Meal No. 1200: Deviled Beef Short Ribs

Making only its second appearance on the Roediger House dinner table, say hello to deviled beef short ribs. Given how amazing they were when I made them last year, I probably should've come back to them sooner. Freakin' awesome!

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

Meal No. 1199: Lamb Köfte

We're coming up on two years since I last made Lamb Köfte, and I was excited to be returning to it. I needed to make a fresh batch of pomegranate molasses, which turned out pretty close to perfect, in order to pull off the muhammara roasted red pepper sauce. And I didn't have yogurt, so I made the tahini sauce using sour cream this time, and I think that made it even better (along with some extra tahini to boost and balance the flavors). The lamb meatballs were just right.

The unfortunate turn in the events of making dinner, though, was to get to the last 15 minutes of cooking, and to reach for my middle eastern flatbreads, and to find that the first one in the package was the only one that was NOT molding! There was no good alternative, so my Lamb Köfte tonight was served sort of plain on a bed of the caramelized onions. No complaints from the diners, when all was said and done.

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"Lamb Köfte with Yogurt Sauce and Muhammara," from Bon Appétit, January 2010. Recipe Online.

Meal No. 1198: Herb-Roasted Wild-Caught Salmon

Meal No. 1197: Eggs on Toast

My gosh: I haven't had this since I was still a kid, but my mother used to make this for us for breakfast from time to time. It's buttered toast with grape jelly, topped with scrambled eggs. I haven't even thought of this in decades. My sister in Indiana says she's made this for her boys, though, so I guess this Jones tradition was surviving in spite of my neglect of it.

Some fresh-grated aged sharp white cheddar made the eggs even more delicious. That was the simple dinner tonight, and I've got no regrets.

Meal No. 1196: Spicy Beef & Pepper Stir-Fry

Dinner tonight was a huge disappointment, resulting in an incredibly bland and pointless bowl of ho-hum called Spicy Beef & Pepper Stir-Fry. This recipe is already in the rubbish bin.

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"Spicy Beef & Pepper Stir-Fry," by Joy Zacharia of Clearwater, FL. Published in Taste of Home, February/March 2015, p. 65-66.

Meal No. 1195: Pork Medallions in Ginger-Shiitake-Soy Cream Sauce

A few more folks ended up on the dinner list last evening and I didn't want to have to head back out to the grocery store, so I relied on ingredients I had on hand and a recipe that's tried, tested, and true at the Roediger House: the much-loved ginger-shiitake-soy cream sauce over pan-seared pork medallions. To go with it, some company mashed potatoes (also something that I make a lot of) and garden peas.

There was a pretty direct request for me to have some dessert for a change, and more specifically something we've always called Texas sheet cake. The recipe I used, thought, calls it "Scotch Chocolate Cake." I just call it dee-lish-us.

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"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.

"Scotch Chocolate Cake," [in my world, also known as Texas Sheetcake]. 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. 1194: Chicken in Phyllo

When I lived in Winston-Salem in the late 1980s, it was a special treat to eat at the local favorite Ryan's Steaks, Chops, and Seafood restaurant, tucked away behind bland offices on Coliseum Drive. One of my favorite menu items back then was chicken in phyllo. I don't remember much about it, except that I liked it a lot.

Here we are, 25 years later, and it's still a great restaurant. It's a special occasion place for me, such as celebrating on the night that I closed on the Roediger House and took possession of it. But chicken in phyllo is no longer on the menu there. So I'm left to try to find a suitable substitute I can make myself at home. Hence, last night's trial: chicken in phyllo.

I have no idea if this is anywhere close to what Ryan's had long ago. But this dish should repeat here at the Roediger House, because it was mighty fine.

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"Chicken Breasts in Phyllo," by tranch. Posted to food.com on 07 September 1999.

"DIY Cooking Creme," from Joy in My Kitchen, 25 May 2011.

Meal No. 1193: Hamburger Supreme

On yesterday's miserably cold, dreary, wet and rainy January day in Winston-Salem, with the smallest accumulation of morning sleet, a comfort meal seemed called for when the dinner hour rolled around. With good friend and fellow CRISS trainer Jeff Means up for a visit, I should probably have made a better effort in the kitchen, but this soothing casserole seldom garners any complaints.

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

Meal No. 1192: Caramelized Party Ham Biscuits

I've been on a bit of a tear with these caramelized party ham biscuits of late, but I needed a breakfast for my overnight guests this morning. I went ahead and made up a horseradish sauce to give the innards some more flavor, and I was pretty pleased at the result.

