BIZZY BAKES

As you may remember, spinach is a veggie, I throw into many dishes and even more so, like them to shine, pretty much on their own.  Voila - this quiche. Mushroom and Spinach Quiche Ingredients: 1 onion, thin sliced 11/2 cups thin sliced mushroom caps 2 - 3 cups fresh baby spinach 3 eggs 1 cup milk 1 teaspoon honey Dijon mustard 1/8 teaspoon black pepper 1 1/2 cups grated Mozzarella cheese 3/4 cup gluten-free panko crumbs or cornflake crumbs Method: Spray a shallow dish or pie pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion, and cook, stirring for 5 minutes.  Add mushrooms and cover. Cook  4 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in spinach and cover, and cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until spinach is wilted. Whisk eggs in mixing bowl. Add milk, mustard, pepper and salt to the eggs. Sprinkle 1/4 cup grated cheese over bottom of baking pan.. Bake 2 to 3 minutes to melt che

This is another of the dishes, I made for my impromtu brunch.  It was easy to make.  It was tasty and disappeared from the serving platter quickly. Cheesy Potatoes Ingredients: 20 small potatoes 1 tablespoon olive oil 1  onion, finely chopped salt and pepper to taste 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese  Method: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a round shallow baking dish or ten inch pie pan. Cut the potatoes into thin slices and place in the baking dish. In a small saucepan, heat olive oil. Add onion, salt, pepper and cook until onion is translucent. Pour onions over potatoes. Cover, and bake for 45 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Remove from oven and sprinkle with cheese. Return to oven and bake for another 5 minutes. Eat and enjoy. Linked to:   See Ya at the Gumbo                     Treasure Box Tuesda y              Fat Tuesday         Hearth and Soul Hop               Tuesday’s Table   

I found out, at the last minute, I was having two families over for Sunday morning brunch.  I pondered what to make and threw out the idea of omelets, pancakes, French Toast and waffles.  My thoughts generated to a potato bar or hash browns and that just did not feel right. I did what a smart cook does who has no patience to start pulling out cookbooks.  I went to the Internet and came up with a few recipes that motivated me to get into the kitchen.  I thought broccoli quiche, potato casserole, blueberry muffins and bagels, lox and cream cheese.  that should fill us all up. Crustless Broccoli and Cheese Quiche  adapted from  Cooking Light JULY 2003 Ingredients: 2 teaspoons olive oil 1/2 cup vertically sliced onion 3 - 5 cups broccoli florets Cooking spray 1 1/4 cups 1% low-fat milk 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Mozzarella 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/8 teaspoon

I have been enjoying experimenting with side dishes recently and I hope to share them with you.  this is an apple-sweet potato dish and I think that apples added to almost any dish is a plus.  When I came across this recipe and saw the word, "apples", I was sold.  The orange juice added a nice flavor the remaining ingredients and we liked this dish. Apple-Sweet Potato Bake ( adapted from Southern Living - November 2004 ) Ingredients: 4 medium-size sweet potatoes 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced 1 1/2 cups orange juice 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup firmly packed  brown sugar 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg                                                                                                                    1/4 cup chopped almonds                                                                                                                           1/4 teaspoon salt                

My darling daughter (in-law) brought me a brownie pan, one with separate squares for each brownie and I made little cheesecakes in it.  Actually, two of my granddaughters made the cheesecake under a little guidance. I used an old recipe of mine that I have used for years when I want a light tasting cheesecake.  The squares were adorable but I could not get them out of the pan without damaging them.  I am sure brownies will work better. Easy Cheesecake from Moms Who Think The only difference between my recipe and this is that I used brown sugar with the sour cream and vanilla. Ingredients: 2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened 2/3 cup sugar 3 large eggs 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 3 tablespoons (brown) sugar 8 ounces sour cream 1 teaspoon vanilla Easy Cheesecake Beat cream cheese, 2/3 cup sugar, 3 eggs, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla with mixer until smooth.  Pour into well greased brownie square molds. Bake 22 minutes at 35

This week, Margaret chose Hokkien Noodles with Sesame Chicken from New Food Fast by Donna Hay for out WwDH. Of course, I had no clue as to what Hokkien noodles were so I went to one of my favorite sites, Wise Geek, to find out. " Hokkien noodles are round egg noodles that are usually of medium thickness. Often packaged and sold in refrigerated packages in ethnic food shops and health food stores, these noodles are favorite options for inclusion in stir fried dishes as well as in several varieties of soups and entrees seasoned with mixtures of meats, fish, and vegetables. Dishes that make use of Hokkien noodles are found all over the world, with some of the most popular recipes originating in Malaysia, Singapore, and China." I have to admit that I used Sesame Chicken which I made for Friday night since the recipe was similar and I had it left over and it made no sense to duplicate my efforts.  Tonight, I altered the seasonings lightly, added broccoli and noodles and

Ever since I discovered the delights of crispy potatoes, I have been trying different recipes, looking for the best.  This time it was a recipe by Curtis Stone.  This recipe held up to its name, "crispy roasted" and was soft inside the potato.  The recipe calls for garlic but because hubby gets sick from it, I had to omit it.  I suggest that it be included to give it even a fuller flavor. Crispy Roasted Potatoes 6 small red potatoes 1/3 cup olive oil 1 teaspoon thyme Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 teaspoons coarsely chopped fresh parsley, for garnish Method: Place the oven rack in the lower third of the oven then place a large, heavy baking sheet on the rack. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. In a large bowl, toss the potatoes, oil, thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the hot baking sheet from the oven and arrange the potatoes cut-side down and in a single layer on the baking sheet, scraping all of the oil mixture

