{WWDH} lemon chicken pasta

This week’s Donna Hay dish is a nice little pasta dish that is easy and quick to make.

If you have some spaghetti (I used some homemade egg noodles), chicken, capers, and olive oil you are almost there. Now add some lemon juice, zest, and garlic and you have all the makings of this tasty dish. (It also calls for red chillies, but I left those out!!)

I liked it, but B wasn’t a fan. Made a good lunch since it was quick (and I had some cooked breasts.) The only problem, and it is probably because of the pasta I used, I found the dish to be a little dry. Next time I will add a little pasta water.

This was Gaye’s pick his week so amble on over and check out her pasta. And while you are wandering the internet check on Chaya’s and Kayte’s as well

The recipe is on page 22 of Donna’s Off the Shelf: Cooking from the Pantry. It is also on Donna’s website, with tons of other delicious recipes.

 

{WWDH} asparagus tarts

Ok. I confess, this week’s REAL Donna Hay pick is supposed to be smoky roasted Gazpacho. I have tried gazpacho a couple of times. I have tried to like it a couple of times. Nope! Doesn’t work for me. Sorry, Chaya. It was Chaya’s pick this week. But I could not just do nothing, so I went back and did an extra that Kayte and Gaye did earlier.

Asparagus Tarts

These are extrememly easy to make and deliciously easy to eat. Simply place some trimmed asparagus on some puff pastry squares, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake. YEP!! THAT easy. I make asparagus like this all the time, but not in the crust. And I didn’t actually use puff pastry. I used some Croissant dough I had left from another recipe. Croissant dough is very similar to puff pastry to I decided it would be just right.

I only made four. I am glad it is still asparagus season so I can make some more!!!

You can find the recipe on page 174 of Donna’s classics BOOK 1
And if you want to see everyone elses Gazpacho visit:
Gaye
Kayte
Chaya

The recipe is on page 30 of Donna’s classics BOOK 1. I also found it HERE! But you really need to buy her cookbook for MORE wonderful recipes. And then you could cook along with us!!

 

{WWDH}free form ratatouille tart

This is the perfect way to eat fresh, roasted veggies. Eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers all roasted with some EVOO.

and tossed onto a pastry round and scattered with Feta.

Since the veggies are roasted ahead of time they retain their own flavors so that each bite is different. And tasty. And I got use some of the marjoram I am growing in the garden. And I think I liked this. Since it was my pick I should have….But I am still not sure. Guess I will just have to make it again…..maybe with some mushrooms. You can find it on page 166 of Donna Hay’s modern classics Book 1and HERE!

See what the others did with theirs.

Kayte

Chaya

Gaye

 

{BwJ} Madeleines

In May of last year I was just finishing up catching up with all the TWD recipes I missed. Three of them were Madeleines. I had not made them before because I did not have the pan. Now I am always looking for reasons to make them just so I can use my single-purpose pan!! How perfect is it that this week’s Baking With Julia pick is Madeleines

I Love the shape of these little cakes/cookies. These are made with a Génoise batter which was new to me. Others I have made were more of a cake batter.

These were rather plain so I decided to dress them up a smidge. I dipped some in chocolate

And some I sprinkled with Cinnamon Sugar

AS much as I like love chocolate I liked the cinnamon sugar ones better.

And while I tried to like these madeleines they aren’t my favorites. They seemed dry and awfully dense. Ah, well.

The batter (page 41) and the madeleines (page 334) were contributed to Baking with Julia by Flo Braker. Hosting this week are Katie and Amy Thisdell of CounterDog and you can find the recipe on her blog.And stop by and visit the bakers of Baking with Julia for their Madeleines, too.

 

{WWDH} spinach and ricotta cannelloni

About once a month The Lunch Bunch gets together to eat, laugh, talk, and just chill out. The Lunch Bunch is a collection of fellow teachers. Some of us are retired, some of us still teach. All of us enjoy getting together as often as possible.

I always like to take something new. This week Kayte’s Donna Hay pick was perfect.

My gals finished off this cannelloni with no problem. The recipe gave me 24 small stuffed pastas. I used 17 of them for the luncheon and saved the rest for us. Instead of using the usual cannelloni shells, Donna has us using lasagna noodles which we cut in half and roll up around the ricotta and spinach filling. the stuffed noodles are then covered in Donna’s basic tomato sauce. I was supposed to cover the dish with lots of Parmesan cheese but I used mozzarella instead because I wanted the melty goodness. It was a good idea.