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"Party Ham Biscuits," a recipe shared with our family by Susan Brown, who was my sister Allison's college chum at the University of North Carolina. I recorded Susan's in my recipe collection in 1988. There are various versions of this recipe, of course. Pretty popular is the "caramelized" version, such as this one: "Caramelized Ham & Swiss Buns," by Iris Weihemuller of Baxter, MN, in Taste of Home, December 2013, p. 59.

The Day Brings

Meal No. 1191: Not So Cajun Chicken

Not as good as when I cook the chicken fresh and in the spices of this dish (tonight I used the rest of the rotisserie chicken I had on hand), but Not So Cajun chicken is always a hit in this house.

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Links To Recipe [in PDF]:

Not So Cajun Chicken, a dish I regularly enjoyed at Crowley's Old Time Favorites restaurant and bar on Medlin Drive in Raleigh, NC.  (Another version of the recipe can be found here.)

Meal No. 1190: Chicken Supreme

I'd picked up a rotisserie chicken when I made a shopping trip to Sam's Club yesterday, and tonight I used a fair portion of it to resurrect one of my oldest recipes: chicken supreme. When I moved away from home after college, this is one of the recipes my mother sent with me. It's really tasty but it's been about four years since I made it (and before that, it might have been as long as 20 years since I'd made it!).

Meal No. 1189: Another Party Requires Foodstuffs!

Lots of fun things going on 'round here this weekend and week, and on this fine January Monday, it was another occasion of fun and frivolity for which edible goodies were required. Here's a sampling:

Warm Swiss and Bacon Dip

Creamy Stuffed Eggs

Party Ham Biscuits

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

"Creamy Stuffed Eggs," a recipe shared with me by Barbara Huneycutt of Crozet, VA.

"Party Ham Biscuits," a recipe shared with our family by Susan Brown, who was my sister Allison's college chum at the University of North Carolina. I recorded Susan's in my recipe collection in 1988. There are various versions of this recipe, of course. Pretty popular is the "caramelized" version, such as this one: "Caramelized Ham & Swiss Buns," by Iris Weihemuller of Baxter, MN, in Taste of Home, December 2013, p. 59.

Meal No. 1188: The Annual Chili Night

I realize I keep talking about having way too much going on, but there's just a lot going on, and so this year's annual chili cook-off was reduced to a small chili gathering instead. It was good but I regret not being able to make it the usual grand affair that has been a long-standing tradition at the Roediger House.

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

"Granny Wilson's Cornbread," shared by Linda B. Dunlap in 2006.

Meal No. 1187: Cold Cuts and Eggy Potato Salad

A small bachelor party-style shindig for the fellas on this fine Saturday night was best handled with cold cuts in rolls along with some delicious eggy potato salad. Apparently, the pimento cheese I'd made was also quite a hit.

Eggy Potato Salad and Cold Cuts

Not everybody cared for my UNC plates.

First use ever of my Carolinaopoly game that I've had for years.

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"Eggy Potato Salad with Pickles," by Jenny Rosenstratch and Andy Ward. In Bon Appétit, May 2012, p. 36.

"South Carolina-Style Pimento Cheese." Recipe worked out by me, based on Sharon's Palmetto Pimento Cheese.

Wendy's To The Rescue

After being on the road all week, and coming in last night, I had thought I'd be able to return to my kitchen routines and put a good dinner on the table for a few folks tonight. Alas, the day was jam-packed with all kinds of things and I am embarrassed to report that we just went to Wendy's instead:

A Stunning January Sunrise

Holiday Goodies of 2014

During the stretch of time I got to be home over the Christmas holiday, the Roediger House kitchen cranked out some goodies. Here's the fun run-down.

Chocolate-Butterscotch Scotcheroos

Mother's Date Nut Balls

White Wine Coffee Cake

White Wine Coffee Cake

Oatmeal Cinnamon Chip Cookies

Monster Chip Cookies

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Homemade Eggnog

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"Chocolate-Butterscotch Scotcheroos," from the Rice Krispies cereal box.  I first noted and recorded this recipe in 1988.

"Cap'n Crunch Cookies," found online at The Capitol Baker, with credit going to The Sugar Plum Blog for inspiration and the source of the adapted recipe.

"Cinnamon Chip Oatmeal Cookies," from Hershey's Kitchens.

• On the Hershey's website: http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/recipe-details.aspx?id=6197&name=Oatmeal7Cinnamon7Chips7Cookies

• PDF of the Roediger House Version can be found by clicking here.

