BIZZY BAKES

This is the very first Catch-Up week for Eating with Ellie.  I missed two recipes because of Passover.  The one, I am making up, this week is  Pasta Fagioli with Zucchini which I believe was scheduled for the first night of Passover (Pesach). Since pasta is one of the items, we do not eat, on Pesach, this was skipped for a very good reason.  I admit, I had wanted to make it ahead of time so it could be posted but with the preparation that went into the holiday, it just didn't happen. I wish, I had the time, to let you peek into our home before the holiday.  Ask any woman who celebrates Passover which is the busiest time of the year, and I would bet that many if not most, would say Passover.  I learned many years ago that despite the work and lack of sleep, to enjoy this prep time.  It is good to love cooking when you  plan a holiday and we did cook and cook and cook.  It can be healthier food if you choose to not to throw matzah in every dish.  What makes it heavy is the kn

This is Catch-Up week for the Wednesday with Donna Hay group.  This was quite a challenge for ma since there were many recipes I missed.  I did not belong to the group when it first started so there are a whole bunch of exciting recipes that preceded my participation.  Then in the two years, I have been cooking Donna Hay recipes, there were various times, I had to take a short leave and missed a number of additional recipes.   I was so confused with all the possibilities and this might seem a strange choice but I am fussy about carrots.  I don't like them in soup but in some salads, I find they add a nice crunch.  The dressing for this carrot recipe hit the spot. I did sub in red pepper in place of the spicier chili pepper out of respect to hubby who likes a "quiet" food - no snap, crackle or pop.  Despite the lack of the chili pepper, the dressing was delicious and the very thin carrots could be eaten by my one year old granddaughter.   Since the recipe is online,

I don't make corn in any form enough.  Corn is a favorite in our house and when I think of it, I make corn fritters or a delicious corn casserole.  The best is fresh corn, straight from the garden, hardly cooked at all.  The natural sweetness of the corn shines in the fresh picked vegetable. When we had our garden, corn was our favorite crop.  When it was in season, it was nightly a  treat, for us.  I would have the water boiling before it was picked and shucked.  What a delight. Now, it has become an afterthought after the more healthy vegetables, such as broccoli and spinach.  This recipe inspired me to get out that corn and enjoy. Curried Corn Soup Ingredients: 4 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil 1 red onion, thin sliced 1 stalk celery, finely chopped 1 large carrot, finely chopped 2 tablespoons finely chopped peeled ginger 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped 1 1/2 teaspoons Indian curry powder 1 larg

              Menu Plan Monday                      I found that since Passover, I could get my act together, to plan for the week.  I was determined to get it right, this time.  This week is Catch-Up week for both Eating with Ellie and Wednesdays with Donna Hay and as a result, I got to choose from recipes, I had missed, over the year.  Ellie was easy since I had only missed two recipes over Pesach.  With Donna Hay, I was not sure what I had made and what I had not.  I kept going back to  my blog to check.  I have participated there for about two years and figuring we had weekly recipes, I have baked many Donna Hay recipes.  Kayte shares a count with us so top off at her blog and see how many the group has made. Sunday - Creamy Carrot and Zucchini Pasta  Monday - Eggplant Parmesan Tuesday - Salmon with Pepper Sauce, Pickled Carrots Wednesday - Pasta Fagioli with Zucchini - Ellie Krieger - EwE Thursday - Sweet Potato Hash with Sausage and Eggs Friday - Pa

I love potatoes, all kinds of potatoes, made in a variety of ways.  My least favorite is potato salad because I like my potatoes hot.  Bake them, boil the, fry them or roast them, I love potatoes.   I grew up on potatoes and sour cream.  In our home, it was a comfort food.  It always appealed to me and I loved when Mom made it.  I also liked when she put both into borscht. This is a super easy dish to make but it tastes like a million dollars. It is almost embarrassing to post this but it tastes so good.  The plus is that it is made with half yogurt and half sour cream, cutting the calories.  I would guess, you could make it, totally with yogurt. Baked Potatoes with Yogurt and Sour Cream  -  Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics  Ingredients 4 Idaho russet baking potatoes  (I made 3.) 1/2 cup yogurt  ( I put a little more sour cream in than yogurt.  I didn't know what the yogurt would do to the sour cream.  It turned out that it balanced the flavors beautifully.  It

