BIZZY BAKES

In the Jun/Jul 2015 Donna Hay Magazine on page 32, you will find a recipe for Pumpkin, Caramelized Onion, and Feta Gratin.  This week, Gaye selected this intriguing recipe for our group, WwDH to make.  When I first saw it, I was quite happy about the choice and already knew, I would use butternut squash. My problem was, in this case, I felt I needed a photo and since I did not have the magazine, I only had a copy of the printed word.  The recipe called for chopped squash or pumpkin, but I had no idea what the size was.  Was it more diced like chop or a bigger one?  I guessed and easily lived with the decision.  I can't wait to check out everyone else and see how they interpreted this if they also did not have the magazine. Also caramelized onion relish was called for (store bought) and I have never seen that in any of the stores.  I simply caramelized the onions and ended up burning some, in the process. The recipe called for flaked almon...

Pasta with Pumpkin and Sage Butter - Adapted from Donna Hay This week, our Donna Hay group made a simple pasta dish, selected by Margaret .  I did not have pumpkin but I did have butternut squash which I subbed in.  I also did not have fresh sage but I did have some dried sage to take its place. I am not sure how I would rate this dish.  We enjoyed it and I would make it again but it would not go on my must haves.  I think, I would have liked another element, caramelized onions of a green vegetable.   This only had butter, sage, pasta, Parmesan and squash and other than browning the butter and cooking the pasta, it went together with ease and did not take long at all.  I did not have to cook the squash; I bought a bag of frozen cubes and that really made this a snap. Please go on over to the Wednesday with Donna Hay page and see what everyone else did with this dish and whey they thought of it. Weekend Potluck       See Ya ...

I found a new website, Whole Foods Market , which has some good old fashioned cooking with updated ideas.  The recipes, I looked at were hearty and appealing and since I had a butternut squash on hand, I gravitated to this warm and yummy soup. This list caught my eye and already, I was planning ahead what to make from it.  I bet you can see some dishes, you also would like to make. Grilled Veggie Pinwheels S tuffed Zucchini with Gazpacho Sauce Easy Roasted Asparagus Caramelized Root Vegetables Honey Walnut Pumpkin Bread C arrot Apple Muffins Mushroom-Cheddar Vegetarian Burgers Portobello Mushroom Club Grilled Vegetable Sandwiches with White Bean Pesto This is an example of why I love my immersion blender.  I find that I use it almost daily and for almost every soup. Classic Butternut Squash Soup ( adapted) Ingredients:  2 tablespoons virgin olive oil 2 carrots, diced 1 celery stalk, diced 1 large onion, diced 4 cups cubed butternut squ...

I love orange squash and I think that almost everyone does.  Most people generate to Spaghetti Squash, Butternut Squash and Acorn Squash but my favorite is Kabocha.  his recipe was written using butternut but I turned to my beloved kabocha.  I think, it is a little sweeter although, I do not say this with certainty.  I like both. For those of you who have not had kabocha, if you try it, I think you will like it. “Kabocha” is a general term for squash in Japanese, but this Japanese squash also goes by the name ebisu, delica, hoka and Japanese squash or Japanese pumpkin. It has tender, sweet pumpkin flesh, but without the stringy fibers. It is available throughout the year. Serve it as you would pumpkin, sweet potato or butternut squash. kabsquash.jpg Mashed Kobacha Squash - Emeril Ingredients: l butternut squash 1 tablespoon  butter, softened 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon heavy cream 2 teaspoons honey Method: Pre...

It seems my commitment to our Donna Hay group is upside down and backwards.  First, I could not find the cookbook.  I am not sure how to admit that it was in the bookcase but it was laying down rather than standing up.   What can I say? Then tonight, I made the most delicious butternut squash (pumpkin is what the recipe called for) and left out the chickpeas.  I can't explain this any more than explaining the "missing" cookbook.  Maybe, I really can.  The Jewish holidays just finished a few days ago after one month of holidays.  If I was not in shul or eating, I was cooking.  I felt as if I was on the fast track for a full month. On top of the above, the school year started and I am teaching a new grade which means additional preparation.  One more time taker was the marriage of my grandson which means shopping, planning and of course, attending.  Wonderful, wonderful but a bit more pressure. I think, I am making a new beginning...

