Menu for the Week of June 1, 2014

Weekly Menu at One Perfect Bite... 

Beans, Biscuits and Bread Part Two - Cornmeal and Buttermilk Biscuits

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I found the recipe for these biscuits on the Food Network website. It caught my eye because I was looking for something to serve with the bean trio that was being sampled for the holiday barbecue. I thought the touch of cornmeal would add some texture to the biscuits and go well with the spicy sweet flavor of the beans we were testing. I must tell you, these biscuits are lovely. I do want to clarify what I think was meant by the specification for "polenta-style" cornmeal. I think it is fair to categorize any medium to coarse ground cornmeal as "polenta-style" and if you avoid the really finely ground type you'll be fine. As with any biscuit, you'll want to use an easy hand and be sure not to overwork the dough. This recipe can be doubled if you have a gang to feed. Do give these biscuits a try. I really think you'll like them. Here is how they're made.

Beans, Biscuits and Bread Part 1 - Cowboy Baked Beans

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I found three contenders for the beans I was asked to prepare for the barbecue today. When I learned that burgers and bratwurst were to be the main feature of  the "cue", any plans for an upscale dish were discarded and, despite the Silver Fox's  insistence that cassoulet would be perfect, I exercised my veto power and narrowed my search to what I hoped would be American barbecue favorites. Trouble is, I don't have a lot of recipes for beans and I don't make them often. Tea may work for two, but beans, when there are just two diners at the table, requires a commitment I'm not willing to make on a regular basis. So, of course, luck of the draw being what it is, I was the person asked to bring beans to barbecue where we will be meeting our new neighbors. I wanted them to be especially good because these folks don't know that I can cook, and I wanted their first impression of my abilities to be positive. While this will come as no surprise to those who know me, I ended up making a big deal about something that should have been really simple. I found and tested three recipes for good old American beans and, as it turned out, all three were exceptional. I decided my first feature would be the Cowboy Beans because they will go so well with a simple barbecue menu. These beans are sweet and have some heat, and I think they will appeal to anyone who likes beans with their burgers and brats. The recipe, which comes from America's Test Kitchen is clear and simple to follow, so you'll have no trouble duplicating their results, but do be sure to use a strong cup of coffee and a barbecue sauce that you are familiar with. The trick with these simple recipes is to layer flavors wherever you can, so be sure your ingredients are up to muster. These beans can be made several days before you plan to serve them, so they are definitely hostess friendly. I hope you'll give them a try. Hot and sweet is hard to beat. Here is the recipe.

My Best Burgers for Your Holiday Barbecue

Chances are you'll be firing up the grill at some point this holiday weekend. I thought you might enjoy this retrospective of burger recipes that I have featured in past posts. They are all easy to prepare and a bit unusual without being weird or contrived. I hope you'll have the opportunity to try one or two of them. I know you'll enjoy them.

Menu for the Week of May 25, 2014

Weekly Menu at One Perfect Bite... 

Before going to the menu for the week, I wanted to address an issue that is frustrating many of you. I understand that Feedburner email subscriptions are no longer being delivered to many of my readers. I've learned the problem is not specific to this blog and many of you are not receiving email from any of the blogs to which you subscribe. The problem appears to be related to DMARC changes that were instituted by Google a couple of months ago. With the help of the readers who reported the problem to me, I've come up with some workarounds that seem to circumvent the problem at least for readers here.

First, if you are not receiving anticipated email, please check your spam folder. In many instances the subscription posts are there and simply identifying them as legitimate - not spam - will clear up the problem.

Second, if your problem is more pervasive, and the system will not allow you to resubscribe, contact me via email with your email address. It will be necessary for me to delete you from the subscription list, but once that is done and you've been notified that you can proceed, you will be able to resubscribe. Thank you for your forbearance.

Frugal Foodie Friday - Stuffed Eggplant Creole

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This simple recipe is for a stuffed eggplant dish that is both inexpensive to make and delicious to eat. The ingredients needed to prepare it are readily available and I think you'll be able to find the Grapenuts in the cereal aisle of your grocery store. Just be sure to get the original cereal rather than the newer flaked variety. The nut-like morsels of the original give some texture to the soft filling while also helping to absorb excess moisture in the stuffing. This is a very old recipe that was published back in 1969 in The New McCall's Cook Book. I still have my dogeared copy of the book and while many of the recipes it contains have been eclipsed by time, this is one that those of you with gardens might want to try this summer. It is easy to follow and the minimal cost of its ingredients make it a perfect candidate for a Frugal Friday feature. I've pretty much kept with the original recipe, save for the omission of a 1/4 cup of butter that was used in the breadcrumb topping. Delicious, but verboten these days. I do hope you'll give it a try. Here is how this version of stuffed eggplant is made.

Let's Dish - Dish Bread

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite..."Pride goeth before the fall." I was a bit taken back today when I was asked to make beans for a neighborhood get together. I had hoped to contribute something a bit more challenging, but the the Silver Fox restored my spirits when he pointed out that it could have been worse. I could have been asked to bring the wine. At least this way, I'll have plenty of wine to sip as I prepare the beans. While searching for an outstanding bean dish, I came across the recipe for the Dish Bread that I'm sharing with you tonight. It comes from the Texas Cooking website and it makes the easiest yeast bread that I have ever encountered. It's also PDG. The finished loaf has a lovely crumb and a crust that is only slightly resistant to the tooth. It is also one of those loaves whose aroma when baking will drive men mad. This bread is truly effortless to make and your only problem might be finding a pan to bake it in. The "dough" is an extremely loose, amoeba-like batter  and you'll need a rounded pan or casserole dish to bake it in. I ended up using one of my vegetable serving bowls to provide the structure needed to make a rounded rather than flat loaf. This is one of those recipes that I didn't think would work, but it was so simple I had to give it a try. I'm glad I did and I am delighted to pass it onto you. Here is the recipe for this rather extraordinary bread.

Waist Watchers Special - Bean and Broccoli Soup with Cheese

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This nutritious, low-calorie soup comes together quickly and is great to serve with a salad or more substantial man-sized sandwich. It is thickened with pureed beans, and while it does use cheese, the beans help keep the quantity needed to thicken the soup under control. The soup will probably need more salt than is suggested in the recipe and you'll definitely want to use a really sharp cheese to flavor it. I use both cheddar and Parmesan cheese to get the taste I want in this type of soup. It takes about 20 minutes to make this, and I know that those of you who try it will be pleased. The Silver fox calls this Shrek Soup, a moniker that needs no further explanation. Color and calories aside, I hope you'll give this simple soup a try. You won't regret it. Here is how it's made.