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Monday, March 31, 2014

Meal No. 959: BLT [Bacon Only]


Had some bacon to fry up this past Sunday so I made a BLT the way I like it best: bacon, Duke's mayo, and whatever bread I've got on-hand.

Sunday morning was the next-to-last day of this strangely winter-y month of March. As I returned home from taking Cyprus for a downtown walk, I noticed that the light sprinkle was accompanied by a few snowflakes. I used the camera on my phone to snag a shot of the flakes on my jacket:



It's almost April.

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Meal No. 958: Herb-Roasted Salmon


Saturday night at the Roediger House: herb-roasted salmon, red quinoa, and broccoli florets. I added a chilled rosemary dijon cream sauce, which made the salmon that much better.



Based on "Herb-Roasted Salmon Fillets," by Luanne Asta of New York, NY. In Taste of Home, December 2013, p. 28.

Guidance for the Chilled Rosemary Dijon Cream Sauce was found in the recipe for "Poached Salmon," in The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook, compiled and edited by Julie Fisher Gunter. Birmingham, AL: Oxmoor House (1999), p. 216.

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Meal No. 957: Grilled Ribeye Steak


The rain didn't materialized by dinner time last night so it turned into a great Friday night for grilling. I just sort of made up this cream sauce, featuring shallots and port wine. Nice fat sweet potatoes with too much butter and not enough cinnamon sugar rounded it out, along with some Abita Christmas Ale (which is almost all gone now).

Friday, March 28, 2014

Meal No. 956: Chicken with Coronation Sauce

I continue to be a day behind on posting blog entries, so here's a shot of last night's meal: chicken with coronation sauce. Whoa: it was good.




"Coronation Sauce for Chicken," from 400 Sauces, by Catherine Atkinson, Christine France, and Maggie Mayhew. Hermes House (2006, 2008), p. 155.

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Meal No. 955: Deviled Beef Short Ribs

The Wednesday night meal at the Roediger House:




Absolutely amazing. And you can take that to the bank.



"Deviled Beef Short Ribs," by Jeremy Sauer. In Cook's Country, April/May 2014, p. 12-13.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Meal No. 954: Bourbon Glazed Pork Chops


The Tuesday evening meal at the Roediger House: bourbon-glazed center-cut pork chops, with baby lima beans and creamy stone-ground grits. Served on University of Virginia china, featuring the Rotunda.



"Bourbon Glazed Pork Chops and Fried Eggs," by Sydney Oland of Somerville, MA. Found online at seriouseats.com. [Posted January 18, 2014.]

Creamy Grits, from Luquire Family Stone Ground Grits, milled in Greenwood, SC.

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Meal No. 953: Simple Beef Chili with Kidney Beans


This past Monday night was a large dinner party on what was forecast to be a fairly cold and wintry day. So I decided to make a big pot of chili, which seemed to be the right call.


I also made some of Granny Wilson's honey wheat cornbread, using the recipe that my friend Linda Dunlap shared with me some years ago.


Oh my. It was all mighty good.


While folks were waiting for dinner time to roll around, I brought out some cave-aged sharp white cheddar cheese, which also seemed to go over quite well.



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

Monday, March 24, 2014

Meal No. 952: Filet Mignon in Port Mushroom Sauce


Last night I returned to a recipe that I had probably not tried since 2001. It was fantastic, although the rareness of the steaks proved a bit unappetizing to a couple of the guests.



Recipe based on: "Filet Mignons in Shiitake Madeira Sauce," in The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook, compiled and edited by Julie Fisher Gunter. Birmingham, AL: Oxmoor House (1999), p. 237.

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Meal No. 951: Brioche French Toast


Thanks to the close proximity of Camino Bakery, and the added bonus of their two-for-one bread special on Sundays, I found it easy to make another batch of French toast for Sunday morning.



"French Toast," from King Arthur Flour online.

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Meal No. 950: Barbecued Chicken

This is my second attempt at making grilled barbecue chicken, with a simple homemade spice rub and a homemade barbecue sauce. My previous version was a real hit, which was Meal No. 769.


This was one of those nights where I was horrible about making the clock work to my advantage. So the crew of four that was anticipating supper did not get it until after 10 o'clock. It slowed me down a bit to try making this meal on the kamado grill, instead of the gas grill. I didn't get the homemade barbecue sauce started early enough. But when it was all said and done, I felt like I dished up a pretty decent meal for everybody.