I am in the midst of my cooking for the Jewish holidays and I decided the easiest way to accomplish my goals is to use specific ingredients in several recipes.  For example, I made a large pot of rice and made four different dishes with the rice.  I did the same with quinoa and with kabocha.  It seemed amazing how quickly completely different dishes fell into place. This recipe is from Bon Appetit. Roasted Kabocha and Parsnips with Maple Glaze(adapted) INGREDIENTS 2 cups 1/2-inch cubes peeled kabocha squash 2 cups 1/4- to 1/3-inch cubes peeled parsnips 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons oil 1/2 cup pure maple syrup 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Method: Grease 11x7x2-inch  baking dish.  Combine kabocha and parsnips in large bowl.  Melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Add oil. Whisk in remaining ingredients.  Add...

I have made a stuffed zucchini before with cheese as part of the filling and we loved it.  I decided to give it another try, this time filling it with potatoes and onions.  I think that this might be even better and I look forward to making it again. I realized that zucchini makes a good base for just about anything.  Fill it with rice or quinoa, different vegetables, sauces, cheese or chopped meat.  Make a pizza zucchini with tomato sauce and mozzarella and some Parmesan.  Have fun and enjoy. Potato Stuffed Zucchini Ingredients: 2 medium zucchini 1 cup chopped peeled boiled potato 2 teaspoons olive oil 1 large onion, chopped Method: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut each zucchini in half lengthwise; scoop out pulp, leaving a 1/4-inch-thick shell. Place zucchini halves, cut sides up, in a shallow roasting pan. Heat oil in a small skillet and add onions.  Cook for about 5 minutes.  I turned my burner on a higher flame than usual a...

When Allrecipes came out with a new magazine, about a year ago, I was excited to see what it was going to be like and immediately subscribed.  I was not disappointed.  I have found several dishes to make in each edition. When I look for a recipe online, I tend to end up in Allrecipes despite the plethora of sites with tons of recipes.  I am not sure if it is because they have such a great variety of recipes or that their recipes tend to be doable.  I am not sure that there is a time, I could not fine, what I was looking for. This month, one of the themes was zucchini and each zucchini dish looked better than the one before.  I plan to make almost every one of them, particulalry the zucchini cornbread casserole and the stuffed zucchini. There were several topics of interest and the one that was the most fun was, "A Day at the Fair", with its Deep Fried Oreos, Fried Cheese Curds, and Funnel Cakes, just as starters.  OK, you know, I don't usually fr...

I was reading Food Network magazine and saw a recipe for stuffed zucchini.  Actually, they had four solid recipes for stuffed zucchini.  The one with Ricotta is the one that caught my attention and the one I decided to make. When I gathered the ingredients, I found one of my zucchinis had a bad spot and I had to peel them to make sure they were usable.  I cut off parts of the bad zucchini and then cut them in half lengthwise in preparation to stuff them.  I decided, I was not scooping out the seedy part of the zucchini which we usually eat and was almost seedless.  My problem then was I had nothing to fill so I changed the name of the recipe and the way I put it together as well as one of the ingredients.   When I took the first  bite, I realized it was not cooked as well as it could have been and ended up liking it much better this way.  It gave the whole dish a firmer base and it was a good bite.   This is a dish, I can see...

While our friend, Louise brings cheer into our lives throughout the year, she particularly does so when she organizes the SOCIAL EVENT of the year, our online picnic with the most outstanding variety of foods.  Louise can be found  at  Months of Edible Celebrations  where you will find the fascinating information and delicious recipes.  It is a treat to visit there each day so go on over and enjoy yourselves. I love this picnic and usually, I choose a difficult letter, but let me clue you all in, there is no such thing as a difficult letter.  This year, I have Y and I decided before hand, if I ran into a problem, my dish would be called Yummy something but there are yams and yellow squash, yogurt and yolks and Yakbraten. I ended up making this delicious Yellow squash Crustless Quiche.  My inspiration came from Sally's Baking Addiction , a place you should surely visit. The Parmesan on the top of the quiche turned an ugly dark brown but taste...

Hey, Hey Donna Hay, what are you dreaming up for us today.  How about Pumpkin and Goat Cheese Pizza?  That is the name of the recipe we from the WWDH group are supposed to be making, this week.  Since I had butternut squash but not pumpkin, I subbed it in, and I am sure it is as good.  This recipe is found in Modern Classics 1 on page 78 and it was chosen by Kayte. Now, this is a strange combination and I am not sure how we feel about it.  It is not that it was not good.  It was simply different and calling it pizza sounds strange.  I used Katz's gluten-free pizza crust for the base....no making my own if I can help it - on a school day.  This was another easy recipe from our gal, Donna. As a Kosher Jew, I could not use meat that was called for and you can see what the other ladies made and how that worked out.  I also did not use thyme.  Yesterday, temptation got the best of me and I bought a new spice called Sweet and Spicy and ...

