Old-Fashioned Banana Pudding

Last Saturday's long gathering day for a birthday celebration concluded with a special-request dessert: banana pudding. The recipe I've long depended on is unnecessarily elaborated upon in the following paragraph, but I deviated from it slightly by crafting a special batch of vanilla bean pudding using a recipe from the Food Network. Then I assembled things according to my standard approach, straight from the side of a box of vanilla wafers. It was a nice finish to a fine evening.

A long-ago purchase when at my not regular grocery store is how I came to have a box of Murray Vanilla Wafers on hand, right about the time I was interested in a recipe for banana pudding. I wrote down what was on the box (see photo above) and have had it in my original recipe book ever since. Oddly enough, though, the company subsequently altered that recipe on its website, and now it does not even make vanilla wafers at all. Ah, but a military wife and mom posted a short-lived blog that hasn't had an update since 2011 and it still has the recipe on it as well, for any of you who might be interested!

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"Murray's Old Fashioned Nana Puddin'," from the Murray Vanilla Wafers [now discontinued] package. Also found online at http://melissaannbrook.blogspot.com/2011/04/banana-and-vanilla-wafer-with-pudding.html.

"Vanilla Pudding," from the Food Network Kitchens.

Meal No. 3588: Cheeseburger Sliders

It was time for another Roediger House Regulars birthday gathering, largely an all-day affair last Saturday. For mid-afternoon snacking, there was my own version of Mexican restaurant white dipping sauce, paired well with cantina-style tortilla chips. And when suppertime arrived, I served up cheeseburger sliders on homemade Hawaiian rolls:

...along with a choice of chips. Well-cheesed top and bottom, souped up in flavor with a mega-dollop of elevated burger sauce mixed in with the meat, all piled on those amazing fresh buns: we siddled up to those sliders and converted them from outside us to insiders.

It was a picture-perfect morning weather-wise, all the better for the runners and walkers and joggers participating in Foothills Brewing's 2024 CraftHalf Half-Marathon and 5K Race, with the start and finish of the routes coming right in front of the house (as was the case in 2022 and 2023). The pooches were delighted and not overly excited, which I found a bit surprising. They took it in stride, and this papa beamed with pride.

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"Cheeseburger Sliders," by Natasha Kravchuk of Natasha's Kitchen. [Published 27 March 2020]

"Hawaiian Sweet Rolls," from Kate Dean of I Heart Baking. [Published 15 March 2017 / Modified 15 March 2022]

"Beef & Cheddar Melts Sauce," a Roediger House creation.

"Mexican Restaurant White Dipping Sauce," a recipe worked out by me, sampled by Spring Street, and approved of by all.

Meal No. 3587: Chicken Salad Melts

Since the previous evening's meal gifted me with just the right amount of cooked chicken breast, last Friday I turned it into a souped-up chicken salad, to be piled high atop a remaining brioche burger bun, crowned with a slice of American cheese, baked until just melted, and served with harvest cheddar Sun Chips. It was a pretty tasty supper for starting off a fine weekend. And I was a little surprised I hadn't made this in over two years (or 570 meals ago)!

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Based on "Chicken Salad Melt," a Roediger House original recipe.

Meal No. 3586: Split Chicken Breasts

Thursday's tasty dinner was baked herbed split chicken breasts, together with roasted spiced potatoes and roasted asparagus spears. It was an abundance of food, more than I needed, and yet I still found room tucked down deep for the final offering of lemon bars.

And Lordy, what another gorgeous spring day it was in Winston-Salem. I started early, with my 3.2-mile walk taken care of before sunrise. It was a reasonably productive morning for doing a bit of writing and also catching up on some personal correspondence. The pooches appreciated that there could be so much outside time, as did I, and that included my first do-it-myself scrubbing of the new Toyota Camry. It struck a handsome pose once I was all done.

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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.

Meal No. 3585: More Peanut Butter Bacon Burgers

The previous evening's peanut butter bacon burgers were pretty fantastic but there was enough left over for another round Wednesday night. All I had to do was to make some fresh buns for them, which were not as good as I had hoped, even when prettified by a yolk-centric eggwash that gave the baked buns a lovely culinary clearcoat. Still: with bacon, peanut butter, the cooked cheeseburgers, and beef-and-cheddar-melts sauce waiting to be deployed, it seemed the menu could hardly be anything else. Also, it occurs to me that peanut butter bacon burgers seem very much like what a dog would come up with, if put in charge of the restaurant kitchen for a night, knowing human beings were whom he must still serve.

