Meal No. 3782: Chicken and Biscuit Dumplings

A fantastic and most generous colleague from Georgia sent me the nicest surprise gift this past week: a cookbook from the modern-day Western series Yellowstone. Its author was hired initially to provide craft service for the production of the series and ended up also becoming the on-screen ranch cook, responsible for food on and off set. The first recipe that jumped out at me, and that I tried out this past Monday evening, was chicken and biscuit dumplings. It was a hearty dish, full-flavored and nicely varied from typical chicken casseroles or pot pie. And the biscuits were themselves pretty tasty, even if I didn't do a good job of cooking them as well as I should before serving up the bowls of deliciousness. It was a fine inaugural run with this newest and very much appreciated addition to the kitchen library!

After clean-up, it was time to get in my evening stroll, which began under the rising full moon, with Mars very nearly adjacent to it. My iPhone, when wielded by my inexpert hands, never quite captures how lovely a cityscape shot like this really is, but I'm posting it anyway.

When I'd gotten in my couple of miles, I did go straight to the Tylenol bottle. I'd spent the afternoon getting the driveway cleared out from our recent snow event, and this old man was definitely feeling it all over his body.

How I felt at day's end was at huge variance from how the day started: with Sumner splayed on my lap with a Prokofiev recommendation from my buddy Kelly, playing on the laptop via Youtube.

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"Rancher's Chicken and Biscuit Dumplings" (p. 82-85) and "This Is How You Make a F*$%ing Biscuit" (p. 103). From Yellowstone: The Official Dutton Ranch Family Cookbook, by Gabriel "Gator" Guilbeau with Kim Laidlaw. San Rafael: Insight Editions, 2023.

Meal No. 3781: Caesar-Dressed Greens with Chicken Strips

Sunday night found me tackling an unusual dinner: fried chicken strips, to go with a salad of power greens and a new batch of creamy Caesar dressing. I mixed ideas from two recipes for these strips, and they were pretty awesome. This isn't something I make with any frequency and I always feel a bit bumbling in the process. It was such a nice reward when they turned out as well as they did!

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Chicken Strips based on ideas from:

• "Tony's Chicken Tenders with Honey Mustard Sauce," from The Neelys on The Food Network.
• "Southern Fried Chicken Strips," originally by Genise Krause (Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin). Current article updated by Lesley Balla of Taste of Home. [Updated 14 November 2023]

Based on "Easy Lemon Caesar Salad Dressing," by Kim Hardesty of lowcarbmaven.com.

Meal No. 3780: Bacon & Cheese Sandwiches

An upgrade from the open-faced cheese toasts with bacon that I remember my mother often making, with slices of Cracker Barrel sharp cheddar, the meal last Saturday night was reminiscent of that: bacon and cheese melts on brioche buns. My version was freshly-fried bacon, and a double-layer of Kraft Singles, toasted in the oven, and happily consumed as the day was wrapping up.

Meal No. 3779: Snow Day Oatmeal

From the deepest recesses of my childhood comes the regular call for a steaming bowl of oatmeal, and with the delightful disruption last Friday presented by the winter weather we were getting, it's what I turned to at mealtime. It is nice to be an adult who can still be a bit shame-faced about making it the way he wished he could when he was a sugar fiend youngster.

Our Small Snow Event

The much-anticipated event last Friday was the arrival of a winter storm, and it came pretty much when and to the extent that was forecast...if not a nudge less than we'd hoped for.

As often happens in our part of the country, when a system of moisture comes up from the south, it wants to arrive in warmer air, even though we'd been extremely cold here for quite a while. So while it was mostly a snow event, some sleet and freezing rain got mixed in.

But it finished out again with enough snow to make it lovely for the arrival of some sunshine Saturday morning.

Officially, they say we got a couple of inches. The dogs loved it, frolicking and hopping, dashing and darting, and it was still pretty cold.

It was a perfect posting on social media that memorialized how funny we are in the South about our snow events:

Meal No. 3778: Buttermilk Pancakes

Last Thursday's workday had me in Vance County, so I didn't get home until pretty late in the afternoon. Among the appealing options for a meal that could be quickly whipped up was the satisfying selection of buttermilk pancakes. With more maple syrup than is pictured, a tall glass of water alongside, and a fourth one from the last of the batter, this was sufficient to nourish and satisfy. Then I braved the chilly temps and the chillier wind chill to get in a 3.5-mile downtown stroll before the evening got away from me.

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

What To Do with a Large Loaf of Excellent Bread?

