Child's Play - Millionaire's Pie

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I had an unexpected visitor this weekend, and our unseasonably rainy weather meant my 5 year old guest would have to be entertained indoors. I floated the idea of a tea party, but she thought Shirley Temples would be a better way to go. Now, I'll let her mom and grandmother deal with the long term implications of that, but short term she and I had a mocktail party that left me with a rather large jar of opened maraschino cherries and lots of time to kill. Those awful cherries brought this pie, which has gone through waves of popularity, to mind. It's most outstanding feature is the ease with which it comes together and I thought it would be a perfect project for my guest. Now, whenever I cook with children this young, I stack the deck in their favor. That means I pre-chop and repackage ingredients that they can then measure and fold into the mix. I also try to find dishes that require no cooking and have the children rename them. This dessert, called Millionaire's Pie in the real world, quickly became Pink Princess Pie and it was a great project for a five year old to undertake on a rainy afternoon. She did well! I had to freeze the pie to get it to set before she had to go home, but the kitchen gods were on our side and she got to have a slice with extra cherries of it before she left. If you make sure the pineapple and cherries used in the pie are well drained, you will have no problems with this dessert. It is truly effortless and those of you who like maraschino cherries will be in red-dye heaven. Here is how the pie is made.

Hawaiian Dinner Rolls + Overnight Sliders

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Football fever is running hot in my neck of the woods and food is a must for those who watch the games from the comfort of their own homes. I always serve something while we watch the game, but this week I wanted to breakaway from standard football fare and serve something that had a surprise value. I've been eyeing a recipe for sliders that are assembled the night before they are baked and I thought today's game would be the perfect time to give them a try. I did, however, run into a problem while assembling the ingredients needed to make them. Our local markets had no dinner-sized Hawaiian rolls, so I had to make my own. I used a recipe that I found on La Petite Brioche and several hours later I had the rolls I needed to proceed. The rolls, which are easy to make,  are similar  to  King's Hawaiian Rolls but they are a bit less sweet. There are no tricks to making them, save for the need for patience. The rolls are slow-risers, but if you want light and fluffy rolls you have to make sure they  double in size before proceeding with the next steps. These rolls are really versatile.  I'm including the slider recipe I used today, but these would also make a great base for pulled pork,  and, if drizzled with a confectioners' sugar glaze, I think they'd make wonderful breakfast sweet rolls. First things first. Here is the recipe for the rolls. The recipe for the sliders will follow that.

Hawaiian Sweet Rolls...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by La Petite Brioche

Ingredients:
6-7 cups all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1-1/2 cups pineapple juice
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 (1/4 ounce) envelopes yeast or 4-1/2 teaspoons yeast
1/2 cup butter (one stick) melted

Directions:
1) Beat eggs. Add pineapple juice, sugar, salt, ginger, vanilla, and butter.
2) Place 3 cups of flour in a large bowl. Stir in egg mixture until well-combined. Sprinkle in yeast, one packet at a time, and mix. Add the remaining 3 cups of flour and mix in. If dough is sticky and difficult to handle, add more flour. Dough should be slightly tacky, but not wet. Knead dough for 5 minutes until it forms a smooth ball. Place dough in a greased bowl and set aside to rise until doubled in size (about 1-1/2 hours).
2) Punch dough down and either divide into three equal parts for bread loaves or 24 balls for dinner rolls. Place in greased loaf pans or shape into rolls. Cover and place in a warm place to rise until doubled in size. Be patient. These rolls are slow risers, but it is important to let them double in size before baking.
3) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
4) Bake for 25-30 minutes or golden brown. Brush tops with melted butter. Serve warm.Yield: 24 dinner rolls or 12 sandwich buns.

