Meal No. 4104: Wildly Ambiguous Chicken Philly Cheesesteaks

Very little about Saturday evening's supper for four would be recognizable as a traditional Philly cheesesteak, even though it attempted to take varying inspirations from that iconic sandwich. For instance: the protein was chicken, a combination of grilled spiced chicken (leftover from the previous evening) and some freshly pan-seared thin-cut breast strips. I mixed red and Vidalia onions as well as two strongly-flavored red bell peppers in seasonings and flavorings. The obscene cheese sauce was a combination of Velveeta and cheddar. We tried to manage it all on brioche hamburger buns. And we all seemed to enjoy them just fine.

Speaking of enjoying, this is certainly Sumner's time of the year. What I get from him throughout the day is a plaintive stare that says: "The sun is shining outside, not in the kitchen." And that beautiful blonde boy is always ready to use that gorgeous coat of his to soak up as fully as possible all the warm rays as they tumble down upon this great green earth.

But it's more than that: it's just being outside. After dinner and clean-up, when I thought we'd head upstairs to finish out the evening, he made clear he had other ideas. There just might be people coming back to their cars after a dinner at nearby Quanto Basta, or maybe he just needs to stretch out and feel the evening breeze and the spring grass grazing his belly.

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Philly Cheesesteaks 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.

Gerry's Multi-Berry Cobbler

The sweet finisher last Friday night for the four of us at dinner was a fresh warm batch of Gerry's berry cobbler, this time with a mix of blackberries and raspberries. I'd not gotten an appropriate ice cream made so we had to muddle through it with an abundant dose of sweet vanilla glaze. That worked out in our favor.

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Adapted from "Gerry's Blackberry Cobbler," by Baritone Bob. In allrecipes, Summer 2024, p. 43. Also found online at AllRecipes.com. [Updated 14 January 2022]

Meal No. 4103: Grilled Chicken Salads with White Balsamic Dressing

Having found it so acceptable last week when I made it for the first time, I had to make up a fresh batch of creamy white balsamic dressing this past Friday. Along with it, I grilled a mess of seasoned chicken breasts in the glorious late afternoon sunshine (another picture-perfect spring day!), which were then diced to go atop our greens. It seemed a fine time to take the extra step of finely slicing strips of carrots along with thin discs of cucumber. It proved a hearty offering that was not heart-offending. That suggests victory all 'round.

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Adapted from "Creamy Balsamic Dressing,” from Ann Fulton of Fountain Avenue Kitchen. [Published 11 May 2016]

Meal No. 4102: Filet Mignon

The rare extravagance of a lovely slab of filet mignon graced the dinner table Thursday night, cooked after seasoning to a perfect temp in the sous vide immersion circulator and then pan-seared to finish it. With some of the previous evening's remaining roasted sweet potatoes, that huge chunk of beef did not require any further accompaniment. And I suppose I'll be frank about choosing this pricey move in the current economic uncertainty: this year's Costco rewards certificate for last year's expenditures put me in a bit of a compensatory celebratory mood and I decided to treat it like a pot of free money. When I made that over-the-top shopping run where it was mostly about essentials to stock up on, I let a package of beef tenderloin steaks be the cherry on top.

Maybe there was another reason that celebration felt in order: recent UNCSA grad Hoffman West was in town for the premier of his final School of Filmmaking project, titled "Sick & Twisted." An incredibly special and personal project made in tribute to and in memory of a schoolmate and fellow filmmaker, it was a fantastic production in all respects. Hoffman (who directed it) and his co-producer Syd mastered the art of honoring an inspiring trailblazer who left so many of his fellow sojourners with the blessing of having known him, but even more so for having witnessed how vision and passion co-conspire when gifted hands give fully over to them.

Meal No. 4101: Boneless Pork Chops

Wednesday was even more special than usual this week. Not only was it the mid-week supper reunion with dear friend Amy, but it also was enhanced by the welcome arrival of Hank West, UNC School of the Arts School of Filmmaking Class of 2025, who was willing to take us up on our offer of a place to stay when he was in town. Hank and his team were the first UNCSA students to spot and then film at the Roediger House, November a year ago. At dinner time, we loaded our plates with pan-seared boneless pork chops (cooked to a perfect temp in the sous vide), roasted spiced sweet potatoes,roasted hoisin green beans, and roasted spiced broccoli. Fortunately, we still had red velvet cream cheese swirl homemade ice cream for dessert, so we were all pretty full by the time Hank and I tackled multiple rounds of pool.