Kamado Meal No. 25



From Bon Appétit, July 2013:

Friday, March 21, 2014

Meal No. 949: Patty Melts on Sourdough





Classic Burger Sauce
from Cook's Illustrated, July-August 2008, p. 11.
4 T mayonnaise
2 T ketchup
1 tsp sweet pickle relish
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl.

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Meal No. 948: Multi-Grain Pancakes


A quick lunch this past Monday before climbing into the Toyota Tundra for the winter-weather-burdened drive up to Frederick County, Virginia...

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Chocolate Bread Pudding


For Amy's great birthday dinner bash last Friday, I tried out a new dessert, inspired in part by her fondness for bread pudding. This here version was chocolate, made with delicious fresh-baked challah bread that came from Camino Bakery, just up the street from the house. (I got two loaves Friday afternoon, and used the other one for Sunday morning's Cap'n Crunch-crusted French toast.)

It's topped with a chocolate sauce and I brought out some more of the EuroYogurt I'd made last week. It was too tangy for the sweet bread pudding but we all managed just fine.



"Chocolate Bread Pudding," by Kelley Baker. In Cook's Country, December/January 2009, p. 27.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

St. Patrick's Day Winter Storm

How many times are we going to have to lament that Old Man Winter is not yet done with us?!

Monday was St. Patrick's Day, and for us Southerners, that doesn't exactly have the ring of sleet and ice and snow. Especially after the phenomenally gorgeous day we all enjoyed this past Saturday (which was the "observed" St. Patty's Day for thems what drinks downtown!).

We got a decent icing:




And then we got a bit of a sleet accumulation:



While Winston-Salem was getting all this, my driving destination for Monday (Winchester, VA) was getting 5-8 inches. You'll notice my truck parked at the end of the driveway above...that's because I drove it this trip because I want to be prepared for whatever kind of weather I'd encounter. Fortunately, the roads were all just about clear! I only had to use my 4WD to get out of my on-street parking space Monday night after supping at the always-delicious Thai Winchester.


Monday, March 17, 2014

Meal No. 947: Baked Chicken


When I did my grocery shopping on the sunny and nearly 70-degree Saturday of this past weekend, I imagined giving barbecued chicken another go on the grill. But I forgot that Sunday's weather was to turn cold and rainy, so last night I just baked those thighs and enjoyed them with a delicious baked sweet potato and a mess of buttered peas. Hey: what's not to like about a Sunday evening comfort meal when winter is trying to mess with us again?

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Meal No. 946: Cap'n Crunch-Crusted French Toast


Thanks to some delicious challah bread I got from local favorite Camino Bakery, today's lunch was the inaugural making of Cap'n Crunch-crusted French toast. I borrowed from two different recipes to come up with what seems to be the perfect combination of ingredients, and the eatin' was mighty fine.




"French Toast," from King Arthur Flour online.

"Crunchy French Toast," by Nick Iverson. In Cook's Country, April/May 2013, p. 14-15.

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Meal No. 945: Sautéed Scallops with Sweet Chili-Lime Butter


Here's another new recipe that I took for a test spin tonight: sautéed scallops with sweet chili-lime butter. And I tried it with a newly-purchased "ancient grain" that I picked up at Costco: freekeh, which will serve as a nice alternative to quinoa or couscous. I was afraid the meal would prove a bit skimpy, but I was plenty full and satisfied by the time I was finished.



"Sautéed Scallops with Sweet Chili-Lime Butter," from Bon Appétit online.

Friday, March 14, 2014

Meal No. 944: Amy's Birthday Celebration


When good friend Amy Williamson says it's a Roediger House meal she wants for her birthday, well, she gets it. She left the menu up to me, and she was responsible for the guest list. I figured it's hard to go wrong with a beef tenderloin in wine sauce, horseradish cream sauce, twice-baked potatoes, and layered green bean casserole.


It was a fine time with decent grub.

I also tried out a new dessert, but I'll post that sometime next week.



"Beef Tenderloin in Wine Sauce" (p. 296) and "Spicy Horseradish Sauce" (p. 295) from The All-New Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook. Compiled and Edited by Julie Fisher Gunter. Oxmoor Press (2006).

"Layered Green Bean Casserole," from my sister Allison in Rossville, Indiana.

"Stuffed Potatoes: Good/Better/Best," a recipe clipping saved from Cuisine at Home, Issue 60 [December 2006], p. 23-25.

