The Mountain Kitchen: Go-To Recipes for Summertime

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Of all my vices, bread is not one of them. And unless a kind friend makes a homemade loaf, I almost never eat bread. My dad was completely indiscriminate when it came to bread. He’d walk through the kitchen, grab a single slice of whatever bread was there, fold it in half and announce, “I’m just having an air sandwich.”

We recently decided to have scrambled eggs for dinner, and I wanted a yummy accompaniment sturdy enough to slather on my favorite apricot jam. I had dried cherries and pecans, so I packed plenty of those into the whole wheat batter. The result was delicious — not too sweet or dense and only 2 tablespoons of oil and no butter needed unless you also slather that on before digging in.

Whole Wheat Loaf with Cherries and Pecans is substantial with a cup of tea or as a side dish with eggs.

Whole Wheat Loaf with Cherries and Pecans

(This recipe is based on one I had saved from an American Heart Association clipping. I changed the fruit and nuts and added cinnamon to my liking.)

  • 1½ cups dried cherries
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¾ cup finely chopped toasted pecans
  • ⅔ cup brown sugar
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan with baking spray.
  2. Combine cherries, oil, and baking soda in a large bowl. Pour boiling water over mixture, and stir. Let stand until cool.
  3. Stir remaining ingredients into fruit just until combined.
  4. Transfer batter into loaf pan (it will be thick).
  5. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into loaf comes out with moist crumbs.
  6. Cool 20 minutes before removing from pan. Cool completely before slicing.

Elegance With Ease

Mentone resident John Carr shares a wonderfully satisfying recipe that can flex to use dried herbs or fresh ones you’ve just brought in from the garden. Add basil or thyme if you prefer those. Or if you don’t have any herbs, simply substitute herbed goat cheese for plain. John is famous for his pecan pies, and perhaps I can pry that recipe out of him later this year!

Chicken Stuffed with Herbs and Goat Cheese

  • 3 oz. goat cheese
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • Pinch of crumbled dried oregano
  • Pinch of dried chile flakes
  • 1 tablespoon chopped kalamata olives
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • Toothpicks
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ cup white wine
  1. Smash goat cheese and milk together with a spoon until smooth.
  2. Stir in garlic and next four ingredients, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
  3. On thickest side of each chicken breast, cut a deep 3-inch-long pocket, and stuff with goat cheese mixture. Gently push back together, and secure with a toothpick.
  4. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  5. Add chicken, and cook 5 to 6 minutes on each side or until outside is browned and inside is cooked through (165 degrees F). Time will vary depending on thickness of chicken and your stove’s heat. Remove chicken, leaving drippings in skillet. Season chicken to taste with salt and pepper.
  6. Add wine to skillet, scraping browned bits from bottom of pan and cooking until reduced to a glossy syrup. Drizzle over chicken, and serve.

I Scream, You Scream

No summer menu is complete without ice cream. And when Cloudland resident Jimmy Cash rolls in with a homemade batch, folks gather around to find out what he has created. He makes all kinds of varieties, and they’re fabulous.

Jimmy Cash’s Homemade Blueberry-Almond Ice Cream

  • 2 cups fresh blueberries
  • 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
  • 2 cups cold heavy cream
  • 2 cups cold whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
  • ¼ cup sliced almonds
  • (optional ¼ cup semisweet chocolate chips)
  1. In a wide skillet, combine blueberries and sugar. Heat over medium heat, simmering until blueberries begin to burst, approximately 5 minutes. Mash the berries with a potato masher. Continue to cook until mixture thickens to the consistency of sauce, 5-10 minutes. Allow to cool for 20 minutes.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the heavy cream and whole milk. Stir in cooled blueberry sauce and the vanilla or almond flavoring.
  3. Refrigerate for 1 hour or more. Process ice cream in your churn according to manufacturer’s instructions. Stir in almonds and, if desired, chocolate chips once the ice cream has finished churning.
  4. Transfer to a freezer-safe container, and freeze until solid.
Published On: June 26, 2025Categories: June 2025 Issue, The Mountain Kitchen

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