The Sugary Smell of Springtime

Over the past year and a half I have come to adore sun-dried tomatoes. I'm sure it has to do with my tastes developing as I explore new foods. When I was younger I despised all raw tomatoes. The texture is definitely what weirds out most kids. The juicy tomato guts in the middle? Come on, ew! Sun-dried tomatoes I could tolerate, but I knew they started off as raw tomatoes.

Last year my sister and I would frequently visit the Noah's Bagels in downtown Corvallis for breakfast. I saw the sun-dried tomato bagel and was intrigued. Toasted and spread with schmear... oh baby, it was delicous! Suddenly I knew: sun-dried tomatoes are awesome! They're sweet, yet packed with flavor and taste like summer!

I was talking to my mom the other week and revealed my idea for doing a roast stuffed with sun-dried tomatoes and herbs. She mentioned a recipe she had seen on a Food Network show for sun-dried tomato pesto stuffed pork tenderloin. Um... YES! The great thing about pesto is that it keeps really well in the fridge and can be made in a big batch, then frozen. I usually measure out 1-cup servings to freeze.

When I made the tenderloin, I only used 1 loin (there are 2 in the package) and used 1/2-cup of the pesto. To help keep the roast together, I tied it a few times with kitchen twine. The balsamic honey mustard mixture brushed on top of the roast could even be used as a dressing for salad or roasted veggies. Next time I may try it without this mixture. The pesto in the center packs in so much flavor for the dish, I'm not sure you need the extra flavor on the outside. I served it with mashed potatoes with sour cream and chives (a healthier option than the normal mashed potatoes packed with butter and cream) and sugar snap peas. Whipping up the pesto ahead of time makes this recipe a breeze.

Note: The Noah's in Corvallis no longer makes sun-dried tomato bagels (I know, how dare they?!). I may start experimenting with sun-dried tomato focaccia bread though...


Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
Everyday Italian, Giada de Laurentiis
Makes about 1 1/2 cups

1 (8.5-oz) jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

In the bowl of a food processor, blend sun-dried tomatoes and their oil with the basil and garlic, just until tomatoes are finely chopped. Transfer pesto to a medium bowl, and stir in the cheese and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Season the pesto with more salt and pepper to taste. (Lasts 1 week in airtight container in fridge, or freeze to keep longer)


Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto-Stuffed Pork
Robin Miller
4 servings

Cooking spray
2 1/2 lbs. pork tenderloin
1 cup prepared sun-dried tomato pesto
Salt and ground black pepper
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. prepared honey mustard
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 cups quick cooking rice (optional for side dish)

1. Preheat oven to 400-degrees. Coat a shallow roasting pan with cooking spray.

2. Using a sharp knife, cut pork lengthwise 3/4 of the way through. Place in the prepared pan and spread sun-dried tomato pesto in the incision. Fold pork back over and use a metal or wooden skewer to close the seam (I tied it with kitchen twine). Season with salt and pepper.


3. In a small bowl, combine vinegar, honey mustard and thyme. Spoon mixture over pork.


4. Roast 45-minutes, until an instant-read thermometer reads 155-degrees (pork may still be pink in the center and that's ok).


5. Let pork rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing crosswise into 1-inch thick slices. Serve with rice. Enjoy!

Spring is Here!

I know Spring officially began last month, but it hasn't really felt like it until this past week. Last Thursday the temperature got into the upper 60's! I knew it was going to be nice, so I stopped at Bi-Mart and stocked up on potting soil and fresh herbs and veggies to grow. That afternoon I waited until all of the clouds had cleared, then ventured out onto the deck to do some gardening. Last summer we went a little crazy with the plants. Mostly due to starting the tomatoes as seeds, thus taking forever to grow into full plants.... then we were stuck with a surplus of tomatoes! This year I decided to purchase the tomato plants that are around 7-8" tall. Here's what I'm growing:

Herbs: Rosemary, French Thyme, Tarragon, Sage, Chives, Basil, Dill, Cilantro, and Oregano.

Veggies: Jalapenos (these were so fun last summer!), Lettuce starts, Lettuce from seeds, Spinach from seeds, Radishes from seeds, two kinds of red Tomatoes (one of which was developed at Oregon State University!), and a small Yellow Pear Tomato plant.


Soon to come: Snow peas! Dale is going to construct a planter box that we can tie strings to for the peas grow on.