Following Photo and Recipe Courtesy of KING'S HAWAIIAN

King's Mini Baked Ham Sandwiches
Ingredients:
1 pound deli ham shaved
1 pound swiss cheese thinly sliced
1-1/2 sticks butter
1-1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1-1/2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
1-1/2 teaspoons minced onion dried
12 Hawaiian Sweet Dinner Rolls

Directions:
1) Melt butter and mix in mustard, sauce and onion.
2) Cut rolls in half, horizontally (keeping all top and bottom halves separately in tact).
3) In a 9 x 13-inch pan, place bottom half of rolls and cover with ham and cheese.
4) Cover ham and cheese stacks with top half of rolls.
5) Drizzle butter mixture over top of rolls, making sure onion is evenly distributed.
6) Refrigerate over night.
7) Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes and, once finished, separate for serving. Yield: 12 servings.

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

      

One Year Ago Today: Slow-Cooker Weeknight Chili

Two Years Ago Today: Cranberry Mousse

Three Years Ago Today: Plum and Tomato Chutney

Four Years Ago Today: Creamy Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

Carrot Muffins

My Thought for the Day can be found, here. If you like it, give us a thumbs up and share it with your friends.

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...If you enjoy Morning Glory muffins I hope you will give this recipe a try. Long term readers of One Perfect Bite know that the highest accolade I give a recipe involves my socks rather than stars or other rating equivalents. I had one bite of these muffins, happened to glance down, and, sure enough, my socks were going up and down. These Texas-sized gems are really, really good. They are moist and lightly spiced and I hope that you will give them a try when you get some time to experiment. I found the recipe on La Belle Cuisine and made it exactly as it appeared there. Having tasted them, the only change I would make next time I make them, would be to cut back on the amount of orange zest called for in the recipe. I think a teaspoon would be fine. I used the large holes of a box grater to prepare the carrots, because I like a bit of texture in my muffins and I think the food processor grates them too finely. I do have one caution for those of you who plan to try this recipe. The instructions direct you to fill the muffin cups to the brim. If you do that I guarantee you will have spillover and the muffins will be difficult to remove from the pan. Filling the cups 7/8 full is a much better idea and it will give you one small additional muffin. These are delicious. Here is how they are made.

Carrot Muffins...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of La Belle Cuisine

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups grated carrots
1 tablespoon minced orange zest
An 8-ounce can crushed pineapple with juice
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions:
(All ingredients should be at room temperature.)
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Generously spray 6 giant-sized muffin cups with nonstick spray. Set aside.
2) In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
3) In a medium bowl combine oil, egg, buttermilk, vanilla, carrots, orange zest and pineapple. Stir to combine.
4) Add liquid mixture to flour mixture and combine briefly with wire whisk. Stir in chopped nuts. Fill muffin cups to top. Bake for 5 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. and bake for about 20 minutes longer, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Turn the muffins out onto a wire rack. When completely cool, store in an airtight container. Yield: 6 large or 18 standard muffins.










One Year Ago Today: Strawberry and Rhubarb Pie














Two Years Ago Today: Tortino di Fagiolini















Three Years Ago Today: Penne with Asparagus and Lemon Sauce
















Four Years Ago Today: Potato Gratin a la Flamande

Cat-Skinner's Carrot Cake

L'shanah tovah - Happy New Year to all who are celebrating.

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...There is no need to call the ASPCA. In logger jargon, a cat-skinner is the operator of a bulldozer that is used to move felled trees from the forest floor to trucks where they are loaded and taken to a mill. It is hard, hot and dangerous work, the kind that builds an appetite and assures there will be takers for delightfully dense and pudding-like cakes such as this. In 2010, the organizers of the first-ever Great Oregon Coast Potluck-Off, challenged the community to come up with dishes that would redefine what a pot-luck dinner could be. This unique carrot cake was the winner. It was made by a team from the First Christian Church of Newport and judges were impressed by its slightly tropical flavor and the liquid frosting that formed a glaze as it was absorbed into the still warm cake. The cake is delicious and quite easy to make. While it is sweet, it is not cloying and when served warm with a dollop of cream, it really is delightful. What the cake lacks in refinement, it makes up for in flavor, and if you enjoy a good bread pudding, I think you'll like this cake. Here's how it is made.

