Baked Western Omelet

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We had much needed rain yesterday. It wasn't a deluge, but it was a welcome start after a bone dry summer. I was tracking the weather forecast when I heard the Oregon coast was experiencing high winds but had no rain. I love the ocean when its riled and head toward it when others are going the other way. I'm not a storm chaser but the romantic in me can't resist the roar of an angry sea. So, we put aside the day's errands and headed to the coast where we found an ocean that looked like a latte with with a layer of foam that spread at least a mile from shore. The winds were high but not howling and we were actually cold for the first time in months. It was worth the trip. We did, however, spend more time exploring than we had planned and as a result got home quite late. I decided to make one of my favorite breakfast for dinner dishes. It takes about 10 minutes to put this omelet together and while it takes up to an hour to cook, it is amazing simple to make. I found the recipe on a blog called The Seasoned Mom which you can find here. I know those of you who try the recipe will be pleased. Here is how this effortless omelet is made. It would be perfect for a lite supper on Meatless Monday.

An Old-Fashioned Apple Butter Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...When I was quite young apple butter was the breakfast spread of choice. Butter and sugar were rationed, so back in the day those wise old cooks used recipes, some of which predated colonial America, to make a highly concentrated form of apple sauce that was spreadable and could be used in place of butter on morning toast. Fruit butters are sweet spreads made of fruits that are cooked to a paste and then lightly sweetened. Apple butter has a longer shelf life than applesauce and it is a wonderful way to use the last of the apple crop. I mention this, because I came across a recipe for an apple butter cake that sounded much like the one I had as a child. In order to make it, I thought I'd put-by my own apple butter, but on reflection, I wasn't sure I wanted 12 pints of it taking up my limited pantry space. I called around and found a store that carried apple butter, so there was no reason not to give the cake a try. The recipe is simple and as close to can't fail as they come, the cake is inexpensive to make and it is perfect way to end an informal fall meal. These cakes have a tendency to be dry, so be sure to spoon the flour into your measure and level off the excess, rather than scooping it directly into the cup. I'd also advise using a liquid rather than a dry measure for the apple butter and buttermilk. The apple butter gives this cake a subtle apple flavor, but in my opinion it is more like a spice cake. I've cut back on the ground cloves that appeared in the original recipe, and have used mace to replace most of it. You can experiment with the spices until you come up with a combination that is to your liking. This is a simple cake, so I dress it up a bit by using a flour buttercream to frost it. I've shared that frosting recipe before, but if you need a reminder you can find the recipe here. Here is how the apple butter-spice cake is made. Do give it a try.

Menu for the Week of August 30, 2015

Weekly Menu at One Perfect Bite... 

Lower Calorie Rice + An Unusual Cabbage Fried Rice

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Scientists have found a method for cooking white rice that reduces the starch and calories it contains by 10 to 12 percent. White rice is made up of digestible and resistant starches. Resistant starch takes a long time to digest and it is not converted into simple sugars, so it has fewer calories. Cooking alters how much of each type of starch there is in a food. Researchers in Sri Lanka have found a cooking method that reduces calories in rice because it increases the amount of resistant starch that rice kernels contain. Their method is simple. They add oil to the rice pot. The oil interacts with the starches in rice and converts digestible to resistant starch. A prolonged period of refrigeration further changes its composition, making it healthier and lower in calories than is usually the case. Here is the recommended method for cooking healthier rice.

Quick and Creamy Chicken Marsala

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I keep this recipe on hand for those evenings when I want a quick, company-worthy meal that gives the appearance of being more special than it actually is. This Marsala recipe is one of the easiest I've come across, and because it is basically a pantry meal, I usually have the ingredients I need to make it on hand. While the recipe is quite basic, I take some additional shortcuts that make it even easier to prepare. Rather than pound the breasts into submission, I slice them in half lengthwise and get on with the rest of the prep work. I've also cut back on the amount of oil and butter that was used in the original recipe. The recipe generates enough sauce to serve with rice or pasta, so you can have a full meal in a short amount time. If you are looking for a quick version of Chicken Marsala, keep this one in mind, or better yet, give it a try. Here is how the chicken is made.

