Meal No. 1622: Sautéed Turkey Breast Cutlets

Last night's simple meal featured sautéed turkey breast cutlets with a rare side: Rice-a-Roni. It was topped with a creamy wine sauce that was actually a bit heavy on the butter...but still good.

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"Creamy Wine Sauce," by Lynda Sarkisian of Seneca, SC. Published in Southern Living 2001 Annual Recipes. Birmingham, AL: Oxmoor Press (2001), p. 81.

Meal No. 1621: Double Crunch Honey Garlic Pork Chops

Last night's meal for three at the Roediger House was a chance to try out a new recipe: double crunch honey garlic pork chops. The chops were perfect but I wish I'd gotten more of a crust on them when I fried them; the honey-garlic-soy sauce was a great enhancer.

To go with it, I had both roasted Brussels sprouts and the Tupelo Honey Cafe's version of smashed sweet potatoes.

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"Double Crunch Honey Garlic Pork Chops," from Barry C. Parsons of RockRecipes.com.

"Smashed Sweet Potatoes" (p. 128) and "Milk Gravy" (p. 10). 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.

"Roasted Brussels Sprouts," by Ina Garten of the Food Network.

Chocolate Velvet Cake

I tried out another velvet cake recipe to go with last night's lasagna for a crowd, and this time it was chocolate velvet cake with vanilla bean buttercream icing.

I'm not sure how we found room for it in our already-full bellies, but we performed admirably. It was another delicious concoction!

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"Chocolate Velvet Cake," from Barry C. Parsons of RockRecipes.com.

Meal No. 1620: World's Best Lasagna

On this fine summer Sunday night, with six of us around the table, it seemed to be a perfectly good reason to return to the world-famous John Chandler recipe for lasagna. This is a much-loved dish at the Roediger House and is frequently suggested and requested.

There was also freshly-tossed Caesar salad and hot buttered garlic toast, too.

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"World's Best Lasagna," by John Chandler (Dallas, TX). Found online at AllRecipes.com.

Meal No. 1619: Grilled New York Strip

Meal No. 1618: Grilled Tuna Steaks with Soy-Balsamic Glaze

On the menu this past Monday night: grilled wild-caught tuna steaks with a soy-balsamic glaze. To go with it, there was another attempt at coconut rice (still not quite right, though!) and steamed broccoli.

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"Balsamic-Glazed Tuna Steaks," by Laura McDowell [Lake Villa, IL]. In Taste of Home, June/July 2008, p. 60.

"Coconut Rice," from Chef Andy Ricker of Pok Pok. Published in Bon Appétit, January 2012.

Caramel Popcorn Crunch Cookies for Cook

One of the local Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools that I'm working with this year is about four minutes from the house, if you catch all the stoplights just right. The students at Cook Literacy Model School reported a week earlier than all the other schools in the district, so last Sunday I wanted to bolster and encourage the staff who were there working hard to be ready. That led me to put together a couple of batches of Caramel Popcorn Cap'n Crunch Cookies both for that afternoon and to leave in the workroom for teachers to snack on when Monday rolled around.

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"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.

Meal No. 1617: Pork Medallions with Ginger-Shiitake-Soy Sauce

The Sunday night crew of six were called to supper just after 8:30 pm and served up a heaping plate of pork medallions, homemade red-skin mashed potatoes, and traditional green bean casserole. The ginger-shiitake-soy cream sauce was silky and spot-on and made a nice coating for most of what went on my plate.

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

"Campbell's Classic Green Bean Casserole," from Campbell's Kitchen. Recipe available online.

Lemon Velvet Cake

With a big crew at the house last Saturday for supper and a sleepover, I wanted to have a dessert that could accommodate a crowd. That led me to a new recipe for Lemon Velvet Cake.

Geez Louise with a diamond-encrusted wand of magical glory: this cake was stunning...delicious, rich, flavorful, and overwhelming. We were all pretty happy with how it turned out.

