BIZZY BAKES

I can't believe how time goes by so quickly.  Here it is Tuesday afternoon which means we open up the Recipe Box for all your recipes. Already in our box are recipes such as the following.  Julie from Jam's Corner got the most clicks on her Taco Lasagna. Stuffed Cookies makes a great snack as well as dessert from Flour Me with Love. Vanilla Maple Whoopie Pies (eggless) from Transatlantic Blonde/ Roasted Red Pepper Pesto Chicken Pasta from Healthy Kitchen Guide Now, I am hungry.  Bet you are too.  Do share with us what you  have made.

I am in a rush now and have no time to introduce this salad, other than to say, it turned out very nicely and I recommend it. Vegetarian Noodle Salad 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter 1 teaspoon sesame oil 1/4 cup Mirin 1 teaspoon Thai sweet chili sauce 1 tablespoon sugar 3 tablespoons soy sauce 1/4 cup cup oil 1/2 pound gluten-free brown rice spaghetti (package directions) 1/4 of an English cucumber, sliced thin 1 red bell pepper (julienned) 1 bunch scallions (sliced) 12 cup salted peanuts (chopped roasted, garnish) Method: In a bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, sesame oil, Mirin, chili sauce, sugar, and soy until smooth. Whisk in the oil. In a large bowl, toss dressing with the pasta, cucumbers, bell pepper and scallions. The recipe is adapted from Food Network . I went heavier on the Soy Sauce and less on the oil. Better than other salads like this that I have made. Gluten Free Weekly Menu     Summer Salad Sundays        Mealtime Monday        Made from Scratch   

I am curious.  Is food fun for you?  Does blogging make it more fun?  Do you cook differently because you blog?  What is more interesting, the cooking, the blogging, the responses?  Are you eating more fattening food or healthier food? When I went to make my lunch today, I realized how much more "exciting" it is, on a daily basis, for me to make and eat lunch. The idea that I am sharing it with you keeps me on the straight and narrow (most of the time). I am eating a healthier diet and I want it to be at least, a little bit interesting. I am referring to the food. I could make a unique salad daily and I would be happy with it but that would get boring both for me and for you. It is more of a challenge, for me, to come up with something else. I am not looking for complicated or difficult. I still need something quick, easy and delicious. To answer the above questions. Yep, food is fun for me, both cooking and blogging and I love you responses. I definitely cook d

  I am back to making new lunches for myself, once again.  I wish, I could share with you, the feelings, I have about this.  It has taken the "eh" quality out of lunch and makes each time, I make it, into a mini occasion.  I have to think about it.  I have to purchase items for the recipes rather than work around what I have, on hand.  I want it to have some interest for you and I don't want it to be silly, like sharing how I put cheese on bread. In one way, this is easy because it is more fun than simply grabbing a slice of cheese and it is challenging because I am attempting to make a variety of food for the interest dimension. Today, I was looking at my cookbooks in order to find a recipe.  Ina Garten's,  How Easy is That? stood out.  It has been a long while since I used the book and probably as long, since I made an Ina recipe.  I saw a recipe for scalloped tomatoes and thought it was going to be one dish but in reading the ingredients, it brought back

First, I apologize for not posting my lunches for a  few days.  Today, I had leftovers so there is nothing to report.  I will  have to check back and see if I am missing something from last week. This was a side dish, last night and it originally used yellow squash.  I used zucchini.  The biggest change, in the original recipe, from the Vegetarian Times, July 2012 is the crumb topping.  The crumbs, I made turned out to  be real crisp and crumbly and delicious. Savory Crisp( adapted) Ingredients: - 2 tablespoons olive oil - 1 cup combination Tortilla chips and corn meal (For those who use real food, you do not need the Tortilla chips - use nuts in place of them) - 2 tablespoons chopped parsley - 1 small yellow onion, chopped - 11b small zucchini, diced - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved - 1 cup yellow pear tomatoes, halved - 2 Tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese Preheat oven to 400F. In a small bowl, mix crumbs and parsley together.  Heat olive oil in a skillet over low

There is something nice about starting Mondays off with the latest muffins. Of all the baked goods, we have, muffins are the ones that go the fastest and are liked the most. I found the original recipe on allrecipes. com. and I noted that I can't remember making muffins with pineapple. I don't use pineapple often although Pineapple Sunshine Muffins  (adapted) Ingredients: 2 cups gluten-free flour 1 cup sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 2 eggs 1/2 cup oil 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 cup crushed pineapple, undrained 2/3 cup shredded carrot Method: In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and ginger.  In another bowl, beat the eggs, oil and vanilla; stir in pineapple.  Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.  Fold in carrot. F ill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three fourths full. Bake at 375 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

