Meal No. 2897: Spicy Fish Tacos

About a week ago, I tried a new recipe for spicy fish tacos that turned out just amazing. I was troubled by the high cost of the hallibut fillet but went ahead and splurged anyway. With this week's latest seafood specials at my regular grocery store, those hallibut pieces were marked off nine bucks per pound, so the Wednesday night meal could be none other than a repeat of those fish tacos. But lordy, did I fail to control the spice and heat amount, so it was all tasty but also really brought out the sweat on my lip and on the tip of my nose.

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"Sous Vide Spicy Fish Tacos," from CooksIllustrated.com.

Meal No. 2896: Peruvian-Spiced Chicken Thighs

While I actually do enjoy heading out to the grocery, the well-stocked freezer and the ease of sous vide cooking are combining to make me take the easy way out, repeatedly. Well, I'd been out of town for a couple of days and that also made me enjoy just keeping close to home last Tuesday, so: sous vide chicken thighs, again! Stuffing, again! And a mess of hot buttered garden peas, for good measure.

Meal No. 2895: Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes

Before the Roediger House weekend guest departed Sunday, it seemed fitting to let Bradley's visit serve as a fine reason for a stack of buttermilk pancakes. They are a rare but loved treat here and, in my enthusiasm to get some onto my own plate, I rushed the cooktime a tad on my portion...they don't look golden in this photo (but the early morning light on the breakfast table has a washing effect too, I reckon).

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

Chai-Spiced Snickerdoodle Skillet Cookie

When friend and colleague Bradley Phillis was at the house this past weekend for more work on our current writing projects, we were all probably satisfied enough with our dinner that we could have foregone dessert. But one should not make that decision too lightly, which is why I was serving up a hot and fresh-baked chai-spiced snickerdoodle cookie just after 10:30 pm that Saturday night. Yum. But it appears that Bradley and Lauren are now going to have to invest in a 12-inch cast iron skillet so that this treat can be added to their own desserty delights in southern Mississippi.

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"Chai-Spiced Snickerdoodle Skillet Cookie," from Heather Baird of SprinkleBakes.com. [Published 06 July 2020]

Meal No. 2894: Spicy Chicken Wraps

This past weekend was a 26-hour marathon writing retreat, with time set aside for pool playing and a small measure of catching-up conversation, as former grad student and current writing collaborator Bradley Phillis was in town for an all-too-brief overnighter. Almost from the time of his arrival mid-day Saturday, through his departure after lunch on Sunday, we were nose-and-grindstone-focused both on our current article and on a snazzy collection of other ongoing or potential projects.

When dinnertime rolled around Saturday night, I pulled out the chicken breasts I'd grilled Friday afternoon and put them together with a compelling mix of other ingredients, all wrapped up in a burrito, and baked to a steaming, creamy, slightly cheesy and runny completion. Well-roasted broccoli florets and the last of the avocado ranch dressing rounded out the endeavor. We dug into dinner with hardly any interruption to our sustained and relentless conversation, so I did not pick up the camera again for an internal shot of the spicy chicken wrap. This blog entry offers a small glimpse, though.

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"Grilled Spicy Chicken Wrap," a Roediger House original recipe.

Meal No. 2893: Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

There was a convergence of events that caused a scheduling push late last Friday afternoon, and I had to scramble to toss some seasoned chicken breasts onto the grill, make a fresh batch of creamy Caesar dressing, and chop up another head of Romaine lettuce so that we could choke down a fast supper before heading up to see Marvel's latest film, Black Widow. It's been a long time since I ventured to a Friday night film at a multiplex and, while it was pretty well attended for a movie that's in its third week and that's also available via a streaming platform, it was not so crowded that it exacerbated the ongoing coronavirus contagion fears. And it was a treat to come back to the house and still get in a few rounds of pool with Mookie (and to have a few chocolate-caramel whoopie pies left to share!).

