Brown Bag Brownies

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is a perfect brownie to tuck into a school lunch box or family picnic hamper. These bars are moist and densely chocolate, but they keep their shape and are neater to eat than most others I've tried. The brownies are simple to make and almost impossible to spoil. However, overbaking them will produce a brownie that is dry and quite ordinary, so do mind the time as these bake. This is one of those recipes that is perfect for beginning bakers to tackle and more experienced cooks will appreciate the ease with which the brownies come together. I do hope you'll give the recipe a try. Here is how the brownies are made.

Treasure Cookies

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Back in the day, a bar cookie called a "Hello Dolly" was all the rage. I was going through my Adelle Davis-Gayelord Hauser period at the time, so I never made the cookie for my family. That, however, never prevented me from sampling them when they appeared on someone else's table. The cookies were packed with an assortment of chips, coconut and sweetened condensed milk, and those who liked "stuff" in their cookies loved them. When I found this recipe in Taste of Home magazine, the old "Hello Dolly" came to mind. These drop cookies are very similar, but they are not quite clones. This is a moist, sweet confection that's packed with everything that's awful for you, so I know you're going to love them. They are simple to make, keep extraordinarily well and even I, who am not fond of sweet things, have to admit they are delicious. Here is how they are made.

Menu for the Week of March 30, 2014

Weekly Menu at One Perfect Bite... 

We are in the process of moving, so menus for this week are simpler than usual.

Frugal Foodie Friday - Teriyaki Chicken

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I suspect that only in the Bible is the best saved for last. This week's Frugal Friday feature is a reprise of one I featured the first year I was blogging. Now, I can't speak for other bloggers, but I know for certain that some of my best recipes made their way to cyberspace in those early years. Back then, I had four faithful followers, and since two of them were my daughters, I have every reason to suspect that most of you have never seen them. I want to remedy that by giving some of those recipes a second life. This is one of them. I make Teriyaki Chicken ten to twelve times a year. It's a favorite of my family, and I love it because it is so easy to prepare. It has the added advantage of using readily available and inexpensive ingredients, so it fits perfectly into the collection of recipes I'm assembling to share with you on Frugal Friday. If you are looking for a dish that is quick, easy and cheap, do give this recipe a try. You'll love it. This is what I had to say about it six years ago.

Our first heavy rain came Saturday - a not-so-gentle reminder of winter in Oregon and the price we pay for an achingly beautiful spring. I enjoy the rain. I'm lulled by it's tattoo and the scent of damp earth and pine released into the air, but my inner romantic just couldn't overcome the damp, bone-chill of this first rain. My mind kept wandering to Hawaii and, of all things, the Hawaiian plate lunch. Why potato salad and rice on the same plate? I'd really like to know. Truly! As I puzzled, I began to fixate on Chicken Teriyaki, so, in case you're wondering how we got here - the rain did it. I really like this recipe. It meets all my requirements for a quick weeknight meal. It's simple, inexpensive, made in a single pan and on the table in about 40 minutes. What's not to like? It's cooked stove top so it's an energy saver as well. Without further ado, here's my recipe for ......

Teriyaki Chicken...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1 cup + 2 teaspoons water, divided use
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup tamari or soy sauce
1 cup mirin, sake or pineapple juice
2 to 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 piece (1-4-inch thick) fresh ginger, peeled and crushed
2 pounds well-trimmed boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Optional garnish: sesame seeds, chopped scallion, cilantro and lemon slices

Directions:
1) Combine 1 cup water, lemon juice, tamari, mirin, sugar, garlic and ginger in a large (3-quart) saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat; stir to dissolve sugar. Add chicken; return to the simmer. Cover pan and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate; cover to keep warm.
2) Skim off fat; remove garlic and ginger. Boil sauce until syrupy and reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Mix cornstarch with reserved 2 teaspoons water. Add to sauce, whisking until sauce thickens and is shiny. Return chicken to pan; turn to coat all surfaces. Simmer for 2 minutes, or until chicken is warm. Transfer to a serving platter. Garnish with sesame seeds, scallion, cilantro and lemon slices if desired. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

                    

                                                    Older Posts

                 One Year Ago Today:                                                       Two Years Ago Today:

                   Bubble Top Brioche                                                     Broccoli and Sausage Frittata

               Three Years Ago Today:                                                   Four Years Ago Today: 

            House Special Mac n' Cheese                                      Yucatan-Style Soup with Lime and Orzo

Curried Chicken with Cashews

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...If you like a little heat with your meat, this dish will please on many levels. It is inexpensive and easy to make, but more to the point, it is absolutely delicious. While this Thai-style curry is best made with the hot and flavorful Madras curry powder, don't let the lack of it keep you from trying the dish with a less potent variety. As is the case with most rice and stir-fry combos, make sure your rice is ready to serve before you start to assemble the curry. It is way too easy to over cook the chicken in this dish, so get it from the wok to the table as soon as it is done. The sauce for this curry is rather thin, so if you'd like it to have more substance, mix a teaspoon of cornstarch with a teaspoon or two of water and add it to the wok at the very end of cooking. While it lacks eye appeal, this is a terrific dish for an adult week night meal. Unfortunately, most children won't go near it, so I can't recommend it for a family dinner if your children are under the age of twelve. I do hope the rest of you will try this curry. You will not be disappointed. Here is how it is made.

Tomato and Spinach Strata

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This dish made it to my table because I was looking for a more substantial strata to serve for a holiday brunch. As it happens, I actually found the dish to be too flavorful for the first meal of the day, but I do think that it might work for those of you who like to do breakfast for dinner or are in the market for a substantial lunch dish. I found the recipe for the strata in Eating Well magazine, and, as you'll see as you skim through the ingredient list, the strata tracks closely to most recipes for lasagna. Very closely. Only the addition of milk and the substitution of bread for noodles set it apart from the standard dish. There is nothing wrong with this dish and the recipe is easy to follow, but it is so much like the lasagna of memory, that you might want to stick to the real thing. If you decide to give this recipe a try, you'll want to use a sturdy bread, a well-flavored marinara sauce and let the dish sit overnight before baking it off. Here is how the strata is made.

Table for Two - Risotto Primavera for Two

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Those of you who try this recipe will be really pleased with the results you achieve. This risotto is delicious and despite the unconventional manner in which it's made, the finished dish is well-flavored and creamy. The recipe, which comes from Cook's Illustrated, is easy to make and the risotto is perfect as a side dish or entree. The dish has wonderful color and it truly speaks to Spring. I like this dish well enough to include it in my menu for Easter Sunday. I love that this recipe is scaled to feed just two people. I have never had any luck reheating risotto, so it's good to know there will be no leftovers to deal with. I do hope you'll give this recipe a try. Here is how the risotto is made.

Easy Everyday Frosted Fudge Brownies

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I fall back on this recipe whenever I'm short of time and I've committed to bring a dessert or cookies to a gathering. These brownies are very easy to make and the frosting allows some creativity in the way you flavor and finish them. I love to ice these bars with peppermint frosting, but they are equally good when made with any of the extracts suggested in the recipe below. While I doubt you'll have a problem with leftovers, the brownies will keep for several days if they are well-wrapped and stored in an airtight container. I do hope you will try them. I'm of the opinion that there is always room for one more brownie recipe. Here is how this moist and rich version is made.