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Meal No. 943: Country Ham & Biscuits


While my original plan was for this to be a week at home, the winter weather and snow cancelations forced me to head back to Virginia Beach to make up two missed days with administrators in Virginia Beach. It was a terrific two days but I arrived home tonight drained, mostly from how long the drive seemed this time. That meant I couldn't put dinner on the table till about 9:15 so I opted for a fairly quick one: country ham, rice, biscuits, jelly, and two huge glasses of milk. Just like I used to enjoy with my mother on visits home to Buies Creek.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

751 West Fourth Street: A Towering New Neighbor


Over the last few months, I've made passing references to, and occasionally posted pictures which include, the sizable construction project taking place directly north of the house, across West Fourth Street. It's been given the name "751 West Fourth" (which I count as a good change, given that originally it was announced as "415 North Broad." It faces Fourth Street and that's the broad front of the building. I also appreciate how it takes its stand as part of this great east-west downtown corridor, the key to the revitalized downtown of which Winston-Salem can now boast.

Anyway, I have thus far failed to post much of anything about this huge spectacle that will transform the look of this area, between the announcement via a Winston-Salem Journal article and a post about the arrival of the rooftop HVAC units.


I've enjoyed watching it. I sit in my old man's chair by the fireside in the morning, drinking coffee and staring at the activity as it plays out. Back when it was just the sitework, grading, and fill, I was mesmerized by the artistry of the crawler excavator in the hands of its capable operator. I even downloaded manufacturer website pics, like a real fanboy:


The steel erection was also fun to watch. On one particularly lovely fall morning, I took my cup of coffee out on the wrap-around porch and put my camp chair on the north side, where the spectating was best:



Under development by Tight Lines Partners, and more particularly Commercial Realty Associates, this five-story Class A office building will be a dramatic improvement over the surface parking lot and empty sales building that languished there ever since the departure of Modern Chevrolet for its new digs on University Parkway.

I have been chronicling the progress on the project since before it began, and when I had an unexpected day at home because of an early March winter storm, I uploaded the pics into my Flickr account. Anyone who's particularly interested can check it out here:

    751 West Fourth Photo Collection on Flickr

Some of my favorite shots thus far, though, are these:









In the meantime, I'm reposting here the aerial photos from the 751 West Fourth website showing monthly progress:

August 2013
[photo from 751WestFourth.com]

November 2013
[photo from 751WestFourth.com]

January 2014
[photo from 751WestFourth.com]

Here's a fun extra pic from their website, showing the view from the rooftop terrace, looking south towards the Roediger House:

View looking down at Roediger House
[Photo from  751WestFourth.com]

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Meal No. 942: BBQ Chicken Soup

I put not one but two chickens on thrones a couple of nights ago for Meal No. 940, when I fired up the kamado grill for the first time in quite a while. This was not only because they come in packages of two at Costco but also because I wanted enough cooked chicken to whip up a batch of BBQ chicken soup. That's what I did for the evening meal last night.

This is a recipe my sister Allison turned me on to, and it is quite the crowd-pleaser. It is a cacophonous symphony of delicious flavors with a bit of heat thrown in, and it's unlike any other soup or stew I've ever had.





I used Linda Dunlap's recipe for "Granny Wilson's Honey Wheat Cornbread," which went over quite well with the crew on hand:


Since several people were coming over, including college suitemate and good friend Ronnie Hall, I tried to gussy up the meal with a Swiss and bacon dip appetizer:



I also tried out two new dessert recipes:

Yogurt Sherbet, or what we call around here: EuroYogurt

Duke's Chocolate Cake

Also Known As: Mayonnaise Cake
(Also: I'm not going to be known for pretty cakes.)

I went with a cream cheese icing, just because.



"Chicken on a Throne," from Smoke & Spice by Cheryl and Bill Jamison. Boston: The Harvard Common Press (2003), p. 171-173.

"BBQ Chicken Soup," from the folks at the Big Green Egg website.

"Granny Wilson's Cornbread," a recipe shared with me by Linda B. Dunlap.

"Swiss and Bacon Dip," from Rachael Ray. Available online at the Food Network website.

"Lucques' Yogurt Sherbet," from Lucques Restaurant in Los Angeles. Recipe printed in the Los Angeles Times.

"Duke's Chocolate Cake," from the Duke's Mayonnaise website. Adapted version from Deb Lindsey published in the Washington Post.