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

Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Coffee Caramel Filling

After a reasonably healthy supper meal last Wednesday night, I turned my kitchen attentions to another new recipe: chocolate whoopie pies. Now, I won't suggest that whoopie pies themselves are all that high on my list, but some recent conversation on the street about a local bakery's fantastic versions led me to delve into the endeavor, which resulted in chocolate whoopie pies with a coffee caramel filling. I rushed the filling and didn't achieve a dissolved state for the sugar, but that nagging graininess didn't seem to defeat the overall positive effect of these sweet confections.

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Adapted from "Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Salted Caramel Frosting," from Sally McKenney of Sally's Baking Addiction. [Published 04 April 2017]

Meal No. 2892: Roasted Salmon Salad with Creamy Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing

For regular readers of the blog, you might quickly appreciate that it pains me to have gone so long without a good slab of salmon. That shortfall was corrected this past Wednesday evening, with yet another round of lightly-spiced perfectly-roasted salmon filets, this time served atop fresh chopped Romaine with the bonus treat of homemade creamy avocado lime ranch dressing. It's a nice change of pace from the typical Caesar dressing I make, but this is not better than that Caesar!

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Dressing was based on "Creamy Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing," by Michele Peterson of A Taste for Travel blog.

Meal No. 2891: Spicy Fish Tacos

Perfect fish tacos were the perfect call this past Tuesday, in true Taco Tuesday fashion. It was an extravagance, in fact, featuring a pretty pricey halibut fillet, coated in a perfectly balanced spiced and spicy marinade. By cooking it to near completion via sous vide, it was easy to finish its cooking with a few minutes under the oven broiler.

And there was a super incredible slaw to go with it, and I added sliced avocado and lime crema to bring it all together. Best I can tell, this is but my second attempt at fish tacos and, while my previous attempt was reasonable, this one is the version to return to again and again.

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"Sous Vide Spicy Fish Tacos," from CooksIllustrated.com.

Skillet Brownie with Vanilla Ice Cream

When Amy and Gern were here for dinner last Saturday night, we could not conclude the evening without a sweet treat to cap off a fine visit. I'd quickly scrubbed the cast iron skillet and dedicated it to a new worthy purpose: a massive skillet brownie, deeply chocolatey and with a kick-butt crust (for thems what likes a good brownie edge). And I'd made a new batch of vanilla ice cream, churned that morning and left to set up in the freezer. My gosh, what a bowlfull of glory!

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"Salted Caramel Skillet Brownies," from Maria Lichty of the Two Peas and Their Pod blog. [Published 29 April 2013]

Vanilla Ice Cream Based on "Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches," from King Arthur Baking.

Meal No. 2890: Center-Cut Pork Chops with Amy & Gern

Dinner guests this past Saturday night proved to be another sign of our gradual return to greater normalcy, even while the nation's unvaccinated idiots seem to want us to remain stricken and confined by the pandemic. Amy and Gern were willing to depart their own new home, along with their new puppy, long enough to come over for dinner, pool-playing, and hanging out. On our dinner plates, I had thick center-cut pork chops, roasted spiced potatoes, and roasted Brussels sprouts. I think this was the first time I'd offered them a sample of sous vide meat (finished with a good sear in the cast iron skillet) and we were all pretty pleased with the tender juiciness of 'em.

Meal No. 2889: Filet Mignon

Every once in a while, you just gotta have a steak. For the Roediger House, that was last Friday night. I dug into the well-stocked freezer for one of my vacuum-sealed prepped bags of beef tenderloin filets and tossed it into the sous vide set-up, with a finishing sear in the cast iron skillet. I roasted asparagus in some garlic-infused olive oil to go with it.

But the extra special touch of that evening's meal was homemade Outback bread-like dinner rolls, with cinnamon-honey butter, that just about put me over the top. Lordy, that was some amazing deliciousness to start off a fine weekend in downtown Winston-Salem.

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Dinner Rolls were prepared based on an earlier version of this updated recipe: "Outback Sweet Molasses Bread," from ItsAlwaysAutumn.com. [Published 16 April 2021]

Cinnamon-Honey Butter pulled from "Texas Roadhouse Rolls and Cinnamon Honey Butter," from Holly Lofthouse of LifeintheLoftHouse.com.

