Frugal Foodie Friday - Caramel Chicken

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I found this recipe in Bon Appetit magazine several months ago. The Silver Fox enjoyed it, so it has made multiple appearances at my table since then. The sauce for this chicken is absolutely delicious, though I've found it necessary to double the amount of it to insure there is enough to spoon over the rice, with which the chicken thighs should be served. This is one of those homely dishes that is good enough to serve to guests and it is so easy to prepare that you'll have time to actually enjoy your company. This is also an inexpensive dish and it is a perfect candidate for a Frugal Friday meal. Bone-in chicken thighs are one of the last bargains to be found in the supermarket and I use them whenever I can, often substituting thighs for breasts in many of the dishes I make. The recipe below reflect a doubling of the sauce ingredients, so you can get right to making this flavorful dish. Here is how these slightly Asian chicken thighs are made.

Fresh Apple Bread with Caramel Glaze

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I've been working my way through the last of the apples we picked a couple of weeks ago. It's become a near mission-like endeavor, as  the apples are starting to soften because I didn't have time to store them properly. Do you remember Buba Gump's summary of shrimp dishes? I swear I could do that with the apple creations that have come from my kitchen recently. Unfortunately, I'd be just as boring but less humorous, so I won't subject you to that. I do, however, want to share the recipe for this flavor-packed  apple bread with you. The recipe is simple and this seasonal treat is delicious, but you will find the bread at its most flavorful  the day after it is baked. If you enjoy moist spice breads, I think you'll love this one. Here is how it is made.

Fresh Apple Bread with Caramel Glaze...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Betty Crocker

Ingredients:
Bread
2 medium-sized apples, peeled and cored
1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
Caramel Glaze
2 tablespoons dulce de leche or caramel sauce
1 tablespoons leftover apple liquid
1/3 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 4 x 3-inchloaf pan with baking spray and set aside.
2) With a food processor fitted with a shredding attachment, grate apples. They may also be grated using the large holes of a box grater. Place a colander or mesh sieve over a bowl and dump shredded apples into colander or sieve. Press down hard to squeeze out as much juice as possible. Reserve juice for glaze.
3) Whisk brown sugar, buttermilk, oil, eggs, and apples together until well-combined. Mix in dry ingredients, stirring just until combined.
4) Scrape batter into pan and bake until a toothpick comes out dry, 50-60 minutes. Let sit in pan for 15 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.
5) Meanwhile, whisk together caramel sauce, apple liquid, and powdered sugar until smooth. Drizzle over bread. Yield: 1 loaf (8 to 10 slices)

If you have enjoyed your visit here, I hope you'll take a minute to...

      

One Year Ago Today: Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Two Years Ago Today: Soul Cakes

Three Years Ago Today: Chocolate Peanut Crinkles

Four Years Ago Today: Bread of the Dead

Caramel-Glazed Apple Spice Bread

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We had perfect weather today, the kind that demands chores or any thought of work be put aside. The Silver Fox and I headed to the coast with a blanket and a picnic hamper in tow. The picnic was a compromise because we couldn't agree on a restaurant for our lunch. I quickly assembled some steak sandwiches and pulled this apple bread from the freezer. I found the recipe for it on the Betty Crocker site, and when the first of the early apples became available, I decided to give the bread a try. I was drawn to the recipe because it was so easy to make and the bread is the kind that travels well. That makes it  perfect for picnics, fall meetings or lunch box treats. Some who have tried the recipe reported finding it too dry. Fortunately, I was able to avoid the problem by letting the grated apples sit for about 30 minutes before using them. I added both the apples and their accumulated juices to the batter. I also had to adjust baking time because I don't have the pan size called for in the recipe. I used a slightly larger pan and my loaves were done in about 35  minutes. While this is a nice bread, I must admit it is not my favorite. I will, however, make it again because it's so easy to do. The bread is just barely sweet and it really needs the caramel glaze to keep it in the sweet treat category. The glaze is delicious and I'm going to keep it in mind for other fall desserts. If you are looking for a serviceable sweet bread, I think you'll enjoy this. Here's the recipe.

Caramel-Glazed Apple Spice Bread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Betty Crocker

Ingredients:

Bread

1-1/2 cups shredded peeled baking apples (2 large)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Glaze

2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Directions:
1) Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottoms only of 2 (8×4-inch) loaf pans with cooking spray or shortening.
2) In large bowl, stir together apples, 1 cup brown sugar, the buttermilk, oil and eggs. Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg in a separate bowl. Stir dry ingredients into into apple mixture just until moistened. Stir in nuts. Pour batter into pans.
3) Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes on cooling rack. Loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans and place top sides up on cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
4) Meanwhile, place butter in a 1-quart suacepan and melt over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly; reduce heat to low. Boil and stir 2 minutes. Stir in milk. Heat to boiling; remove from heat. Cool to lukewarm, about 30 minutes.
5) Gradually stir powdered sugar into glaze mixture. Place saucepan of glaze in bowl of cold water. Beat with spoon until smooth and thin enough to drizzle. If glaze becomes too stiff, stir in additional milk, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, or heat over low heat, stirring constantly. Drizzle glaze over loaves. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 10 days. Yield: 2 loaves or 16 servings.

One Year Ago Today: Peanut Butter and Banana Bread

Two Years Ago Today:  Pumpkin and Peanut Soup

Three Years Ago Today:  Apple Custard Pie with Streusel Topping

Banana Muffins

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Some of them exercise, some of them count calories and some, having developed what I call the "What the Hell" syndrome, just smile beatifically and grab another cookie. I speak now, with great affection, of course, of my homeys who have never met a snack or dessert they didn't like . While the stated purpose of our meetings is planning and scheduling events for a group that does not wish to be named here, we really meet to dish, divine and dine. That's dine, as in snack on things that aren't really good for us. I was refreshment lady this month and used the opportunity to test some muffin recipes I'd been wanting to try. The muffins I'm featuring today, are a bit unique in that they have a drizzled caramel glaze that goes well with the intense banana flavor of the cakes. I made two batches this morning and used the glaze on one of them. The glaze did not photograph well, so I used confectioners' sugar to top the other. These muffins are like a banana bread in cupcake form and they really are delicious, with or without the glaze. I'll be making them again. Here's the recipe.

Banana Muffins...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Katherine McClelland

Ingredients:
1/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1-1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 large)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon
Caramel Icing
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon 2% milk
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
in 6 jumbo muffin cups.
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place cupcake liners in six jumbo muffin cups. Cream shortening and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in egg. Beat in bananas and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture just until moistened. Fill muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake for 23-28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
2) For icing, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and milk; bring to a boil. Cool slightly. Beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Transfer to a small resealable plastic bag; cut a small hole in a corner of bag and drizzle over muffins. Yield: 6 muffins.









One Year Ago Today: Sweet Pickles















Two Years Ago Today: Salmon Chowder








You might also enjoy these recipes:
Peach and Oat Muffins - Sweetly Serendipity
Gluten-Free Banana Breakfast Muffins - Retired Without Regrets
Raspberry Lemon Breakfast Muffins - Fresh4Five
Spiced Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins - Amanda's Cookin'
Carrot Spice Muffins - My Baking Heart