Italian-Style Potato Wedges

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We're still at the lake, and since this our last night with friends, a special dinner seemed to be in order. The guys, who were suppose to be fishing, came back from ye old fishing hole with grass fed T-bone steaks instead of salmon. I can't help but wonder what kind of bait they used. At any rate, since the steaks would be grilled, that left the TWO burner range and small oven for preparation of what was suppose to be a special meal. These potatoes wedges are perfect to serve with plain grilled meat or poultry and they are simple to make. The potatoes, along with fresh sweet corn and a Caesar salad, could all be prepared in the small kitchen without straining the kitchen or the cooks and left time enough to make a blackberry shortcake for dessert. It was a lovely meal and the company was great, but now that the smoke is clearing from the valley, it is time for us to head home with grateful thoughts of friends who took in orphans of the storm. I do hope you'll give these gutsy potatoes a try. The recipe comes from a blog called Creme de la Crumb, which you can find here. I think you'll love them for their flavor and ease of preparation. They are especially good when served with a remoulade or green goddess-type dressing for dipping. Here is how they are made.

Cinnamon-Raisin Cream Scones

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We so enjoyed the pancakes I made last week, that I decided to use the cinnamon-raisin combination to make scones this afternoon. We are at the lake today, staying with English friends who are on sabbatical this year.  Smoke from wild fires has settled over the valley and an inversion is preventing it from moving on. We were not in any danger, but the air is decidedly unpleasant. When an opportunity to stay at the lake developed, we had the car packed and were on our way within the hour. The cottage in which are friends are staying is only slightly larger than the lake house we usually rent. While it has the same terrible kitchen, we valley refuges have learned to make these tiny spaces work when we are in residence. Back to the scones. I decided to make the cream variety because they are simple to make and come together quickly. Once I had hydrated the raisin, I moved from the kitchen to the porch and finished making the scones on a picnic table. It takes about 5 minutes to prepare them and they were ready to eat thirty minute later. This is the type of recipe that will neither make or break your reputation as a cook. The scones are good and you will enjoy them, but you won't win any recipe contests with them. If you need an easy scone recipe for a brunch or tea, do give this truly simple recipe a try. Here is how they are made.

Three Ingredient Peanut Butter Cake - Gluten Free

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This simple, gluten-free cake is for adult lovers of peanut butter. As its name implies, it is made with just 3 ingredients, and while it's easy to make, you'll want to have a stand mixer, or a lot of patience, to get the eggs to the point they need to be before the peanut butter and sugar can be added. You'll also want to use a commercially branded, creamy peanut butter to make this cake. I found this recipe on a blog called Kirbie's Cravings, and I understand it is a riff on a similar cake she made with Nutella. I plan to try that one soon, too. I liked this cake and will make it again. While its texture is more fudgy than cakelike,  it is delicious, and if you like peanut butter you will enjoy this cake. I served ours warm with a scoop of really good vanilla ice cream and used chocolate covered peanuts to dress it up a bit. The cake, which is all about flavor, is not pretty to look at, but appearances aside, it is a wonderful way to end a meal. I do hope you will try it. Here is how this minimalist's cake is made.

Menu for the Week of August 23, 2015

Weekly Menu at One Perfect Bite... 