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

Meal No. 4100: Chicken Salad Melts

Two big ol' split chicken breasts looked tempting enough at the grocery that I brought 'em home, seasoned them, and then tucked them into vacuum-sealed bags along with fresh sprigs of rosemary and thyme and sliced lemon. The sous vide took it from there and, just before dinner, I deboned and diced them to go into a chicken salad. That's all necessary if one has decided it's an evening to take old hamburger buns and create baked chicken salad melts for supper.

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Chicken was prepped and cooked based on "The Food Lab's Complete Guide to Sous Vide Chicken Breast," by J. Kenji López-Alt, former culinary director of SeriousEats.com. [Updated 28 May 2020]

Meal No. 4099: Creamy White Balsamic on Salad with Chicken

Monday’s meal was the final resting place for the remaining chicken shawarma from the evening before: atop salads with a tasty new dressing. Over the weekend, I made a creamy white balsamic version that took its cues from a salad I’ve enjoyed on my two trips to Chopt to meet up with a former colleague. This homemade version is a keeper.

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Adapted from "Creamy Balsamic Dressing,” from Ann Fulton of Fountain Avenue Kitchen. [Published 11 May 2016]

Red Velvet Ice Cream with Cream Cheese Swirl

When I get a little carried away, it sometimes creates the kind fortune of more of a good thing. With heavy cream needing to be used up, I ignored my recent problematic morning weigh-ins and put together a double batch of red velvet cream cheese swirl ice cream, first served last Sunday night. Just sweet enough, a welcome hint of chocolate, the tang of the buttermilk, the richness of the egg-and-cream base, all in the vibrant alternating red-and-white color scheme of a glorious scoop (or three) of ice cream to die for. (Or of. I overdid it yet again.)

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"Red Velvet Ice Cream with Cream Cheese Frosting Swirl," from Jocelyn Delk Adams of GrandbabyCakes.com. [Published 19 July 2022 / Updated 12 August 2024]

Cream Cheese Swirl based on "Red Velvet Ice Cream with Cream Cheese Frosting Swirl," from Annie Marshall of Annie's Eats, a food blog. Accessed May 2015. [Published 08 February 2013]

Meal No. 4098: Chicken Shawarma Wraps with Hot Honey Ranch

Mother's Day was pretty gorgeous in Winston-Salem, and maybe I ought to have planned on grilling out to take advantage of the perfect afternoon. But instead Sunday night’s supper for the Holly Avenue Collective was built around a recipe for chicken shawarma shared by my UNC chum Kelly. I stuck with the sheet pan, after a suitable marination, for its initial cooking. I sautéed diced onions and peppers and added bacon and baby spinach leaves. All of this got rolled, inexpertly, into a wrap for an especially messy tackle. A hot honey ranch gave it a luscious lubrication and made more likely the oozing trails that slipped down our forearms.

That night, there was a small portion of the homemade dog food left after I scooped out Sumner's portion, and it went into Scarlett's bowl with a supplement of her regular dry food. She dug into it like it was catnip. All I could catch was a mouthy blur of motion as she attacked it.

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"Oven-Roasted Chicken Shawarma," by Sam Sifton of New York Times Cooking. [Updated 23 January 2024]

Adapted from "Chicken Bacon Hot Honey Ranch Quesadillas," by Nick Nesgoda of Burnt Pellet BBQ. [Posted 10 October 2025]

Meal No. 4097: Sheet Pan Balsamic Chicken Thighs

Last Friday found me starting my day with an early morning trek over to Chapel Hill for the annual Commencement Breakfast of the Order of the Golden Fleece. Then, I dashed over to Raleigh to pop in for a series of classroom observations with a former graduate student from my days on faculty at Wake Forest University. By my late afternoon return, the dinner prep window was somewhat narrow, and neighbor Jonathan was going to be joining in. Ah, but a new recipe for sheet pan balsamic chicken thighs was a speedy choice that still proved itself worthy of our plates. We also had roasted broccoli florets and a somewhat botched pan of roasted garlic quinoa.