Cat-Skinner's Carrot Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of the First Christian Church of Newport and Grant Butler of The Oregonian

Ingredients:
Cake
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups shredded or finely chopped carrots
1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup flaked sweetened coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
Frosting
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

Instructions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter and flour a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.
2) To make cake: Sift flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl.
In a large bowl, beat eggs with a hand mixer or whisk until they are smooth. Add buttermilk, oil, vanilla and sugar and mix until sugar has dissolved and ingredients are fully incorporated. Add dry ingredients and continue beating until smooth, about 1 minute. Stir in carrots, pineapple, coconut and walnuts. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes.
3) To make frosting: Combine sugar, buttermilk, baking soda, corn syrup and butter in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat and boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour hot frosting evenly over warm cake, allowing frosting to soak in. Yield: 16 servings.

One Year Ago Today:  Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukin's Carrot Cake

Two Years Ago Today: Sizzling Southwestern Flank Steak with Creamy Salsa Verde

Three Years Ago Today: Kartoffel Suppe - Bavarian Potato Soup

Tropical Shrimp Salad

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Today the thermostat soared into territory so rarefied that a local weatherman tried to fry an egg on the pavement at the county fairgrounds. While the egg didn't cook, it coagulated, as did most of the fairgoers who dared to brave the heat. The climate here is temperate and summer is marked by days that are comfortably warm and evenings that are cool. We have heat spells, to be sure, but Oregonians don't respond well to temperatures that flirt with the 100 degree mark. Sensible Oregonians seek air conditioned comfort or the cool natural breezes of the coast or mountains. Sensible Oregonians. The Silver Fox and I were at the fair. I knew the day was going to be long and difficult, so I wanted to offset it with a light, cool meal that would be table ready when we finally got home. I've been experimenting with salads lately and I like this one well enough to make again and share with you. While the dish is put together in two stages, both are simple and I think you'll find this very easy to make. The first stage, which involves making shrimp in escabeche, should be completed the day before you plan to serve the salad. To accomplish this, shrimp are poached or steamed and then placed, while still warm, in a light brine to marinate for a day or so. The following day they are tossed with cucumbers, honeydew melon and pineapple and allowed to sit just until the flavors meld. I love the crispness of the shrimp and cucumbers and the way the sweet melon and pineapple play against the pickle of the briny shrimp. This is a perfect dish for warm summer nights when appetites are lagging. It is light and delicious and I really think you'll enjoy it. Here's how the salad is made.

Tropical Shrimp Salad...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:

Shrimp

1 pound (21 to 25) large uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 small red onion chopped
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Salad
2 cups honeydew melon, cut in 1-inch cubes
2 cups seedless cucumber, cut in 1-inch cubes
1 cup fresh or canned pineapple chunks
1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeno pepper
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro + cilantro for garnish
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 to 3 teaspoons teaspoons honey
Salt to taste
Lime wedges for garnish

Directions:
1) To prepare shrimp: Combine onion, vinegar, oregano and salt in a shallow glass dish. Set aside. Simmer oil, bay leaf, garlic and peppercorns in a small saucepan for 10 minutes. Set aside. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in pot. Add 2 tablespoons salt and bring to a boil again. Add shrimp, then remove from heat and let stand uncovered for 5 minutes. Drain well, then add shrimp and oil mixture to onion mixture in glass dish. Allow shrimp to cool to room temperature, then chill, covered, turning occasionally, for at least 12 hours. When ready to proceed, remove shrimp from marinade. Place in a large bowl. Strain and reserve marinade in a large bowl.
2) To prepare salad: Add ginger and honey to reserved marinade. Add salt as required to taste. Add melon, cucumber, pineapple, red onion, cilantro and jalapeno pepper, tossing to coat ingredients with marinade. Fold in shrimp. Cover and chill for 1 hour. Transfer to a serving platter or to individual plates. Garnish with lime wedges. Yield: 4 servings.

