From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...These simple muffins will make a wonderful addition to your breakfast or brunch table. They can be made without special equipment and if you have a large bowl and a wooden spoon you can serve your family fresh strawberry muffins within 30 minutes. Early strawberries are already available in supermarkets, but they lack the flavor of those that are harvested in June. These muffins are a perfect way to use early berries. The chocolate chips are a nice, but not necessary addition. I think you are going to love the muffins. Here is how they are made.
From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This quick to assemble salad is perfect for picnics or al fresco dining. The salad, which is very easy to make, is prepared with pantry ingredients, and you can have it ready to chill in less than 30 minutes. I've made this several times now, and the only change I've made to the original recipe is to double the ingredients for the salad dressing. I serve this with a simple grilled chicken or lamb chops for the Silver Fox, but given my druthers, I'd serve it as a main course. It certainly would be a perfect meatless addition to your next buffet. While the salad will keep for several days, and will actually improve in flavor, the cilantro will lose its lovely color as it sits. I do hope you will give this simple recipe a try. Here is how it is made.
From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is one of the easiest meals in my recipe rotation. It is simple enough for children to make, and it uses so few ingredients and utensils, that it can be made in the most poorly equipped kitchens. I make it often for lunch or light suppers and we've enjoyed it in some very strange places. The bowls, obviously, are not Korean, but the taste of the finished dish is much like that of a Korean barbecue, hence its name. If you are trying to cut back on the amount of meat you eat, or chose never to eat it, the mushroom version of the dish will allow you to sample and enjoy these delicious rice bowls. Do give them a try. I know you will enjoy them. Here is how they're made.
From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is a nice recipe to have at your fingertips when you are going to be out for the day. The chicken can marinate while you are gone and it can be placed in the oven as soon as you get back home. If you make rice while the chicken bakes, you can have a meal on the table an hour after you walk in the door. There are many versions of this recipe, but I use the one I found on Rock Recipes several years ago. It is a well used recipe and I highly recommend it to you when you need a simple week night meal. The recipe can be halved or doubled and if you prefer you can use bone-in chicken thighs rather than breast meat. Here is how the chicken is made.
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.
From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Did you know my husband's sainted mother made him Spanish rice all the time? He didn't even have to ask. That's what I'm told, and how can you question the veracity of a man whose mother was a saint. While I make him Spanish rice from time to time, it's usually for lunch when we're at the lake and I'm working in a kitchen with a two burner stove and zero counter space. Simplicity and ease of preparation reign supreme in the lake kitchen, and this is a perfect meal to prepare when we are there. I rarely make it when we are at home because it doesn't seem quite up to standard. At his request, I lowered my standards and made the rice for his Father's Day lunch. I received the ultimate compliment. He thought it was better than his mother's. While breakfast stretched my kitchen skills, our lunch of Spanish rice was embarrassingly simple to make. Those of you who were children in the 40's and 50's are probably overly familiar with this dish. Most of us ate a lot of it and tend to associate it with leaner times and rationing. We forget how delicious it was and how easy it was to prepare. The recipe I use for the "better than my mom's" rice is a riff of the one that appears on the back of a Heinz Ketchup bottle. It is ridiculously easy to prepare and those of you who like casseroles that are ever so slightly sweet, will enjoy this trip down memory lane. Here is how the rice is made.
From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...So much of the food we prepare depends on what our families will eat. Many of you might find these Italian-style beef sandwiches too heavy for a summer meal. I have a very active family and their food choices are dictated less by the weather than might be the case for a less lively crew. If you have spent the day on or in the water, a sandwich like this one really hits the spot. I happen to like this hoagie because the beef used to make it is truly effortless, unless you are a stickler and feel you have to factor in the energy expended by plugging in the slow-cooker. As is the case with most really simple recipes, I have nothing to add to the instructions that come with it, except to urge you to give these sandwiches a try. Here is how they are made.
From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I can only assume it's the shape of this tart that leads everyone to believe it's a Parisian dessert. While strawberry tarts may be common in France, this one has traveled no further than the Hudson River and it has no pedigree to speak of. I found a version of this when I was a bride, At that time, my kitchen bible was the Better Homes and Garden Cookbook and the recipe for this ruby gem was included within it. When the filling is made with seasonally ripe berries, this is an outstanding dessert that's worthy of any table, even one in France. I've included a recipe for a short crust for those of you who prefer to make your own pastry, though I must admit it is really not necessary for this luscious dessert. A commercial crust works just as well because strawberries are the star here. If they are O.K. you reputation as a cook and baker will remain intact and may even be enhanced. I do have a caution or two for those who plan to make the tart. It's a seasonal dessert, so make sure the berries you use are fully ripe and flavorful. It's also important to glaze the berries about two hours before you plan to serve the dessert. After a couple of hours the glaze will begin to weep and your gorgeous tart will begin to look like the portrait of Dorian Gray. I love this dessert for its simplicity and old-fashioned goodness. I think you will, too. Here is how the tart is made.