The recipe is in Donna’s modern classics: book 1 on page 142. It is also on Donna’s website. We really liked this and I will definitely make it again. Check out the cannelloni made by

Kayte

Gaye

Chaya

And if you would like to join us on Wednesdays just leave a comment and we will add you in. The more the merrier.

 

{WWDH} Indian lamb curry

About a year ago I downloaded a book to my Kindle, Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors. It is a story of how the British and Indian cultures separated, clashed, and eventually synergized to give us tremendous varieties of dishes that it would be impossible to even contemplate how many there are. By the time the people of the East India Company returned home to Britain they had developed their own idea of what curry is. Today there are so so many concoctions called Curry Powder. Some of them are good, some of them aren’t so good. Because of that, Donna has us making our own mix for this week’s Wednesday’s with Donna Hay….

…Indian Lamb Curry.

Coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cardomam seeds (not the pods) cooked until they pop and then ground to powder. Fresh and delicious with tons of flavor. Add to that mix, as the lamb is cooking, some chili powder, garlic, and onion and you have a really tasty curry.

While I used only about half the amount of lamb (since just cooking for me) I made the full amount of sauce – always a good idea – and served it with some Basmati rice.

The recipe is on page 100 of Donna’s modern classics: book 1. This was Gaye’s pick this week and it was on my short list. Great pick, Gaye.

Gaye’s Curry

Kayte’s Curry

Chaya’s Curry

 

{BwJ} Rustic Potato Loaf

The fragrance of fresh bread wafting through the house is one of the most comforting things ever! That means that baking bread is always a plus since you have something tasty to enjoy and a comforting feeling as well. And so it was this morning as I was making Leslie Mackie’s Rustic Potato Loaf (supposed to be Loaves but I only made one)

Mackie’s loaf is beautifully rustic. By baking this bread with the seam up rather than down you get the nice rough top, or as she put it, “…with a jagged, flour-encrusted crease…”. Love it!!

The loaf is made with mashed russet potatoes, complete with skins, and AP flour with a little EVOO and potato water thrown in for good measure. You end up with a nice crusty bread perfect with a little dipping oil. And little pieces of skin showing up through the bread.

You can find the recipe for these lovely loaves on Dawn’s Site – Simply Sweet. Or, if you want to join the Baking With Julia fun the loaves are on page 138 of Child’s Baking with Julia

And please stop by and visit the other Members of Baking with Julia and see their gorgeous breads.

 

{WWDH} brown butter and sage fettuccine

Browned Butter! Sage! Add those to pasta and you have one of the best ways to make a simple pasta dish.

Simple and delicious.

All you have to do is melt some butter, add the sage leaves and brown them together. Then just add to the pasta. Yep! Easy! Tasty!

You can find the recipe on page 148 of Donna’s Classics Book 1. This was my choice this week. I like simple. Visit Kayte, and Gaye for their pastas.

 

{BwJ} Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies. I am always on a quest to find just the right recipe. And I have tried one or two or three. There was even a cookie with Espresso in it but I didn’t make those. Now that I am So Much More Sophistocated (Yeah, Right!) I have learned to use Espresso and like it. Especially in these!!

Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookies

Using Cadbury’s Dark Chocolate and regular Semi-Sweet chips I added just one 1 Tbl to half the recipe and ended up with 3 dozen cookies. I wish I had added just a tad more espresso. The chocolate seemed to drown out the taste and one was left with just a hint of a coffee aftertaste. But for me, that was okay because I really don’t care for coffee much. I made them more for the Hubs. I would make these again, however.

Peggy of Galettistais this week’s host and the recipe will be on her page.

And please visit the other members of Baking with Julia for their cookies. Maybe they will share!

 

{WWDH}Veggie Pie

It isn’t often we go completely meatless at a meal. But when we do we want something filling and TASTY!! This veggie pie fit the bill perfectly.

A simple collection of veggies went from this…

…to this…

….in just an hour.

A simple pie crust filled with potatoes, sweet potatoes, yellow squash (didn’t have zucchini), mushrooms, red bell pepper and asparagus. ANd if I had had some eggplant, it would have gone in, too. But not just veggies. There is also ricotta, cheddar, and Parmesan cheese thrown in as well.

So good!!!

You can find the recipe on page 164 of Donna’s Modern Classics Book 1. And check with Gaye and Kayte and Chaya to see what they did with this pie.