One Year Ago Today: Crispy Butter Pecan Ice Cream Cake

Two Years Ago Today: Pumpkin Apple Bread

Three Years Ago Today: Twice-Baked Blue Cheese Potatoes

Zucchini Bread with Pineapple and Walnuts

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Every year I engage in some insanity with friends who were in my Master Gardener's class. It actually is a challenge. At this time of year, our local farm stands sell huge zucchini for a dollar. These monsters are 18 to 24 inches long and if you dropped on your foot, serious damage could be done to your toes. At any rate, the challenge is to see who can make the best use of the dollar zucchini. The first year we did this was easy. We all had clean slates and didn't have to concern ourselves with repetitions or copy cat entries. However, we've done this for five years now and it is getting harder and harder to come up with new things to make. In past years I've worked on savory entries that could be served as meals. This year I want to confuse everyone and work my way through the sweet end of the spectrum. I made this bread just before we left for New Hampshire and it is one of the loaves that traveled with me from one coast to the other. It was given luggage space because the combination of zucchini and pineapple was a delightful surprise and I wanted to share it with my daughters. If you have not yet tried the combination, I hope you will give this moist and flavorful bread a try. I promise you won't regret it. Here's the recipe I used.

Zucchini Bread with Pineapple and Walnuts...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Lane County Extension Service

Ingredients:
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup grated zucchini
1 (8-oz.) can crushed pineapple (with juice)
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Glaze

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:
1) Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour bottom only of a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.
2) Cream brown sugar and butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Reserve 1 tablespoon pineapple juice. Stir in pineapple, zucchini, and eggs. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and allspice. Blend well. Fold in nuts. Spread evenly in prepared pan.
3) Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes, and then remove from pan and finish cooling on a wire rack.
4) To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners' sugar, reserved 1 tablespoon pineapple juice, corn syrup and 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Mix until smooth, and spoon over warm loaf. Cool completely on wire rack. Wrap and store in refrigerator. Yield: 8 to 12 servings.

One Year Ago Today: Savory Spinach and Rice Cakes

Two Years Ago Today: Raspberry Kuchen

Three Years Ago Today: Lemon-Herb Slow Cooker Chicken

Strawberry and Pineapple Freezer Jam

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I make a small quantity of this strawberry-pineapple combo whenever I make strawberry jam. I know it's arguable, but I prefer freezer jams to their processed cousins, and all the jams I put-by are, by design, destined for the deep freeze. I find them much easier to make and I think their color and taste far surpass that of their processed cousins. The trick to making any jam is proper measurement of the ingredients to be used. Precise instructions come with the fruit pectin you purchase to make jams and jellies. It is important to follow them.  The addition of extra berries or added ingredients can throw off the ratio of sugar to pectin and the jam will not set properly. Pectin is the thickening agent found in fruits and vegetables that's used to set jams and jellies. It usually comes from apples or orange peels, and can be purchased in powdered or liquid form. Years ago, fruit pectin was made at home with apples, water and lemon juice. If you are a purist and would like to make your own, precise instructions for its preparation  can be found, here. While I've risen to such challenges at least once or twice in my cooking career, these days I purchase my pectin and get on with things. I work on the theory that knowing how to dress a chicken doesn't mean I have to behead and butcher every chicken that crosses my path. This recipe is foolproof, as long as your ingredients are precisely measured. I think those of you who try it will really enjoy this jam. I love to warm a bit of it and use it as a topping for vanilla ice cream. Good stuff! Here's how it is made.

Strawberry and Pineapple Freezer Jam...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Kraft Food

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups crushed strawberries (about 1 pint fully ripe strawberries)
1 can (8-oz.) crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
4 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl
Water
1 box SURE-JELL Fruit Pectin

Directions:
1) Rinse clean plastic or glass containers and lids with boiling water. Dry thoroughly.
2) Stem and crush strawberries thoroughly, one layer at a time. Measure exactly 1-1/2 cups crushed strawberries into large bowl. Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Add pineapple to strawberries. Stir in sugar. Let stand 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3) Add enough water to reserved pineapple juice to measure 3/4 cup. Pour into small saucepan. Stir in pectin. Bring to boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for 1 minute. Add to fruit mixture and stir for 3 minutes, or until sugar is dissolved and no longer grainy. (A few sugar crystals may remain.)
4) Fill all containers immediately to within 1/2 inch of tops. Wipe off top edges of containers and immediately cover with lids. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours. Jam can be refrigerated for three weeks or frozen for one year. If frozen, thaw in refrigerator before using. Yield: 6 1-cup containers.