Speaking of dogs, the two cuties in this household are awfully glad that the weather is nice enough for the good outside time, even if today maintained the feel and threat of sprinkles. We were mostly lucky.

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"Brioche Burger Bun (Brioche Burger Buns Recipe)," from Christina Lane of DessertforTwo.com. [Published 22 June 2023 / Updated 13 December 2023]

Ina Garten's Lemon Bars

Not that dessert was even needed last Tuesday, following those amazing peanut butter bacon burgers, but it still seemed the proper course of action. To the moment's need rose the glorious idea of lemon bars on buttery shortbread crust, and while the filling still remained a tad jiggly, they helped close out the evening in fine form.

It was another fine spring day in downtown Winston-Salem, and the pooches were decidedly happy to be able to frolic on the driveway.

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"Lemon Bars," by Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa. Published in Barefoot Contessa Parties!, Clarkson Potter Publishers, 2001.

Meal No. 3584: Peanut Butter Bacon Burgers

It's been almost three years since I last made peanut butter bacon burgers. Ridiculous, radical, delightful, and delicious...I do love the involved process that goes into pulling off this particular kitchen creation. When these served three of us last Tuesday night, things went a little quickly because the bacon was all fried up the previous day, and I'd made beef and cheddar melts sauce for last week's round of grilled cheeseburgers. I had the afternoon free so grinding the peanut butter was easy enough. After dicing up boneless beef short ribs and (this time) chuck tender steaks, those meat pieces had chill time in the freezer while I showered. Then I did the pulse grinding, divided and gently shaped the patties, and griddled them to a perfect medium. A couple of slices of cheese on top, then the assembly station on the buffet counter, and we all had tall grand monstrous peanut butter bacon burgers to chomp down on by 6 o'clock.

This was the 33rd occasion for this particular delicacy, and I always like to update the history accordingly:

• Inspired by Yo Mama's in the French Quarter of New Orleans
• First Made: Meal No. 180
• Last Made: Meal No. 2921
• Fresh Home-Ground Beef, typically from boneless beef short ribs and top sirloin
• Homemade Peanut Butter
• Homemade Classic Burger Sauce (recipe below)
• Labeled Sample "Final Product" Burger: Guide to Meal No. 234

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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.

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Guidance on grinding, shaping, and cooking burgers from "Best Old-Fashioned Burgers," by J. Kenji Alt, in Cook's Illustrated, No. 93 (July/August 2008), p. 10-11.

Meal No. 3583: French Toast

A delightful Sunday brunch meeting with a friend, colleague, and former masters student, all wrapped up in one impressive package, allowed me to be spectator to her order of delicious French toast and bacon as we discussed upcoming plans for some training she wants me to do. That image stayed with me and informed my own dinner choice Monday night, from our dependable King Arthur recipe and with brioche as the bread base. And yep: I had to fry up a huge batch of bacon as well.

By late morning that day, I'd finally put the finishing touches on the 2023 taxes and made the necessary copies and walked the envelopes to the downtown post office. That left a gorgeous afternoon to be fully enjoyed, in the peace that comes from finally putting aside that dreaded task. It's at long last the camp chair season, with these great breezes and exceptionally pleasant temps, and even into the evening the sitting was swell in The Grove.

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

Meal No. 3582: Cheeseburgers!

As we reached the latter part of last week, I knew I'd put off doing taxes as long as possible. So Thursday's meal was simple and straightforward, thanks to the sous vide immersion circulator: juicy burgers, finished in a hot skillet and adorned with two kinds of cheese. I'm always glad when barbecue kettle chips can take the passenger seat on the Boonton melamine platter.

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"Juicy Burgers," originally from Pillsbury Classic Cookbooks recipe magazine, July 2003, p. 52-53. After Pillsbury was purchased in 2001 by General Mills, home of Betty Crocker (founded in 1921, mind you!), it basically ceased to exist as a company and lives on just as a brand. I guess that's why a Pillsbury cookbook recipe from 2003 is now only found on the Betty Crocker website.