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”Baked Boneless Chicken Thighs,” from Chelsea Lords of Chelsea’s Messy Apron. [Updated 22 December 2025]

Meal No. 4096: Linton Hopkins's Bucatini Carbonara

Last Thursday's supper was a happy reliance on a faithful stand-by recipe: bucatini carbonara, which I've been making here for just shy of 15 years. I thickened the cream more than I realized and wish I had taken a moment to smooth it out with some more of the pasta water, but I was in a bit of a hurry with getting supper to the table because a happy event was going to pull me out of the house after mealtime.

That's because Thursday night was the fifth and final night over the last week for the UNC School of the Arts to screen their year-end student films. Oh my, the incredible quality of their projects really just astound me, and yet it's a level of quality I've just come to expect. I had a chance to meet the Dean of the School of Filmmaking and then she kindly gave me a lovely shout-out as she started to welcome folks and introduce the films once we got to showtime.

As we let out just past 8:30 that evening, and I headed to my car, I spied a pretty gorgeous dusk view of the city skyline and took a moment to snap a couple of shots. Timing can be everything.

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

Homemade Dog Food for the Ailing Sumner

Last Wednesday night, Sumner was up about every two hours thanks to some diarrhea, so that meant I needed to get into the kitchen on Thursday to make him a healing batch of healthy homemade dog food. The crock pot makes this a lot easier but I did have to run to the grocery to stock up on the fresh key ingredients that make it so good to him. And did that ailing rascal scarf it down like there was no tomorrow? Heck yeah. My boy loves him some homemade dog food, which is a rare and special treat...and also just what the doctor ordered to help him get back to rights.

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Based on "DIY Homemade Dog Food," by Chungah Rhee of the Damn Delicious blog. [Published 27 April 2015 /Updated 19 September 2025]

Based on "Easy Crockpot Dog Food," by Chungah Rhee of the Damn Delicious blog. [Published 13 May 2015 / Updated 08 July 2024]

Meal No. 4095: 2 x 2 Soup

This past Wednesday was cool and drizzly for much of the day, and that's all it takes for me to zero in on a soup selection for supper. A package of ground beef in the fridge spoke loudest at the moment of decision, and I thought it might not be a terrible idea to resurrect the more rare 2 x 2 soup that used to be in regular rotation here. It's not hard to throw together, depends heavily on canned goods from the cabinet, and includes the indulgence of a pound of Velveeta. It was Amy's mid-week visit, and having enough to send home to her hubby felt like a favored option.

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"2 x 2 Soup," from various sources.

Lemon Texas Sheet Cake

After supper last Tuesday night, I had a dessert ready to be served: lemon Texas sheet cake. I'd never made this before and feel like I stumbled onto the perfect recipe for it, given how wonderfully it turned out. But man! This is better when there's a crowd, because it is a full cookie sheet pan of deliciousness. Moist and tender, fully lemoned, and a delight to consume, the Roediger House is pleased for this new recipe to join its treasured stable of goodies.

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"Lemon Texas Sheet Cake," by Brooke Homec of The Salted Sweets. [Published 18 March 2024 / Updated 05 February 2025]

Meal No. 4094: Cinco de Mayo Tacos

I keep having to dig into the pantry stores for supper because I've not been making my usual grocery runs. And since Tuesday was Cinco de Mayo, it seemed reasonable to try to get into the spirit of things. This led me to try sheet pan tacos, with a choice either of grilled spiced chicken and black beans, or Cuban pulled pork. A fresh batch of lime crema made it all come together.

It turned into a gorgeous spring day, with plenty of time outside with the pups. But that proved to be exceptionally upsetting to a pair of mockingbirds, who were flitting and hollering and occasionally even swooping down at the dogs. Eventually, it dawned on me as to why, and when I finally spotted their bedraggled and flightless offspring along the driveway wall, I braved their disdain to snag a shot or two.

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"Easy Lime Crema," from Lisa Bryan of DownShiftology.com. [Published 22 April 2020]

Meal No. 4093: Grilled Chicken Caesar Salads

Monday's meal was built on the back of Sunday's, when I was left with plenty of extra seasoned grilled chicken, the last of my hearts of Romaine, and enough creamy Caesar dressing to douse it all. Grilled chicken Caesar salad suited the supper-takers, on a late gorgeous spring afternoon.

