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Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Meal No. 3562: Fettuccine Alfredo

Last month, an evening meal of fettuccine alfredo with homemade garlic breadsticks proved memorable and enticing, and I at last gave into the temptation to repeat it on Sunday night. The pasta was wonderful and those breadsticks were irresistable. I know I can't be eating that sort of thing all that often and it's all the more special when I am too weak to turn away.


"The Best Homemade Alfredo Sauce Ever!" by Alyssa Rivers of The Recipe Critic. [Published 18 February 2016 / Updated 02 May 2023]

"Copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks," from Tessa Arias of HandletheHeat.com. [Published 13 December 2013 / Updated 18 January 2023]

Monday, March 18, 2024

White Wine Coffee Cake

A bit too much time has passed since I last made my mother's white wine coffee cake, which is based on a recipe she got from Barbara Taylor and Lib Tripp in our small community of Buies Creek. It's been a staple of the Jones family dessert pantheon although as a professional and adult, I seem to have lost my ability to get it to eject clean from the tube pan. Fortunately, the flavor remains unaffected. I've gone almost seven days without any dessert-making; this soothing dinner finisher was gladly received by all following our Saturday night supper of salmon croquettes.

Sunday, March 17, 2024

Meal No. 3561: Salmon Croquettes with Chili-Garlic-Lime Aïoli

Last night's super supper was the new favorite of salmon croquettes, with the always-perfect and almost-magical chili-garlic-lime aïoli that was introduced to us by friends in Princeton. Tuscan-herbed roasted asparagus was also unmatched and the dinner felt like a culinary triumph.

It was my first day of 2024 to pull out the camp chair and enjoy some warm sunshine on the driveway, under those perfect Carolina blue skies. The 4.25-mile walk mid-day took me down through West Salem and back across to the Brookstown Area, before finishing by coming home through downtown and the Arts District. I could feel the strain to push myself after a less active winter season and was winded by the fourth mile.


Adapted from "Salmon Burgers" (p. 396) and "Herb Sauce" (p. 395), from Denise Austin, Shrink Your Female Fat Zones, Rodale Books (2003).

"Chili-Lime Aïoli," from David Wald of Princeton, NJ, May 2009.

Saturday, March 16, 2024

Meal No. 3560: Baked Split Chicken Breasts

The Friday night meal was a classic meat-and-two-sides: baked split chicken breasts, suitably herbed and gently roasted; plus spiced cubed Yukon gold potatoes along with roasted broccoli florets. The bonus of Alabama great white sauce made the chicken sexier, and just a nudge naughtier. It seemed a bit grand but it has been a full couple of weeks and now that Beau is here for a spring break visit, it's time for some great food at mealtime.


Cooking guidance from "Baked Split Chicken Breast," from Prospective Phd on AllRecipes.com. [Updated 13 February 2023]

"Alabama Great White Sauce" (p. 362), in Smoke & Spice, by Cheryl and Bill Jamison. Boston: The Harvard Common Press, 2003.

Friday, March 15, 2024

Meal No. 3559: Bacon Egg & Cheese Biscuits

Thursday night's dinner was pretty darned delicious, given that it featured bacon, egg, and cheese on fresh-made buttermilk biscuits.

I'm by no means an expert biscuit maker, in part because I do not do it enough. But this recipe is faithful and true and the result is always grand, commendable, and consumable.

It was also a stunningly warm and sunny day, with our high temp here topping out at 81°F. I looked up on Wednesday and saw that the cherry tree is already wonderfully blossomed, and then I looked down to see the first of the spring tulips.


"The Food Lab's Buttermilk Biscuit Recipe," from J. Kenji López-Alt, Culinary Consultant for SeriousEats.com. [Published 07 August 2015 / Updated 10 April 2019]

"Baked Scrambled Eggs," from Heather Johnson of TheFoodHussy.com. [Published 09 September 2019]

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Meal No. 3558: Roasted Salmon

Oh, roasted salmon: how I love thee! With perfect roasted broccoli florets alongside, the Monday evening meal was a marvel in culinary delights, boosted by the simplicity and all the good feels of one of my favorite meals.

The time change and a warmer day with lovely sunshine and the early spring colors made it a great afternoon once I was home from work. It was much to my liking that the day's walk could occur after suppertime and I was still home before dusk.

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Custom Grill for Foyer HVAC Return

This is the entry foyer, and backed up to the staircase is a lovely substantial sideboard cabinet...one of my eBay acquisitions when I was endeavoring to properly furnish this great old house. Behind it is the scene of one of my long-overdue house to-do tasks: replacing the screen on the HVAC return that was cut under that first turn of the stairs. It required a custom order and custom manufacture of a new grille, but this is one of the undrawn slips from my Quarantine Task Jar that I've known I needed to do for as long as I've lived here.

