Lemon Blueberry Yogurt Bundt Cake

I found this recipe for Lemon Blueberry Yogurt Cake from The Country Cook's Blog. I didn't have a large enough loaf pan to follow her directions exactly, so I used my bundt pan instead:

The cake was tangy and moist. The blueberries were from my blueberry picking adventure in August, and I was excited I could showcase them in this cake.

This would be an excellent cake to make in the spring--especially when Meyer lemons are in grocery stores...

Pan Roasted Pork Tenderloin

I purchased a pork tenderloin from the grocery store without a specific plan for it. I found instructions for pan roasted port tenderloin in my copy of The Joy of Cooking. I also created the herb pan sauce. The recipe gave a few sauce options, and the herb pan sauce didn't disappoint. For a more detailed description of how to make this particular recipe, check out Jessica's Blog detailing her way through The Joy of Cooking.

The pork smelled so good, that I couldn't help digging in before shooting this picture. I made acorn squash seasoned with herbes de Provence, but I realized that acorn squash isn't my favorite thing. Some Stovetop Stuffing was also consumed with the pork. I have since purchased another pork tenderloin, and I can't wait to make this again.

Blueberry Muffins

I learned a new trick from The Joy of Cooking. I really like muffins, but I can never eat a whole batch before they go bad. The Joy of Cooking suggested freezing the unbaked muffins, and then baking as many as you need frozen--all you have to do is extend the cooking time. This works quite well.

Line a muffin tin, and pour in the batter. Place the filled muffin tin in the freezer, and place the frozen, uncooked muffins in a plastic bag until ready to use.

Bake as many as you want at at time. You can add a little water to the unused parts of the pan. This protects the pan and offers additional moisture to the muffins.

I want to try this with other types of muffins even though I would think it wouldn't matter what type of muffin someone froze.

Polenta Pizza

I have made this particular polenta pizza from this recipe from the New York Times, and it is one of my favorites!

I use a coarse grind corn meal (Bob's Red Mill is usually the only one I can find--they did not pay me to plug their brand), and it provides a really great texture and flavor to the pizza. I will usually make the polenta crust the day before I make the pizza.

This is one of my favorite recipes, and I want to start experimenting with other flavor combinations.

Smith Island Hog Roast

This post is a long time coming, but better late than never! Over Columbus Day, weekend we went to Tangier Island, and we also spent the day at nearby Smith Island for a hog roast. The hog roast was organized by the Save the Bay Foundation as a thank you to Smith Island for their continued support of their work. Smith Island is actually composed of three islands, and the hog roast was on Tylerton:

A map of Tylerton.

Getting all of the food set-up.

The spread from top going clockwise: Roast pork, fried oysters, hush puppies, macaroni salad, and baked beans.

People from Smith Island made the desserts which included the famous multi-layer Smith Island cake. Apparently, Smith Island cakes started on Tangier Island, but Smith Island takes the credit for them (hopefully this claim doesn't start a fight!). Each layer is made one at a time. I had a slice of the yellow cake with chocolate frosting, but I also sampled all vanilla Smith Island cake and chocolate peanut butter Smith Island cake (the best of the three).

Until next time Smith Island!