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"Lemon Velvet Cake," from Barry C. Parsons of RockRecipes.com.

Meal No. 1616: Baked Spaghetti for Slumber Party Night

On Saturday night, it was another slumber party at the Roediger House, with a crew of eight here for the dinner, dessert, and late-night shenanigans. For dinner, I reached back in the archives to a recipe that came to me through my dear friend Stick Coulson: baked spaghetti. This was a regular dish for meals with my family, either at home in Buies Creek or when we went to the beach in the summer.

I'm not sure any of this crew had had this; it has made limited appearances on the RoHo menu (twice in 2012 and twice in 2014). It was a mighty good dinner that night, though. And wait till you find out tomorrow what was served up for dessert...that blew us all away, I think. Stay tuned!

Update [11:41 a.m.]: The back bar beer cooler in the third floor man cave has been acting up and, in the last couple of weeks, has ceased to provide much cooling. For the slumber party night, I had to revert back to an ice-packed cooler to make sure cold beers were available. This morning, though, a technician from Quality Refrigeration Concepts has been here to get it up and running properly again. He's already replaced the fan motor but now we've got to figure out why it tends to freeze up so regularly.

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"Baked Spaghetti," by Margaret Coalson via Stick Coulson, 13 July 1997.

Meal No. 1615: Skinny Fried Chicken with Milk Gravy

A Facebook post on Friday from my friend and fellow UNC Tar Heel alum David Venable was a perfectly-timed inspiration: pounded chicken breasts coated in spices and crinkly crumbs and baked in the oven. He calls it Skinny Fried Chicken, but that does not in any way suggest diet or healthy eating, really! It was fantastic with the Tupelo Honey Cafe's milk gravy on top, and their smashed sweet potatoes on the side.

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"Skinny Fried Chicken," by David Venable of In the Kitchen with David on QVC.com.

"Smashed Sweet Potatoes" (p. 128) and "Milk Gravy" (p. 10). 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.

DoubleTree-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies

Since I was with a really nice group of teachers at an elementary school in Winston-Salem this past week, I figured I'd take in a batch of cookies, and the recipe I reached for was the DoubleTree-inspired chocolate chip cookies.

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"Doubletree Hotel's Chocolate Chip Cookies," by Ayşegül Sanford and her blog, Foolproof Living. Published December 29, 2013.

Lemon Chess Pies - Again!

When I discovered a few days ago that the recipe in my personal recipe collection that purported to be President Clinton's "Favorite Lemon Chess Pie" did not match up to what was published in his Presidential Center Cookbook, I figured I'd better give the official version a try. Which actually meant I needed to make two pies, but I doubt that's going to result in any complaints around here.

Now that the taste test has been completed, the crew and I agree we like the previous version. I found this one to be too custardy--too eggy. But now I know!

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"Lemon Chess Pie," credited to Shirley Sagawa. In The Clinton Presidential Center Cookbook: A Collection of Recipes from Family and Friends. The William J. Clinton Presidential Center, 2003, p. 204.

Meal No. 1614: Lamb on Naan Pizza

The Sunday night meal for a fine foursome of fantastic folks was a second go at lamb and feta naan pizza. While feta was not the cheese of choice for everyone, most of the plates got quite bare by meal's end.

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"Za'Atar Naan Pizzas," by Cindy Jones, Owner of the Savory Spice Shop in Raleigh, NC.

Additional Inspiration from "Flatbread Naan White Pizza," by Leslie Green, The Hungry Housewife. Published 03 October 2011.

Meal No. 1613: Bacon and Hoecakes Breakfast

I had a hankering to make breakfast this past Sunday morning and I also wanted to try out another recipe for hoecakes. The bacon was much better than the hoecakes, though.