National Cinnamon Crescent Roll Day

It was the second year when I was home and able to observe national cinnamon crescent roll day, a goofy concoction full of sugar and carbs and fat, easy to throw together and impossible to resist the temptation to over-indulge. That occurred Wednesday evening, and the sugar hangover was a price happily paid.

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"Cinnamon Crescent Rolls," from Julie Evink of Julie's Eats and Treats. [Published 27 February 2020 / Updated 08 September 2022]

Meal No. 3581: Small-Batch Sheet Pan Beef Nachos

Enough seasoned browned beef and other requisite ingredients remained from a recent dinner of beef nachos that I could make a perfect small batch for last Wednesday's dinner. All too cheesed again, as if that's actually a bad thing, and quickly consumed in the late afternoon after another good day at the Roediger House...I'm not being especially adventurous but once completed I was no longer ravenous.

Emeril's Chocolate Cream Pie

After botching it the last time I made it, and having extra time for kitchen exploits this past Tuesday, I thought I'd make another run at a delicious simple dessert in the form of Emeril's chocolate cream pie. Added to the recipe collection back in 2011, it ought to have shown up here more, given how it really fires on all the right cylinders. All too tempting as bedtime approached, I was unable to resist it that night once it had properly set up, in spite of the lateness of the hour.

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"Emeril's Chocolate Cream Pie," by Emeril Lagasse (2007). Featured on The FoodNetwork.com website.

Meal No. 3580: Baked Spaghetti

Tuesday was another make-it-up meal, a lesser riff on a house favorite: baked spaghetti. It still turned out pretty good, albeit not better than my standard version, and was fine mid-afternoon fare on a grey rainy day.

Meal No. 3579: Chicken, Mushroom, and Boursin Strudel

Going on a memory and a whim, I took leftover chicken and used it as the core of a strudel last Monday night. I sautéed shallots, mushroom, and garlic, added in a splash of wine, and threw in some seasonings. Then came Boursin and heavy cream, followed by a short simmer. Once it had thickened up, it was ready to be piled down the middle of a store-bought puff pastry, which I braided and egg-washed. A long bake to a crispy golden brown and I knew it was ready for serving up, to the deep satisfaction of the table.

The Great American Eclipse 2024

This past Monday was billed as the Great American Eclipse, as a huge swath of the country was in striking distance of either partial coverage or, for the lucky ones in a 100-mile band, a short totality. While we were lucky enough to be near a different solar eclipse back in 2017, this one was also pretty satisfying. I suppose this was the final solar eclipse of my lifetime, since the next U.S. one will be in 2045, and it will only be in a handful of northern tier states.

Meal No. 3578: Rotisserie-Style Whole Chicken

I imagined I'd have more than a standard use for a rotisserie-style whole chicken but my allotted time and my ambitions were not well-aligned...so Sunday night's supper was somewhat standard: chicken from the Instant Pot, crisply-roasted asparagus spears, and a mess of simple stuffing. I did not let the weight of it slow me down when I undertook my downtown stroll after dinner and before clean-up.

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"How to Cook Instant Pot Whole Chicken - Rotisserie Style," by Sheena from GlutenFreePressureCooker.com.

"Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning," by Judith Hanneman, The Midnight Baker.

National Coffee Cake Day

When time permits and the mood allows, I'm game for indulging in the kick in the kitchen pants that comes with recognizing various "National Day of" observances. Sunday's was National Coffee Cake Day, and that propelled me to try out a new recipe: cinnamon crisp coffee cake. With reverse creaming and buttermilk, a light hand on the final stirring, and the bonus of a middle layer of cocoa and cinnamon to set it apart from standard fare, this was a pretty terrific first attempt. The oversized rectangle still warm from the oven was Sunday's midday snack, and there were squares to be shared with neighbors on the block.

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"Cinnamon Crisp Coffee Cake," from Molly Marzalek-Kelly of King Arthur Baking.

Meal No. 3577: Linton Hopkins's Bucatini Carbonara

When a delicious simple pasta recipe has been left off the menu for almost five years, it's a boosted delight when it is finally brought back. That was the case Saturday night, with an overdue return of Linton Hopkins's bucatini carbonara. But what else could I do on National Carbonara Day?

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"Bucatini Carbonara," by Linton Hopkins. In Food & Wine, July 2009.