Meal No. 2888: Pesto, Ricotta, and Mozzarella Deep-Dish Pizzas

A couple of weeks prior, I'd finally gotten around to trying out an overnight deep dish pizza dough and absolutely loved the results. So I was hankering to bring it back to the dinner table, which occurred last Thursday night.

Thanks to the generous sharing yet again of basil from the neighbors, supplemented with some from my own window pot of it, I made pesto for the base. Then I topped it with ricotta and fresh mozzarella slices, plus some more cheese, and baked it up into something amazing.

It is such an easy dough to throw together, with minimal effort by the cook, since it's the long overnight rest and rise that really give it its wonderful texture and flavor. I feel like I've been away from pizza for a long time now, and this is definitely calling me back.

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"Easy Basil Pesto," by Adam and Joanne Gallagher of InspiredTaste.net. [Originally Published August 2013]

"Fool-Proof Pan Pizza" [Updated 03 January 2020] and "Pesto Pizza" [Updated 27 February 2019], by J. Kenji López-Alt, former culinary director of SeriousEats.com.

Meal No. 2887: Peruvian-Spiced Chicken Thighs

Last Sunday night, it was dinner for four, featuring Peruvian-spiced chicken thighs cooked up via sous vide. I spiced and roasted potatoes and also roasted broccoli florets.

For our dessert that night, I tried something new, and I think it actually worked out pretty darned well. With a good portion of the banana bread loaf remaining, I cut slices and griddled them in butter in the cast iron skillet. I'd already made a new batch of vanilla ice cream, using a new approach, and it was a perfect pairing for the toasted banana bread portions.

And speaking of frozen dairy treats, although the following night was leftovers at the house, I still had whipped up yet another dessert from a new recipe: lime sherbet. Tangy, sweet, refreshing, summery, and absolutely repeatable! It's going to be a nice alternative to the key lime frozen yogurt that I used to make and haven't brought out in a while.

By the way, the chicken thighs are so easy and good that they reappeared for the very next meal last Wednesday night (after a couple of days of leftovers and oatmeal in between). This time I served them with roasted green beans and quinoa.

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Vanilla Ice Cream Based on "Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches," from King Arthur Baking.

"Lime Sherbet," from Kathy Berget of BeyondtheChickenCoop.com. [Published 09 June 2018 / Updated 20 April 2020]

Meal No. 2886: Sheet Pan Beef Nachos

When trying to have on hand the right combination of ingredients, given the likely but uncertain return of the Oklahoma Crew, I'd grabbed a package of ground beef when I made my quick grocery stock-up run. Since I'd made chicken and wild rice soup for them, I used the beef to make an easy batch of sheet pan nachos last Saturday night, hungrily consumed while watching the surprisingly entertaining Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar.

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Taco-Style Meat Based on "Crispy Beef Tacos," by Hilah Johnson. From HilahCooking.com.

Seasoning was based on "Taco Seasoning I," from Bill Echols on AllRecipes.com.

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

Meal No. 2885: Vierling Saloon Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

When word came to me that the Oklahoma crew was going to be stopping back in on Thursday a week ago, after taking a quick trip out to Nags Head, I went into planning mode for how best to approach their possible supper needs. Given that we were enduring the outermost reaches of the remnants of Hurricane Elsa that day, something warm and comforting seemed called for.

What finally occurred to me is that it's been far too long since the last appearance of the amazing cream of chicken and wild rice soup, based on the old Vierling Saloon's recipe. I dashed out to the Harris Teeter for their reasonably-priced whole fryer chickens, grabbed a container of cremini mushrooms, and upped my onion supply. The Instant Pot made short work of cooking up the seasoned whole chicken so that it was all ready to be deboned and diced and tossed in near the end of the soup's cook time. It turned out pretty great!