The previous cover was difficult to keep clean and likely caused extra strain on the system. It might boast a kazillion holes but each one was still rather tiny:

Here's the unvarnished truth of its innards:

Because of its location, this component of the mechanical system stays mostly ignored and forgotten. Now there's hidden loveliness behind that cabinet.

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Lemon Cheesecake with Biscoff Crust

Following our supper gathering for six last Sunday, featuring supper-sized baked beans, all in celebration of Kristen and Amy's March birthdays, I also had some dessert: lemon cheesecake with a Biscoff crust. The last time I made this? Pretty much exactly one year ago, also for that birthday celebration! Oh, it's so very delicious, even when it's not the season for Meyer lemons as the recipe calls for. This sweet finisher was befitting of the ladies we'd gathered to honor, two outstanding leaders in their respective fields, and always fun and delightful to hang out with.


Based on "Meyer Lemon Cheesecake with Biscoff Crust," by Lucy Mercer on Food52.com. [Published 17 February 2022]

Monday, March 11, 2024

Meal No. 3557: Supper-Sized Baked Beans with Beef

A long-time but seldom-seen favorite of the house is, for lack of a better moniker, called "supper-sized baked beans." With a hearty amount of cooked ground beef, plus some other fillings and beany ingredients, these are an aggrandizement of baked beans that moves them from the dish on the side to the main attraction on a dinner plate or in a steamy bowl. I came home from my many trips to see friends who used to live in Winchester, Virginia, with loads of untried recipes. This is, however, a tried-and-true one that's unrivaled for simpleness, fullness of taste, and satisfaction, all perfect for a breezy chilly day under fully sunny skies in Winston-Salem.

The gathered crew of six was not left only to this sumptuous pile, for alongside was offered those beautiful cheesy biscuits that call to mind what we'd feast on back in those halcyon Red Lobster days: cheddar bay biscuits. Their simplified technique and stupendous result make it hard to reach for just three.

While the wind whipped us to and fro and gave me an occasional wall of resistance on my mid-day stroll, the sunshine brought a second perfect picture opportunity for the fully-blossomed Bradford pear...but it also brought into the back yard three of these High Point University logo'd sheets of plastic, an odd turn of events from the Premier Life Skills University a half hour down the road.


"Baked Beans," from Redith Mozelle Newman Quesenberry (1927-2019) of Carroll County, Virginia, via Cindy Coulson of Cana, VA.

"Easy Cheddar Bay Biscuits (Red Lobster Copycat)," from Amy Nash of House of Nash Eats. [Published 11 August 2023]

Sunday, March 10, 2024

Meal No. 3556: Hamburger Supreme

Yesterday's miserable weather and the return to slightly chilly temps put the idea of hamburger supreme in my head for dinner Saturday night. This long-time family favorite, a feature of Jones meals since the early 1970s, never fails to satisfy. For our last day of Eastern Standard Time, before the clocks were pushed forward an hour, one final dusk-surrounded early evening supper was a fitting goodbye to the trappings of winter.


"Hamburger Supreme," from the late Mrs. John T. (Glynn) Johnson of Buies Creek, North Carolina, via Janice Jones Bodenhamer.

Saturday, March 9, 2024

Banana Bread Mini-Loaves

A fine Saturday morning breakfast snack was the compensation for a nasty day outside: banana bread mini-loaves. They turned out great, given that I've had a bit of a struggle when I've instead made this as two small loaves.

That onslaught of miserable drear—so speedy to trigger my dramatic angst, even while I work comfortably nestled in a warm and secure homestead—was the starter of this Saturday. Having two dogs doubles the extra steps and stages of any pee break, of course, while giving the back hallway a well-trafficked mess to clean up later.

Some of the morning showers became quite heavy, a real shame for the Legacy of Women parade scheduled just up from the house on West Fourth Street, set for early this afternoon.


"Carolyn's Banana Bread," a recipe shared by former neighbor Lori Pilon.

Friday, March 8, 2024

Meal No. 3555: Broccoli Cheddar Soup

When the day turned grey and cooler and spotty rains rolled through, soup was the solid choice for this evening's dinner: broccoli cheddar, in fact, which could have been a bit more cheesy but was especially well-stocked with broccoli florets that had cooked up just right. A container remained afterwards, which is going to come in nicely when I've got several long work days coming up next week.

That little vixen Scarlett Impia loves her brother Sumner, something fierce. As he was tackling his lunch bowl today (he lies down to eat!), she nestled in on his outstretched hind leg to patiently/impatiently wait for him to finish.


