted to cook the book daily and that is not possible.  I think, if I choose 2 or 3 recipes a week or more, if I choose to, this may work out.  I am blessed with many cookbooks and I want to use some of them that have been sitting on the shelf. The cookbook, I chose for this week is not one of those shelf sitters.  This book is found on my kitchen table quite often and it gets picked up and used.  I don't remember a failure from the book.  It is called Cooking Inspired by Estee Kafra.  When I first got the book, I sat down with it and by the time I got up, I knew, I was buying it for several friends and relatives.  In fact, I think it is on sale now and I should pick up a few more. One of the major joys of this book a...

Sorry about quality of photo This was basically a lasagna filled with Ricotta, pea puree of my making and some spices. It flowed together beautifully and the taste was a delight. I honestly thought Hubby would not like it but he certainly did. It makes for a light meal. I would serve it with salmon, next time. I enjoyed cooking this and more so, we enjoyed eating it. Pea Puree lasagna  - adapted from  Poor Girl Gourmet                     Ingredients: 1 cup frozen peas 1/3 cup water 1 onion, chopped 1/2 teaspoon thyme 6 lasagna noodles (gluten-free) 8 ounces ricotta salt and pepper 2 tablespoons olive oil 2-3 tablespoons grated Parmigiano 2-3 tablespoons olive oil 1 medium onion. chopped 1 cup frozen peas Method: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook frozen peas in 1/3 cup water until heated through. Remove from heat and set...

I am big, into breakfast for dinner, and in the past month or two, we have had several dinners that would have made good lunches and breakfasts and yes, most of all BRUNCHES. I have not made plain ole pancakes, in a while. I think, the last one was an apple pancake recipe that was ever so good. I had about a cup of fresh blueberries left from a fruit crumble. That is how pancakes become blueberry pancakes. Blueberry Hill Pancakes Ingredients: 1 1/4 cups gluten-free flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 tablespoon sugar 1 egg 1 cup milk 1/2 tablespoon oil 1/2 cup fresh blueberries Method: In a large bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. In a small bowl, beat together egg and milk. Stir milk and egg into flour mixture. Mix in the oil and fold in the blueberries. Set aside for 1 hour. Pour 1 tablespoon of oil on a griddle and heat on medium high heat. Drop tablespoons of batter on the hot griddle and cook until golden. Turn pancakes over and brow...

This week, I selected this Roasted Carrot and Dumpling Soup.  We loved the carrots soup and did not like the dumplings which were heavy and  hard.  I did make them gluten-free which might  have been the cause for this. This was another easy recipe although it had the additional step of roasting the carrots and onions.  That did not seem like a big deal.  The ever powerful immersion  blender made for a smooth soup. The dumplings were very easy to make.  They rolled into balls with no effort and frankly, at the rolling stage, I did not think we were going to enjoy them. You can find the recipe   online and I do recommend the soup.  I can't wait to check out the other Donna hay cooks and see what their soups were like.  Do visit them and get their opinions. Gaye           Sarah       and       Margaret If you are interested in cooking with our Donna Hay group, ple...

It is funny that this recipe is actually a meat recipe from  Eating Well.  The beauty of meatless meals is that it is easy to change one with meat to one without meat. They still often work. I did not substitute anything for the meat but if you choose to, tofu could be used. Since, we cut back on our meat intake, I have simply omitted it from most of the dishes but there are times when a little crunch or some bulk makes a difference.  It might be as simple as adding some nuts or additional vegetables or a bit of quinoa. Bok Choy Stir Fry Ingredients: 8 ounces soba or rice noodles 1/3 cup water 1/4 cup dry sherry 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce 2 teaspoons cornstarch 1 tablespoon oil or canola oil 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced 1 pound bok choy (about 1 medium head), trimmed and cut into long, thin strips 1 tablespoon Sweet Thai chil sauce Method: Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook according t...