Meal No. 4092: Grilled Chicken Caesar Wraps

It seems sort of quick to return to grilled chicken Caesar wraps, based on meal numbering. But with my school-year-ending work travel to finish out the month of April, I’ve not been home to cook. The good memory of that first trial was tainted by a fear that beginner’s luck was key to that previous success, and Sunday night was my test. I passed, once again with weak technique but also with flying colors.

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

Chocolate Frosty Cups

On Saturday night, I scrambled to throw together a dessert, and on that occasion I tried out a new way to make chocolate frosties, à la Wendy's. While it almost burnt up my Vitamix blender (and I do not understand how that's possible), these cups of icy chocolate goodness were a pleasing end to the dinner gathering...before I dashed off down to the UNC School of the Arts for the second round of Fourth Year thesis film screenings, which were again excellent.

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"Homemade Chocolate Frosty," from Tieghan Girard of Half-Baked Harvest. [Updated 04 August 2025]

Meal No. 4091: Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

Yesterday felt more like December than May, with afternoon temps that barely reached the low 50s and with chilling breezes under grey skies. I made the call early in the day that there would have to be soup for supper for the Holly Avenue Collective. With our street closed off for the EmpowerHER Women's & Mother's Day Parade, it kept me from a grocery run. So with pantry staples and a stash of taco-seasoned ground beef in the freezer, the soup choice was bacon cheeseburger soup. Hearty, somewhat cheesy, full of a triumphant mix of flavors and herbs, we were all inclined to go for seconds.

The day's winter-styled weather meant more inside time, and I don't think that bothered Sumner and Scarlett one bit.

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Based on "Bacon Cheeseburger Soup," from Catalina Castravet and Holly Nilsson of SpendwithPennies.com. [Published 01 March 2018]

Meal No. 4090: The Viral Ramen Recipe

The supper came early yesterday, as the week rolled to a close. I returned Thursday night from my final stretch of work travel for the spring and did not make it to the grocery. But that’s okay, because I’m still able to make an excellent bowl of ramen with (mostly) pantry staples. I had snagged an upscale brown rice ramen from Costco, which came out much softer and more silky. It was a nudge shy of too much once plated, and I licked my soy-sauced-lips happily.

I’d made a quick run over to Chapel Hill for a most excellent reason: my friend and fraternity brother Bryan and I met with the new student body president at UNC, a meeting of old campus leader minds with this bright and energetic new generation.

Then last night I indulged another happy tradition: attending screenings of Fourth-Year films at the UNC School of the Arts, not far from the house. Of course, the student films have been drawing me there since 2004, but now the productions are even more meaningful because the house has served as a location and especially because I want to support the amazing students it’s been an honor to get to know.

The auditorium was bursting with such excellent energy and glorious inventive spirit, and this old man was overjoyed to see so many of the young filmmakers who have worked on films (often more than one!) at the house. They applauded wildly for one another but also with good reason, given the quality of their final productions. The Fourth-Year projects are spread across two nights, an abundance of riches and so much talent and wondrous creative ideas. I'll catch the other half of this program tonight, which will include two films shot here. We truly are fortunate to have this university and conservatory here in Winston-Salem.

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Based on "Viral Ramen Noodles," from Brian Gerwig [NC]. Instagram Profile: g_bque. [Posted 15 May 2024]

Meal No. 4089: Sheet Pan Beef Nachos

This past Sunday night was a return to the faithful delicious go-to for a quick and easy supper: sheet pan beef nachos. To shake it up for the three of us that evening, I did experiment with a tasty different version of the taco meat, to good result. Otherwise, it was just a massive amount of Mexican cheese, lots of cantina-style tortilla chips, plenty of fresh chopped onion, and a pretty good covering of black beans. A garlicked and well-limed crema was the cooling touch.

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Sheet Pan Nachos loosely inspired by "Loaded Sweet Pork Sheet Pan Nachos," from Elyse of Six Sisters Stuff. [Published 14 March 2018]

Taco-Style meat depended partly on "Crispy Beef Tacos with Cilantro Lime Sauce," by Jeremy the Contrarian Money on Instagram. [Published 19 February 2026]

"Easy Lime Crema," from Lisa Bryan of DownShiftology.com. [Published 22 April 2020]

Texas Sheet Cake

Last weekend's birthday gathering had cake, but not what one might normally think of as "birthday cake." Instead, we went with a Texas sheet cake, deeply chocolatey and fudgy, with its amazing pecan-studded frosting glaze, which is really what brings it all together. This has been a long-time favorite from growing up in Buies Creek, a regular treat my mother would make and that really became the take-back-to-college staple. But I have neglected it over the last several years: it's only appeared not quite once a year for almost a decade now. That's a shame.

