The News & Observer

Bringing you the best news and sports info for Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill-Cary and Central and Eastern North Carolina.

[newsobserver]

NC Court of Appeals upholds use of cigarette butt evidence in conviction for Kathy Taft murder

Anne Blythe reports on the NC Court of Appeals ruling that rejected arguements by Jason K. Williford. Read how a cigarette butt and its DNA evidence played a key role in the courts decision to uphold the conviction. Read more at News & Observer.com 

[newsobserver]

Restoration work is proceding on the Bodie Island Lighthouse near Nags Head, N.C. Wednseday July 11, 2012. When it's finished, the tower will be the 4th lighthouse in North Carolina open to the public for climbing.

Photo: Chuck Liddy - The News & Observer

[newsobserver]

Roasted Pork Tenderloin in a Dijon-Pecan Crust

The pork can be prepared through all but the final roasting and refrigerated several hours ahead of time. Roast when you are ready to serve.

For the brine:

1 quart water ¾ cup brown sugar ¼ cup kosher salt 1 tablespoon chopped garlic 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary 3 tablespoons honey 1 cinnamon stick 1 teaspoon cracked pepper 6 allspice berries

For the pork:

2 1.5-pound pork tenderloins well trimmed of all fat and sinew 1/2 cup Dijon mustard 1 egg white, thoroughly whisked with a pinch of salt 1 1/2 cups finely chopped pecans 2-3 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil for searing the pork

Make the brine: Combine water, sugar, salt, garlic, thyme, rosemary, honey, cinnamon, pepper and allspice in a non-reactive pot and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Strain the brine through a fine mesh and discard everything except the liquid.

Place pork in a dish large enough to accommodate it along with the brine. Cover the pork with the brine and place it in a refrigerator for 30 minutes. Flip the meat over and allow it soak for an additional 30 minutes. Remove the pork and thoroughly dry it off with a towel. Discard the brine.

Heat a large pan over very high heat and briefly sear the meat on all sides. The center of the pork needs to remain rare. Remove the pork, pat it dry and place in a freezer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until it has completely cooled off.

Pat meat dry again and brush the pork on all sides with a very thin coating of egg whites. Brush all sides very well with Dijon. Roll the pork in the nuts and thoroughly coat it, lightly press the nuts onto the meat. Refrigerate for 20 minutes or until the nuts are well adhered.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the pork in a large sauté or sheet pan. Roast the meat for about 20 minutes or until it is cooked medium (140 degrees on a meat thermometer). Remove from the oven and allow the meat to rest in a warm place for 5 minutes before slicing. The trick is to keep the nuts from burning before the meat is cooked.

[newsobserver]

Rescuers search for an 11-year-old girl and 7-year-old boy below the Old Milburnie Dam on the Nuese River near New Bern Avenue in Raleigh. The children were fishing with family when they went into the water and did not resurface.

After a four-hour search Monday afternoon, divers found two cousins – a 7-year-old boy and 10-year-old girl – who had drowned in the Neuse River just downstream of the Milburnie Dam.

The search started at 4 p.m., less than two hours after the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office was called to a residence at 5465 Applewhite Drive in Wendell where a 15-month-old girl was found unresponsive in a residential pool. She was taken to WakeMed Raleigh where she died.

Those incidents, along with the drowning of a Wake Forest teen July 7, make four drowning deaths of area residents in less than two weeks.

Photo: Travis Long - The News & Observer

[newsobserver]

Ominous storm clouds roll over a van as it makes its way off the beach at Ramp 43 near the Cape Hatteras campground in Buxton, NC. Tuesday July 10, 2012.

Photo: Chuck Liddy - The News & Observer

[newsobserver]

Ollie Estes behind the Wake Forest house, which dates to the 1860s, that burned July 7.

"Ain’t got nowhere else to go,” Ollie said with a shrug

[newsobserver]

Duke Energy Chief Executive Jim Rogers, 64, left, speaks with attorney Robert Kaylor before testifying before the N.C. Utilities Commission about Bill Johnson's resignation as CEO from the planned merger of Progress Energy and Duke Energy, and the failure to notify regulators about those resignation plans during a hearing in Raleigh on Tuesday, July 10, 2012.

The commission launched an investigation into Johnson's exit, essentially reopening its recent approval of the merger between Charlotte-based Duke and Raleigh-based Progress Energy. The commission had approved the merger on the understanding that Johnson would be CEO of the merged company, and wants to know whether Duke misled regulators to get the merger passed, summarily sacking Johnson as soon as the deal was done.

Photo: Shawn Rocco - The News & Observer

[newsobserver]

The Pig Pickin' Cake is light and airy with Cool Whip and crushed pineapple included in the frosting ingredients.

This recipe was published in 2008 in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as Mama Rene's Pea Pickin' Cake, which apparently is another name for this cake, a creation of the convenience food era but still delicious. The recipe tester suggests Duncan Hines Butter Golden cake mix.

Ingredients: 1 (18 1/4-ounce) box yellow cake mix 4 eggs 1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges, in light syrup 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil 1 (8-ounce) container Cool Whip, thawed 1 (3.4-ounce) box vanilla instant pudding 1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, in juice

Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-by-2-inch cake pans; set aside. COMBINE cake mix, eggs, oranges with syrup and oil in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy and the oranges have pureed until smooth into the batter, about 4 minutes. DIVIDE batter among the prepared pans. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the cakes comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the cakes to a rack to cool for 5 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the wire rack to cool completely. PREPARE the frosting: In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the Cool Whip, pudding mix and crushed pineapple until smooth. To assemble, place one layer on a cardboard cake round. Spread with frosting. Repeat with remaining layer. Finish with remaining frosting. 12 servings Per serving: 386 calories (percent of calories from fat, 46), 4 grams protein, 47 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 20 grams fat (6 grams saturated), 72 milligrams cholesterol, 336 milligrams sodium

Photo: Juli Leonard - The News & Observer