School Night Suppers - Porcupine Meatballs

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...These meatballs appeared on dinner tables with great regularity during the 1970's. The recipe appealed to moms because it was quick and easy to prepare, and children loved the spiny meatballs for their novelty and taste. As it cooks, the rice pokes through the meatballs and resembles porcupine quills. This is a bare bones version of the recipe that has many variations. I've slightly altered the original recipe myself. I use 2 cans of soup rather than the one called for in the original recipe because I want to have enough sauce to use as a gravy on the mashed potatoes that I serve with this dish. I also add grated cheese to my meat mix to add a bit more flavor to the meatballs. This is a great weeknight meal. It will take some of you on a stroll down memory lane. If you have never made the meatballs and have young children at your table, I urge you to give this recipe a try. Here is how these novel meatballs are made.

Glazed Strawberry Scones

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I am inordinately fond of scones. I regularly search for new recipes to add to my collection and the last time I did that, I came across this recipe in two different places. The recipes had nearly identical time stamps, so I was forced to conclude that great minds think alike and credit both sources for these delicious biscuits. While Tyler Florence makes them with blueberries, the folks at Taste of Home magazine prefer to use strawberries. I'm using the strawberries tonight because they are more plentiful right now. I use fresh berries to make these, but briefly freeze them before folding them in the scone batter. Frozen berries tend to keep their shape and don't bleed the way their soft counterparts do. This recipe is straightforward and the scones are very easy to make. While I cut the butter into the dry ingredients manually, this could be done in a food processor or electric mixer, as long as you don't get carried away and overwork the dough. The trick to a good scone or biscuit is a dough that is mixed only until the ingredients are moistened. Over mixing will produce scones that are heavy and tough. These are featherlight and, I must warn you, they are addicting. The recipe can be doubled if you have a gang to feed. The scones will keep for a day or so, but you should rewarm them before serving. I know those of you who try these gems will love them. The glaze that tops them is absolutely delicious and I think you'll enjoy scones that are made with fresh fruit. Here's the recipe.

Glazed Strawberry Scones...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Tyler Florence and Taste of Home magazine

 Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour + flour for kneading
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold butter
1 cup + 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream, divided
1 cup unsweetened strawberries, chopped and frozen in a single layer for 1 hour

Glaze

1 cups confectioners' sugar
4 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons melted butter
2 teaspoons 2% milk

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degree F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
2) In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 1 cup cream just until moistened. Fold in strawberries.
3) Turn onto a floured surface; knead 10 times. Pat dough into a 9-in. x 7-in. rectangle. Cut in half horizontally. Cut each half into four rectangles; separate and place on prepared baking sheet. Brush with reserved 2 tablespoons cream. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
3) For glaze, in a small bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, butter and milk; drizzle over warm scones. Serve warm. Yield: 8 scones.













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Crock-Pot Cuban Pork and Black Beans

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I spend a few days each year working with a group of women who develop recipes for low-income families. Our goal is to develop nutritious meals that have wide appeal. These recipes must use inexpensive ingredients but still deliver meals that are flavorful, wholesome and delicious. This slow cooker meal, adapted from Family Circle Magazine, is an example of the type of recipe the group experiments with. It is patterned after Lechon Asado, a slow cooked pork roast that is a signature dish of Cuban cooking. Addressing the concerns of those on limited budgets, the group opted to use a loin of pork rather than its shoulder, because the loin is less expensive here. They opted to serve the pork over rice rather than in rolls which would have added a couple of dollars to the meal. Eliminating the bread allowed them to make black beans to serve alongside the pork. They also decided to use pickle relish instead of chopped pickles. While relish is a common ingredient in their pantries, pickles are not. The original recipe was made in a crock-pot, but not all of the group owned them. As an alternative, they cooked the pork stove-top for about 3 hours. They felt that baking it in a 250 degree oven for 5 or more hours was a waste of energy, a point that is awfully hard to argue. The recipe the group came up with follows. I've highlighted the changes they made to the original recipe. This is really a great family meal. The citrus overtones of the pork play nicely against the heat of the black beans that appear below. I know you will enjoy dish. Its flavor improves with age and I'd suggest you make this a day before you plan to serve it. Here's the recipe.

Crock-Pot Cuban Pork...Recipe inspired by Family Circle Magazine

Ingredients:
3 pounds boneless, skinless pork shoulder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 cup orange juice
Zest of 1 lime
1/4 cup lime juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/3 cup drained dill pickle relish
2 sweet onions (such as Vidalia), thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Directions:
1) Season pork with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Brown all sides of pork, about 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside.
2) Put tomato paste, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, orange zest and juice, lime zest and juice , cumin, oregano and broth into liner of slow cooker and stir to combine. Add onions, garlic and pickle relish. Place browned pork on top. Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 hour. Reduce heat to LOW and cook for 4 to 5 hours longer. Remove meat from slow cooker and using 2 forks pull it into shreds. Return to slow cooker and heat through.
3) Stir in cilantro. Serve with rice or on ciabatta or Cuban rolls. Yield: 8 servings.

This is the quick and easy recipe that was developed for black beans. It uses canned beans, so the dish comes together very quickly. The beans are delicious.

Cuban-Style Black Beans

Ingredients:
3 (14.5-oz.) cans undrained black beans
1 (1o-oz.) can diced tomatoes with green chilies (i.e. Rotel)
1/2 yellow onion diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a medium-size pot. Add onions and sauté until soft. Add oregano and cumin and stir, then add can of diced tomatoes with green chilies. Add 2 cans of undrained beans and bring to a simmer. Cook on low heat for 20 minutes, Drain reserved can of beans and add to pot. Cook 10 minutes longer. Serve hot. Yield: 8 to 10 servings.








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