I love looking outside at my happy herbs! I was so excited this morning when I went out to water them and was surprised with radish leaves sprouting!! I planted the seeds exactly a week ago and they are already popping up! I'm going to have to spread them out once the leaves get a little bigger.

Just made some sun-dried tomato pesto. Tonight's menu: Sun dried tomato stuffed pork tenderloin, smashed potatoes with sour cream and chives, and sugar-snap peas with a sweet onion vinaigrette. I love Spring!

Jammin' Jammers!

This Christmas I received two gifts that opened a whole new door to the culinary art of baking: 1. The Grand Central Baking Book, from the famous Portland and Seattle Grand Central Bakeries and 2. A KitchenAid Standing Mixer. I have to mention that my mixer is on my mental list of items that I will carry out with me in case of a fire. Along with my external hard drive, Mastering the Art of French Cooking book, a few favorite serving bowls, and my teddy bear. Forget the fact that Julia Child's MTAOFC weighs almost as much as my KitchenAid mixer... But back to the baking. One of the first recipes that caught my eye was Grand Central Bakery Jammers. The photo was enough to win me over. Flakey scones with jam in the center? Yes please!

The first time I made these, I overworked the dough. The scones were too dense. Plus I didn’t have a biscuit cutter, so I fashioned one out of a clean 14.5oz tomato can. It worked, but it was a little larger than I wanted. The second time around my mom lent me her little set of biscuit cutters (which make it much more simple) and I had a mental talk with myself: Allison, don’t over-mix the dough!! I kept a close eye on the little guys as they puffed up. It’s fun to look through the oven window and see the jam bubbling away! Only one of the jammers overflowed (parchment paper is a must).


I found that these jammers are best right out of the oven. Well, wait two or three minutes so you don’t scald your tongue with the hot jam, but trust me: if possible, serve these right away. They make a wonderful breakfast treat… or afternoon treat… or even an evening treat if you must. Coffee/tea/milk must be equipped in-hand. The scones are soft, flakey and make you crazy thirsty. The next day they are still good (I reheat them in the microwave), but not nearly as wonderful as when they are right out of the oven.

*Note: The ingredients can be prepared the night before, so it’s easier to whip these up first thing in the morning ☺


Grand Central Bakery Jammers
From the Grand Central Baking Book, by Piper Davis and Ellen Jackson
Makes 10 to 12 jammers

4 cups all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
1 ¼ to 1 ½ cups (10 to 12 oz) buttermilk
About ¾ cup good quality preserves or jam

1. Dice the butter into ½-inch cubes. Use your hands or the paddle attachment of the stand mixer on low speed to blend the butter into the dry ingredients until the texture of the flour changes from silky to mealy. There should still be dime- to quarter-size pieces of butter remaining. If you’re preparing the dough the night before, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill overnight; otherwise proceed with the recipe.

2. Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in 1 cup of the buttermilk in one addition. Gently mix dough just until it comes together; it will look rough. Scrape dough from the sides and bottom of the bowl, then add another ¼ cup buttermilk and mix again to incorporate any floury scraps. The majority of the dough will come together, on the paddle if you are using a stand mixer. Stop mixing while there are still visible chunks of butter and floury patches. The dough should come out of the bowl in 2 to 3 large, messy clumps, leaving only some small scraps and flour around the sides of the bowl. If the dough is visibly dry and crumbly, add up to ¼ cup more buttermilk, 1 Tbsp. at a time, mixing no more than one rotation after each addition (I only needed a few Tbsp. extra).


3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Use the heels and sides of your palms to gather the dough and gently pat it into an oblong shape 1 ½ to 2 inches thick. It won’t look smooth or particularly cohesive; that’s okay. Use a biscuit cutter to cut the jammers into circles at least 2 ½ -inches in diameter. Layer the leftover scraps on top of one another and gently pat them out to a thickness of 1 ½ to 2 inches and again cut into circles.

4. Use your thumb to make an indentation the size of a fifty-cent piece in the middle of each biscuit. While gently supporting the outside edge of the biscuit with your fingers, use your thumb to create a bulb-shaped hole that’s a bit wider at the bottom and that goes almost to the bottom of the biscuit (think pinch pot). Try to apply as little pressure as possible to the outside of the biscuit, to avoid smashing the layers, which are the key to flaky jammers. Fill each indentation with 1 Tbsp of jam and put the jammers on the prepared baking sheet with 1 ½ inches between them.


5. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time. The jammers should be a deep golden brown.