The terrific loaf of bread made along with tomato soup last Sunday invited a quick return to grilled cheese sandwiches with the leftover bowls of that goodness, on Monday evening. It was a miserable cold day with a morning of freezing rain and an icy glaze, which gave small way only to rainless grey skies and temps remaining near freezing. Fresh grilled cheeses with that delicious soup were just right with me.

Even though it was not needed, I was unable to resist a batch of cinnamon toast later that night, using up more of that loaf. It'd been quite a while since this much-loved childhood favorite has found its way back to the table.

Meal No. 3777: Ultimate Cream of Tomato Soup

This past Sunday was definitely a winter's day, complete with temps around freezing, a tease of lovely snow, and a steady cold mix of sleet and rain and flurries for a good part of the afternoon. That means a smart chef would turn his attention to a pot of soothing soup, no? Because I remain ultimately satisfied with it, I stuck with the ultimate cream of roasted tomato soup from the ever-dependable folks at Cook's Illustrated, which is never a bad idea.

But I hankered also to pilot a new bread recipe, with grilled cheese sandwiches in mind. And here came author Crystal Wilkinson to fill that need, with a generationally-tested recipe for a hearty loaf that came out just right. Incredible flavor and unbelievably soft, it was awesome bread...but it did not stand up as well to the buttering and griddling as my peasant loaves. Still: there were no regrets by this patron of his own diner.

Awakening that morning to a 60-degree first floor wasn’t a shock, because I’ve been waiting for the heating system to once again blow its motor. Perhaps the cold snap was just the right stressor to this tenuous agreement, while the unit limps along into its nearing retirement (or euthanasia?). When Matt, who was on-call for my HVAC provider, got to the house mid-day, he was able to deliver good news: he got the system to re-start and it ran fine through a couple of cycles so that he could be satisfied it was back up and running. Just after he left is when it started to snow beautifully—outside, not inside!

Of course, the system being temporarily down made Sunday morning’s latest fire necessary (Fire No. 96 as these things are obsessively tallied). The ease of opening the chimney flue and simply striking a long match to the laid logs and lighter wood means there was a toasty warmth emanating in short order.

Losing the heat downstairs makes things harder but I don’t think I can rightly call it a hardship, and with the repair bill limited to the trip charge, I'll look ahead to some future day when the trigger is pulled on replacing the system—and I’ll cover that too. I’d best temper my urge to complain when I also know I can go where it’s not cold and still be in my home.

Count me on the exceptionally relieved side of the ledger, though, that we made it through all the holidays with all the company and events here before it acted up, even in this small way that was hardly inconvenient. An otherwise easy winter Sunday, a cozy fire, piddling kitchen pursuits, and a fresh loaf of bread...it was all good.

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"Ultimate Cream of Tomato Soup," from Cook's Illustrated, November 1999. Recipe can also be found online at Cookography.com.

"Hearty Sandwich Bread," from Crystal Wilkinson. In Praisesong for the Kichen Ghosts. New York: Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 2024, p. 98-99.

Meal No. 3776: Roasted Salmon on Caesar-Topped Power Greens

Saturday was the start of my work schedule for 2025, with a session prepping the latest cohort of administrative interns at High Point University for the spring coaching rounds we'll be doing. It was another great day with a fine group, but I was pretty peckish once I got back home. So into the oven went salmon fillets, seasoned and spiced, while bowls of power greens were put together and sufficiently dressed with homemade creamy Caesar dressing and boosted with roasted sunflower seeds.

Meal No. 3775: Chicken Thighs and Sides

Oh, those fine meals made up of a meat and two sides! That was the call last Friday night, when my hunger was pronounced after a four-mile hustle in the bitter blustery cold of that first Friday of 2025. On the plates: roasted herbed chicken thighs, garlic and herb roasted asparagus, and simple stovetop stuffing. It was just the right amount, with only a bit of asparagus left over.

Meal No. 3774: Brioche French Toast

On a chilly breezy afternoon last Thursday, I reported to the kitchen after my not-quite-vigorous-enough downtown walk of just over four miles, and when I was done with my orchestrations, there was delicious brioche French toast, dusted with powdered sugar, and suitably doused with maple syrup. That was the day's meal.

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"French Toast," by PJ Hamel of King Arthur Baking online.