Potato Curry

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I stumbled on this recipe several months ago while looking for vegan dishes I could serve to a visiting friend. The recipe was created by Jennifer Harmon and I found this potato curry on her blog Peppers and Peaches. We have had it several times since then, and while he will not eat it as a main course, even the Silver Fox likes it as a side dish when it is served with plain grilled meat or poultry. The dish is easy to make and relatively inexpensive to prepare, so it is great to serve on a busy day or those times when the numbers at your table expand without warning and you need to extend a small entree with a hearty side dish. It takes about 5 minutes to prepare the ingredients for the curry and another 20 to 25 minutes for it to cook, so you can have it on the table within 30 minutes. The dish pulls elements from the Thai Mussaman curry and an Indian potato and pea curry that is called Aloo Matar. The coconut milk adds a smooth and lovely richness to the dish that makes it seem far more extravagant than it actually is. Chances are you'll have some extra sauce left over even if you use the full compliment of potatoes. I save it and serve it over rice noodles the following day, so nothing goes to waste. Those of you who try this will be both pleased and surprised. The potatoes are delicious and may even become a favorite of yours. Here is how this vegan and gluten-free dish is made.

Apple Crumble Coffee Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I'm gong to pretend that the thermostat sits at 75 degrees and a strong breeze is blowing from the river, carrying with it the fresh odor of a fish run that rivals the aroma of my spiced apple cake for scent of the year. I want you to think it's a perfect fall evening, but truth be told, it's hot here and even this lovely crumb cake fails to whet the appetite. What does catch the eye are the great clumps of streusel that top the apple cake, and I know that, hungry or not, curiosity will get the better of me and I end up on the deck with a piece of this cake and iced coffee in hand. The cake is a riff on the Rhubarb Big Crumb Cake that first appeared on the blog Smitten Kitchen. Other than substituting apples for rhubarb and changing the way the crumbs are made, I've not strayed far from the original recipe. The cake is moist and lovely and packed with the flavor of cinnamon and apples, but it is the crumb topping that will capture the eye of any streusel lover worth their salt. This cake is all about the crumb topping. The largish chunks of streusel are formed by pinching them off a ball that's created as the crumbs are made. Is it wretched excess? Absolutely, but it make for a delightful coffee or snack cake, which is even better day two than it is day one. I do hope you'll give this cake a try. It is not that all hard to do and it really is a delicious special occasion cake. Here is how it is made.

Mid-Week Musings

Not to Worry - I've Got Your Six

...and I won't charge a cent for any information I share with you tonight. I'm not a life coach or a therapist, and I suspect my life experience is not much different than your own. What I do have in abundance is a lot of nerve, a fair amount of ego and access to a keyboard that allows me to record my meanderings in that mysterious "cloud" where they will survive me and remain for all eternity, or until we are swallowed by a black hole, whichever comes first. Now, I know my limitations and have no intentions of telling you how to live your life, but I had lunch today with friends and as we laughed I realized just how important they are to me and how much they've enriched my life.

Zucchini Corn Cakes

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I've carefully controlled my purchases at farm stands and green markets this summer. Last year, our farm share was too large for the two of us, and it led to waste, with much of the produce becoming fodder for the compost pile. This year, I've been very careful. Sensible planning, coupled with the reality of a smaller refrigerator have made it easier to keep purchases under control. I no longer buy flats of berries or lugs of tomatoes, and I generally limit myself to what we can consume within a week. I do get thrown off balance every now and then, usually because friends who still garden remember me from the days when I was feeding the immediate world. I ended up with 4 pounds of zucchini this weekend because of gifts we received from friends who like to share the bounty of their gardens. So, I spent today making pickles, quick bread and these lovely zucchini corn cakes. The pancakes are one of my favorite ways to use zucchini. I serve these as a side dish for the Silver Fox, but when he is traveling they serve as a main course for me. They are packed with flavor and quite easy and inexpensive to make. The recipe is straightforward and I do hope those of you who are dealing with extra zucchini will give it a try. Here is how these tasty cakes are made.