This was a super treat without the work of making crepes and filling them and frying them,  This is much easier to make and does not call for any frying.  A rich baked recipe is just what we want.  Delicious. Blintz Brunch Bake (adapted from Kraft Recipes ) Ingredients: 2 packages (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened 1 container (15 oz.) Ricotta Cheese 5 eggs, divided ¾ cup sugar, divided 3 tablespoons lemon juice 1 cup gluten free flour (I used brown rice flour) ¾ cup butter melted I melted butter in the microwave and forgot about it. It did not need it. Mine turned out perfect without it. ¼ cup milk 1 tablespoon Baking Powder Method: Prehear oven to 350°F.  Beat cream cheese, ricotta, 2 eggs, 1/4 cup sugar, lemon juice in large bowl with mixer until blended.  Whisk remaining eggs, sugar, flour, butter, milk and baking powder in separate bowl until blended. Spread 1/3 of the batter onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; cover with

   Margaret Selected  Asian Chicken and Vegetable in Foil Packets page 143  in Weeknight Wonders.  It is chicken cutlets topped with veggies and sauce made in aluminum foil packets.  I love the results but did not enjoy cooking in aluminum foil.  I think, it just made it messier.  I served this with rice and used some of the sauce and vegetables to mix in the rice. I would have enjoyed broccoli added to the vegetables or in place of the green bell pepper.  Actually, carrots, cauliflower, zucchini, peas, beans or squash would be good additions to the recipe (not all of them),  I would like sweet potatoes on top of the chicken as well .  This lends itself to be a versatile dish. Check out E ating with Ellie  to see what the other members did with their Asian Chicken and Vegetables.  You might want to see what we are making in the near future and if it appeals to you, feel free to join us. Weekend Potluck               Real Food Recipe Round Up          Treasure Box Tuesda y    H

Oh, the silly things we do.......  We don't usually eat olives.  We don't particularly like them.  I had a bottle for the longest time and I never opened it so finally, I gave it away, right before I looked at what we would be cooking this month.  The result - no olives in this dish. I find, there is a lot to laugh at, in cooking, serving and eating.  Over the years, I bet, we all have stories that we still giggle over.  Just the other day, I followed a recipe to make a baked blintz.  I put the butter in the microwave to melt and only remembered it after the blintz was almost done baking.  What a wonderful mistake.  I can not imagine that dish being any better than it was and now, I know not to add more fat to this recipe. Hopefully, I will get that blintz blogged real soon.  It is scrumptious, Tonight we made this yummy baked chicken in a flavored mixture of deliciousness.  I let mine marinade for a while which made it even tastier.  Without the olives, we still had a

25 Fabulous Macaroni and Cheese Recipes  --- If you or anyone in your family like Mac and Cheese, here are several different and delicious ways to make it.  For a change of pace that your family will love, pick one and see what happens.                       For these and many more, stop off at Buzz Feed Community. Golden Beet in Citrus Sauce  at Gluten-Free A-Z.  Beets often, don't have a good reputation, but they are delicious and easy to make and this recipe sounds like it could change any negative ideas about beets.  Visit Judee to find out how to make it.                                                    Sarah is a member of our Wednesdays with Donna Hay group and each week, she turns our recipes into something even better by ricing vegetables of making noodles out of veggies.  Take a look at her  Zucchini noodles with Rocket, Lemon and Capers .  If that is right for you, check out some of her other recipes for more ideas how to turn starches into vegetables for a ligh