"The Best Broccoli Cheese Soup (Better-Than-Panera Copycat)," from Averie Sunshine of Averie Cooks. [Published 09 January 2015]

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Meal No. 3554: Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes

We arrived today at National Flapjack Day and it's fortunate for me that, in the United States, that's essentially the same thing as a pancake day. With my favorite recipe for buttermilk pancakes close at hand, even if it's been seldom deployed these last couple of years, and a hankering as well for freshly-sizzled crispy bacon strips, the mid-day meal was a breakfast delight.

It's a warm pre-spring Thursday with a mix of sun and clouds, but we are so very glad to see the encouraging display of the initial burst of blossoms from the Bradford pear tree, even if a nudge later this year than has occurred in other years.

And some camellia bushes are full-budded and also bursting out with blooms, which I was happy to return to after three days on the road for work.

This past Sunday, I'd driven as far as Dunn, in my home county, and stayed the night at a gorgeous bed and breakfast owned and run by my high school classmate Alan and his wife Patti. We enjoyed an hours-long visit that night that also included taking their marvelous Rolls Royce to go eat dinner at a local Mexican restaurant. I was then in Sampson County on Monday and in Wilmington the next two days. Since I do not have to travel as much these days, it was extra nice to get back home and to be back in my own kitchen.

Even in the midst of joy, sadness might yet find its way in. This afternoon, the gorgeous weather brought the kind of outside time that makes possible the short visits at the front wall with friends and neighbors. Alas, one of those bore the unfortunate news of the passing a couple of weeks ago of our neighbor Miss Dee Dee, so very loved especially by sweet Sumner.

The evening was still delightful when it was time to go walk, and I paused along Broad Street behind the house to capture the onset of dusk over the city skyline, with the upper stories of the house framed so nicely:


"Best Tips for Making Pancakes: Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes," by Joanne Ozug on the Pioneer Woman website. [Published 10 May 2017]

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Meal No. 3553: Salad with Creole Chicken

It was a Sunday afternoon with a feature that's been pretty rare since the pandemic: I had to pack and leave town for several nights in a row. A straightforward meal was called for that didn't involve a lot of muss and fuss. I'd already cooked Creole chicken breasts; I had salad and Thousand Island dressing. Sunday's lunch was well-suited to the moment.

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Meal No. 3552: Creole Chicken Spinach Gouda Pasta

Saturday night, the sous vide stepped in and made short work of frozen prepped Creole-spiced chicken breasts, which then served as the protein crown atop a Creole smoked gouda spinach pasta with broccoli florets. It was a bounteous bowlful of giddy goop, a bit much in retrospect but speedily consumed when the dinner bell was rung.

Monday, March 4, 2024

The Horror of a Hammer

The plan to walk to the local polling site for early voting last Friday was derailed by the shocking sight of a couple stopped at the end of the driveway in a horrible fight, and which included the malicious swinging of a hammer by the passenger onto the driver. A 911 call and a quick response of three cops, with tasering the driver, and an arrest: the sad state of affairs for a couple passing through the neighborhood.

Sunday, March 3, 2024

Key Lime Pie Bars

Last Sunday's super gathering of the special crew offered something sweet after supper: key lime pie bars, a new trial for me that seemed to be a winner with the gathered posse. I subbed out the graham cracker crust, replacing it with Biscoff cookie crumbs, and popped a smidge of vanilla bean paste into the whipped cream topping. Light and lovely, I think everybody would be okay if I brought these back again soon.


Adapted from "Key Lime Pie Bars," from Christina Marsigliese of ScientificallySweet.com. [Published 17 July 2023 / Modified 10 September 2023]

Saturday, March 2, 2024

Meal No. 3551: Pipetizer Casserole

Exactly four years prior to Sunday night's dinner of pipetizer casserole was published the blog post of the last time I'd made this dish. That's how long it has been, not because it's not good (it's kind of amazing) but because it's so not good for me (it's quite the load of goop). But what a mix of flavors and ingredients, giving us this monstrous realm of possibility and promise precariously perched upon each forkful. It makes a-plenty, which is what dinner for six at 6 certainly required.

Some homemade rosemary garlic focaccia was a smart ridealong for a meal like this. And salad just seemed to make sense, as well, with either homemade Thousand Island or short-cut ranch available according to tastes.

It was an early rising for me that Sunday, in the brisk 32°F dark before daybreak, and hanging over the house in the western sky was the departing full-ish moon of February. It marked the beginning of yet another fine day of Roediger House living, culminating in that fantastic gathering of awesome friends that night.

The other bright spot of the morning: first sighting of a bluebird couple checking out the house on the south property line fence!