Berrylicious Lemon Pound Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...While I realize this is a matter of opinion, I'll go on record as saying local berries have been a disappointment this summer. The only thing that has prevented the season from being a total berry bust is the crop of Chester blackberries that are now appearing in local markets and farm stands. They are as sweet as sacramental wine, and when we have guests I like to serve them with a cake that is as good as they are. I found one several years ago that adds a special flourish to berry desserts. The cake I'm featuring tonight is so lovely that I'm surprised I haven't been able to find it on other blogs or recipe sites. It was developed for Gourmet magazine ages ago, and, while this gorgeous pound cake should be manna for lemon lovers, it seems to have fallen into obscurity. Pound cakes were traditionally made with a pound of each of flour, butter, eggs and sugar. Nowadays, ratio, rather than weight, defines this classic, and any cake made with ingredients in a 1:1:1:1 ratio is considered to be a pound cake, regardless of its component weight. If you are interested, more detailed information about this type of cake can be found here. Pound or butter cakes get their lift from a combination of butter, eggs and baking powder. They are heavier and richer than sponge cakes and they are also easier to make. They are not foolproof, but if you measure your ingredients carefully you should have a lovely cake to serve your family. We'd all have better and more consistent luck with our baked goods if we weighed our ingredients. Unfortunately, most of us do not yet do that. When I prepare dry ingredients for baking, I spoon rather than scoop them into a measuring cup. I also level the content of the cup with the back of a knife rather than my fingers. When you look at the ingredient list for this cake, you will undoubtedly notice that it calls for 1/4 cup lemon zest. That is not a mistake. Five large lemons will yield that amount of zest, but a caution must be issued here. Make sure you avoid the white pith when you zest the lemons. The pith will make the cake bitter and its after taste can be downright unpleasant. Your cake will probably need more time in the oven than the recipe suggests. Mine required an hour to bake. This is a wonderful cake for lemon lovers and it makes a perfect base for macerated fruit. When the recipe was published, it was suggested that the cake be served with strawberries. While it's delicious served that way, I actually prefer to serve it with a blueberry or blackberry compote. Perhaps that's an unconscious homage to the state of Oregon. I hope you'll try this recipe. I love this intensely lemon-flavored cake. I think you will, too. Here's the recipe.

Cinnamon Raisin Pancakes

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I love these pancakes and serve them often when my family visits. The Silver Fox and I have also been known to enjoy them when we're having breakfast for dinner. The batter, even with the addition of raisins, makes light and moist pancakes that are a bit out of the ordinary. However, it's the warm cinnamon syrup that makes this combo a truly dynamic duo. Strangely enough, the pancakes and syrup are easy to make. I found the recipe for them on the Food Fanatic site and I've found the recipes there to be flawless. I have, however, changed the order of execution when I prepare the recipe, and make sure I have the syrup ready to go before I mix and grill the pancakes. It makes for a stressless finale. I do hope you'll give this recipe a try. The pancakes are filling and delicious and the syrup would please even ambrosia dependent gods. Here is how the combination is made.

Menu for the Week of August 16, 2015

Weekly Menu at One Perfect Bite... 

Back to School Suppers - Pasta with Fennel, Sweet Sausage and Wine

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I first featured this Patricia Wells recipe in 2008. While this pasta dish captures the soul of regional French cooking, it's not at all fussy and it is so simple to make that you might want to include it in your your collection of back to school suppers recipes. Pasta, sweet sausage and fennel are simmered together in a rich wine reduction before being coated with a mixture of egg and cheese. The shimmering sauce clings to the pasta and your first bite reveals flavor that rarely comes from a sauce so spare and easy to prepare. So, gather the family around the table for this simple pasta feast. Here is how the dish is made.