"Monster Chip Cookies," by Judy Mabry [Myrtle Beach, SC]. Published in Taste of Home, October/November 2001.

"Premier White Chocolate and Macadamia Pieces Cookies," from Hershey's Mauna Loa. Found online at http://www.maunaloa.com/recipes/cookies.asp.

"Homemade Eggnog," by Beverly Sims. In Cuckoo Cooks from Gilboa Christian Church in Cuckoo, Virginia.

Meal No. 1186: Shrimp and Goat Cheese Grits with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

With a few folks over for dinner this past Saturday night, and some good looking wild-caught pink Argentinian shrimp on a nice special, I headed back into the delightful Tupelo Honey Cafe cookbook that my sister Allison gave me and emerged with this bowl of deliciousness:

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"Shrimp and Goat Cheese Grits with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce," in Tupelo Honey Cafe: Spirited Recipes from Asheville's New South Kitchen, by Elizabeth Sims with Chef Brian Sonoskus. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC (2011), p. 100-101, 179.

Source of creamy grits recipe: Luquire Family Stone Ground Grits, milled in Greenwood, SC.

Meal No. 1185: Multigrain Pancakes for Saturday Lunch

Blog-worthy? Probably not. But in the accounting of meals at the Roediger House, this one counts.

Meal No. 1184: Hoisin-Soy Chicken Legs

On Friday night, the supper I put on the table was new for me, and it proved to be quite good. I also experimented with a different way to roast my chicken quarters: 450°F for 20 minutes followed by 375°F for 15 minutes, with more sauce-basting in the middle of that cooking time. The skin sealed the legs tight and then the meat came out tender and incredibly juicy. Lucky result, or a new approach I should begin using? Time will tell.

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Inspiration and ideas from "Sticky Soy-Hoisin Chicken Thighs," by Kate Parham in Cooking Light, December 2013; and from "Spicy Hoisin Chicken," from Gourmet, May 2003.

Meal No. 1183: Juicy Burgers on the Grill

With a pretty sizable construction crew here for the last several weeks, and nearing the end of the project, and with me hitting the road for the coming week, I wanted to put some food on the table for the guys. So Friday's mid-day break for them was centered on 16 juicy burgers, some homemade pimento cheese, and barbecue kettle chips. I was trying to get everything ready without running late, so I didn't snap my usual photo of the plate for the blog, though.

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"Grilled Juicy Burgers," from Pillsbury Classic Cookbooks recipe magazine.

"South Carolina-Style Pimento Cheese." Recipe worked out by me, based on Sharon's Palmetto Pimento Cheese.

Meal No. 1182: Emeril's Skillet Beef Stroganoff

Last night, I went with a simple meal with the ingredients I had on hand. That's in part why there are no mushrooms in it, but it was still very good.

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"Beef Stroganoff Hamburger Dinner in a Skillet," by Emeril Lagasse. Found online at The Food Network.

Five Degrees of Consternation

It was cold this morning. By the way, the indoor temp always shows high because this clock sits right above a central air register. I don't actually keep the house that hot.

Meal No. 1181: Country Ham, Biscuits, and Rice

Breakfast for supper...you know you love it.

Meal No. 1180: Pasta with Sausage, Basil, and Mustard

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"Pasta with Sausage, Basil, and Mustard," by Nigel Slater and published in Food & Wine, September 2002.

Meal No. 1179: Roast Turkey

If the Harris Teeter is going to sell me a perfectly good free-range antibiotic-free 12-pound turkey for under six bucks, I reckon I'm going to have a fancy meal with a bunch of friends on a Monday night.

We feasted happily.

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"Simplest Roast Turkey," from Dana Cowin. In Food & Wine, November 2014, p. 64.

"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, LLC, 2011.

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

"Mary Margaret's Dressing," from Mary Margaret McKnight of Buies Creek, NC. Recipe obtained November 2002.

Meal No. 1178: Roasted Butterflied Leg of Lamb

Amazing roasted leg of lamb, perfectly cooked, deliciously flavored, and happily accompanied by fresh-made Yukon gold mashed potatoes, a marsala and peppered beefstock cream sauce, and some Brussels sprouts. Well, and an Abita Mardi Gras Bock to wash it all down.

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Preparation and marinade based on "Grilled Butterflied Leg of Lamb," by Elise Bauer of SimplyRecipes.com. Roasting guidance from Sydney Oland and the recipe for "Butterflied Leg of Lamb."

Meal No. 1177: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Simple. Good. Not good for me.