It seemed wise to try to offer up a simple sweet treat after dinner, so I did a quick batch of those incredible lemon sugar cookies...but three-fourths of the Oklahoma crew had gone to bed early and missed out that evening!

While I'm at it, for the fullness of recording the kitchen activity, I'll also note a couple of the snackables I tried to have available for our happy easy-going crew while they were here, including a batch of chicken salad (pictured above) and pimento cheese (pictured below).

I was also planning to make a loaf of banana bread for them, but that did not actually occur until the day they left (they successfully departed at 4 am last Friday!):

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"Vierling Saloon Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup," formerly offered at the Vierling Saloon in Marquette, Michigan. This was first shared with me by my sister Allison Holden and her husband Tom, from Rossville, Indiana. Another online version of the recipe can be found at Miss Mary's Blog.

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

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

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

"Lemon Sugar Cookies," from Melissa Stadler of ModernHoney.com. [Published 21 March 2016]

"Starbucks Copycat Banana Nut Bread," from Liz of LifeLoveLiz.com. [Published 25 March 2015]

Meal No. 2884: World's Best Lasagna

For a dish that was such a regular favorite feature for many years here at the Roediger House, one might think that the World's Best Lasagna would not have been able to achieve such a long disappearing act. But it has been MIA for over three years, thanks to the weight management push I undertook because my doctor told me in early 2018 that I was getting fat.

Among the changes I've made has been either the reduction or virtual elimination of some much-loved foodstuffs. With a delightful holiday weekend visit from Oklahoma friends around the Independence Day holiday, though, the specialness of the occasion enticed me to bring it out of exile.

Perhaps because it was in some ways a big deal to bring back that lasagna, and because one might just wish to be as good a host as possible (!), I also made focaccia to go with it.

Was this only the third time I've made it? I wish it had looked better but the taste was pretty awesome!

And there was also some fresh-chopped Romaine that was incorporated into a well-dressed Caesar salad, with the extra touches of homemade dressing, hard-boiled eggs...

...and homemade croutons. After all that, I guess we didn't have to have a dessert.

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

"Focaccia," from Anne Burrell of the Food Network.

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

"Croutons," by Marg CaymanDesigns on GeniusKitchen.com.

The 5-5-5 Method of Using the Instant Pot for Hard-Boiled Eggs can be found here: "Perfect Instant Pot Hard-Boiled Eggs," from Kristen Chidsey of A MindFull Mom. [Published 28 August 2018 / Updated 05 November 2020]

Meal No. 2883: Braised Chicken and Brussels Sprouts

Back on Monday, July 5th, I wanted another decent meal that would suit the demands of a table of six folks. Because it's usually dependably good, I decided to go with braised chicken thighs with Brussels sprouts and shallots, and then I also made a large pan of apple and bacon stuffing to help balance it all out. Quite frankly, I wish it had all been better. I was a bit disappointed.

But we could not let the evening end without some sweet treat. How convenient, then, that there was an easy go-to recipe that I was trying out for the second time: a no-bake cheesecake with a Biscoff cookie crust. Fortunately, I was able to whip it up pretty quickly the night before, after cleaning up from our grilled cheeseburgers for July 4th. I've not forgotten how alluring a traditional cheesecake can be, but this whipped, creamy, and slightly tangy version is light and different and ideal for summer.

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"Braised Chicken and Brussels Sprouts," in Everyday Food, Issue 97, November 2012, p. 22.

Apple and Bacon Stuffing adapted from "Basic Stuffing," from Food Network Magazine.

"How to Make the Best No-Bake Cheesecake," by Stella Parks, BraveTart and pastry wizard, and now an Editor Emeritus of SeriousEats.com. [Recipe Updated 30 October 2019]

Meal No. 2882: Juicy Grilled Burgers

A fine way to celebrate the Fourth of July is by grilling up some burgers, and that's what I did for the six of us at the dinner table that warm and sunny Sunday night. Since we'd had that pretty filling brunch meal earlier in the day, it seemed sensible to keep the dinner menu pretty plain, so other than the cheeseburgers all we had were kettle chips.