Back to School Suppers - Slow Cooker Pork and Cabbage Casserole

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...If they aren't yet out the door they soon will be. The school bell is tolling and as the kids head back to classes, we have to ease them back into the school year. Schedules change and as the heat abates appetites increase. Trouble is, time is finite, and chances are you are as busy as they are. I always struggled with back to school suppers. My kids were athletic and once school sports started salad suppers no longer cut it. I wanted to re-introduce some rib-sticking meals, but time was a problem and I had to search for filling dishes that could be quickly prepared. This is the kind of recipe I would have jumped on had it been available back then. It's a 5 ingredient slow cooker meal that is truly effortless. The ingredients go into the pot without browning, so this is a load and go creation that is perfect for fall and winter meals. It can be served with potatoes or noodles and the pork is delicious. Older children will love the combination of pork and cabbage. If you are in the market for easy school night recipes, you might want to give this one a try. Here is how this simple pork and cabbage supper is made.

Mid-Week Musings

September Song

No, not that September Song. I love it and understand why it became a classic, but as my own expiration date comes nearer, I've become more grounded and less lyrical. Mine is a more basic melody that's born of apples and cinnamon and a combined aroma that can bring grown men to their knees. Add to that the fragrance of bread baking in the oven, and you have my version of September Song. It's come early this year and I'm more than ready to open my fall kitchen.

An Easy Tomato Tart

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I've been testing recipes for tomato pies today. My contribution to a luncheon I'll be attending later in the week is the entree. I'll be making quiches in quantity. I have eight of them to make, and while my version of Quiche Lorraine will be the star, I wanted to offer an alternative as well. While I am now in my dotage, I have never had a tomato pie and I thought I could remedy that by including it in the offerings I'll be making for Thursday. I zeroed in on three recipes that I wanted to test. The tart I'm featuring tonight is the easiest of the trio to make and it is really tasty. If you look through the recipe, you'll see that it is beginner simple to prepare. I suspect you already have the ingredients needed to make it in your pantry and refrigerator. Tomatoes are flooding markets right now and this pie and the others I'll be featuring are a perfect way to use some of that bounty. Here is how the first of the trio is made.

Child's Play - Blueberry Buckle

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Here is the buckle I promised yesterday. I am, however, adding a conditional provision to my claim that it's the world's greatest blueberry buckle. Every word of that is true, if you are working with seasonally ripe berries that are packed with flavor. There is not much to a buckle and if the berries are a bust it is not worth making. It's a fruit cake that's topped with a streusel that makes the surface of the cake look buckled. If the berries are not spectacular, I'm afraid the cake may disappoint. The recipe I use is, arguably, one of the easiest in the dessert repertoire, and it is a perfect exercise for young cooks. The cake is made with a simple batter that requires no special equipment, and save for a bowl or two, clean up is a snap. I use frozen berries to make this buckle. The batter is so stiff that the folding of fresh berries into it would crush them and cause them to bleed into the batter. Purple cake is a real turnoff. The crackly sugar crust makes this dessert a favorite of those who have a sweet tooth. I do hope you'll give this recipe a try. It is one of the simplest I've ever tried. Here is how the cake is made.

Mirin Glazed Salmon

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I had planned to share a grand dessert with you tonight, but time caught up with me and it never quite made it to the oven. Tomorrow will be a better day, I promise. What I do have to share tonight is an easy Nigella Lawson recipe that is perfect for guests as well as family. The recipe is self-explanatory and the salmon comes together quickly. While I made a few minor changes to her recipe, I wanted to share the original version with you, and simply tell you about the changes I made. As you probably can tell from the photo, I used Atlantic salmon for my version of the dish. I had the fish monger cut a single thick fillet to makes its preparation even easier than in the original recipe. I also left the skin on and removed it just before serving. Over the years, I've learned that the flake test is really the most reliable way to determine if a fish is done, especially if you are working with thick fillets. The sugar in the marinade makes the fillets prone to scorching, so you'll want to carefully watch them as they cook. I make it a point to have everything else I plan to serve with dinner ready to go before I begin to cook the fish, It comes together so quickly that there won't be time for anything else once its done. This is a really nice recipe and I think you'll use it often. Come back tomorrow when I'll be featuring the world's greatest blueberry buckle.

Menu for the Week of August 9, 2015

Weekly Menu at One Perfect Bite... 