Meal No. 3773: Chicken Caesar Power Greens

The first day of 2025 followed an expected playbook: chilly temps around 50, mostly sunny skies, and a very quiet downtown while folks enjoyed their last holiday for a while. As we headed into the afternoon that Wednesday, I set up the sous vide and pulled prepped spiced chicken breasts from the freezer to drop in for a long precise cook. Then I whipped up a new batch of creamy Caesar dressing so that the flavors could meld. Once it got close to dinnertime, I loaded up the bowls with assorted power greens, dressed them with the Caesar, and topped 'em with diced spiced chicken breast. I managed to forget the sunflower seeds, which are a welcome bonus with most salads like this here, but they were not missed while those hearty bowls were tackled.

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Based on "Easy Lemon Caesar Salad Dressing," by Kim Hardesty of lowcarbmaven.com.

Meal No. 3772: Roasted Salmon & Broccoli

The New Year's Eve party at the Roediger House took the form of a quiet supper featuring perfectly roasted salmon together with roasted spiced broccoli florets. That's just the way I like to get my freak on.

Also: I had to snag the 10-day forecast yesterday, by the way. This isn't what I love about January, let me tell you.

White Wine Coffee Cake

Last Monday's supper was supplemented by a sweet finishing treat: white wine coffee cake. This is a recipe I got from my mother, and she'd gotten it from other ladies in our hometown of Buies Creek. It's not fancy but it's fantastic, and it's certainly made a lot of appearances in my kitchens: from my faculty apartment at Wake Forest University to the original kitchen here, and plenty of times from the new kitchen that has now marked 15 years of operation as of this past year.

Meal No. 3771: Roasted Hoisin Pork

This past Monday's mealtime was perfect for a standard meat and two sides: roasted hoisin pork, roasted spiced potatoes, and roasted spiced broccoli florets. That is all. It was just right.

Meal No. 3770: Skillet Beef Stroganoff

On the final Sunday afternoon of 2024, the main meal was offered up at lunchtime: skillet beef stroganoff, a quick recipe when there's a bit of ground beef to be used up. It's always a soothing bowlful of goodness, enhanced by the extra shakes of Emeril's Essence for the seasoning, but also topped with freshly shredded sharp white cheddar and some parsley for eye appeal.

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Based on "Beef Stroganoff Hamburger Dinner in a Skillet," by Emeril Lagasse. Found online at The Food Network and also on Emerils.com.

Welcome to 2025

The holiday spirit never settled on me this year, even though I cherished gatherings with friends and the delightful addition of my brother-in-law to the household during the break between semesters. I very nearly failed in my annual Christmas card tradition, scrambling to get them all done in an uncharacteristically quick three days, all the while reveling in how much I enjoy turning my thoughts while signing each one to people I’ve known far and wide and long and short. This year’s Roediger House card seemed to strike quite a few people in some kind of way because there was a spike in texted responses from folks that was so very appreciated.

It was a December of much movie-watching and idle projects, and not nearly enough of the cooking that I want to do when there’s this ample supply of uncommitted time, because my morning weigh-ins were bent on being a persistent warning and things got a little out of control. (Last Saturday morning was my highest pounds reading since 2018 and I was not amused.)

The nondescript weekend nestled between two holidays, when it’s a mystery as to what day or date it is, was also a wild weather ride. I’ve already belly-ached about the cold and drear of Friday and Saturday, and that misty malaise and those well-chilled temps led to a quick second fire of the season. (I obsessively count things: this was Fire No. 95 since the kitchen renovation and addition of that wood-burning fireplace in 2009.)

Sunday was winter’s Southern sensation of weird warm temps, high humidity, more precipitation, but also an ongoing watch for thunderstorms that never quite materialized here. If Saturday trapped us in the 40s, waking up to 60°F that morning was a mixed blessing. But hey: I prepped a set of logs to be ready for whenever the next fire needs to be lit, and I was glad it was warm and not raining while the coffee brewed so that the task could be more comfortably accomplished.

But here we are to begin a new year. My honest report on this first day of 2025 is that the life of home and work is marvelous but my fears for our nation’s future are always sitting nearby, waiting to pounce with their oppressive depressing weight at any moment. I will bear in mind the useful guidance found in what my mother had placed and positioned all over her house, because she was a wise woman: I will change the things I can; I will find a way to accept the things I cannot change; and I will choose as wisely as I can where my energies will be placed and what costs I will bear. As others have noted with helpful sagacity: it is a time for choosing. I hope the coming year bears marvelous fruit from all of your own wise and necessary choices!

Hot Fudge Pie

Last Friday night's boys' night finished out with a new dessert for the household: hot fudge pie. A chocolatey monstrosity in surprisingly compact form, as the slice was slid from fork to mouth, this newest addition to the chocolate pie stable was prepared as two pies so that one could be marvelously meringued while the other could hold forth in its topless glory.