One Year Ago Today: Antipasto Pasta Picnic Salad
















Two Years Ago Today: Limeade Concentrate















Three Years Ago Today: Scallops Provencal

Thai-Style Pineapple and Shrimp Fried Rice

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is another easy Asian knock-off. This version of fried rice is adapted from a recipe originally develop by Nancie McDermott, one of my favorite food writers. I don't have great luck with most cookbooks and rarely walk away with more than two recipes to show for the time and  money I've spent, but her books, like those of Julia, Ina, Dorie and Mark Bittman, are treasures, and the trick is to find a bad recipe between the covers. I say that without need for a disclaimer. I simply appreciate the ease with which her recipes come together. Her books target everyday cooks who want something special to serve their families, and while her food is not sophisticated, it is delicious and almost always quick to prepare. If you'd like to learn more about Nancie, pay a visit to her website, which you can find here. I really like this recipe and often serve it for lunch or a light supper. The trick to any good fried rice is using leftover rice that has firmed and can be separated into individual grains. I personally think it is necessary to control the amount of liquid that goes into this kind of stir-fry. I really dislike wet and gummy rice, so I use fresh or well-drained canned pineapple to make it. The shrimp helps make the dish more substantial and adds some much needed texture texture to the mix. In the real world, I coarsely chop them so they are the same size as the pineapple and peas. I hope you will try this simple dish. I really think you'll like it. Here's the recipe.

Thai-Style Pineapple and Shrimp Fried Rice...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Nancie McDermott

Directions:
4 cups cooked (preferably leftover) rice, chilled
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoons coarsely chopped garlic
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 small jalapeno, stemmed, seed and chopped chopped (optional)
1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1-1/2 cups diced fresh pineapple
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
Garnish: Chopped green onions

Directions:
1) Break clumps of chilled rice into a bowl and separate into individual grains.
2) Heat a wok or large high-sided skillet over high heat. Add oil and heat until it shimmers. Add garlic, onion and jalapeno and toss or stir until shiny and fragrant, about 1 minutes. Add shrimp and toss or stir-fry until onions wilt and shrimp turns pink and is cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes.
3) Add rice, fish sauce, lime juice and sugar and toss to combine well. Stir in pineapple and peas and stir-fry until rice is heated through, about 2 minutes longer. Turn rice onto a serving platter. Garnish with chopped green onions. Serve hot or warm. Yield: 4 servings.

One Year Ago Today: Crustless Cheese and Broccoli Quiche

Two Years Ago Today: Black-Eyed Pea Casserole

Three Years Ago Today: Gluten-Free Pancakes

Sweet and Sour Pork

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This dish is a staple on the menus of American Chinese restaurants. It's one of those dishes that is more popular in the United States than it is in China where you will find the sauce more commonly served with fish. Most of you are familiar with this twice-fried and highly caloric treat. Interestingly, it is not universally enjoyed by diners and it has as many detractors as fans. My own family illustrates the point. The Silver Fox loves it, me, not so much. We eat a lot of Chinese food, so it ends up on our table, by default, several times a year. The version I make retains the yin and yang of the sweet and sour combination, but I've completely changed the way the pork is prepared. The pork in my version is stir-fried in a minimal amount of oil and never sees the deep-fryer. I also use more vegetables and keep the sauce slightly thinner than what you would find on a restaurant plate. People are often flummoxed by the quantities in Chinese recipes. Dishes that looks like they will feed two people are meant to feed four. That's because a typical Chinese meal consists of several courses and smaller portions are more appropriate when you have many dishes on the table. The recipe I'm featuring today looks long and complicated. It's not. Most of the ingredients used here go into sauce components that come together in minutes. Better still, all of those ingredients can be found in any grocery store. If sweet and sour combinations appeal to you, I suspect you'll like this lighter version of the real thing. The dish has great eye appeal and will add wonderful color to your table. I hope you will give it a try. Here's the recipe.