I made these, for the first time, last Chanukah and they were gobbled up.  It is sad, I did not think to make them again, until this Chanukah.  Something so delicious should be presented many times, over the year.  The question is whether I will learn my lesson and make these again, before next Chanukah. Crabby Cheese Puffs Made Kosher Ingredients: oil for frying (Olive) 4 ounces kosher mock crab 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon sesame oil 1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce  4 ounces whipped, cream cheese which I microwaved for 20 seconds on medium 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 chopped onion 1 teaspoon dried parsley 1/2 cup diced scallions Method: Heat oil in large skillet. Mix softened cream cheese, with all other ingredients. Using a cookie scoop (tablespoon measure) drop scoops into hot oil. When puffs are brown, turn over and if you want, flatten them a little. Fry the other side until brown. Drain. Eat and enjoy.  e  Thursday          F oodie Friday with the Seama

Easy to make Cute and a Bit Different Delicious Bell Pepper Frames Ingredients: Spray cooking oil 4 slices of  red pepper, no seeds 4 eggs 1/2 cup Mexican cheese salt and pepper to taste Method: Clean out one or two red bell peppers and cut off both top and bottoms. Slice about 1/4 inch pieces completely intact. Spray skillet with oil and cook both sides of pepper rings until slightly blackened. Drop egg into the center of each pepper frame and cook until it sets. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle shredded Mexican cheese on top and cook for another 2 minutes or to doneness you prefer in an egg. Eat and enjoy. Linked to:                     Full Plate  Thursday          F oodie Friday with the Seaman Mom        Weekend Social Link Part y                 W eekend Bites           See Ya at the Gumbo                     Treasure Box Tuesday        Two Cup Tuesday                Fat Tuesday         Hearth and Sou

Over the years, I have made many kind of muffins but not enough of the savory ones.  When I came across this recipe in "The Best of the Family Table", I jumped to make them.  The recipes in this book come from a weekly magazine, called Mispacha which means Family.  One section in it is dedicated to cooking and recipes and I have found that there are some original and tasty ones there. Cabbage is one of those veggies that I think, you either love or hate.  I love it in almost any form.  It is great in salads, soups, baked goods, side dishes and mains.  It can be mixed with a variety of other ingredients. Cabbage is a cruciferous vegetable.  I included a list from the World's Healthiest Foods .  Sometimes it is hard to understand how vegetables are related, certainly not by taste or crunchiness.  I read that originally cruciferous veggies were chosen by their appearance of a cross (crucifix) but that has been changing. Cruciferous Vegetables Arugula Bok choy Broccol

This is an interesting week with Chanukah starting on Tuesday night.  The Jewish holidays start at night and end at night.  One of the foods we eat is the potato latke.  I found t his video  on how to make latkes that you might enjoy. There are other Chanukah videos on that page also.                Chanukah is 8 days long and begins on the 25th evening of the Jewish month of Kislev.  It is a celebration of light over darkness. A small group of men defeated one of the strongest armies in the world and drove the Greeks from the land. They reclaimed the Holy temple.  When they went to light the menorah in the Temple, the discovered only one cruse of pure oil.  This one day supply burned for a full 8 days until new oil could be prepared. In our homes, we light menorahs to publicize these miracles which is why Chanukah came to be.                                                                            Chanukah customs include eating foods fried in oil -- latkes (potato panca

Not too long ago, I made a soup that featured parsnips and we loved it so much that I decided to make another one using a different recipe.  This time, I called upon Martha Stewart for my resource and we liked this one also but I don't think quite as much as my first one which used coconut milk. Smooth Parsnip and Apple Soup   adapted from Martha Stewar t 1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil 3 prepared sliced leeks 4 parsnips, trimmed, peeled, and cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces 3 carrots, sliced 1/2 onion that was left over, sliced 2 apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch pieces 1 medium baking potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces 2 cups vegetable broth Salt and pepper Method: Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add leeks. Cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Add parsnips, apples, potato, carrots, broth, and 4 cups water.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until vegetables are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

This turned out to be so delicious, I want to put it, on the weekly menu.  It was filled with flavor from such basic spice and a tiny bit of ketchup.  I rarely use ketchup in anything.  Am I missing something. I actually frowned when I saw the ingredients but  stayed with the recipe because it was called EASY and easy was what I wanted.  Easy it was to make and as I said, it is a tasty treat for a quick dinner. I knew that this would be waiting to be made when I came home from work so I asked hubby to prep a little for me.  It was great.  He cleaned the mushrooms, put up water for the noodles and browned and drained the chopped meat.  Maybe, that was why it was so easy to make.  Regardless, I plan to put this on the menu quite often. Easy Ground Beef Stroganoff (adapted from cooks recipes.com) Ingredients: 1 pound lean ground beef  1 large onion, chopped  1 tablespoon olive oil 3 tablespoons brown rice flour 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth 1  teaspoon drie

We were at my daughter-in-law's a few months ago and she had made asparagus soup.  There are two foods, I have not been able to get my husband to taste, since we were first married and they are tuna fish and asparagus. My daughter-in-law, who is more like a daughter, offered another choice for hubby.  I decided to be deceitful, something I am not at all good at, and told her just not to tell him what kind of soup it was. Of course, through the soup course, I kept looking at my husband with a grin on my face, watching him eat the soup.  I must have asked him a half a dozen times, if he liked the soup.  I told you, I was not good at being deceitful. Finally, I could not keep it in and after he responded he liked it and went and got himself seconds, I told him the truth.  He is a good sport and he finished his second bowl, as we all watched, in awe. When, I saw this recipe, I almost passed it by.  My mind sees asparagus and keeps going.  Still, I do have the memory of the