A New Twist on Chicken Cordon Bleu

You may remember last fall when I posted a short note on a dinner we had at my fiancé's mothers house. His step-dad made Chicken Cordon Bleu and it was amazing! The chicken was fully cooked and intensely moist. The ham and Parmesan cheese that were rolled with the chicken added a great combination of flavor. I was thinking to myself that I need to try this recipe! At that moment, Dale looked up at me and said, "You have to make this!" Well, that was settled.

The not so easy part was actually getting around to purchasing the ingredients. Chicken breasts are rather expensive. When I buy other meats, we generally get leftovers for a couple more nights. Chicken is usually consumed in the first night because there isn't as much of it. A few weeks ago I ran across a new take on Chicken Cordon Bleu in my May issue of Cook's Country. Instead of pounding the daylights out of the chicken breast, then rolling it with the ham and cheese, the recipe has you cut a slit into the side of the breast and add a roll of ham with cheese in the middle. I instantly loved this idea. See, I've done rolled chicken breast before and it took lightyears for the center parts of the chicken-roll to cook! At that point the outer-parts were dry. This approach makes loads of sense! And although it's fun to pound the chicken into a pancake, cutting a slit in the side is much easier.


I made this recipe twice last week; once for my parents, then again for Dale's dad and his girlfriend. Obviously I liked it the first time, so I made it again. Whereas the first time took me ages, the second time went more quickly. As it goes with most recipes, the more you make something, the faster it is to prepare; you know what needs to be pulled out and prepped ahead of cooking to save time. Both times the chicken turned out perfect! And you'll never guess my favorite part: the bread-crumbs! The bread-crumb mix was a combination of Ritz crackers, white bread and melted butter. You pulse them in a food processor then toast in the oven. They add a nice crunch to the chicken and have a warm, buttery flavor: yum!

When you cut into the chicken to make the pocket for the ham, be sure to go slowly and try to be aware of where your knife is in the breast. The first time I cut all the way through and some cheese escaped while baking. We can't let the cheese escape!! This recipe calls for Swiss cheese. I think next time I may try Gruyere. The Swiss had a little more kick than I cared for. This is easy to prepare ahead of time; breaded chicken can hang out in the fridge for up to a day (this saved me loads of time after a busy afternoon).


Foolproof Chicken Cordon Bleu
Kris Widican, Cook's Country May 2010

25 Ritz crackers
4 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into pieces
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
8 thin slices deli ham (about 8 oz)
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds total)
Salt and pepper
3 large eggs
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 cup all-purpose flour

1. Adjust oven racks to lowest and middle positions and heat oven to 450-degrees. Pulse crackers and bread in food processor until coarsely ground. Drizzle in butter; pulse to incorporate.


2. Bake crumbs on rimmed baking sheet on middle rack, stirring occasionally, until light brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to shallow dish. Leave oven on.

3. Top each ham slice with 1/4 cup cheese and roll tightly (into a log); set aside (The second time around, I used less cheese and was able to get tighter rolls than shown here, thus allowing the larger chicken breasts to have enough room for two rolls).


4. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Cut pocket in thickest part of chicken and stuff each breast with 2 ham-and-cheese rolls (note: smaller breasts may only hold one roll). Season both sides with salt and pepper. Transfer chicken to plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 20 minutes.


5. Beat eggs and mustard in second shallow dish. Place flour in third shallow dish. One at a time, coat stuffed chicken lightly with flour, dip into egg mixture, and dredge in crumbs, pressing to adhere (breaded chicken can be refrigerated, covered, for 1 day).


6. Transfer chicken to a baking sheet. Bake on lowest rack until bottom of chicken is golden brown, about 10 minutes, and then move baking sheet to middle rack and reduce the oven temperature to 400-degrees.


7. Bake until golden brown and chicken registers 160-degrees, 20-25 minutes. Transfer to cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest 5 minutes. Serve.

A Cake Tasting

Yesterday I stopped by the Edgefield to decide on the type of cake for the wedding. Of course I was accompanied by my two dessert fanatics: my father and my sister. These are two people who have never said "no" to a bite of dessert. The Edgefield event coordinator we're working with brought out a platter with two (fairly large) cupcakes and a piece of chocolate cake. The options I had narrowed down to were: Chocolate cake with chocolate mousse filling with raspberry, White cake with white chocolate cream cheese filling with raspberry, and White cake with vanilla bean custard. YUM! All three were incredibly delicious. 

I remembered to snap a photo before we finished devouring the samples. Can you guess which one we decided on?