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"Hot Fudge Pie," from Jennifer McHenry of the Bake or Break blog. [Published 24 December 2013 / Updated 05 December 2024]

Meal No. 3769: New Year's Day Meatballs

A tradition in my family for the last quarter century got its start with a fairly non-descript recipe for meatballs, served to mark the arrival of a New Year when Mother and my siblings were all together one holiday. But this simple recipe employs a marvelous combination of ingredients that coalesces into a most enjoyable result, and bringing this back especially around that calendar roll-over consistently fits the celebration bill. This occurred Friday night, a tad early, but that's when there were six gents around the table for a boys' night, followed by a movie upstairs. It all turned out great, I'd say: the meatballs, the company mashed potatoes, and the Brussels sprouts gratin.

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"New Year's Day Meatballs," from Carol Fultz in Indiana (Recipe received in 2001).

"Company Mashed Potatoes," a Jones family favorite.

"Brussels Sprouts Gratin," by Alison Roman. From Cooking on newyorktimes.com.

First Fire of the Season

With last week's winter solstice, we made the official change to the season of winter. But this has been an abnormally cold December all along, and I've been looking forward to reveling in the warmth of a roaring fire in the kitchen fireplace. That first burning of the season occurred Friday morning (Fire No. 94), when we were plagued by a gross grey chill and an ongoing threat of rain to make it even more miserable. I started that day with an aggressive 3-mile downtown hustle so that it could be accomplished before we got any precipitation. I even managed to work up a good sweat underneath all the layers I'd donned.

Outside it barely tapped 40°F before slipping back into the upper 30s for the duration. It was a good day to be mostly inside and near the soothing heat, since that night was a gathering of the fellas for a fine meal and hanging out. More on that in tomorrow's blog post.

Meal No. 3768: Murgh Makhani

Thurday's supper gathering included two visiting additions: Jeremy and Mark, who'd come down for a few days from Virginia. In hopes it might please all five of the seated palates, I put together a menu of butter chicken and a new trial of Indian-style basmati rice, which was particularly enticing. The sauce was really excellent but the chicken was a bit disappointing. Nonetheless, we managed to mostly clean our bowls and there was still plenty for snacking on subsequent days.

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"Indian Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)" and "Indian-Style Basmati Rice," from Andrew Janjigian. In Cook's Illustrated, No. 158 [May & June 2019], p. 6-7.

Meal No. 3767: Linguine with Smoked Gouda & Wine Sauce

Wednesday's supper has in the past been quite a hit when I served it, but I do not think the chorizo this time was a suitable add-in. So it was a bit of a struggle to work our way through the linguine with smoked gouda and wine sauce this time around, and most of it ended up in the garbage. It doesn't help that it was a pretty involved recipe to put together, to end up with such a disappointing result. Oh well...You all might know how I feel if it's necessary for me to go to my kitchen and try again!

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Adapted from "Linguine with Smoked Gouda and Wine Sauce," from The Grit Restaurant Vegetarian Cookbook, by Jessica Greene and Ted Hafer. Athens, GA: Hill Street Press (2001), p. 64.

Meal No. 3766: Prime Rib

In the spirit of these holidays, I returned to a prime rib dinner on Tuesday night, putting a smaller-sized one in to roast that afternoon while I prepared well-buttered Yukon gold mashed potatoes and roasted herbed asparagus spears. It was a fine feast for three at the table, with that delicious rare-cooked and well-seasoned rib roast, those creamy potatoes, those spirited spears and stalks.

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"Standing Rib Roast (Prime Rib)," from Nagi Maehashi of RecipeTinEats.com. [Published 13 December 2021 / Updated 14 December 2023]

Red Velvet Solstice Celebration Sheet Cake

It wouldn’t be a holiday feast without a confectionary conclusion, so last Sunday’s Solstice Supper gathering ended with squares (or approximations thereof) of red velvet sheet cake, with a green-tinged cream cheese frosting atop it.

That night was also when we got to pilot the updated version of our homemade Collins Against Humanity game (technically, 2.0, I guess?). Boy howdy, did it get some rewarding chuckles, mirth, deep belly laughs, and a few unrestrained fits of giggles and guffaws. This is another part of our traditions here, uniquely appealing to a tiny swath of humanity, but definitely numbered with these happy few.

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"Red Velvet Sheet Cake with Mascarpone Cream Cheese Frosting," from Lara, The Classy Baker.