Meal No. 3576: Sheet Pan Beef Nachos

Once more, after looking up from an afternoon plunge into a current project that had me wedded to my laptop, and seeing it was already 4:30 pm, I jumped into action to see what I could pull off before the ringing of the usual dinner hour bell here. A quick chopping of an onion, a Mason jar shake of an updated batch of taco seasoning, browning and spicing of a package of ground beef, a throrough rinse of kidney beans and shoepeg corn...then, spreading the cantina-style corn tortilla chips and over-dressing them with Mexican cheese—and 20 minutes later it was a pan of glorious indulgent beef nachos, with a larger dollop of sour cream because of how often what they offer in restaurants falls too short of the critical quantity need of a nacho munching.

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Taco-Style meat depended partly on "Crispy Beef Tacos," by Hilah Johnson. From HilahCooking.com.

"Homemade Chili and Taco Seasoning," from Jamie Lothridge of MyBakingAddiction.com. [Published 03 February 2011]

Meal No. 3575: Vegetable Plate

I was feeling the pressure of an overstock of fresh vegetables, so it had to be a roasted vegetable plate last Thursday. That included spiced potatoes, broccoli florets, and Tuscan whole green beans. Well-suited to the tastes of the evening.

Meal No. 3574: Juicy Burgers on the Grill

Before storms and colder temps rolled in mid-week, the warm sunny Tuesday that graced Winston-Salem with low-80s temps begged for a suitable supper. In this case, that was taking it outside to grill fresh-patted burgers from a steadfast and faithful recipe that I've been using for 20 years: juicy burgers, as they're called. I still had some burger sauce to slather onto the buns, once the patties were properly cheesed, and some kettle barbecue chips had to ride along.

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"Juicy Burgers," originally from Pillsbury Classic Cookbooks recipe magazine, July 2003, p. 52-53. After Pillsbury was purchased in 2001 by General Mills, home of Betty Crocker (founded in 1921, mind you!), it basically ceased to exist as a company and lives on just as a brand. I guess that's why a Pillsbury cookbook recipe from 2003 is now only found on the Betty Crocker website.

Scarlett's Learning the Yard

One of the many awesome things about the senior house pooch Sumner is his understanding of the boundaries of the yard. He does not ever have to be leashed at home and honors fully the expectations about where he can and cannot go. But as a newcomer, his adopted sister Scarlett has a long way to go, not least of all because she is still a young and energetic and impulsive puppy. Ah, but she is making some progress, and as we head into April I can at last report a shift in my confidence about her capacity to abide by Sumner's excellent example. She's been allowed off-leash more and more and has done wonderfully. However, she's also not yet been really tested, whether by a darting squirrel or by the unexpected circumstance of a passerby with another pup. But that's going to be a necessary part of the training: the breaking of the perimeter rule, the strong rebuke, the shaming or the shunning, the sharp tone to sound the trouble warning bell. We'll just have to hope her dart or dash does not coincide with a speeding FedEx truck.

Also, her patient posting at the top of the stairs whenever she's waiting for someone to return to the third floor mancave is adorable.

Chocolate Pecan Pie, Round 2

After loving the chocolate pecan pie so much when Amy and Gern were here last Saturday night for dinner, I had to repeat it on Monday for Kristen and Mookie. I let it cook a little longer, so it firmed up more properly. But I did kind of miss the slightly runny fudge-sauce style of the Saturday night first round. Is it a good pie either way, though? Absolutely.

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"Chocolate Pecan Pie," a Jones Family favorite since at least 1980, if not before. Also known as "Blender Pie," the recipe came from the late Lib Keith, whose hair-cutting business at her house was where our hairs got clipped for quite a few years.

Meal No. 3573: Lamb & Mushroom Meatloaf

A short two-week interval between was enough cushion for bringing back the once-popular-but-now-rare lamb and mushroom meatloaf, along with signature smashed sweet potatoes and roasted broccoli florets. That's what was served up Easter Monday when Kristen and Mookie were here for dinner. It turned out to be pretty darned good, too, inviting seconds of various elements of the menu.

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"Lamb and Multi-Mushroom Meatloaf" (p. 150) and "Smashed Sweet Potatoes" (p. 128), in Tupelo Honey Cafe: Spirited Recipes from Asheville's New South Kitchen, by Elizabeth Sims with Chef Brian Sonoskus. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel Publishing (2011).