Sweet and Sour Pork...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:

Sweet and Sour Sauce

3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3/4 cup chicken stock
3 tablespoons white vinegar
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon pineapple juice from canned pineapple chunks

Sherry-Soy Mixture

3 tablespoons dry sherry or Shaoxing rice wine
5 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt

Pork

2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 cup coarsely chopped red and green bell peppers
3/4 cup coarsely chopped onion
3/4 cup canned pineapple chunks
1 (12-oz.) pork tenderloin thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped green onion

Directions:
1) To make sweet and sour sauce: In a small bowl combine water and cornstarch, and stir to mix them well. Set aside. Combine chicken stock, vinegar, sugar, ketchup, and pineapple juice in a small saucepan. Stir with a fork or a whisk to combine everything well. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat and cook 1 minute. Stir in cornstarch mixture and cook just until sauce becomes shiny and thickened. Remove from heat and keep warm.
2) To make sherry-soy mixture: Combine sherry, soy sauce, and salt in a small bowl and stir well.
3) Heat a wok or a large, deep skillet over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil and swirl to coat pan. Add ginger and garlic, toss well and cook until fragrant about 15 seconds. Add bell peppers and onions and cook, tossing often, until fragrant and beginning to wilt. Add pineapple and cook 1 minute more. Transfer mixture to a platter, leaving as much cooking liquid in pan as possible.
4) Heat pan again. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil if needed. Add pork and stir-fry just until no longer pink, about 1 minute. Quickly add sherry-soy sauce mixture and toss well. Return bell pepper mixture to pan and toss to mix everything together well. Add sweet-and-sour sauce and cook, tossing often, until all ingredients are evenly seasoned. Add green onion and toss again. Transfer to a serving platter and serve hot or warm. Yield 3 to 4 servings.

One Year Ago Today: Pork Meatballs in Chipotle Sauce

Two Years Ago Today: Roasted Yellow Pepper Soup

Baja Summer Slaw

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This bright and colorful salad is a wonderful addition to a summer barbecue. It's packed with tropical flavors and its vague sweetness is a perfect foil for the smoky and spicy flavors that come off a grill. The salad is based on one that was served with seafood, particularly shrimp and lobster, when Bob and I were trekking through Baja Mexico, a very long time ago. We were without chick or child at the time and our spirit of adventure was far larger than our wallets. The Baja had not yet been discovered, so it was still possible to explore the peninsula and the Sea of Cortez on the cheap. We camped and cooked on open fires and every so often we'd dine out. My entree on those occasions was always shellfish because it was fresh and abundant and you could watch it being prepared. Were it not for its freshness, that would have been a strange choice. Pacific lobster, at least in my opinion, lacks the flavor of its Atlantic cousin. It needs something to perk it up and slaws or salads of this type really did the trick. I've fashioned a recipe of sorts for you, but as you read through the ingredients you'll see how you might be able to play with it. I love the freshness of this salad and I think you will, too. It's very easy to make and you can be as creative with the ingredients as you like. It is a lovely slaw, but I must admit I miss the dash of adventure we added all those years ago. Perhaps you can add your own. Here's the recipe.

Baja Summer Slaw...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1/4 cup pineapple juice from canned pineapple tidbits
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (10-oz.) bag very finely shredded cabbage (angel hair)
1 (8-oz.) can pineapple tidbits packed in pineapple juice
1 cup diced papaya or mango
1 cup diced sweet red bell pepper
1 small jalapeno pepper, finely chopped with seeds and ribs removed
1/4 cup minced cilantro
Salt and pepper

Directions:
1) In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine pineapple juice, oil, lime juice, cilantro, cumin,sugar and salt in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake well.
2) Combine cabbage, pineapple, papaya, bell pepper, and jalapeno pepper in a large bowl. Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Add cilantro and stir just before serving. Yield: 6 servings.







One Year Ago Today: Beginner's Whole Wheat Batter Bread













Two Years Ago Today: Apple Onion Bread with Cheddar Cheese







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