Kosher Jews do not eat shellfish such as crab, lobster and shrimp.  There is a faux fish made for each of these and perhaps for other prohibited shellfish.  I doubt, they taste the same or even similar, but they are good. When these first came to my awareness, I did not want to buy them.  I was uncomfortable with the idea.  Gradually, I realized, if they are allowed and made from fish we do eat, why not try them.  I did and I liked the fish.  I particularly like to take the fake shrimp and add some butter and garlic to it. It is delicious. I decided to make a faux crab meat salad.  The mock crab is fully cooked so all I had to do was cut it up into smaller pieces.  I added a few ingredients and had a nice fish salad. Mock Crab Meat Salad Ingredients: 1 cup faux crab 2 tablespoons mayonnaise 1/8 teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice 1/4 teaspoon sugar 2 tablespoons celery, chopped fine Method: Cut fish into small pieces, thick sliced. Place fish in bo

Silky Cauliflower Soup adapted from D avid Lieberman Ingredients: 1 large bag frozen culiflower  (32 0unces) 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 large onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 quart low-sodium vegetable broth 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan Salt and pepper to taste Method: Chop frozen cauliflower and put aside. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add the onion and garlic. Cook until softened, but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the cauliflower and stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the cauliflower is very soft and falling apart, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and, using a hand held immersion blender, puree the soup, or puree in small batches in a blender and return it to the pot.  ( I left a few small pieces of cauliflower intact.) Add the Parmesan and stir. Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Keep warm until ready to serve. I d

I had a delicious chicken dish at a friend's home and decided then and there to make it.  When I was making salmon, last night, I thought about doing something similar with the fish.  In looking for a recipe with salmon and caramelized onions, I found this recipe, which is probably the best salmon, I have made.  The spices worked well together and the sweetness of the onions was icing on the cake. Spicy Salmon with Caramelized Onions ( allrecipes) Ingredients: 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon onion powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 (6 ounce) salmon fillets 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 1/2 tablespoons minced onion Method: Combine the black pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, brown sugar, onion powder, and salt in a small bowl. Stir in 1 tablespoon of olive oil to make a paste. Spread the paste all o

This week, for Eating With Ellie, Kayte chose a delightful salad, Tuscan Kale Salad, found in Ellie Krieger's book, Weeknight Wonders , a book, I love.  So far, every recipe was a success and was healthy and delicious to eat.  Page 41 is the page to find the recipe or here. I did not have kale so I subbed in baby spinach and in place of pine nuts, I used almonds.  I followed the rest of the recipe and although this is an easy recipe, cutting the spinach into thin strips took some time.  It looked pretty this way. You can check out what the other members did with this recipe by going to the Eating with Ellie website.  We welcome new members.  There are no requirements other than to love to cook and explore Ellie Krieger recipes.  Just make the week's recipe and add your link to the site's page. Thank you Kayte for a wonderful choice.  I served it with spicy salmon with caramelized onions and mango rice.

I love quick breads, yes because they are easy to make but more so, because they are usually delicious. Zucchini Carrot Bread Ingredients: 3 cups flour 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 medium carrots, peeled and grated 2 medium zucchini, unpeeled and grated 1/2 cup canola oil 2 eggs This recipe is on page 223 of Kosher Design Entertains.  It includes a delicious sounding streusel. Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease two loaf pans on the bottom and half-way up. You can use one 9 x 13 inch pan, if you would prefer. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and sea salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine sugar, carrots, zucchini, oil and eggs and stir. Add flour mixture to zucchini mixture and stir until combine. Bake uncovered for 1 hour.    F oodie Friday           Foodie Friends Fri

