I have always wanted to try popovers, so when I saw that Nicole at Baking Bites had a whole wheat recipe, I was all over it. Well, actually, I chickened out and made her regular recipe.
Some, not all, of the popovers rose very dramatically, but none (NONE!) got the signature hole in the center. Oh, Nicole, what did I do wrong?
They were delicious, though, and super easy to make.
The LA Times SOS column is one of the most reliable sources of out-of-this-world recipes straight from popular restaurants and bakeries. This past week’s column was a must make: Milk’s Ooey-Gooey Double Chocolate Cookies.
Mashuga Nuts are delicious. I was reminded of them by a recent article in O Magazine. Diane Morgan’s pecan recipe reminded me of mashuga nuts and I was inspired to make them.
I found this cookie recipe in an advertising flyer called the Jewish Connection. The column was called, “Hello Ladies! Let’s Bake Cookies.” The author is listed as just Faigie, but an advertisement below mentions Faigie Nissenbaum. Same Faigie? Maybe.
Anyway, she says that she developed the recipe to recreate a childhood favorite made by her friend Yogi’s mom. Warm from the oven, the cookies are slightly cakey, with a lemony tang. When cool, the cookies are crisp, with a slight chewiness.
apple galette
My son wanted to make apple pie, so we did. He added cinnamon and sugar to the apples, and he helped me roll out and fill the crust. It was a fun and easy project. For the recipe go here for my earlier post.
flaky crust
I made another recipe from The Six O’Clock Scramble: Spinach Noodle and Cheese Bake. Except I changed it around a lot.
The recipe calls for 10 ounces of frozen spinach, but I used a 1 lb. bag. The spinach is supposed to be mixed in with all the other ingredients: white sauce, diced tomatoes, ziti, and Parmesan cheese. But my son got agitated at the idea of spinach being mixed into his noodles, so I just layered the spinach on the bottom of the casserole pan. Instead of Parmesan, I used shredded mozzarella. I changed some other things, too.
My son picked out the noodles and tomatoes and left behind the creamy sauce and spinach. My husband exclaimed, “Tuscan! Mmmmm. Peccadillo Romano!” Then he ate two portions. Pointing at his plate, he said, “This recipe is going straight to the blog. That way I can read about it and find out what I have been eating.”
Spinach Ziti Bake
8 ounces ziti
1 lb spinach defrosted
1/4 cup flour (I used whole wheat, and it was fine)
2 Tbl. oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
2 cups milk
4 ounces shredded mozzarella
14.5 ounces canned diced tomatoes
Boil pasta until al dente. Drain.
Defrost spinach and drain well. Layer the spinach on the bottom of a greased 9×13 pan and season with salt and pepper.
Saute onion and garlic in oil until translucent. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add milk to the flour mixture and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens.
Combine the ziti, sauce, diced tomatoes, most of the shredded cheese (set aside some for topping casserole). Pour the pasta mixture over the spinach in the casserole dish and sprinkle over the reserved cheese.
Bake the casserole in a 350 degree oven until the cheese is melted and golden and the pasta is heated through, about 30 minutes.
The pasta was nice, but I don’t like having to mess up two pots plus a casserole dish for a simple dinner.
Aviva has a blog that looks interesting. Recipes there that look interesting: Spiced Chicken with Maple Butter Glaze, Middle Eastern Green Salad with Mint, and Mediterranean Quinoa Salad.
Looking through a book called The Six O’Clock Scramble, by Aviva Goldfarb, I saw a recipe that would be ideal for dinner. Mexican Cornbread Casserole called for ingredients I had in the house, was easy enough for my child to make, and would be ready in an hour. My little one mixed all the ingredients together, we poured it into a casserole pan and popped it in the oven. An hour later, we ate.
My husband loved it and had seconds. My son proceeded to pick out all the beans–the healthy part of the dish– carefully separating them from their rich casing of cheddar cheese, sour cream, and corn. He then ate the beans and discarded the cheesy stuff. Hmm, I thought, I didn’t see that one coming. Then I remembered that he doesn’t like corn. Oops.
I thought the recipe was a tad richer than it had to be, with a whopping amount of sour cream that I would probably switch out next time for fat-free yogurt. I also think the butter can be reduced or replaced with oil. I left out the salsa and served it on the side, which I think was the right choice.
As a side note, Aviva Goldfarb has an interesting story. She has a meal planning website, called thescramble.com.
Pragmatic Attic 