Cheese, Gromit.

I love Barbara Kingsolver's novels.  I really enjoyed The Poisonwood Bible and Prodigal Summer.  I picked up her memoir about eating local, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, expecting to love it.  Instead I learned that while Ms. Kingsolver can write beautiful and lyrical descriptions of her garden, she's a bit of a sanctimonious prig when it comes to food.  Who knew?

The one upside of this book is that it got me interested in making my own cheese from scratch.  I love cheese.  I also love making things from scratch.  Seems like a perfect fit!  Ms. Kingsolver claimed that cheese-making was easy, the directions online I found claimed that it was easy--but when I sat down to try and figure out how to actually do it, I couldn't make heads or tails of it.

Never one to give up, I found that there is someone local who teaches classes on how to make cheese.  I somehow conned my father, Evil Dr. Porkchop, into taking it the class with me.  Lo and behold, we learned to make cheese.  It simply requires a) milk   b) some random stuff like bacteria cultures and rennet c) time.  While not exactly rocket science, I don't think I would classify it as easy.

During the four hour class we learned how to make chevre, ricotta, feta, yogurt and a basic hard cheese.  More importantly, we got to eat cheese.  We were also given a nice booklet with instructions.  As soon as I can get my hands on some raw goat or cow's milk, I'm ready to make the easier cheeses--feta and chevre.  Fancy! 

I didn't take any photos of the process because I was too busy paying attention and the booklet had great pictures.  However, here are some photos of the goats.  Do you think Batman would be mad if I adopted a couple?  They could keep the lawn in the backyard trimmed and our dogs could herd them. 

Fresh cheese or not, I don't think Batman would be okay with that plan.

The basics.

Stepmom, midway through dinner:  Where's the Tony's?  Has anybody seen it?

I spot it on the counter and grab it for her.

Batman:  Oh.  My.  God.  This is a historic day.

Stepmom:  What?

Batman:  We almost went through an entire meal without having Tony's.  This is unprecedented.

Dad:  In most marriages, this would be grounds for a divorce.

  This is spiced deliciousness, ya'll.  Seriously, if you haven't tried it, you should. 

Stepmom's Honey Sesame Tenderloin

Note: Again, not my photo. One day when I have a nicer camera I'll take photos of the food that I cook. I think that my camera would make anything look unappetizing...

Source: my stepmom

If you cook both tenderloins, makes enough for 4-6 servings. I usually just make one and it's plenty for my husband and I, plus a little bit of leftovers (I freeze the other).

Prep time: 1 hour+ marinading, 15 minutes prep time, 30 minutes cook time.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
  
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (I'm lazy about mincing so I buy a HUGE jar of pre-minced stuff. It's good and doesn't go bad like fresh garlic can.)
  
• 1 tbsp. grated fresh giner or 1 tsp dry ginger
• 1 lb whole pork tenderloin (i.e. 1 tenderloin from the package of two)
  
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 4 tbsp. sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp sesame oil

Directions
1. Combine soy sauce, garlic, ginger and sesame oil. Place tenderloin in a heavy plastic bag, pour soy mixture over it. Let it marinate 1-2 hour at room temperature or overnight in the fridge.

2. Remove from marinade and pat dry. Mix together honey and brown sugar in a shallow plate.

3. Place sesame seeds on a separate shallow plate. Roll pork in honey mixture, coating well, then roll in sesame seeds.

4. Bake pork in a shallow pan at 375 degrees from 20-30 minutes, or until the meat thermometer hits registers 160. 30 minutes works for us.

5. Remove from pan and slice thinly to serve.


My Comments: I love this recipe. My stepmom sometimes makes it for special occasion dinners, like Easter. The pork always comes out tender with a wonderful flavor. I usually have rice with it and make a sandwich with the leftovers.

Monday Recipe: Bruschetta and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts

I took the basic recipe from Kraft.com and switched it up a bit. I love this recipe because it's something different to do with boring chicken.

Serves 2-3. Prep time: 15-20 minutes. Cook time: 50 minutes.

Ingredients

• 1 can of diced Italian style tomatoes
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 3 tablespoons of dried basil
• 1/2 package of Chicken Stovetop Stuffing
• 1 package of boneless skinless chicken breast halves (3-4 per package)
• Italian dressing
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Mix tomatoes, 3/4 cup of cheese, and basil in bowl. Add stuffing mix, stir until just moistened.
3. Place chicken breasts into large freezer bag. Pound with mallet or heavy can until chicken is 1/4 inch think. Remove from bag, place top side down, and pour thin layer of dressing on chicken breast. Spread chicken with stuffing mixture. Starting at narrow wend, tightly roll up each breast. Put in baking dish seam-side down and repeat with other breasts.
4. Drizzle with dressing.
5. Bake for 40 minutes. Sprinkle with rest of cheese, bake 5 minutes more.