Following those burgers, with a rest period in between, during which the crew adjourned to the third floor to watch a movie, I snuck down to the kitchen and shortly thereafter returned with the evening's special dessert treat: peach cobbler ice cream. I'd worked on various stages of this frozen dairy concoction over the previous couple of days and had it stored away waiting for the chance to serve it. It froze up a bit harder than I'd like but it was still a very tasty dessert that night.

Also, as folks were whiling away that casual holiday Sunday afternoon up on the third floor, I snuck into the kitchen for one more culinary endeavor. Apparently, for one among our Oklahoma Crew, chocolate-oatmeal no-bake cookies are a habit and obsession. I never make them, so I figured: What the heck? These are that childhood favorite, which I remember best from its corner compartment on the elementary school lunch trays, and it's been a long time since I made them. This recipe calls for more peanut butter than I care for, and maybe I could've upped the sugar, but with Ghiradelli cocoa powder and an extra helping of RoHo love, they weren't what I would have gotten from the old Buies Creek School cafeteria.

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Adapted from "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 100 years ago this year, 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.

"Peach Cobbler Ice Cream," by Christin Mahrlig of the Spicy Southern Kitchen blog. [Published 01 August 2015]

"No Bake Cookies," from Jaclyn Bell of CookingClassy.com. [Published 02 June 2012 / Updated 12 July 2018]

Meal No. 2881: Fourth of July Brunch Lunch

As noted in yesterday's blog post, this Fourth of July holiday is the occasion for a return of the Oklahoma Crew to the Roediger House. A house full of guests after the long pandemic shut-down is worthy of celebration, and at a minimum it calls for at least one brunch meal. One of the tasty additions to the brunch repertoire since their last visit comes from King Arthur Baking: savory bread pudding. The old sausage-egg-milk-whitebread-cheese breakfast casserole that I grew up with cannot hold a candle to this delicious upgrade.

With cubed brioche bread, sautéed onion and mushroom, wine, herbs de provence, eggs and egg yolks, and both heavy cream and milk, plus freshly-grated sharp cheddar cheese...this here is a worthy main feature on a brunch bill. The Southern boy in me also craves creamy grits, of course, and to add color and a false sense of healthiness, there was also some fresh fruit.

Oh, but why stop with all that? Why not a loaf of blueberry lemon bread with a lemon (and limoncello!) glaze?

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"Savory Bread Pudding," from King Arthur Flour. [recipe clipping]

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

"Blueberry Lemon Bread with Lemon Glaze," from Danielle Rye of LiveWellBakeOften.com.

Meal No. 2880: Slow-Cooked Pulled Pork Barbecue

Last Saturday marked the beginning of a terrific holiday visit from what's affectionately known as the Oklahoma Crew. They journeyed in a single overnight straight shot from there to here, arriving just before noon last Saturday. A small window of talking and laughing was followed by the allowance of an afternoon nap period. Knowing the weary travelers might also need a generous allowance of flexibility, I'd tossed a pork shoulder into the slow-cooker and prepped a big batch of Mother's sweet Southern coleslaw, and then added to it all the bonus of creamy stuffed eggs...all of which could be ready whenever the crew rose, refreshed and ready for grub.

Those eggs, by the way: always delicious and well-received, and from a marvelously simple combination of ingredients!

Oh, but why not add to all that some tempting dessert, that was appropriate to the good ol' North Carolina menu of the evening? So, all prepped and waiting in the fridge until the right time to serve it up was a batch of old fashioned 'nana pudding, and lips and bowls were licked.

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Pulled Pork based primarily on "Slow Cooker Texas Pulled Pork," from cmccreight on AllRecipes.com. 

Barbecue Sauce for serving was adapted from "Sweet and Tangy Barbecue Sauce" from recipe for "Indoor Pulled Pork," by Bryan Roof. In Cook's Illustrated, January & February 2010 (No. 102), p. 6-7.

Sweet Southern Coleslaw based on recipe from Allison M. Jones.

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

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