Chocolate Pecan Pie

After we had a short window of time to recover from our marvelous meal Saturday night, which meant tv for some and pool playing for others, the time for dessert service arrived. On our plates was a pretty stupendous—albeit basic—chocolate pecan pie. In fact, we liked it so well that the entire pie was consumed by the four of us, with nothing left for later temptations. The Jones family has been enjoying this for almost a half century, glad both for its easy prep and also for its highly rewarding result.

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"Chocolate Pecan Pie," a Jones Family favorite since at least 1980, if not before. Also known as "Blender Pie," the recipe came from the late Lib Keith, whose hair-cutting business at her house was where our hairs got clipped for quite a few years.

Meal No. 3572: Pan-Seared Pork Medallions with Ginger-Shiitake Cream Sauce

It was surely a winner for dinner last Saturday night, when Amy and Gern were over: pan-seared pork medallions in the house favorite ginger shiitake soy cream sauce. All those around the table remarked at having chosen this for their special dinner menu at one time or another, when we celebrated their birthdays. Served over company mashed potatoes, and with roasted hoisin whole green beans, this was a generously-loaded plate of good food for a happy gathering.

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Based on "Pan-Seared Tuna with Ginger-Shiitake Cream Sauce," from The Bon Appétit Cookbook by Barbara Fairchild, 2006, p. 398-399.

"Company Mashed Potatoes," a Jones Family favorite.

Meal No. 3571: Open-Faced Chicken Philly Cheesesteaks

Once more, my deep dive into a current project kept me focused on my laptop much of the day and by late afternoon Thursday it felt like yet another supper scramble. But then the result didn't feel like a rushed fill-in but instead came through like a champ: open-faced cheesesteak-style chicken phillies (is any of that proper nomenclature? probably not). Laid out on griddled buttered slices of my homemade peasant bread, sufficiently cheesed and oozing with fantastic flavor, these were pretty glorious for a speed job.

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Based on a combination of ideas from:

• "Chicken Philly Cheese Steak," by Brandi Burgess of Aunt Bee's Recipes. Posted 11 September 2014.
• "Philly Chicken Cheesesteak Sandwich," from the Creole Contessa. Posted 30 July 2013.
• "Homemade Chicken Cheesesteaks," by Jessica Merchant of How Sweet It Is. Posted 05 September 2012.

Meal No. 3570: Ultimate Cream of Tomato Soup

Rain and cold and drear and the gradual sink into a low mood for me: the late afternoon lead-up to dinner played deep in the key of blah and yech right up until the three of us sat down for delicious bowls of ultimate cream of tomato soup along with very-fresh-baked peasant bread grilled cheese sandwiches. It was the beginning of things looking up, and the rains must've gotten the message because they moved on in the meantime.

Addendum from Easter Sunday: to finish out the evening after a supper of tasty leftovers, the remaining loaf of peasant bread was turned into some simple and satisfying cinnamon toast.

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

Peasant Bread adapted from "My Mother's Peasant Bread," by Alexandra Stafford of AlexandraCooks.com. [07 November 2012 / Updated 06 January 2022]

Scotch Chocolate Cake

Dessert on Tuesday evening when Robb and Sheila were here to visit proved to be a disappointment: my dependable Scotch chocolate sheetcake did not turn out like usual and was a bit hard to choke down. Not sure where I blew it this time but the pan was prematurely emptied with the uninviting remaining squares ending up in the trash.

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"Scotch Chocolate Cake," [in my world, also known as Texas sheet cake]. Credited to Susie Timmons. From "Popular: Cake Request Gets 22 Responses," by Michael Hastings, Food Editor of the Winston-Salem Journal. Published October 6, 2010.

Meal No. 3569: Mexican Chicken and Rice

What a delight on Tuesday night to have dear friends Robb and Sheila come over. The cooler temps and dreary rain that came on late afternoon seemed to call for something warm and comforting, so I went with arroz con pollo and cheese queso. It was a terrific visit full of animated conversation and catching up. This was Sheila's first chance to see the house and Robb had never been up to the third floor mancave so it was a leisurely walking and talking tour after dinner. They are here on and off until mid-summer and it will be good to have them over again before long.

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"Mexican Chicken & Rice," in Cuisine at Home, Issue No. 115 (January/February 2016), p. 10-11.

"The Best Mexican White Cheese Dip," from eatingonadime.com.