I am late making this Mocha Cappuccino Coffee Cake for The Home Bakers, a group baking coffee cakes from "Coffee Cakes" by Lou Seibert Pappas. I love this book since my husband is the happiest with coffee cake. This cake was chosen by Lena of Frozen Wings who bakes the most marvelous cakes. Just take a look. Out group, THB, was started by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours. If you would like to join us, contact her and have some fun, with us. Why am I late? I have agonized over this cake since I saw it on the list. I would love it but hubby would not like the chocolate that marbleizes that cake. First, I decided to cut the recipe way now and make it with the chocolate. When I asked my husband, if he would eat it, he said, "no". Then, I decided to skip the cake completely. I did not want to eat it up myself. The date of posting came and I was not linked up. It didn't feel right not to be linked. I still could not decide what to do. Then, I talked to myself

Friday is a total cooking day for me.  Well, there is some cleaning in there, too, but it is the cooking, I love to do.  Each Friday, I have the fun of selecting different dishes to make and to scan the cookbooks, magazines of the blogs, looking for something a bit different.  This is a part of the week, I especially enjoy and of course, it is all for our Sabbath (Shabbos). My husband kept asking for rice, potatoes or pasta for dinner but I didn't feel like any of them. So simple when that happens - one of us get his/her way. This time, it is me. I don't think hubby is going to be disappointed with what I ended up making.  Since he was looking for starch, I decided bread would be the right way to go.  I haven't had extra gluten-free bread in the house for months.  Usually, we make a loaf a week and that is fine for hubby.  When I was shopping, I decided to pick up some gluten-free rolls and I had a few packages in the freezer.  Poof, pop them in a food processo

Improv Challenge time is here again and we are celebrating the growing season with corn and butter. With all due respects to Kristen, I puzzled as to why she selected butter as the second ingredient. That means to me, corn on the cob with dripping butter, coming down the sides. Of course, that would be too easy although, it would be delicious.  Thanks, Kristen for organizing this event which is pure fun.  (I love corn) I saw a recipe for a corn fritter with cheddar cheese and that sounded so much richer than the standard corn fritter. Of course, I took it one step further. I had some broccoli, in the house, so I threw some into the batter. There are little green emeralds popping from the field of gold. Cheddar Broccoli Corn Fritter s 2 cups gluten-free flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon cumin 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt black pepper to taste 2 beaten eggs 1 cup milk 1/4 cup melted butter 2 cups broccoli, broken into small pieces 1/2 cups cor

First, I was going to tell you, I may have made a mistake in this lunch commitment. When the time comes to eat, I have to give it thought. No more, grabbing a piece of cheese from the refrigerator, or taking a stack pack of crackers or even corn cakes which is my nosh of choice - tasty and low calorie and no fat. I couldn't very well, show you a photo of a piece of red pepper or a slice of Gouda or a glass of juice or even leftover pasta, heated up - ugh. What kind of a blog would I have? No, now I have to show you a real lunch or at least a semblance of one. When, I was about to write this, I took another bite of my quesadillo and changed direction. I was thankful for the yummy lunch and I have been almost every day, since I began reporting in. That reminds me, I have to fill in the information on my Lunch page. The recipes, I choose, are usually quite easy to make, considering how little time, I have, to get them ready and to eat. It may be summer but that is no

I love Pad Thai and I particularly love it with chicken but when I came across a vegetable version on Brownies for Dinner (sounds like my kind of place), I had to try it. It was really good and I would make it again. I used brown rice linguine which can be fussy and stick together if you don't baby sit it and I was doing three things at one time which means, I was not babysitting. I did my best to rescue it and did save more than half but I had my share of glopped together pasta, we could not eat. Easy Pad Thai (adapted from Everyday Food) 8 ounces linguine (brown rice-gluten-free) 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 teaspoon lime juice 3 tablespoons soy sauce 1/4 teaspoon Sriracha (I can't spell Sriracha ....I should write it ten times to remember the spelling) 2 teaspoons olive oil 3 scallions (green onions), white and green parts, separated and thinly sliced 2 large eggs, light beaten 1/4 cup fresh cilantro 1/4 cup chopped roasted, salted peanuts Soak noodles accordin

A new blog to me is Ewe Creek Cottag e. I put it in the category of charming blogs. Not only did I find the site but also a recipe, I decided to make for lunch today. The main ingredients of the recipe are pasta, cucumber, zucchini, summer squash and goat cheese. Now take a look at the title of this recipe. Yep, that is the result of not having what I thought, I had, on hand. It is a comedy of errors. Get the cuke (Sure I had a long English cucumber, just waiting for me.) Not any more. Get the zucchini - Oops, I forgot, I used it in another dish. Summer squash, I knew I did not have any. Goat cheese - yes it is in the refrigerator, sealed closed. How could I use it when I have an opened package of feta? Wonderful salad at the Ewe Creek Cottage but only the dressing sort of matches the original recipe, which I still want to make. My apologies RaNae.   Please go over and get the fabulous original recipe while I share mine. Faux RaNae Salad Ingredients: 2 cups angel hair past