Child's Play - Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is an old standby that's wonderful to pull out of mothballs when you have young children who want to help in the kitchen. It requires no special equipment, and truth be told, it's more an exercise in measurement than technique. That means it's a cake they can make with minimal adult supervision. Chances are you have everything needed to make the cake in your pantry and refrigerator. For as wild as it might sound, the mayonnaise subs for the eggs and shortening that are generally found in cake recipes. It works. The end result is a moist cake that many of us loved when we were children. It can be frosted, but a sprinkling of powdered sugar is all that's really needed to finish it. If you have never made the cake, I hope you will give it a try. If you have made it,  I hope the memory of it will make you smile. Here's the recipe.

Chicken Velvet and Corn Soup

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...When we are at the lake, I try to keep our meals as simple as possible. If we are going to stay for more than the weekend, I bring frozen foods that need only be warmed or thrown into a pot and boiled. I generally have a largish bag of egg rolls and another of dumplings in the freezer. They can quickly be prepared and I can easily extend them using soups or simple Chinese dishes such as egg foo yung or fried rice. Unless we've been engaged in vigorous activities, a simple soup will usually do and large bowls of Chinese chicken soup make a perfect meal extender. Soups are rarely easier to make than this one. Velveted chicken and creamed corn are added to a broth that can be called soup in less than 10 minutes. It is surprisingly flavorful, and toppings ranging from minced ham to finely chopped vegetables boost its taste even further. Velveting is a Chinese technique that is used to tenderize meat and poultry. It basically is a marinade that's flavored with wine and bound by using a combination of cornstarch and beaten egg white. This is also a great soup to serve to those who are dealing with stomach or intestinal problems. It is mildly flavored and children generally like it, though I have one who objects to soup with "things" in it. That's why God created blenders. Right? If you've never had this soup, I hope you will give this recipe a try. Here is how the soup is made.

Limpa Bread Re-Visited

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Good Limpa bread is the yeast version of ambrosia. As a matter of fact, I'm sure the inhabitants of Mt. Olympus would have made it their food of choice had they been given the chance. Our weather has finally moderated, and my energy levels are back to what they should be, so, this afternoon, while I was still full of vim, and vigor, I decided to make some bread. I already had a shrimp salad in the refrigerator and I thought it would be a perfect topper for open-faced Limpa sandwiches. While I haven't made it in an age, the bread is a favorite of mine. I learned to make it in the kitchen of a neighbor when I was 12 years old. Pleasant memories, as well as its enormous flavor, continue to make it one of my breads of choice. The recipes I'm featuring tonight first appeared on One Perfect Bite in the fall of 2008. Those who made the bread loved it and I think you will too. Here's what I had to say back in the day.

Today is going to be a recipe "twofer". We older gals sometimes back ourselves into corners. To avoid the label "old" or, even worse, "passe" we do things that aren't really necessary - like today's bread. Bread making techniques have changed a lot in the last few years and I thought it would be nice to pass on a stored-dough, high-moisture loaf that uses a no-knead bread technique. I actually purchased (unusual for me) a copy of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, found a recipe for Swedish Limpa and went at it, despite the fact that I already had a lovely recipe in my files. What did I find? The new recipe requires advance planning; while time to shape may be 5 minutes, you'll need more time for mixing, rising and baking. The dough is slack and loose and is not easy to handle. That being said, I must say the end product is a very nice loaf of bread and it's very easy to make. I followed directions to a tee, as is my wont first time through a recipe, though I did omit the sugar from the cornstarch glaze because there's so much honey in the bread. You'll need a mixer with a dough hook or a strong arm to pull this off, but the bread is worth it. So is the book.

Trouble is I prefer my old, knead-me-till-you-die recipe. Joyce Carol Oates once said she "found comfort" in the daily routines of housekeeping. I feel that way about bread baking, so I'm going to include my old-fashioned version of Mrs. P's recipe as well. Take your pick, either method will produce a produce a wonderful Limpa bread.