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"Susie's Mama's Hoecakes," by Susie Baxter [Suwanee County, FL]. From "Hoecakes So Good They Might Make You a Southerner," by Felicia Lee in Salon. [01 September 2010]

Meal No. 1612: Shrimp and Goat Cheese Grits with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Once again, the Roediger House got to enjoy a visit from down-the-street neighbors Deborah and Alaina this past Saturday night. On the supper table, it was the Tupelo Honey Cafe's version of shrimp and grits with a delightful roasted red pepper sauce. Goat cheese and basil bulked up the already-delicious creamy southern grits, and it all came together nicely with some steamed asparagus. The ladies brought a marvelous lemon mousse pie to help finish it all out.

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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.

Guidance for making the creamy grits: Luquire Family Stone Ground Grits, milled in Greenwood, SC.

Meal No. 1611: Friday Night Tahlequah Tacos

It was a long and full week of all teaching, all the time, and I was happy to settle into a simple dinner on Friday night. Around here, we call these Tahlequah tacos, and they hit the spot.

President Clinton's Favorite Lemon Chess Pie

After the end of Bill Clinton's presidency, I came across a recipe that purported to be Mr. Clinton's favorite for lemon chess pie. It was all part of the fundraising efforts for the Clinton Presidential Library, if memory serves. I did my part and was rewarded with a cookbook of recipes collected from Clinton associates, staffers, and family members....but a couple of nights ago I realized that the recipe I'd always used did not match the one published in the Clinton Library cookbook. Now I'm not sure where I got mine from...maybe a newspaper article at around that time?

Anyway: the recipe I've been using all these years has certainly been great, and I used it to make dessert this past Thursday night and it made happiness settle in multiple stomachs.

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"Lemon Chess Pie," originally thought to be President Clinton's favorite version, but apparently it's not quite the same.

Meal No. 1610: Kung Pao Chicken

Thursday night's dinner for three was the house favorite wok stir fry: kung pao chicken. It's always a flavorful delight.

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"Kung Pao [Chicken]" (p. 80) with Szechwan Marinade (p. 28) and Spicy Peanut Stir-Fry Sauce (p. 27). In Wok Fast, by Hugh Carpenter and Teri Sandison. Ten Speed Press (Berkeley/Toronto), 2002.

Meal No. 1609: Biscuits & Gravy

On Wednesday night, with hot country sausage nearing its expiration date, I figured it might be a good time for a batch of biscuits and sausage gravy.  It's hard to beat, y'know?

Meal No. 1608: Smoked Pork Loin

Another new recipe found its way onto the Roediger House table for Tuesday night's dinner for four: smoked pork loin with cauliflower gratin and early garden peas. It was hella yummy.

Too bad I was grilling when there was a storm warning and an areal flood warning.

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"Smoked Pork Loin," by Steve Dunn. In Cook's Illustrated, Number One Hundred Forty-Two (September & October 2016), p. 4-5.

"Cauliflower Gratin," by Julia Collin. In Cook's Illustrated, Number Fifty-Five (March & April 2002), p. 18-19.

Double Chocolate Liqueur Ice Cream

Oh my: dessert on Monday night was a second making of the deeply flavorful and intensely chocolatey Double Chocolate Liqueur Ice Cream that I first made last fall. Good heavens, this stuff is remarkable.

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"Double Chocolate Liqueur Ice Cream," by Kita Roberts. From her Pass the Sushi blog.

Meal No. 1607: Not So Cajun Chicken

One of the most special and favorite dishes of the Roediger House is Not So Cajun Chicken, and I like to make sure I prepare it every once in a while just because it's good and just because I should. I'll be happy to have a bit of it for my leftover lunchbreak later today.

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"Not So Cajun Chicken," a dish I regularly enjoyed at Crowley's Old Time Favorites restaurant and bar on Medlin Drive in Raleigh, NC. Credit to Jimmy Randolph for helping track it down. (Another version of the recipe can be found here.)