Shepherd's Pie is an annual feature on our Pesach menu.  It calls for very few ingredients and is quite filling.  This is a family favorite. Traditional Shepherd’s Pie Ingredients: 3 tablespoons oil 3 pounds ground beef 2 medium onions, chopped 4 tablespoons parsley, chopped 1/2 cup bell pepper (any color diced) 1 can tomato paste (I had some sauce from stuffed cabbage which I used in place of tomato paste) 6 potatoes, cooked and mashed 1/4 - 1/2 cup vegetable broth Method: Heat oil in a large skillet.  Add ground meat, onion, tomato paste, parsley, and a dash of salt and pepper in a pot.  Cook until meat has browned. Stir and break up meat so that the pieces are small. While these are cooking, boil whole potatoes in water until soft. Then peel and mash. Add bell pepper and broth to potatoes.  (You can add shredded carrots or shredded zucchini as well) In  2 - 3 quart casserole, layer ground meat and potatoe

I have found many of the Jewish sites have a huge amount of workable recipes and I enjoy visiting them, especially at holiday time, to get the best recipes.  Joy of Kosher, not only has Jamie's recipes but many  Baked Gefilte Fish Cakes   - adapted from Joy of Kosher Ingredients: 1 loaf frozen gefilte fish, defrosted (22-ounce) ½ cup diced red bell pepper 1 small red onion, diced 2 celery stalks, diced 1½ cup light mayonnaise, divided ¼ teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper 1 egg 1 cup potato starch Duck Sauce Method: In a large bowl combine gefilte fish, peppers, onions, celery, ½ cup mayonnaise, salt, pepper, egg and potato starch and stir well to combine.  Using slightly wet hands, scoop ¼ cup and form into patties.  Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place patties on this sheet. Later on I transfered this to a 9  x 13 pan and place a teaspoon of Duck Sauce on each patty.  Yum. I used this as a first cours

These turned out to be better than the best roasted veggies, we have had, in the past.  I think, the Balsamic had something to do with this.  I, also had never used  eggplant in roasted vegetables before either. I owe an apology to someone but I don't remember where I got this recipe.  I did so much cooking for the first days of Passover and used many books and recipes from the Internet, I am confused about this particular one.  If this is your recipe, please let me know, so I can give you credit. Crispy Roasted Vegetables Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1 yellow pepper, chunked 1 orange pepper, chunked 3 small zucchini , sliced down the middle and then cut into one inch pieces 1 eggplant, peeled and cut into chunks 1 tablespoon dried parsley cooking oil spray salt and pepper to taste 1/2 teaspoon onion powder Method:  Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Pour olive oil and balsamic vinegar into a plastic

I don't think this tastes like cabbage.   We didn't expect to love this but we did.  I shouldn't be surprised since I was brought up on a sweet and peppery cabbage and noodle dish which has always been a favorite.  I don't love cole slaw but I do like it and I really enjoy stuffed cabbage.  I think, other people's taste is getting to me.  Bottom line - people took a piece with trepidation and then took another with enthusiasm. Cabbage Kugel - adapted from Culinary Kosher Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 bag shredded cabbage 1 carrot, shredded 1 very large onion, diced salt and pepper to taste 1 tablespoon sugar 3 eggs, slightly beaten  1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup potato starch  Method: Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion and cook for about ten minutes until soft and golden. Add shredded carrot and shredded cabbage.  Mix together and cook for an additional ten minutes. Add the salt, sugar, an

I have always liked cauliflower but I can't remember a time, anyone has served it, outside of my home.  Is it an underrated vegetable?  It shouldn't be.  In recent years, I have used it for several delicious recipes such as Cauliflower Popcorn, Cauliflower Soup, Cheesy Cauliflower, Mashed and Roasted for starters.  This recipe uses it in the best way possible, in my opinion, roasted and with Balsamic and shallots, both which enhance it. Balsamic Roasted Cauliflower and Shallots  (Adapted from Kosher Scoop) Ingredients: 2 bags Frozen Cauliflower Florets - Defrost to room temperature 8 shallots, quartered 3 tablespoons  olive oil  2 tablespoons  Balsamic vinegar  salt and pepper to taste  Method: Preheat oven to 375F. In large bowl, toss together cauliflower florets, shallots quarters, olive oil, Balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper.  Arrange in single layer on large parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake in  prehe