"Pipetizer Casserole" is an adaptation of "Tailgate Casserole," from The Big Book of Casseroles, by Maryana Vollstedt. San Francisco: Chronicle Books (2000), p. 120.

"Easy Rosemary Garlic Focaccia," from Adam and Joanne Gallagher of InspiredTaste.net.

"Thousand Island Dressing," which was based on a version from Graybert on GeniusKitchen.com.

Friday, March 1, 2024

Meal No. 3550: Simple Beef Chili with Beans

Last Friday was grey and drizzly until the sun finally broke through late afternoon. It was well-suited for observing National Chili Day, so I made a great half-batch for an early dinner. It came out especially thick and hearty, a reward all its own, topped with shredded cheddar cheese and accompanied with tall glasses of cold water. February's final Friday was all the better for it.


"Simple Beef Chili with Kidney Beans," from Cook's Illustrated, Number Sixty-One [March-April 2003], p. 10-11.

Thursday, February 29, 2024

National Banana Bread Day

Although it was sad to see our neighbors the Pilons move away, a parting gift was a marvelous banana bread recipe that is now the dependable go-to when that's the quick bread of choice. Although I can't quite seem to avoid a still-doughy center, I actually do not mind that. Since last Friday was designated as National Banana Bread Day, that was my late morning endeavor. Fresh and warm from the oven, or stealing a slice later in the day: it's good eating.


"Carolyn's Banana Bread," a recipe shared by former neighbor Lori Pilon.

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Meal No. 3549: Weeknight Chicken Tikka Masala

Last Thursday's dinner occurred a bit early, befitting the age of the Roediger House occupants, perhaps. On a bed of basmati rice was laid an abundance of well-spiced tomato cream sauce and delicious morsels of chicken, all in an easy take on chicken tikka masala. I still had some spiced roasted cauliflower to add, and in this I did not hesitate.


"Chicken Tikka Masala," from Cook's Country, October/November 2014, centerfold recipe cards.

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Meal No. 3548: Grilled Filet Mignon

I will still splurge every once in a while, waiting until a beef tenderloin is on sale, and yet the sale price makes this still an unnerving indulgence. Ah, but I got eight good filet mignon steaks out of it, once I had trimmed it, plus enough smaller morsels salvaged to make the recent round of Mongolian beef and broccoli. Two of those steaks went on the grill Wednesday night and then were joined on the plate by spiced roasted sweet potatoes. Both the beef filets and the potatoes were seriously perfectly on point. It was an awesome dinner.

Now, speaking of splurging: when I finally got around to buying a new car, I found one that hit all the right notes but it was a bit loaded with extra goodies that I would not have otherwise sought out. A daytrip yesterday for work, which took me next door into Guilford County, gave me a chance to capture one feature that was definitely on my wish list, and another feature that I had to accept in the package since it was already installed. Above is a still taken from a short video on an open stretch of interstate, which is how I was finally able to snag a photo of the "heads-up display." There is a small console built into the dash above the instrument panel, and it projects my current speed, my alignment in my lane, and what my cruise control is set at. It also displays what the car's visual sensors last captured when I passed a speed limit sign (how often do we miss this especially when the speed limit increases or we've just merged onto a highway?). I love all of that.

An installed extra on this new 2024 Toyota Camry Hybrid XSE that I wouldn't have voluntarily sought was a dashcam. A close call as I was driving east yesterday morning finally led me to figure out how to download a clip from it. It looks like none of the vehicles made contact but boy was it close. The rearview mirror showed me how much tire-burn smoke floated up but at least for me and my new ride: we were cool.


Based on "Roasted Sweet Potatoes," from Chelsea Lords of ChelseasMessyApron.com. [Published 04 March 2019]

Monday, February 26, 2024

Fluffy Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls

Officially last Wednesday was National Sticky Buns Day, but I had to come in with the close approximation of just cinnamon rolls. But not just any ol' cinnamon rolls, but the dearly loved fluffy eggnog cinnamon rolls.

It was right in the middle of a couple of busy work days, so I prepped them all on Tuesday night and baked them Wednesday morning. Then I was able to take a handful of them with me to share with aspiring administrators on a clinical coaching rounds day over in Greensboro.

My first taste did not come, though, until after dinner that night, heated up just enough in the microwave to bring them back to life, plus more of that ridiculous white chocolate eggnog frosting atop. It was an amazing pile of hardcore sugar, when you get right down to it. (Since this was Batch No. 23 in the era of the blog, I guess it confirms my obsession.)


"Easy Fluffy Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls," from Tieghan Girard of Half-Baked Harvest. [Published 24 November 2020]