If you don't mind baking a squash and adding a little jelly, you have the easiest,creamiest sweet side dish that goes with almost anything.  I have been in love with kabocha since I came across it. It has this natural sweetness and wonderful texture and like all squash is versatile in its use. When I bought this kabocha, I had planned to fuss with it, but at the last minute, I had little time to do something with it. I stuck it in the oven and figured if worse came to worse, I would mash it and serve it plain. Plain kabocha squash is delicious. As it turns out, I made one change to this, I added two tablespoons of apricot jelly to the squash, mashed it and served it. How easy can you get? I baked it for an hour at 350 Degrees.   Looking back:   Hot Deviled Turnovers by We Like to Cook   I think, I could eat a dozen of these.    Chocolate Mousse from The Scent of Orange If you knew how much I like chocolate mousse you wou...

I was not interested in the Fine Cooking magazine, that is until I looked at their 2007 cookbook.  I have had the book for a while but there were always other books that I wanted to cook from.  It has sat on the bookshelf for much too long. I had bought both yellow  squash and zucchini which I used for this recipe plus other vegetables, we like. I must have used more of the spice than I thought because it was quite spicy. I thought it was fine though. This makes a colorful dish for the table. It doesn’t always happen but I like when the table is attractive because of the food. This is a dish that lights up the area. Southwestern Squash Sauté 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 medium onion, diced salt to taste 1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced 3 small or two medium zucchini and/or summer squash, cut into 1/2-inch dice 1 cup corn kernels (mine were frozen but canned or fresh can be used) Freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1/2 teaspoon ground c...

I fell in love with Karl Kabocha the first time I met him.  Yes, love at first sight.  I bet you did not believe it happens but I am here to tell you that it certainly does.  While other look across a crowded room and their eyes meet, I tasted kabocha and my life changed. Karl must be in the house, at all times.  Who knows when I will crave kabocha?  What is especially good about Karl Kobacha is that he is willing to change for the occasion.  If I need a side dish, he is mashed.  If I want soup, he is liquified.  Other "men" have to be dressed up in a suit and bow tie or a pair of jeans and turtleneck.  Not Mr. Kobacha.  He is delicious plain. When I am done with Karl, I think, I will be able to write a book.  Will the book start with today's lunch, Roasted Kabocha Soup with Caramelized Onions?  Hmmm, it could. Truthfully, this soup is out of this world.  I was going to leave it completely plain but for soup, it d...

Squash Alfredo on Spaghetti How could I resist then when the Alfredo Sauce was made with squash ?   Miriam suggest yellow squash but I only had zucchini.  This was a lot more healthy than a full fledged alfredo sauce. I made this because, I had to find out, how this sauce turned out.  It is a first for me.  I apologize for the poor quality photo.  None of the pictures came out but I expect to make this again and hope to add a better photo. Squash Alfredo Sauce on Spaghetti ( adapted from Meatless Meals fo r Meat Eaters) Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped ¾ cup milk ¾ cup pureed zucchini squash (puree the raw squash in a food processor) 1 tablespoon  GF flour 2 tablespoons whipped cream cheese 1 cup parmesan cheese, shredded Salt and pepper to taste   Method:   In a saucepan, heat olive oil and cook onion.    Whisk in the milk, pureed squash, and flour. ...

  I am sure, I am not the only one, who finds wonderful ways to cook squash, in particular butternut squash.  Eating chunks of it plain is good, adding a little something can be better and when I say little, that is what I mean. I took a peeled squash and separated the part with the seeds from the narrow part.  I then, using my peeler, made thin strips of squash from the outside of the part with seeds (the base?).  All I did, after that, was to put them in a bowl with about two tablespoons of maple syrup.  The result was pure deliciousness.      Ingredients: 1 butternut squash half, peeled in long strips 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup Method: Grease a small baking dish. Mix maple syrup and squash strips. Place in baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, until squash is completely cooked.  

This is the second time I have thought I should write a book called, My Romance with Squash.  Each time, I bring home a new squash, I fall in love again.  I have had a crush on Butternut Squash for many years and this dish may have been the fulfillment of my dreams, easy to make and just right to eat with a slight sweetness that gives it charm. Roasted Butternut Squash Ingredients: 2 medium sized butternut squash 2 large sweet potatoes 1 - 3 tablespoons of  olive oil 1 tablespoon of honey 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or a few drops of hot sauce mixed with the honey Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place parchment paper on large cookie sheet. Cut butternut squash and sweet potatoes into cubes about one half inch in size. In a bowl, mix together the oil, honey, cayenne and cubes.  Make sure, all the cubes are coated. Spread the cubes of squash and sweet potatoes on parchment covered pans. Bake for 1 hour or until the cubes are soft enough to ...