Muffin Recipes is the name of a site which, as you can guess, has muffin recipes. There were several that interested me and so far, I have made this Gingered Orange Muffin which had a snappy citrus flavor. Some of the other recipes that interest me are the following. I keep trying to cut the list but it is difficult.  Click on the name of the muffin to get the recipe. Raspberry Cheesecake Muffins       Peanut Butter Muffins      Hawaiian Muffins      Strawberry Muffins Pineapple Muffins     Cranberry Muffins     Cappuccino and Chocolate Muffins      Carrot and Raisin Muffins      Apple Oat Muffins       Raisin Bran Muffins       Squash Muffins       Cherry Muffins Flax Seed Muffins        Autumnal Muffins       Mexican Muffins Which ones would you make? Gingered Orange Muffins 1/3 cup canola oil 1/3 cup honey 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup fresh orange juice 1/2 cup orange marmalade 3 cups gluten-free flour mixture 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon bakin

If someone was to ask you, what changes have you made, in the past few years, I doubt you would say, I eat more fresh broccoli and cauliflower.  I would say just that or at least, I would mention fresh vegetables.  A change in the foods we eat, calls for an adjustment in recipes, meaning fun for me.  I enjoy my time in the kitchen and it is more like play time than work.  While there are steps that can be tedious, I find that the idea of putting new foods together in a variety of ways, is pure pleasure.  There was a time, I avoided dicing and slicing and threw vegetables into a pot, whole.  It seemed to be easier.  Now, I can't understand it.  That is plain boring.  Shredded cheese came in a package and while I still keep a package of shredded Mexican cheese, on hand, I love to shred and watch the delicate strands float onto the surface below. I am still not a patient cook and like to see the results appear relatively quickly but as long as I taking steps that are pleasant,

I had extra rice left from another dish which means, I make a rice salad. I also had two zucchini at loose ends and I found a yummy looking zucchini salad in the book, "Dining In" and decided to combine my rice and this zucchini recipe and see what I get. It turned out to be a good combination but I think, it needed more heat or more flavor and that is easily remedied. Zucchini Rice Salad 1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced 4 radishes, thin sliced 1 purple onion, thin sliced 1/2 cup yellow and orange yellow pepper 3 garlic pickles, chopped 1 cup cooked brown rice Dressing:  1/2 cup cider vinegar 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper Method: Combine the rice and the vegetables in bowl. Whisk the dressing ingredients together and pour over the vegetables. Cover and refrigerate for an hour before serving. (Mine was refrigerated for a few hours.) Linked to Summer Salad Sundays

My shopping trips are fun, these days. I enter the store like a kid in a toy store. I look at everything and find new products and best of all, I choose the vegetables for the next few days. I don't do this with a plan. I look and see something delicious and in the basket, it goes. Then comes the real fun - finding or making up a recipe. Bok Choy is quick and easy to make. It seems as if you can do anything to it and you still will be able to eat it. This time, I made a simple stir-fry which was not tasty enough so I added some Cajun seasoning which does not really fit but gave it the oomph, it needed. Stir-fry Baby Bok Choy a dapted from About.com Chinese Cooking Ingredients: 4 bunches baby bok choy (basically, 1 bunch per person) 2 slices ginger 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 teaspoon sugar, or to taste 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste 1/4 cup water A few drops sesame oil 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil for stir-frying 1/2 teaspoon of a spice blend of choice Method: Wash t

 When we ate the salmon, in the previous recipe, we did not use much of the salsa.  Fortunately for me, I now had a great lunch.  It was not really enough to fill me up and my gut feeling is that I will be eating a few corn cakes to fill me up.  It was a good salad though and I am glad, I ate it, for lunch. Cucumber Salsa for Salmon or as a salad (adapted from T aste of Home ) Ingredients: 1 cup finely chopped seeded peeled cucumber 1/2 cup finely chopped seeded tomato 1/4 cup chopped onion 1 tablespoons minced fresh parsley 1/4 cup red pepper, seeded and chopped 1/4 cup garlic dip 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon lime juice 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt (I used a citrus blend)   Method: In a small bowl, combine the cucumber, tomato, onion, parsley and red pepper. In another bowl, combine the sour cream, lemon juice, lime juice, cumin and seasoned salt.  Pour over cucumber mixture and toss gently to coat. Serve immediately with chips.