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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 06 October 6 2010 / Updated 16 April 2021]

Meal No. 4088: Birthday Sliders Selection

The final Saturday of April, as storms and rain rolled in after a long dry spell, it was a warm gathering of great friends at the Roediger House. With a birthday celebration to draw us together, we kept our menu simple but still good.

I made Hawaiian rolls to serve as slider buns, and then diverged into two kinds for people to choose between or freely indulge both: cheeseburger sliders or bacon turkey Swiss spicy ranch sliders.

I probably made the cheeseburger Hawaiian rolls too large, and the turkey-bacon sliders rolls too small. But we all managed well enough.

There was also warm Swiss and bacon dip and a fresh batch of southwestern dip, too.

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

Based loosely on "Chicken Bacon Ranch Baked Subs," from Brandi Skibinski of The Country Cook. [Published 09 March 2025]

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

Bacon Jam from "Bacon Jam Cheeseburger Sliders," from Nick Nesgoda of Burnt Pellet BBQ. [Published 08 April 2025] Instagram Reel can be found at https://www.instagram.com/p/DXhTPrXyBc3/.

"Chile-Rubbed Bacon," by Rick Martinez. In "D.I.Y. B.L.T. O.M.G.: Bake Better Bacon (Upgrade Idea No. 1)," Bon Appétit, July 2016, p. 44.

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

"Spicy Ranch Dressing," from Alexa Blay of Key to My Lime. [Published 09 March 2021]

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

"Southwestern Dip," in Betty Crocker Monthly Recipes, December 2001.

Meal No. 4087: Grilled Chicken Caesar Wraps

Oh my goodness: Sunday a week ago the main meal of the day appeared at lunchtime, and it was a delicious doozy, if I may say so. Something I scrolled past on Instagram planted the idea to make grilled chicken Caesar wraps with the final two burrito shells still hanging out in the fridge. I prepped and seasoned some flattened chicken breast and grilled it to a perfect juicy conclusion. I pulled the last of the latest batch of creamy Caesar dressing out of the fridge. I shaved fresh Parmesan from a block I had on hand. I chopped Romaine. When the chicken was cooked and properly diced, I piled it all high and then inexpertly rolled it all into a bulging wrap. These went onto the grill for a sealing sear and to melt the shaved parmesan down a bit. In the end, these were pretty stupendous, for such a simple concoction. I kept thinking about those wraps for a good portion of my drive to Richmond once I was packed up and able to head off for a week of work in Virginia.

At least I'd gotten the grass cut before leaving town for the week!

Gerry's Blackberry Cobbler

Saturday a week ago concluded with a tasty dessert: Gerry's blackberry cobbler. Full of sweet goodness and just enough fresh blackberries, this small-dish dinner-ender is a cinch to throw together and cooks while the dinner clean-up is getting knocked out. Once all the meal dishes are on the drying rack, the bowls can be brought out and sensational scoops of cobbler and enough oozy juice find their way into those waiting receptacles. Since I had no ice cream tucked away, I made a simple vanilla glaze to adorn it with, and that proved to be a judicious move by the chef.

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"Gerry's Blackberry Cobbler," by Baritone Bob. In allrecipes, Summer 2024, p. 43. Also found online at AllRecipes.com. [Updated 14 January 2022]

Meal No. 4086: Copycat Chick-Fil-A Sandwiches

Among the rare dinner treats that I'd had on my mind for a while to make was copycat Chick-Fil-A sandwiches. That's what happened Saturday of last week, on the latest occasion of the Holly Avenue Collective's gathering. Pounded chicken breast gets a pickle brine soak before a timely dip into a milk-and-egg wet coat; then a dredge in well-spiced flour sets up those chicken pieces for a brief rack rest and then into the hot oil they go for a frying till done. A proper serving size is two of these sandwiches, slathered with Duke's mayo, side-piled with Sun Chips, and pickles for those who are so inclined.

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"Chick-Fil-A Copycat Sandwich," by Hilah Johnson. From Hilah Cooking. [Published June 2012]