BIZZY BAKES

Today was my baking day for at least part of Chanukah.  I made both cakes for the party and for our Shabbos (Sabbath) company and of course gluten-free for Hubby.  My son who is coming with his family for Shabbos asked for an apple kugel.  I have made many of these, over the years, and I now know that I like them when they have large chunks of apple inside and lots of it.  Any recipe, I draw on, I alter to fulfill these requirements. Gluten-Free Apple Kugel Ingredients:   3 eggs 1/4 cup oil 1 teaspoon orange juice 1 cup gluten-free flour mixture 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon salt 4 apples, chunked into about 1/2 inch pieces Topping: 1/3 cup white sugar 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1/4 cup gluten free flour (I used brown rice flour.) Method:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.   Grease an 8×8 square baking pan with spray cooking oil. Mix together eggs, oil, brown sugar, and orange juice.   In a separate bowl, combi...

Easy Entertaining is the them of the I Heart Cooking Club - Donna Hay recipes for this week.  I would love to do this one, every week, since Donna makes classy recipes that are easy to make and that is what I want.  After years, of cooking, I faced the truth, I like an immediate response and that is why I look for recipes that are done quickly with a limited amount of effort but with good flavor.  This is the perfect example.  The combination of the chili and pure maple syrup makes this chicken special and I would serve it to guests as well as eat it, like we did on a normal evening. Maple Glazed Chicken     Video is found here. Ingredients: ¼ cup (60ml) maple syrup ¼ cup (60ml) water ½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes (I used m y new sweet and spicy dried spice) ½ teaspoon sea salt flakes ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper 2 x 200g chicken breast fillets, trimmed Method: Place the maple syrup, water, chilli, salt and pepper in a non...

The color is off in this photo and all the others I took.  The soup is not yellow but a cream color. There is nothing like hot soup on a cold night and today was under freezing and it was cold, very cold.  Fortunately for us, this week our Donna Hay group is making a creamy warm potato and leek soup.  It also calls for bacon which we do not eat. As in most of our recipes, Donna calls for ingredients that are accessible or easily subbed for.  This week, besides leeks and potatoes, the recipe called for vegetable broth (actually beef stock), sage, cream and salt and pepper.  I have no idea what she is referring to when she says cream and I used sour cream. I also changed the recipe by using my immersion blender and mixing the soup into a nice creamy consistency.  We love the richness of this soup and we both enjoyed it. Check out Gaye , M argaret , Sarah and Kayte  and see how their soups turned out.

What is the best baked good to make for a new class?  My answer would have been chocolate chip cookies but I had little time before school and could not envision making enough cookies for the class in that time.  Second best would be chocolate chip cake.  This blog is brand new to me and I kind of stumbled over it looking for the simplest recipe, "in the world." Truthfully, I did not expect a lot from this cake.  It was too basic but it would go quickly and the ingredients were easy to come by.  I was surprised that it was very good.  I admit, I filled it with chocolate chips and that certainly made it delicious and I would make it again. Chocolate Chip Cake adapted from Chichos Kitchen Ingredients: 2 sticks butter or margarine, at room temperature 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 4 eggs, at room temperature 1 teaspoon baking powder a pinch of salt 1 bag (10 ounce) chocolate chips 2/3 cup sugar and cinnamon (1 teaspoon cinnamon) M...

I don't often buy beets because I am not sure if I like them.  Last shopping trip, I decided to give them another try.  I adore roasted vegetables which caused me to roast these.  "What is good for the goose is good for the gander."  I know, it doesn't really fit but I wanted to say it.  Roasted Beets Adapted from Ina Garten Ingredients: 3 large beets 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 teaspoon parsley black pepper to taste 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons orange juice Method: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Peel beets and cut into chunks about one half of an inch in size. In a bowl mix the beets with olive oil, black pepper and parsley. Put a sheet of parchment paper on a cookie sheet.  Spread beet mixture over sheet. Roast for 35 minutes.  Next time, I would do it longer to make it crispy.  A few pieces came out really crispy and they were the best of the bunch. Remove from oven.  Put into a baking pan or cassero...

Crustless Pizza – Nigella Lawson This week at I Heart Cooking Clubs , it is pot luck week, when we can select from any of the chefs, the club has already cooked.  I chose Nigella Lawson who I enjoy very much.  Most, I love reading her books.  She has a style of her own using descriptive words that are simply endearing.  She gives us tips that are practical and workable and of course her recipes are really good. I was excited when I came across this recipe. When, I read what was in it and how it was made, I had doubts about it coming out, like pizza, and I was correct. It did turn out to be a delicious dish and I would make it again. Crustless Pizza (adapted from Nigella Kitchen by Nigella Lawson.) Ingredients: 1 egg 2/3 cup gluten-free brown rice mix 1 cup milk Olive oil cooking spray  1 cup Cheddar 1 tomato, sliced thin 3 scallions, chopped 1/2 green pepper, chopped Method: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a small bowl, beat the e...

As a Brooklyn girl, I grew up on knishes, especially potato knishes. We knew hole in the wall places that had the very best knishes. What, I never have had, is a knish made with an egg roll wrapper as the dough, at least I don’t think, I have. I bumped into this recipe. It comes from vision works ……huh? I decided to make it, despite its dubious origins. POTATO-KNISHES  (adapted) Yield: 14 knishes 3 large potatoes, boiled and mashed 1/4 cup plus spray cooking oil 2 chopped scallions 1/8 teaspoon black pepper 7 egg roll wrappers (6-inch squares) 1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the mashed potatoes with 1/2 cup of olive oil, scallions and pepper.   3. Place an egg roll wrapper diagonally on a large cutting board or plate, so it appears diamond-shaped. Place 2 tablespoons of the potato mixture in the center. Fold the top and bottom corners over the filling to meet in the middle, then fold the right and left corners to meet in the mi...