Chinese Donuts

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I've never met a piece of fried dough that didn't have my name on it. It's a carry-over from childhood when sweet fritters and donuts were a real treat, and served only on special occasions. These days, I stay away from fried dough because I'm infirm of purpose and if it's around I'll eat it. As a young woman, unconcerned with calories or expanding girth, I spent a lot of time at the dessert tables that were part of the all-you-can-eat buffets in Chinese restaurants. My critical nature quickly discerned that the donuts were nothing more than deep fried biscuits rolled in sugar, but that didn't stop me from helping myself to one after another after another. I occasionally make the donuts for the Silver Fox and myself, but I don't use tube biscuits to make them. I'm not opposed to their use, but I never manage to have them in the refrigerator when we get a taste for Chinese donuts. So, over the years, I've used recipes of my own to make them. A few weeks ago I came across a new recipe for them on a website called Handle the Heat and decided to give it a try. I liked the results well enough to share the recipe with you tonight. The donuts are simple to make and you can have them on the table in about 30 minutes. While I've posted the recipe as it was written, I cut the ingredients in half when I make them for us. I also use a 1-1/2 inch cutter to shape them. The donuts are best eaten the day they are made, and if you are feeling creative they can be rolled in cinnamon or powdered sugar rather than the granulated sugar specified in the recipe. If you like fried dough you might want to try these Chinese donuts. Here is how they are made.

Potato, Fennel and Leek Soup

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I suspect you already have several recipes for potato soup in your files. I going to ask you to consider one more. Tonight's feature is based on a recipe that was develop for the Mayo Clinic, and it differs from standard versions that are made with butter and cream. I'm comfortable posting this type of soup during the summer months because it can be served warm or cold and it is a wonderful extender for sandwich suppers. I've made a few changes to their recipe, one of which gives the soup a nutrition boost. Many years ago I had a fussy eater who was sickly and underweight. In an attempt to put some weight on her, I jumped through hoops making sure the dishes she would eat were packed with protein and carbohydrates. One of my tricks was the addition of powdered milk to any dish where its presence could be disguised. Soups, obviously, were a perfect starting place, and because old habits die hard, I'm using it in tonight's recipe. I think you'll find this soup to be more flavorful than most potato soups you have made. Leeks and fennel are prominently featured in the ingredient list below. They are inexpensive at this time of year and the use of fennel in both fresh and dry form boosts the flavor of the finished soup. This is an easy recipe to follow and the soup can be on the table in about 30 minutes if you have good knife skills or a food processor to do the chopping. I do hope you'll give this soup a try. Here is how it's made.

Just Chill - Sherbet, Ice Cream and Popsicles

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...The heat wave that is currently smothering the Willamette Valley reminds me of childhood summers in the Midwest. Back in the day, only theaters were air-conditioned and relief from the heat was limited. There were no swimming pools, so the hose and sprinkler provided the quickest way to cool off. Afternoon heat could be intense and you could actually see heat waves shimmer, mirage-like, off the pavement. The hose was a blessing. As twilight fell, the Good Humor man began his evening rounds, and his truck was stormed, Hamlin-style, by the neighborhood kids. Double stick popsicles at a nickel apiece were the lure. The double stick was important because most of us had a weekly allowance of 25 cents and that wouldn't cover a weeks worth of flavored ices. We quickly discovered that the buddy system would allow us to have a popsicle every night, if we were willing to split the sticks. Since one was better than none we split the sticks. There is nothing quite as good as something cold on a hot day, and while I've set aside the orange and cherry flavors of my childhood, I still love something cold on a hot summer night. The creams and ices I'm featuring tonight are grown-up affairs that are as beautiful to look at as they are to taste. I know you will enjoy them as much as I do. Here is how they are made.

Menu for the Week of August 2, 2015

Weekly Menu at One Perfect Bite...