Meal No. 1606: Braised Beef Short Ribs

The Sunday night meal for three of us was another chance to pilot some Pioneer Woman recipes. This time, it was short ribs braised in wine served over creamy polenta with goat cheese. Some broccoli florets were tasty on the side.

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"Braised Short Ribs," from Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman. Published 16 November 2009.

"Creamy Polenta with Goat Cheese," from Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman. Published 17 November 2009.

Old-Fashioned Buttermilk Pie

Thanks to fellow doc student Tami Wyatt in 2000, during our days at the University of Virginia, I am the proud possessor of a great recipe for old-fashioned buttermilk pie. I've not made this in years and years, but it made its appearance as dessert on Saturday night. All those years that have passed since I last made it must've disoriented me a bit: I thought it was supposed to be two regular pies, when I think instead it should have been one deep-dish-crusted pie. It tasted good, but it was thin and a bit overcooked!

Meal No. 1605: Grilled Cedar Plank Salmon with Pepper-Honey Glaze

It was a delightful turn of events tonight when my sister Allison and her son Eli were able to stop back in Winston for the night, on their journey home from a week on the North Carolina coast. The timing was perfect, because Eli could get one more pulled pork sandwich from Bib's Downtown, just up the street, and Allison could partake of the evening's planked salmon with a pepper-honey glaze. Also on the menu: roasted asparagus and coconut rice.

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"Pepper-Honey Cedar Plank Salmon," by JMcCurtain on AllRecipes.com.

Ideas and Guidance on Parmesan-Garlic Roasted Asparagus from:

• "Roasted Asparagus," from Ina Garten of the Food Network.
• "Oven-Roasted Asparagus," from swedishmilk on AllRecipes.com.

Coconut Rice Guidance from:

• "Coconut Rice," from Andy Ricker of Pok Pok. Published in Bon Appétit, January 2012.
• "Sweet Coconut Rice," from Melucy and found online at allrecipes.com.

Meal No. 1604: Texas Thick-Cut Grilled & Smoked Pork Chops

The Friday night dinner at the Roediger House, with six around the table, was a second go at Texas thick-cut smoked pork chops, with a tangy homemade barbecue sauce and roasted red potato wedges. Also, the meal included the rare yet occasional appearance of traditional green bean casserole.

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"Texas Thick-Cut Smoked Pork Chops," by Ashley Moore. In Cook's Country, June/July 2016, p. 4-5.

"Campbell's Classic Green Bean Casserole," from Campbell's Kitchen. Recipe available online.

Meal No. 1603: Grilled Ribeyes and French Fries

The New Neighbor's Pups

There's a new neighbor in the upstairs apartment right next door at 308 N. Spring Street, which is supposedly the house that the Roediger Family lived in while they were building this fine home. He's got two dogs and, earlier in the spring when he went up the street for a while, they were pretty adorable on the upstairs porch pining for his return.

A Sweet, Sweet Summer

While I've had so much time off for the summer, it seems I sure have managed to make a lot of sweet things:

• Eggnog Ice Cream
• Banana Pudding
• Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake
• Red Velvet Ice Cream with Cream Cheese Swirl
• DoubleTree-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Atlantic Beach Pie
• Cheesecake Ice Cream
• Chocolate-Coffee Cheesecake with Mocha Cream Sauce
• Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream
• Cap'n Crunch Cookies
• Chocolate Eclair Cake
• DoubleTree-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies (again!)
• Chocolate Frostie Ice Cream
• Classic Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting
• Caramel-Chai Oatmeal Cookies
• Butter Toffee Cookies
• Margaret Lasater's Apple Pie
• Chocolate Meringue Pie
• Salted Caramel Butterscotch Blondies
• Caramel Popcorn Crunch Cookies
• Salted Caramel Butterscotch Blondies (again!)
• Barbara Matthews's Vanilla Ice Cream

Maybe this is why I received the following in the mail not so long ago:

Meal No. 1602: Spaghetti with Meat Sauce